The Final Lesson
by Jardyn39
Chapter 28 - The Lair
"So, how did it go at the Burrow?" asked Harry while they waited.
It was nearly time for them to depart and almost everyone was now showing signs of nervous anticipation.
Harry was well used to having stupid conversations with Ron, mostly with just Hermione to roll her eyes at their flights of fantasy. It was just one of the things he had missed in Ron's absence. Tonight their stupid conversations were providing a little welcome relief for the nervous looking people waiting for the operation to begin, whilst they pretended not to eavesdrop.
So far they had talked about why their camouflage had to be green and not the orange preferred by Ron, whether they should take beach umbrellas in case it should rain later and even debated how many years Ron would be grounded for once Mrs Weasley found out what they'd been up to.
It was all a little forced in the beginning. Both Harry and Ron had issues that would take their time to work through, but they were each up to the task of forgetting their differences for the moment and fell easily into their old routines.
Harry had long realised that their Auror contingent for this evening was actually very young and relatively inexperienced. Indeed, they were in complete contrast to the seasoned and incredibly calm looking Muggle contingent. Harry had no doubt who would assume command in the event of things going wrong with the second group. The more experienced Auror group would only appear when the lair was taken.
"Shut up, Harry," retorted Ron, who was by now enjoying their banter just as much as Harry was.
"I'm sorry. I was hoping they'd give you an easier time of it."
"What?" asked Ron, pretending to be momentarily confused. "Oh, no. I think I've still got that to come, actually. I thought you were referring to something else."
"Er, so what am I supposed to shut up about, then?"
"I thought Hermione said she told you. Ginny brought home a guest."
"Oh, right."
"Head Boy! I ask you? How did that happen?"
"I thought I was supposed to shut up about it?"
"At least Luna stopped yelling and throwing things at me, at least during dinner."
"So, you and Luna getting serious, then?"
"Serious? Harry, I could show you teeth marks."
"No thanks, I'll pass."
"I had half a mind earlier to go up to the castle and give her a good talking to."
"That would not have been a good idea. Anyway, Luna's probably got homework."
"Luna? I'm talking about Ginny! Honestly, we leave her alone for five minutes."
"Shut up you two," barked Bateman, who had been in deep conversation with Hermione but now marched off to shout at someone else.
Harry smiled and moved over for a last word with Hermione before they departed. They managed to move a little away from the others to whisper.
"Be careful, won't you, Harry?"
"Don't worry about me. Just make sure you stay with the others until we can meet up again."
"I'm sorry I couldn't think of a way for you to have your wands with you. I'll keep them safe until I find you both."
Harry nodded and reached down to kiss her.
"Gather around your respective Portkeys and get ready," said Bateman abruptly
*
The Portkeys delivered them in complete darkness within a second of each other. It took a few moments before Harry's eyes became fully accustomed to the night, but gradually stars and clouds began to become defined.
Harry could not see the ground at all, but could feel soft grass underfoot.
The two groups set off in two different directions. The second, larger group would take themselves to a staging point from where they could observe and wait for the signal to advance. Bateman had convinced them to walk to the staging point rather than Portkey there directly. That way they could become accustomed to the conditions and scout around for patrols.
The Aurors in the second party had been very vocal in their scepticism about Bateman's orders. In the end Bateman had prevailed simply by pointing out the number of casualties they had suffered compared to the Muggle actions. They still lost men, of course, but rarely at such an early stage.
Harry was pleased that Bateman had assigned some Muggle soldiers to the second group. He didn't entirely trust the Aurors alone with ensuring Hermione's safety.
"No talking beyond this point," whispered Bateman from ahead, even though they had been walking in complete silence.
They continued walking single file along the side of a path and then through an opening in a dry stone wall. Crossing a narrow road, they entered a small grove of trees.
Harry looked up into the bare branches which contrasted with the lighter sky. Then he noticed the faintest flicker in the highest branches.
He immediately rushed forward and grabbed Bateman before he stepped out into the clearing beyond.
Bateman had enough experience not to cry out. Indeed, he had seen something as well.
"Is it a kind of search light?" asked Bateman in a whisper.
"No," breathed Harry. "Detector."
Bateman tapped twice on Marland's shoulder and pointed out to the side. Marland tapped Parish on his arm and they vanished into the darkness.
He then held Harry's arm and whispered, "Look only."
Harry understood. He got down on all fours and crawled along in the wet grass until he could see properly.
