Artificial Protector [Harry Potter OC/AU]

[Lucernello]

Oh, I didn't expect that. I thought he had Lynne acting as his assassin identifiable on purpose. Uncovered face and arms is to brazenly declare: It's fucking on bitches, I'm ready for round two.

Click to shrink...

While that could definitely be the case, he wasn't ready just yet to go after everyone. He was saved by the fact that they thought she was working under the Lestrange family in some weird way.

It was more along the lines reasoning to protect her organs from excessive force. Stuff like enchanted knives and pebbles used as bullets, and not specifically to prepare her for bullets precisely, but to physically harden her without magic being apparent. But I could also take the explanation that he doesn't know how to do that, or that the tech doesn't exist at this point in time to reinforce her internal organs.

Click to shrink...

Although its fiction I like to think it could be possibly done in a way the world is built in the first place. You have to remember that magic doesn't work well with most of the more recent muggle technology. Supposedly it doesn't work because the strong, unpredictable forces of magic interfere with the predictable, logical systems of electronics, causing them to malfunction or stop working entirely similar to an electromagnetic pulse. While some mechanical, non-electrical Muggle technologies can function, most modern technology is rendered useless in highly magical environments like Hogwarts, a place which she needs to be in order to function correctly. So working with both is a challenging endeavour, hardening organs and have them functioning still to an extent would need electronics or something similar. Something as advanced as that in late 1980s or 1990s wouldn't be small enough either to accommodate inside a body

For a brain to function it would need the lungs and the heart. She doesn't eat or gain nutrients from food or drinks so all the others are redundant yes. She can process foods and drinks though, she can taste, I would imagine it could be useful to identify poisons or things like that, but it would serve no other purpose really to have those organs, haha.

Anyway, I love to theorize and you brought an interesting conversation. Thank you. Tomorrow I will be posting the first chapter on year three and you shall know more.

 

[Honoa51]

Oh. It just occurred to me, but is Lynne's hybridization, and other attributes.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Precisely. He also led the charge and successfully eradicated giants off the English isles. A mass genocide of the entire species, they left none alive." He finished solemnly.

Click to shrink...

Is she part giant? Is that what her magic resistance, strength, and healing is derived from?

I would have thought troll, but that would introduce the problems of being weak to fire and acid and are stupid. (Going by conventional troll lore) even if it gets her a much better magic resistance and regeneration than going the giant route. Werewolf introduces way more problems than it solves, as it erodes the mind. Unicorn hunting would get Thorne uber-cursed. Phoenixes are inaccessible. And Dragons are probably way more trouble than they're worth.

Is that spoilers?

For bulletproofing, I was just imagining something like a bulletproof sort of subdermal mesh. No electronics or anything. Skin like armor or reinforced vital organs. Possibly even as a natural part of her body. Minimum mechanical action. Or a living solution if that's too difficult. Passive warding spells on the scale of what hardens horcruxes against damage.

 

[Honoa51]

For a brain to function it would need the lungs and the heart.

Click to shrink...

Oh? So she's not directly oxygenating and clearing the byproducts via magic or some more optimized respiratory systems? The brain has no idea what organs it's connected to. Only that it needs blood, nutrients, oxygen, and to extract the byproducts for cleaning. So replacing them shouldn't be a problem as long as there's no arcane reason not to.

She can process foods and drinks though, she can taste, I would imagine it could be useful to identify poisons or things like that, but it would serve no other purpose really to have those organs, haha

Click to shrink...

So she's has a functioning digestive tract? That would make sense to keep her living organs functioning, even at a far reduced rate, since at most, she is operating on half of the body mass a human is made for. (She is only a torso and head if that), since she's got no arms or legs. So that probably drives down her caloric requirements, and lowers the burden on the spells that are substituting for those functions.

 

[Lucernello]

MP: Not every path will feel right beneath your feet, but each one teaches you how to recognize the ground that will, just as Luna was often seen as odd among her peers yet found strength and acceptance in the friends who valued her for exactly who she was. It just might take a little bit of time, hang in there.

AN: I will be posting weekly now, so expect a chapter every monday.
- Luce

---

Chapter 19 - Rogue

The Killing Curse obeyed her now, she finally got the spell down and how to trick magic with murderous intent. Feelings and memories of the spell had invaded her mind and it seems the other voice had seen the spell being used at one point.

Her master stood across from her in the dim-lit training chamber beneath the manor. His eyes, cold but proud, reflected the green residue still flickering on the stone behind her. She lowered her wand slowly, calm as her breathing was not even strained now.

"Sufficient." he said, approaching. "You are ready now, I'm proud of you."

She didn't answer as praise coming from her master was not sitting as well with her as it used to. Her newfound memories were messing with her mind and she couldn't feel prideful from being acknowledged by her master anymore.

He reached up, brushing a hand lightly against her jaw. "Keep the leaf secure. One lapse, and we have to start over. It would mess up our plans."

She gave a small nod. The mandrake leaf pressed flat against the roof of her mouth. She had not removed it since he gave it to her, and would not until the month ended. Her guardian had mapped the process precisely. By July's end, she would be an Animagus.

The moment Thorne turned away, she tapped the inside of her lip with her tongue, just to make sure. She knew she made no mistakes but somehow feelings were making her mind unstable and doubtful of herself at times. With many instructions she found that she would double check almost unconsciously now.

Trying to settle her thoughts, she focused on the other important constant in her life, her friend Harry. He had been looking at her differently as he grew more observant. He asked more questions and voiced his thoughts more often. It seemed he was worried about her and she wasn't able to calm his worries yet.

She entered the manor kitchen, trailing the scent of herbs and oil. Harry was already there, cross-legged on a high stool, flipping through the Prophet with exaggerated interest.

"Good morning." she said.

He looked up sharply. "You're early. Zicky hasn't made anything yet."

"I wanted to try toast."

"Oh? That's new."

He had started asking why she started eating meals with him even though she didn't need to, and overall about her many changes over this couple of months. He voiced his suspicion about another entity that was taking control of her and she was surprised that he got close to what was really going on.