There was a low wall a few feet ahead. Beyond that there was a flickering lantern on a low tripod. Every now and again, the brightness of the lantern flared up to shine in a particular direction. Harry wondered what was causing this until one of the flares momentarily caught two reflective eyes of a fox before it darted away.
The lantern definitely reacted to movement, but Harry could not see who the device was intended to alert.
Harry moved back with the intention of getting his invisibility cloak out.
A moment later there was a crack of a twig being trodden on. Harry looked up just in time to see three indentations being made in muddy ground just beside the lantern.
Someone was under an invisibility cloak.
Harry looked back wondering how he could warn Bateman when two dull spits of silenced gunfire reached his ears. Then there was a splashing sound.
"Harry, put on your cloak and put that lantern out. If we approach it now, who knows how bright it will get."
Harry guessed that whoever was under the invisibility cloak was now dead, but wondered if there might be more than one sentry. Trusting Bateman, Harry fumbled inside his Fred and George designed camouflaged fatigues and withdrew his invisibility cloak.
He stood and approached cautiously.
He was standing right beside the lantern before he remembered that he didn't have his wand with him. How was he going to put the lantern out? Ignoring the clear outline of the body beside him, Harry reached out towards the lantern.
"Finite!" he thought furiously.
The lamplight flickered but did not go out.
Harry cleared his mind and imagined he had his wand in his hand. In his head he rehearsed what he was going to do. The flick and the simple incantation.
To his amazement the lantern went out immediately. He wondered for a long moment whether he really had been the one to do it, but Bateman came along to chivvy him up.
*
They encountered three more guarded lanterns, and each time Harry extinguished the flame before they proceeded.
Harry was a little surprised that Bateman didn't choose to find a path around the sentries, but presumed that at least this way they knew what they were facing.
The fourth and last lantern before they arrived at the camp perimeter was actually guarded by two sentries. Fortunately, they didn't seem to understand the principles of how the device should be used to detect intruders as they were not wearing invisibility cloaks. This lantern was shining like a searchlight and following their every move.
The two guards were eliminated from a safe distance by silenced gunfire, but this time they left the lantern burning. Had they put it out someone might have become suspicious.
A short walk further on they encountered a tree line in front of a flat stretch of grass leading up to a low circular hill. Spaced all around the hill at equal distances were a single row of conventional lanterns on high posts. About halfway up were a row of what looked like movement detecting lanterns. At the very top were tents with a campfire beyond them burning with an unnatural green flame.
"Clever," whispered Bateman.
"Why did they camp up on that hill?" asked Harry. "The sides don't look steep enough to defend."
"That's not a hill, Harry," whispered Ron.
"No, it's a burial mound and their defences are excellent. Anyone approaching will have their shadow show up immediately, even flat on your front."
A small owl flew in towards the camp maintaining a low altitude above the ground. As the bird flew over the mound multiple shadows appeared on the surrounding grass and trees. Harry was amazed that such a small creature flying at night was made so easy to see.
Bateman was studying the remainder of the tree line away from the mound.
"Okay, Harry and Ron will take out the sentries on the mound. The rest of us will take out the other sentries positioned behind this treeline before we proceed and attack the hill. Our main advantage is surprise. I want us detected as late as possible, ideally not until we charge the hill."
Harry had no idea how Bateman knew there was anyone other than themselves hidden amongst the sparse trees.
Bateman pulled Harry and Ron aside.
"I'm guessing," he whispered in answer to Harry's unanswered question. "If I were defending this place it's what I would do."
Harry nodded.
"If it were me, I'd have ten men patrolling just above the second line of lanterns up there. I'd have them moving all night. I'd have thirty down in the woods and a few more in reserve in the camp itself. I'd have stood down the reserves by now, but there would be at least one shift change before dawn. Obviously, I'd be expecting an attack around now when people tend to be tired and lax."
Bateman shifted silently and pointed up the mound.
"Go up the face in front of us, and stay a few feet apart. Your cloaks should get you so far, but I'd have put down trip hazards too."
"What do we do then?" asked Ron.
"Simple. One goes right, the other left. Make your way up to the top. Stay undetected for as long as you can. When you get to the top, help disarm any defenders while we charge up the hill."
"How do we stay undetected? You said there will be patrols," asked Ron.
"To be realistic, there is no way you can both make it to the top and remain undetected; but you can delay the entire camp becoming alerted simply by eliminating the sentries who happen across you. Use your knife."
"How are we supposed to disarm the defenders while you charge?"
"Take a wand or use the knife," answered Harry flatly, feeling more and more uncomfortable with their situation.
"Listen," said Bateman, detecting how unsure they both were. "It isn't too late. You two are the quickest we have and the best at defending yourselves against magic. However, I can send someone else in either of your places."
Harry had known this was coming. Bateman would indeed have put one of his other men in his place. He was conscious that it was perfectly true that he and Ron were the fastest of them, but he was very uneasy at possibly having to eliminate a sentry.
Harry sighed and said, "Whatever is in that camp had better be worthwhile."
"No chance of that," muttered Ron.
They withdrew their knives at the same time.
*
Under their invisibility cloaks, Harry and Ron crept up to the first line of lanterns. They took their time as ordered, in order to allow Bateman and his men time to get into position.
A dull crack reached Harry's ears. That was the signal to proceed. He immediately proceeded up the shallow slope.
Harry watched intently with each careful step for any sign of the sentries patrolling higher up. Then he felt a slight vibration in his hand. He looked down to the knife held in his hand. The sharp edge of the blade now had a slightly deeper blue look about it.
Then Harry realised that the charm on the blade must be affected by the magic detectors. It was too magical, just as he'd feared.
Harry heard an indistinct noise to his left. Ron must have noticed the same thing.
Harry knelt down and quickly cut a long slot in the soft ground. He then pushed the knife inside, flush with the surface. He had to leave the knife behind but he could not leave it to make a shadow. The grass was cut short over the mound and it would be seen at once if it wasn't buried properly.
Satisfied that the knife was properly hidden, Harry withdrew his second blade. This one was shorter and not charmed, but it would have to do. He again proceeded cautiously up the slope.
Harry listened intently for any sign of Ron, but there was none. At least he hadn't been detected yet, surely a good thing.
As he got closer to the second line of lanterns, he hoped that his guess that his cloak's magical properties, being made from natural magical animal hair would not be detected in the same way as the artificially charmed blades. He also reasoned that the sentries were wearing invisibility cloaks as well, so at the very least they'd be confused as to whether he was friend or foe.
As Harry pondered, he noticed a path running around the mound where the grass was flatter. This must be where the sentries patrolled along.
He waited for a moment and then, sure enough, the grass shimmered slightly as a sentry passed right by him.
Harry waited for the next one to see how far apart they were, counting the seconds in his head as they passed.
He waited longer than he expected, which indicated that there were fewer sentries than Bateman would have used. Pleased that the defenders were not as thorough as Bateman, Harry waited until he was exactly at the midpoint between the sentries.
Then he leapt over the path and promptly collided with something invisible.
It was a stationary sentry.
Fortunately, the wizard was too stunned to react immediately. Harry, knowing the urgency, fumbled to cover the sentry's mouth to stop him calling out. They both struggled, each unable to see the other, until Harry found his neck. He had no idea where his knife was.
Holding his neck firmly down with one hand, Harry wrestled to cover the defender's mouth.
Harry felt bare skin under his hand and an instant later he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his side.
He reacted instinctively and only realised what he had done when the sentry suddenly fell limp. There was no pulse. The sentry was dead.
With shaking hands, Harry made sure that the sentry's body was covered with his own invisibility cloak and searched for a wand. There was none. Presumably, he reasoned, a wand in the hands of a sentry would have set off the detectors as well.
Harry reached round and felt his side. He had been stabbed but the knife had not penetrated, only cutting his skin he guessed. The lightweight padded armour sewn into the cloth of his Fred and George fatigues had done its job.
Harry paused nervously for a moment before proceeding. He had felt the Kemmynadow magic surge through him the moment he felt the blade. He assumed it was the contact between bare skin of his hands and his victim's neck that had allowed the dark curse to be so effective. Similar effects had happened to Harry before, but that had only been when he had wanted to defend himself.
This time, he was the aggressor.
Harry looked around for his knife, but the moment he saw it a hand appeared briefly to pick it up from the grass path. It was the next sentry.
Suddenly the lanterns all flared up together.
Harry dived at the unseen sentry who was holding his knife and pulled off his cloak just as a loud wailing began to fill the air. A little way down the slope, Ron became visible as he threw off his cloak and lunged forward, also grappling with someone invisible.
Harry got hold of the knife and kicked the sentry down the slope. The sentry got up briefly but was cut down by gunfire from below. Five dark figures ran from the trees and headed up the hill.
Two spits of fire rang out and Ron collapsed forward as his opponent fell dead.
Bateman headed straight for Harry. He heard something rush past his head and then heard a thud. Harry turned to see a knife suspended in mid air just above him.