She had not lied, of course, she couldn't. But omission was beginning to taste the same and the consequences of lying would be quite severe for her so she knew she couldn't keep the truth from him for much longer. She gave him a small shrug and pulled the plate toward her. Zicky was already there setting the table swiftly and toast was placed on her plate soon. The butter smelled sharp and creamy and when she bit into the bread, it crackled between her teeth. The sensation, although mundane and unnecessary, pleased her. Somewhere in her memory, someone else used to love the taste of burnt edges.

She finished eating before he finished staring.

"You're not acting like yourself, again." he said finally.

She was not surprised to hear that, as she herself knew that for a fact as well, her breathing did not change as she looked at him, deciding what to answer carefully.

"Yes, I suppose you are right. I'm remembering things." she said softly.

He blinked. "What kind of things?"

"Memories that aren't mine, along with feelings and reactions I don't recognize. They… they belong to someone else. Someone who is part of me."

Harry frowned, putting the newspaper down. "You mean like… a past life?"

"No. Not exactly. I told you I was built. I was to be something better, built into this body, to keep someone else from dying. But things didn't go exactly as my master wanted and although he perfected it better than others, two souls went inside this body by accident."

He didn't speak for a moment. Then, almost too quietly: "How is that possible?"

"It is possible through a ritual, although the risks are too high. You have seen the other person take control of me."

"Yes, we thought you were being possessed or something."

"Not quite. Now the other person's memories and feelings are merging with me and when that happens I will know more of what occurred. Until then, I'm experiencing new things at the moment."

"Will you be okay?" He asked.

"I don't know yet." she said. "When I remember everything, I'll tell you."

He nodded once, solemn. "Alright. I'll wait."

She stood. The heaviness of the conversation lingered in the room like mist. She didn't want it there.

"Come flying with me." she said.

"Now?"

"Yes."

With a short nod they headed to the backyard of the manor with their brooms ready. As they ascended, the wind pulled at her sleeves as she rose above the treetops. Harry was already ahead, spiraling lazily toward the hills, laughing as he dipped just low enough to skim the water's edge.

They had expanded the wards around the manor for them to fly more freely after last summer's encounter with the rogue house-elf. Lynne's broom hummed beneath her fingers, but her thoughts moved faster than the wind.

Flying had always been mechanical to her, something done for practicality, speed, position and traveling. But now, thoughts and feelings were driving her movements. The feel of cold air against her cheeks, the tilt of gravity pulling against the arc of her body were all assaulting her mind as if they were new experiences. She finally smiled, having forgotten about their earlier conversation.

Harry flew beside her again. "You look lighter up here."

"It feels nice." she admitted.

"Of course it does."

She turned her head slightly. His hair was wind-wild, his eyes alight.

"How about a little race?" she asked, smirking.

"You are going to lose." Said Harry with a smug on his face.
​

---

It was past midnight when Harry turned to her with a look that was neither sleepy nor curious.

"I have noticed you are talking funny." he mumbled from his bed. "At first I thought it was related to the other you… but now it just sounds like you've got something in your mouth."

She had been sitting by the window, watching the moon through the faint shimmer of the manor's wards.

"That's because I do have something in my mouth." she answered without turning. "A mandrake leaf."

Harry sat up slightly. "You're chewing something all day and night?"

"I'm not chewing it. I'm holding it under my tongue. It has to stay there for a month, untouched, day and night."

"For what?"

"I'm becoming an Animagus."

She had tried avoiding talking about it with him. Her master didn't say anything regarding keeping it secret but it still felt that it was not something that Harry should know yet. Her friend, though, was becoming a little too observant lately and she knew there was nothing she could do to avoid keeping quiet about it.

Harry blinked. "Wait. Seriously?"

"Yes."

He leaned over the edge of the bed, arms crossed on his knees. "You can just decide that?"

"No. It's one of the most difficult magical rituals known. But my master has… experience. He's monitoring my progress carefully. It will be complete by the end of the month. Also we are not going to register at the ministry so what we are doing is illegal. It's a secret and you mustn't tell anyone, Harry."

His eyes narrowed, not in judgment, but in consideration. After a few moments he broke the silence.

"Why are you not going to register?"

"To have an advantage over our enemies, Harry. You know Voldemort is not dead yet, if our enemies do not know about it, it could catch them by surprise."

"Could I do it?" he asked.

She turned then, just enough to meet his gaze.

"You want to?"

"I don't know… Maybe? It sounds kind of amazing."

She nodded. "I'll ask my master. If he agrees, I'll help you."

Harry grinned and collapsed back onto his pillow with the kind of satisfaction that came only from the possibility of doing something dangerous and forbidden. His eyes closed quickly, breathing slowing, his frame relaxing into sleep.
​

---

Lynne remained still as she waited for the rhythm of his breath to settle completely, then crossed the room in silence. She sat carefully on the edge of his bed, hands folded in her lap.

In sleep, his face looked younger than usual, his usual frown gone, replaced by serenity. There was nothing defensive in him, she liked watching him sleep because of that. She was feeling quite happy with her friend lately. She knew he still trusted her, even as she changed with her newfound memories and feelings.

She reached out but stopped short of touching his hand as a memory surfaced. The sensation of a small, calloused hand held tightly in another's, walking hand in hand. Then another that felt like soft hands caressing hers. Lynne pulled her hand back feeling conflicted.

The next morning, Thorne met her in the lower corridor of the manor. She had been down there before sunrise, tracing her wand silently in practiced motions. She did not know what he would ask of her next, but she was ready. He wasted no time on making his motives known.

"I have a mission for you. You're to discredit Gilderoy Lockhart and possibly make him face justice for his crimes, at least destroy his reputation."

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how he would even be competent enough to commit a crime."

"You would be surprised. He's been lying for years, stealing stories and modifying memories illegally so that he can sell his books and himself as a brave adventurer and great wizard. He probably wouldn't return to Hogwarts either way, he is not a complete fool after all, he knows his teaching was horrendous. But I won't leave that to fate, on the other hand we want that seat at Hogwarts empty as it could belong to someone else. Someone I've prepared, gaining us another foot on Hogwarts. I want him exposed and removed."

She said nothing as Thorne explained what information she was to find, how to infiltrate his property and which people to visit to recover testimony of what really happened. There were ways to reverse memory charms after all, even if difficult.

"When you have the evidence, I want you to start leaking the truth to the Prophet. Discreetly. This will turn into a scandal quickly and will see him promptly off the position at Hogwarts."

She nodded once. "I will use your contact then, master. What happens if he escapes and flees the country?"

"Let him. Don't engage him directly, we just want him gone one way or another. If he faces justice in the end matters little as long as he is gone."

Lynne reviewed the information once more before nodding. It would take her a few days at most and she could come and go so she was sure Harry wouldn't notice her leaving. Her mouth felt dry, but the leaf was still there, pressed against the roof. She had grown used to it.

"Harry asked if he could become an Animagus." she said.

Thorne didn't look surprised. "And what did you say?"

"That I would ask."

He considered. "If he's serious, we'll begin the leaf phase tomorrow. He'll be a few days behind you, but it's not as if we have a deadline for him."

She nodded again.

"Kid will love it, I think most of his family was one as well." he added.
​

---

Later that day, Lynne and Harry sat together on the edge of the orchard wall, watching the sun bend low across the trees.

"Thorne said yes by the way." she told him.

Harry sat up straighter. "Really?"

"He's already getting you the leaf."

He looked visibly pleased. "This is going to be brilliant. What if I turn into a dragon?"

"I haven't heard of any animagus turning into magical creatures."

He paused. "So probably not a dragon."

"Probably not." she answered amused.

"I hope I'm not a fish or something." he added after a beat. They both laughed.

"I'd keep you in a bowl."

"I'd probably bite your finger."

She smiled slightly. "Then I'd get a cat instead."
​

---

The question had been innocent enough.

"So those roller coasters you mentioned last time, have you ridden one before?"

Lynne asked over breakfast, her tone neutral, eyes fixed on the soft shimmer of butter melting across her toast.

Harry blinked at her from across the table. "I've never ridden one but I did go with the Dursleys to a theme park once. They said I was too short to get on most things. Why?"

"Well… I still remember, and I still have your silly drawing, it looked interesting."

Harry looked thoughtful. "We did say we would go to one someday."

"I am curious about why people would willingly subject themselves to such contraption. It looked unnecessary. But also, I guess… fun?"

Thorne entered just in time to catch the last word. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Surprise, surprise." he said. "What fun are you guys talking about?"

Lynne looked at him, wondering if it was worth asking her master about permission.

"We are talking about Roller Coasters."

Harry grinned. "Can we go to a theme park?"

There was a beat of silence. Thorne stared at him, genuinely taken aback.

"A theme park." he repeated.

"It could be for my birthday." Harry added quickly. "Lynne's curious, and you said we could do something nice if we behaved."

Thorne made a noncommittal sound, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll look into it."

Harry smiled triumphantly, but Lynne remained still, watching her guardian closely. He left the room, muttering something about Muggle noise machines and ward-breaking liability. When the door shut behind him, Harry turned back to Lynne.

"You didn't look as excited as before."

"I am unsure if I would enjoy it, but also it could put you in danger."

"You just said you were curious, besides I think I'd be fine."

"Curious and excited are not the same."

Harry crossed his arms. "By the way…What day is your birthday?"

Lynne hesitated.

"It was yesterday." she said simply. "July seventh."

Harry's expression changed instantly. "What?! You didn't say anything!"

"I didn't think it was important."

"You didn't think it was important?!"

"I am not a normal person, Harry."

"That's hardly an excuse."

He stood up, pushing his chair back with a soft scrape against the floor. "You should've told me."

"Its not really important, we don't celebrate it here."

Harry grimaced but composed his face quickly. "Well, happy late birthday. We should get a cake."

"A cake? I've never had one before. I didn't end up tasting the one we did for you last summer."

He stared at her. "You're joking."

She shook her head. "I am not."

"How did I not notice that?"

Harry almost dragged her toward the kitchen, resolved to make a cake for her. When they entered and explained to the house-elf what they wanted to do, Zicky looked scandalized, and then almost began crying when they insisted on baking it themselves without help. The elf had sputtered, waved their hands, offered seventeen pre-approved recipes, but Harry had already taken over the cupboard.

Lynne watched carefully as he arranged ingredients. She took note of every step, though she already understood most of them. Her body didn't need food. But her mind… was hungry in other ways.

They worked without magic. Flour dusted the counter and the tips of Harry's fringe. Butter smeared across her fingertips which was troublesome to get out without magic, but she could admit it was a fun time. She casted a Scourgify charm on herself when they were done with a smile on her face but Harry was frowning.

"This is a disaster.." Harry said, peering into the bowl.

"It's alright."

"It's ugly."

"That doesn't mean it won't taste good."

Harry glanced at her. "Well, as long as you like it."

Zicky hovered at the doorway the entire time, eyes twitching at every misstep. When the cake came out of the oven, it looked lopsided, slightly scorched at the edge, and misshapen in the middle. Harry cut two slices anyway and handed her one.

"Wait a second, Lynne."

He disappeared out of the kitchen then came back with a small candle, a stubby red thing she wasn't sure where she got it from, and lit it.

"Happy Birthday, Lynne." he said.

She blinked. "Thank you, Harry... Aren't you supposed to sing?"

He paused, flushed slightly, then cleared his throat. He sang quietly clearly embarrassed, clapping his hands to try and hide his voice in the noise, but she didn't mind. The sweetness of the cake sat strange on her tongue, but not unpleasantly.

The leaf made it difficult to enjoy fully but she still finished her slice in silence. She had no frame of reference for this, the taste or the song and even the crooked candle slowly melting into crumbs threw new feelings into her mind.

She looked back at him, grinning with a smile still laced with flour. She committed everything to memory, and bowed to save this moment for as long as she was alive. One of the happiest memories she had so far.
​

---

The sun had barely cleared the trees, and they were already halfway through breakfast. The manor's dining room smelled of toasted bread, black tea, and Zicky's pumpkin tarts. Lynne's attention, however, was on the newspaper.

Harry had unfolded the Daily Prophet beside his plate, scanning headlines while sipping from his chipped blue mug. He was barely pretending to chew.

"Listen to this." he said, nudging the paper toward her. "'Lockhart Under Fire – Ministry Investigating False Claims.'"