Without knowing why, Harry reached out and pulled the knife out of the air as the hidden sentry fell back. Blood gushed out from under the invisibility cloak as Bateman reached him.
"Here," said Harry shakily, offering him back his knife.
"Get a grip, boy," growled Bateman, firing two rounds from his silenced handgun at a gap between the tents. He grabbed Harry by his shoulder and dragged him roughly up the slope and then through the opening.
Harry stumbled over yet another body as they entered the camp and paused before the blazing green fire. In twos, Bateman's men entered each of the smaller tents.
As silenced shots rang out, Ron came up and stood next to them. He looked white and shaken, much like Harry felt.
Finally, Grice emerged from the last small tent and gave a signal to Bateman who nodded.
He turned to Harry and said without lowering his voice, "Now we go in there."
Harry looked up at the largest tent that was glittering in a flamboyant fabric.
"Nothing comes out of there alive," Bateman said coldly. "Anyone in there now is beyond saving, so don't even try. Do I make myself clear?"
A shiver ran through Harry as he realised what he was about to face. This really was The Healer's camp.
Harry nodded.
"It looks like there aren't any wands around here at all," said Bateman. "I'm not waiting for the others. Got your blade, Ron?"
"Grice gave me one of his spares," said Ron, sounding scared but resolute.
"Okay. Anyone under a cloak is an enemy, so leave your invisibility cloaks out here."
Harry shrugged off his invisibility cloak. Ron took it and wrapped it in his before hiding the bundle behind one of the tents.
"Mary said these mounds have a chamber deep inside. I'm guessing, but there will probably be a shaft and some underground rooms."
"The tent is probably bigger inside than it looks," said Ron. "There can be several rooms and floors in them."
"Let's do this," said Bateman.
*
They found the shaft entrance almost at once but searched all of the above ground areas inside the tent before proceeding. A stone spiral stair led down into the centre of the burial mound.
Satisfied that no-one was hiding above ground, Bateman ordered Parish and Risby to stand guard at the shaft entrance. They had previously been guarding the entrance to the camp and were holding lethal looking automatic machine guns.
"Shouldn't there be more guards?" asked Harry.
"Yes, but I think most of them ran when we attacked. Maybe we're not the only ones after this Healer?" suggested Bateman.
Just before they descended down the staircase, Harry caught a glimpse of the grim look on both Grice and Marland's faces. Then he remembered that they had lost comrades to the Healer before he met them.
Bateman stepped onto the staircase and Harry was actually surprised when it didn't begin moving. Grice prodded him to follow on behind Bateman.
At the bottom of the stairs, three narrow passages led off, each lit with small torches at high level. There was a distant sound of machinery that Harry couldn't quite identify.
Absolutely nothing underground looked like it belonged in an ancient burial mound. The floors were all smooth stone and the walls were generally painted plaster.
They split up into pairs and took separate passages.
Harry was pleased when Bateman selected him to make up his pair. There wasn't much ceremony with his decision; Harry just received a shove towards the central passageway.
It wasn't long before they could no longer hear the other pairs venturing along their own passageways.
The sudden quiet had quite an effect on Harry as he followed in silence. He realised that the horror of what he'd done and witnessed just a few minutes ago had somehow left him. He looked down and looked at his hands. They were no longer shaking at all. He felt distant from his actions, like there was a job to be done and he just wanted to get on and finish it. He also knew then that he wasn't prepared to stand back and let others do the dirty work for him. If it really had to be done, he'd be there and take full responsibility for his actions.
Harry looked up and saw Bateman glance back at him.
Bateman just smiled and nodded in understanding. It was as if he had read Harry's mind.
They said nothing, but proceeded along the passageway.
First they found an empty storeroom full of medical supplies and then a small recreation room beyond that.
Then the passageway turned and narrowed so Bateman had to move sideways. When they entered a dormitory, they found a body lying on one of the beds.
"Suicide," muttered Bateman, observing the markings at the corner of the man's mouth.
Harry looked down, wondering why he had preferred to take his own life.
He then quickly checked the small toilet and shower ablution area before returning to Bateman.
"Looks like a medical technician rather than a fighter," observed Bateman to himself. "Come on, let's carry on. Harry, this passage narrows ahead, so you take the lead. You'll have more room to react."
Harry nodded and headed towards the door.
The passageway turned and they proceeded only a few yards when they heard a distant cry followed by a brief spurt of automatic gunfire.
Harry froze at once but Bateman said, "No, even if they needed help we'd never find them in time. Let's carry on this way."