She looked down. There it was, front-page and bold: Gilderoy Lockhart's name surrounded by scandal and speculation, with phrases like "forged feats" "illegal memory modification" and "breach of magical ethics."

"I mean it was obvious that the guy was a fraud."

She nodded. "Yes, we basically lost the year and the exam was prepared by Dumbledore in the end, good thing we studied from the books instead."

Harry gave her a look. "You don't look at all surprised even if he was a fraud."

"Well, as you said, it was obvious." she said, sipping her tea.

He leaned in slightly. "I wonder what is going on with this as well." He said

She didn't answer. Rumors about Malfoy's disappearance had been added in one of the smaller headers. The minister decided not to comment on that, but the article hinted that they had left Britain and even removed his heir from Hogwarts.

Harry exhaled slowly, looking back at the article. "It looks like we won't be seeing Draco next year. I thought he would be a friend to have when we first met."

Lynne made no comment. The plan was unfolding as intended and the press were chasing rumors. The Ministry had no time to deal with Hogwarts appointments. The seat would open soon enough for his master to make his move.

Harry returned to his breakfast, tapping his spoon against the table absentmindedly.

"Did he say when I would get the leaf?"

"Yes, today." Lynne said. "You'll need to start holding it before noon."

He grinned. "Great. I've already practiced not choking."

"That's an oddly specific thing to rehearse."

"I'm thorough." he said with a smile.

She couldn't help but chuckle faintly. "You'll have it down by August, if you follow instructions."

Harry nodded. "Just in time for storm season, it's from late August to September. The book you gave me on it mentioned needing one."

"Hopefully not as a fish."

"Please don't jinx it."

They exchanged a glance, lighthearted and comfortable. The prospect of Animagus training had pulled him into a rhythm of something to look forward to, something not tied to practice and training which young Harry was starting to not like.

She could see it clearly, but together with her master, they had made it clear that he still had enemies out there and he needed to be the best he could.

"What if I turn into something ridiculous?" Harry mused aloud. "Like a squirrel."

"Squirrels are fast." Lynne replied, thinking it through. "And a bit chaotic, biting things they shouldn't. It would suit you."

"Very funny."

She reached for a slice of toast. "I hope not to turn into something disappointing at least, going through all this trouble."

Harry looked at her, sincere. "I'm sure you would find a use for it."

Her fingers paused just before the butter dish. She nodded once and continued, not answering. If she wasn't useful for her mission then it would be disappointing all the same.
​

---

The storm had started just before sunset. By the time the sky turned fully dark, her core was humming faintly with magical tension. Rain pelted the windows like thrown gravel, wind curling around the corners of the estate in long, uneven howls.

Lynne sat alone in one of the biggest chambers the manor had, beneath the west wing, cross-legged on top of a few cushions Zicky had gotten her. Her sleeves were rolled to the elbows, her wand pointing at her chest as she repeated the incantation softly.

"Amato… Animo… Animato… Animagus."

Each syllable sat stiff in her throat, stretched by the persistent presence of the mandrake leaf. She hadn't removed it and hadn't spoken freely in weeks. The discomfort was nowhere close to things she bore on her training so she could mostly ignore it.

She closed her eyes and recited it again. Outside, thunder cracked hard enough to shake dust from the ceiling beams. She reached for the small vial on the silver tray beside her.

The Animagus potion was complete, looking reddish and faintly metallic, still warm from the last temperature spell. Her master had supervised every phase of its creation. No ingredient was wrong and the steps went ahead without issues.

She uncorked it with one fluid motion and drank. It felt warm down her throat like liquid iron, she could feel her magic pulsed twice, one for her own core and the other for the animal presence the procedure invited. Her body was locked in place and her spine rigid. She exhaled through her nose as her vision dimmed briefly.

This was not a transformation by will or intent of a spell. This was magic bending through blood and the instinct of whatever animal would stick. Her fingertips prickled, but she was still comfortable, sitting on top of the cushions.

Her balance shifted, and for a moment, her sense of self blurred. Her legs curled a bit and her arms narrowed as her chest compressed. She tasted the air differently and could hear the rain in sharper detail.

When she opened her eyes again, her sight was way too different from the usual and she was no longer seated in her body. The room looked impossibly large and the cushions now felt like a whole bed but rougher beneath tiny claws.

She tried to breathe slowly as she got a feel for her new body. Her wings fluttered without instruction and the sound startled her. She was light and small, a kind of bird that would be fast, her body was compressed into something fragile but precise. She had no prosthetics, it seemed the magic transformed them into real limbs and wings below the feathers.

Her head tilted automatically, catching sound from two directions at once. She could hear her heart-beat for the first time, usually too slow and calm. This one felt faster than any she had ever heard, but it did not feel like fear.

She felt so alive and her body wanted to fly as soon as possible. She turned toward the mirror propped against the wall. A nightingale stared back at her with small dark eyes, she was silver-breasted, feathers slightly ruffled from the strain of the change.

She blinked once, then again, and raised one delicate claw experimentally. The motion mirrored perfectly and her new form felt so liberating to Lynne. She had seen the bird before, but she couldn't remember where exactly, and she briefly wondered if the other soul inside of her had a hand on her animagus transformation.

It wouldn't surprise her of course if that was the case, as they were becoming one. She took unsteady steps toward the center of the room again and shifted back to human form.

The return was sharper, like being pulled through a too-small doorway. She winced, wiping her face with her sleeve as her body returned to full shape and her limbs turned metal once more. The room was quiet again, except for the storm, and she stood steady, breathing shallow.

It had worked and now she was ready for her mission.
​

---

Lynne stood at the windows of the manor's upper study, watching the remnants of the storm fade into a pale grey morning. The curtains shifted gently behind her, brushing across the stone floor like echoes of movement long gone.

Her body was whole again, her core still warm from the transformation the night before. She had barely rested but her magic pulsed faintly beneath her skin, feeding from the ambient magic present in the manor.

Thorne entered without knocking although she had already heard the faint click of his boots before the door even opened. He carried a small black folder in one hand, marked with only a single seal.

She turned, her posture composed, and met his eyes.

"It worked." she said simply.

"Good, what form did you take?" He studied her for a moment.