Harry nodded uncertainly and moved forward.
Several feet further on, and around a couple of bends, they came to a dark area. Harry could see the flickering torches ahead, but the area immediately in front of him was pitch dark.
He pressed the metal button under his knife hilt and extended the blade. At the same time Bateman grabbed one of the torches from behind them and threw it over Harry's head.
The light from the torch flickered and then vanished. They also hadn't heard the torch hit the floor, making Harry suspicious that there wasn't a drop concealed in the darkness.
"Could that be some of Fred and George's Peruvian Darkness Powder?"
"And a long drop," said Harry, who had by then confirmed his suspicions by finding the concealed pit edge with his blade.
"Good spot. How wide is the opening?"
"Grab my belt?"
Harry reached out and just managed to feel the other side before Bateman pulled him back.
"I'd guess about four or five feet. Was there anything back in that dormitory we could use to bridge the gap?"
"Feel to the sides," instructed Bateman. "This is an old medieval trick. There were often hidden ledges to let the defenders pass unhindered."
"I can feel something on one side," said Harry, feeling with the point of his short sword, "but the passage widens on the other side. There isn't a wall there to lean against."
"Okay, the trick is to step out into the darkness onto the ledge and use your momentum to carry you across."
"Is that all?" said Harry with half a laugh.
"I'll go first," said Bateman. "You may be able to tell how deep it goes from my shout as I fall. Spikes make a squelching sound as you hit them."
Harry laughed but wasn't going to even consider not going across first. If anything nasty was going to happen, he was determined to face it first.
Deciding that there was no point in protracting things, Harry stepped out into the darkness. His foot hit the narrow ledge and he stepped over to the other side, knowing that if he lost his balance he would fall.
"Be careful," said Harry. "The ledge is narrower than it felt. I almost missed it. It isn't quite in the centre, either."
"How much is it offset by?"
"I'd say the ledge is about a foot closer to you. That's just a guess, though."
"Here goes."
To Harry's horror he heard Bateman's boot scraping down the passage wall. He knew that he had missed the ledge.
Harry dived into the darkness and grabbed nothing but thin air.
"Hey, I thought you were going to shout on the way down!"
Bateman made a straining noise and then gasped, "Didn't want you to do anything stupid."
He sounded like he was holding onto the narrow ledge like grim death.
"Harry, I want you to," began Bateman desperately.
"Don't you dare let go!" shouted Harry before taking a few steps back.
"Harry! No!" shouted Bateman as Harry vaulted over the gap and ran full pelt for the dormitory they'd just searched, praying that he hadn't been mistaken about what he'd seen.
He grabbed the ancient looking stretcher standing in the corner of the room and ran back to Bateman. At a little over five feet in length, it was touch and go whether or not it would span the opening.
Harry slid the two stretcher poles along the passageway on the other side of where Bateman, who was breathing heavily now, was hanging on.
"We've got our bridge!"
"Arms too strained!" gasped Bateman.
"Just concentrate on hanging on until I get to you," ordered Harry.
Leaning against the passage wall above the ledge, Harry eased his way across using the stretcher as his bridge. He was pushing out from the wall, so the stretcher would stay in place so long as the timbers didn't break. Harry tried not to think of how narrow the handle ends were.
In complete darkness, Harry hand-walked his way down the wall until he felt Bateman's forearm.
"I'm going to pull you up from your shoulders."
"No," said Bateman, sounding strained. "More grip under arms."
Harry didn't argue. He reached under Bateman's arms and heaved upwards, making the stretcher creak ominously. Bateman's muscles were taught and shaking. Harry couldn't believe he had held on for so long.
Somehow, Harry pulled Bateman up just enough for him to get a foot onto the narrow ledge.
Then the old timber rails that still supported Harry began to split with a horrible cracking noise. Bateman dipped down for a moment and Harry feared he was falling again but he sprung up from under him and jumped to safety.
Harry felt his feet falling away and he was about to make a last ditch dive for the ledge when Bateman's long arm grabbed him and pulled him to safety. They collapse together in a heap, both still in complete darkness. Harry patted the cold stone floor gratefully.
"See, Hermione?" he muttered to himself. "No need to worry about us at all. All under control."
Harry ventured forward out of the dark, giving Bateman a little more time to recover.
He was about to thank Bateman for pulling him out of trouble when Harry saw something further ahead.
"Movement!" he said, feeling around for his knife.
-
AN: Only one more Chapter to go! Last chance to guess what the final twist will be…