"A bird, nightingale."

He took his wand out and casted a few diagnose spells.

"Your magic seems to be fine, no issues here. Did you have a problem reverting back?"

"None."

He nodded, apparently satisfied, and set the folder on the table between them.

"Then you're ready for our next mission."

She stepped forward without hesitation and opened it. It was lighter than a few of her assignments, this one had no photos, but it did have maps and building schematics. It looked like a heavily fortified fortress with many levels to cover.

A line at the top highlighted her objective: Subject: Sirius Orion Black.

Lynne blinked once. "We're retrieving a Death Eater?"

"No, we are not. This is a rescue operation. We are breaking into Azkaban."

She read the name again, slower this time. "Sirius Black, I thought he betrayed the Potters."

Thorne nodded. "That's the guy. But you don't know the whole story, not surprising as I never did tell you. Most of the world only remembers the lie."

Her gaze flicked upward. "This will be highly risky."

"Yes."

"If it was a lie, why is he in Azkaban then?"

"Because he was branded a Death Eater and a traitor. Most people believed that lie and he was imprisoned."

Lynne waited, but Thorne didn't elaborate.

"I take it he wasn't then?"

"No. He was framed." Thorne's voice was level, but there was a tautness beneath it. "He was captured and sentenced without a trial or a defense. Sent to rot in a cell surrounded by Dementors for over a decade."

That gave her pause. "Why?"

"Because Dumbledore allowed it, believing the lies as well. Even if he thought he was a traitor, he could have used his position to give him a different outcome, like he did with Severus Snape. The Ministry wanted closure and they needed someone to blame for the deaths of James and Lily Potter."

Lynne kept reading. There was little else in the file, just a sketch of the wing layout, the schedule of the guard rotations, and a warning of the amount of dementors per level.

"And why now?" she asked.

"Because he matters, I tried convincing people of having a trial for him and getting him out by legal ways through the years but they all failed or would have exposed me early." Thorne said. "Now it's time."

He stepped closer, folding his arms.

"You've protected Harry. You've been near him, watched him grow. You know that he is not happy with his family. The muggles that are related to him are one of the worst scum there is. Sirius is his godfather. Named as such in James Potter's will. He was meant to raise the boy and he would have, if he hadn't been caged."

Lynne digested the information carefully. "You intend to have Sirius Black move in as his family."

"It would give him a family he wouldn't hate." Thorne said.

She turned her head in thought. "How do you know Black would care for him?"

"I have seen it"

A beat passed in silence.

"Doing this the illegal way will bring issues and he won't be able to leave the manor much without the ministry hunting for him." she said.

"No, he won't. But this is war, he will have to adapt." His tone shifted slightly, cooler and more familiar.

"There will be no appeal, no court ruling. I attempted the diplomatic routes and they stalled me at every turn. This is the only way. Besides, he is part of the Black family, I'm sure he will have a place of his own to hide even if we don't hide him here."

She nodded. "Understood. Will you be going with me? You said our mission and not mine."

"Yes. You're not ready to cast a full Patronus. I will handle the Dementors if they become an issue. You'll assist in navigation, stealth, and extraction."

She turned a page. "Do we know where exactly he is being held?"

"We don't know his cell location yet, we will have to search as we infiltrate the place. The guards are minimal as not many can handle the Dementors exposure… The creatures however are plenty."

That part she already knew as it was quite known that dementors were used to guard the prisoners and slowly drive them mad. A heavy deterrence against committing crimes as being reinserted into society after that exposure was almost impossible.

"What do we tell Harry?" she asked.

Thorne didn't hesitate. "That we're getting his birthday gift. Zicky will keep him occupied."

Lynne nodded although she wondered if it was enough to quiet Harry's curiosity and suspicion. He moved past her, placing a hand briefly on her shoulder.

"You've done well, Lynne. This… matters more than you know."

She gave him a small nod, understanding the gravity of the mission and the risk involved. When he left, she remained in the study a moment longer. She studied the file still open in her hands, memorizing the schematics of the entire prison, every page stored in her mind for future use.

She admired her master resourcefulness, obtaining a blueprint of magical Britain's most heavily guarded prison couldn't have been a simple feat. She closed the folder after she was done and stored it on her satchel.

Tonight, they would fly into a place where no one returned sane. They would pull a man from a cage the world had forgotten. She didn't know what Harry would feel, but she hoped this would turn into something good for her best friend.
​

---

Lynne soared low over the sea, wings beating in measured silence as the thin moonlight that was present tonight reflected on the water surface. The salt air burned cold in her lungs, but her body, small and feathered, moved easily through the night. The wind howled beneath her, but the feeling it sent through her senses made her comfortable and free.

Thorne flew ahead, a sleek black crow gliding just above the waves. His wings cut through the wind with unerring precision, each movement economical and deliberate. She followed, silent and alert.

The island crept into view like a wound on the sea. The prison rose from the black water in jagged stone, more fortress than prison, though no banners flew above it, and no light escaped its walls. The storm had passed, but the cold had not. Here, the chill was unnatural and she assumed the dementor's influence was already being felt.

The feeling of dread began as a whisper. And although she could suppress it in her animal form, it was still uncomfortable. Her thoughts thickened and her heartbeat slowed. Her wings faltered once, only for a second but then she pressed forward, her master's flapping keeping her grounded and steady.

They slipped through a blind spot on the top of the triangle shaped structure, gliding through a seam Thorne had found and then through a barred window, big enough for the two birds. He had been planning this longer than he'd admitted it seemed.

They reached the eastern spire and shifted back to human form behind a wall pillar. They quickly pulled out their wands ready to subdue one of the guards to interrogate and find out where Sirius was held. Thorne straightened beside her, robes fluttering as he drew a thick black charm-breaker from his belt.

"You alright?" he whispered.

She nodded once.

"We should be close to one of the guards on patrol, we strike fast."

She followed without a word. The upper corridors were mostly empty, they didn't even encounter a dementor patrol yet. The human guards had clearly abandoned any real sense of presence in this area. When they did find the pair in charge of this level, one was dozing in a side room with a small fireplace, the warmth keeping them lazy and inattentive.

They moved like smoke through the shadows and subdued them quickly and used legilimency to obtain information. The one who knew where every prisoner was located was the current warden, and Sirius Black was not present on that upper level, although a few Death Eaters of notice were.

They switched back to their animagus form and moved further inside the prison. Every so often, she heard a sound. Voices of prisoners that were too far gone already, or just distant cries and moans.

The cracking laugh of someone long past sanity. When they found the warden's office on the first floor. The sneaked in undetected as he was writing on his desk. His quill fell to the ground as they stunned him.

After locating Black, they descended all the way to the second sublevel. For some reason it was worse there, Dementors were floating close by. You could feel them first in your ribs, like a hollowing pressure. Her vision blurred at the edges, and though her limbs moved fluidly, her thoughts felt slowed, like walking through water, or thick fog.

She quickly followed his master as the crow flew from cell to cell finally reaching the right wing. The cells were narrow, the bars heavy with enchantments. Many of the prisoners inside were no longer recognizable as people. Just shapes huddled in corners, muttering or staring blankly at nothing. They kept moving until Thorne stopped in front of one of the cells.

The cell was quiet all of a sudden, no muttering. Just a low, steady breathing sound in the dark. Lynne approached the bars and peered inside. A large black dog was curled in the corner of the wet stone floor. His fur was matted, his ribs showing. For a moment, she wondered if he was dead. Then his ears twitched and his eyes focused on the pair of birds.

She slipped quickly between the bars, her nightingale form landed silently just beside the dog. He turned sharply, startled, teeth bared, then she transformed without warning and with her wand she quickly casted the spell to revert an animagus form at him. The pale light hitting the dog and transforming him into a human once more.

"Sirius Black." Throne said softly. She felt a flicker of gratitude once his master was able to ward off the dread with a patronus charm. His own patronus took the shape of a crow as well.

A gaunt man with wild hair and hollow eyes now stood where the dog had been, crouched, muscles tense like a trapped animal. He stared at her. Then at Thorne, who had now stepped into view wearing a mask.

"We're not here to harm you." Thorne said calmly.

Sirius's eyes narrowed.

"Food?" Lynne offered, holding out a wrapped loaf and a flask.

He grabbed it and hurled it against the wall. "I don't want your poisoned tricks."

"We wouldn't go through the trouble of being the first people to break into Azkaban just to kill you, Black. Harry is safe with us, we are friends." Thorne said.

Sirius froze and she stepped forward slowly. "Harry's safe. He's my best friend. He's waiting for you."

His face twitched, recognition and disbelief warring on his features.

"Why is Harry with you? Who are you?"

"We know who you are." she continued. "You're his godfather. He doesn't know yet, not everything. But he will if you come with us. We came for you… because he deserves to have a family."

Sirius stared at her. Then at Thorne, then back at her. No doubt with disbelief at a strange small girl with metal arms offering to rescue him out of this horrible place.

"I don't know who the hell you are." he muttered. "But if you're lying-"

"We're not." Thorne interrupted. "There's no time to explain everything. But you have two choices: we stun you and kidnap you forcibly, or come with us and find out the truth willingly."

Sirius said nothing at first, thinking it through. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Alright, but I want a wand."

"We don't have a spare one right now." Said her master. "We will give you one once we are back. You need to heal first though, you look terrible."

He smirked, "I'm sure the ladies will want me either way after a bath."

"You are going to enter an expanded trunk. It will be shrunk down so you might feel a bit uncomfortable and it might move a lot, but it will be the fastest way."

Black looked doubtful but accepted it with a nod. She took the butterfly pin out of her hair and transformed it back to her usual trunk.

"Any chance you have more food?"

"In you go." She said simply.

Dejected, he slowly entered the trunk, he was a bit shaky still so he took his time. Once he was inside, Lynne closed it and shrunk it back to a pin, then stored it safely on her clothes.

They transformed back and the two birds took to the night sky once they were out of the sublevel. The air was still bitter, but not as bitter as what they left behind.
​

---

"Chirp chirp" - Lynne

 

[Lucernello]

Hey Honoa! o7

For bulletproofing, I was just imagining something like a bulletproof sort of subdermal mesh. No electronics or anything. Skin like armor or reinforced vital organs. Possibly even as a natural part of her body. Minimum mechanical action. Or a living solution if that's too difficult. Passive warding spells on the scale of what hardens horcruxes against damage.

Click to shrink...

To make this kind of thread you would need machinery or 3d printing probably? I think it would be difficult to have something like that in 1980s, but we were already sending stuff to outer space so maybe you are right. She doesn't have though.

Oh? So she's not directly oxygenating and clearing the byproducts via magic or some more optimized respiratory systems? The brain has no idea what organs it's connected to. Only that it needs blood, nutrients, oxygen, and to extract the byproducts for cleaning. So replacing them shouldn't be a problem as long as there's no arcane reason not to.

Click to shrink...

While that is true, it adds more strain to the magical core, even runes need to be powered by magic somewhat, even if ambient, the problem is she needs that to function in general. Since those can work between each other, along with a few others, it would be simpler to have them. There are still ways to have a magical risk mitigations in case those fail so I think having them would be more simple.

I can neither deny nor confirm your other theories, just gonna say I like them.

 

[Honoa51]

Nice power-up there. The Animagus Transformation.

And a night-bird does suit Lynne quite nicely. It's pointed that they're breaking into Azkaban, when Sirius didn't need a rescue OTL. But are they doing anything different?

Actually, aren't they making this way worse for him?

"He was captured and sentenced without a trial or a defense. Sent to rot in a cell surrounded by Dementors for over a decade."

Click to shrink...

"Because Dumbledore allowed it, believing the lies as well. Even if he thought he was a traitor, he could have used his position to give him a different outcome, like he did with Severus Snape. The Ministry wanted closure and they needed someone to blame for the deaths of James and Lily Potter."

Click to shrink...

"Because he matters, I tried convincing people of having a trial for him and getting him out by legal ways through the years but they all failed or would have exposed me early." Thorne said. "Now it's time."

Click to shrink...

"There will be no appeal, no court ruling. I attempted the diplomatic routes and they stalled me at every turn. This is the only way. Besides, he is part of the Black family, I'm sure he will have a place of his own to hide even if we don't hide him here."

Click to shrink...

Thorne has no legal case for the release of Sirius Black, even if he managed to get an appeal to the wizard courts. Because Sirius Black doesn't want to be released. He wants to die, alone, miserable, and reliving his worst mistakes.

He thinks Peter is dead, that he managed to assassinate him in the wake of Lily and James' murders. And he believes that he killed them by convincing them to trust Peter. Nobody else knows the truth, and he carries the burden of believing that he killed all three of them. James, Lily, and Peter.

Sirius believes that he deserves to rot in Azkaban for that and thus has nothing to say in his own defense. And this isn't Dumbledore's fault either, despite how Thorne framed it. And delivering Harry's Guardianship to him is just going to fill him with guilt.

And now that Thorne's already had Peter Pettrigrew assassinated, it's going to be extremely difficult to rehabilitate him. He needed that confrontation with Peter, and Lupin at his side and to hear his confession. It's only regretful that he managed to escape.

 

[Honoa51]

BTW, fun chapter. And they aren't even really lying when they said they were out shopping for Harry's Birthday Present.

Just leaving him to assume where they were going to get him one, and what shopping really means in the context.

Is Thorne going to start teaching Lynne about guns and gun substitutes? I figure that might be more important than the unforgivables (aside from Avada Kadavra), as the Imperius can be resisted, and she has more than enough effective torture tools that Crucio is a bit redundant.

Edit: The 3 Unforgivable Curses, while there are more effective ones for most of their applications, and lots more horrific magic, are the banned ones because a crucial component is to really, really mean them. To kill someone with Avada Kadavra you have to have the mindset of First Degree Murder. To control someone's mind with Imperio you really need to be that guy who's going to mind-break someone. To torture someone with Crucio you need to really mean and have an endless delight drawing pain out from the target. At least that's the implication I got from Bellatrix's explanations to Harry.

 

[Lucernello]

Hey, Honoa

I think Thorne would just use every resource available to be branded as the good side, once the fighting begins, having the boy-who-lived would certainly move people to his side, and he cannot really do that if he is holding him illegally like he is now, which is why he needs Sirius.

And now that Thorne's already had Peter Pettrigrew assassinated, it's going to be extremely difficult to rehabilitate him. He needed that confrontation with Peter, and Lupin at his side and to hear his confession. It's only regretful that he managed to escape.

Click to shrink...

Of course he would need a lot of rehab, but I think with magic most things are possible, or at least have him subdued or have his mind tempered with. Dumbledore in my opinion still shares the blame for the outcome, even if he seemed unhinged in the old fashioned Black madness, he could have intervened and make sure they had their facts right and he didn't. You also have to have in mind that Thorne is quite baised as he regarded Dumbledore quite badly for not supporting his methods.

Is Thorne going to start teaching Lynne about guns and gun substitutes? I figure that might be more important than the unforgivables (aside from Avada Kadavra), as the Imperius can be resisted, and she has more than enough effective torture tools that Crucio is a bit redundant.

Click to shrink...

Definitely, especially since we know the other side already used them. On the other comment, Crucio is fast in the sense that pain is everywhere in the body all at once, which would lower mind defenses more easily, she can easily torture someone without the need of the spell, I figured it would be just faster.

 

[Honoa51]

I think Thorne would just use every resource available to be branded as the good side, once the fighting begins, having the boy-who-lived would certainly move people to his side, and he cannot really do that if he is holding him illegally like he is now, which is why he needs Sirius.

Click to shrink...

I think that ship has long since sailed. Like, by a lot.

Sure, the facts of Sirius's case are on his side, but he's had numerous people assassinated. Extraterritorial assassinations (sending Lynne to New York), Child Soldiers (Lynne), Human Experimentation (both during the war and on Lynne), and lots of both conditioning and torture for Lynne. He's allegedly also done a genocide on the Giants of Great Britain.

He's talked about like a boogeyman by the Order of the Phoenix, and don't forget that the British Ministry of Magic folded in under a week, acting as an arm of the Death Eaters when the Second Wizarding War officially started. So he's not getting any support from that corner. Maybe Barty Crouch Sr supports him, but he gets killed off to pave the way for an incompetent government, and wasn't actually 'hard' enough to properly serve justice to his son.

Has Thorne kept in contact with him? I think not, since Thorne faked his death, but that may have been a mistake. To achieve what he did, Thorne could have just put up a "retired" sign and left public life to raise Lynne for the next war. He could say that he's going international, and just not leave anything but a forwarding address. He's a grown adult with teleport powers. There's nothing to track him down if he doesn't want to be. The Death Eaters think that Voldemort is gone, so they aren't exactly going to go searching for him either. The war's over, and Thorne survived albeit minus a leg.

Just looking at what he's done to Lynne would have most non-dark wizards holding their stomachs in disgust. This isn't the Nasuverse where this kind of heinous stuff is just expected for Magus houses. Lynne's teachers have noticed the constant vigilance, violent tendencies, modified organs, and prosthetics and they do not paint a flattering picture of Thorne even when they don't know that he's ordered her to do assassinations, kidnapping and torture.

For the situation with Harry and staying over at Thorne's house, the problem is predominantly the protection enchantment using Lily's sacrifice that Dumbledore set up. So long as he is living with blood relatives of Lily, is underage, and calls that house home, he cannot be found by Voldemort's followers.

From those conditions, wouldn't it be reasonable to either find a way to clone Lily, Petunia, or get their parents, then consecrate his house or something to maintain the barrier? Dumbledore would never go for it, but this seems exactly up Thorne's alley.

 

[Lucernello]

Pff oh god, no. The ministry is incompetent, he wouldn't seek their help at all no. You will see in following chapters a bit more. He already has all the contacts that he needs from the Ministry and people who would work for him again surely. Besides, the assassinations were carried by Crimson Wing, not Thorne. He wouldn't disclose one of his weapons to everyone, only to the ones dead set in supporting his methods. Would the order call him out? With how little they did overall, I highly doubt that they will.

People are easily manipulated, lies fabricated, we know what he has done, but not everyone, and when you are in a desperate situation, caused by something you don't fully understand, who are you going to support? The one who is supposedly on your side or the one openly telling everyone who listens how little value your life has? He would have to control the media at one point for sure, which for this scenario we will go with the one who has the most money will do so.

The ministry did not disclosed what Thorne did, so only a few who were directly involved know, and those still alive from the first war. Most of the ones who remained alived to this point are mostly death eaters or pureblood wizards of note which wouldn't be trusted by everyone.

If you had knowledge about the future, albeit not fully, then you wouldn't stay in contact with Crouch either as he is at this moment holding his son under the Imperius curse and committed the crime of helping a deranged death eater. The other thing is that you are going off that the war starts when canon starts, and canon has gone out of the window, so I wouldn't have that into consideration.

The enchanment in blood wards is really not that powerful, at this point in time, only Dumbledore holds the information that they are relevant, and although he would try to interfere, finding Thorne's manor wouldn't be easy in the first place, and they could even use the black ancestral home and place it under the Fidelius charm as well, and he still wouldn't be found by Voldemort's followers. The other thing to take into consideration is that Thorne could approach those he wants to convince to fight for him, without revealing to the wizarding world that he actually keeps Harry safe. Only the order knows and again, I doubt they would tell in the first place as it would bring danger to Harry.

I hope that clears a bit more on what Thorne plans to achieve rescuing Sirius Black

 

[Honoa51]

On the topic of Thorne's behavior, why doesn't he just send Lynne along with his Patronus? Just because Lynne herself cannot cast a Patronus due to lacking the emotions, doesn't mean that he can't just have his Patronus stick around inside her as she goes to Azkaban to go free Sirius.

It would make sense for him to in fact not go out. Ever if possible, if he's got a bunch of important stuff on him. Like Lynne's horcrux or a Fidelius charm set around her for some purposes.

It seems from the evidence that Sirius didn't want to be the secret keeper, that you can in theory torture or mind-read or by some other method, gain access to the contents of a Fidelius charm. Despite the anecdotes that say otherwise. Thus why Thorne is so Agoraphobic, and has to have Lynne out to do everything for him aside from his notoriety and pretending to be dead. Although those all might be factors.

Another thought is the possibility for why Lynne didn't go disguised in Polyjuice is because she literally can't use Polyjuice Potion. As in her biology is so divergent that it simply doesn't work. She would have other means of infiltration and disguise obviously, but to foil Homenium Revelio, the cost could very naturally be that normal spells requiring human bodies don't work for her.

Question if it's not a spoiler, but does Thorne have a bunch of Imperius'ed sleeper agents hiding around? He seems like the kind of person to do it and if he's got partial meta-knowledge that a person can gain resistance to it like Harry, for most people it's just unstoppable. And of course if exposure is a problem, he could hide them away in various locations to pop out as needed.

Heck it may be some death-eaters he's reported as "KIA" in the war, and just instead stashed away for a rainy day. But unlike Barry Crouch? He's actually set them up in a Winter Soldier situation.

 

[Lucernello]

Hey Honoa, sorry for the late reply.

On the topic of Thorne's behavior, why doesn't he just send Lynne along with his Patronus? Just because Lynne herself cannot cast a Patronus due to lacking the emotions, doesn't mean that he can't just have his Patronus stick around inside her as she goes to Azkaban to go free Sirius.

Click to shrink...

A patronus' is one of the quickest ways to send messages, from that we can assume that it is too fast for someone to follow it, on the other hand, control of that nature is surely to be quite costly. Thorne knows that escaping azkaban is not that difficult in the end, if someone who had almost no will to live and been in the presence of dementors for 12 years could do it, they could certainly return without issues. Sending the patronus wouldn't be possible in my opinion and going himself being an animagus sounds easy enough to do.

It would make sense for him to in fact not go out. Ever if possible, if he's got a bunch of important stuff on him. Like Lynne's horcrux or a Fidelius charm set around her for some purposes.

Click to shrink...

Using Lynne to keep himself alive would be contradictory, she is using her as a weapon not something that he needs to guard or protect. Otherwise he wouldn't have had her protect Harry in the first place as trouble always surrounds him, or trained her to hunt down Death Eaters.

Thus why Thorne is so Agoraphobic, and has to have Lynne out to do everything for him aside from his notoriety and pretending to be dead. Although those all might be factors.

Click to shrink...

Thorne has his issues with going out, and yes he has Lynne out to do everything for him for a reason, but you will understand later on.

Having spies has been used on every war, for sure Thorne would seek to plant his close, the manner in which he does it, will be seen later.

 

[Lucernello]

Just leaving a bit of art of Lynne. I hope you like it :3

 

[Honoa51]

Aww, she's cute (you really get that everyone thinks she should smile more).

Although... isn't she supposed to have brown eyes? And blonde hair that's light enough to look like frost in the winter sun, but not comparable to Luna? Ooh, and I guess I'm also surprised that she has freckles, since she always struck me as being a creature of the night rather than being sporty, but then again, she's very enthusiastic with a beater's club.

Is this her first-year portrait or her second-year portrait?

I was also imagining her hands as either brown like pottery, or white like porcelain, with metal joints and inside pads to be metallic. Rather than silvery-metallic hands all the way. Very pretty.

 

[Lucernello]

MP: "Gotta have opposites, light and dark and dark and light, in painting. It's like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come. I'm waiting on the good times now." - Bob Ross
​

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Chapter 20 - Trigger

The manor's great hall was quiet when they returned. She slowly took the hairpin trunk out of her clothes and quickly enlarged it and transformed it back to its usual form. Lynne approached it and knelt, her fingers tracing the subtle leather along the hinges before pressing in the sequence that unwound its locks.

A muted click broke the silence, and she eased the lid open, the enchantment shivering away like a curtain being pulled aside. Sirius Black was crouched near the corner of the trunk's interior space, shoulders hunched as though bracing for an attack that never came.

His hair hung in uneven strands, clumped together with oil and dirt, the dark lengths framing a gaunt face lined by exhaustion. He looked up at her with the reflexive wariness of a man who still didn't trust that he was out of prison yet.

Together with her master, they went inside her trunk. The smell rose with him as they approached him, heavy and stale, the rank dampness of dust mixed with sweat and pee, the sour tang of someone who hadn't had a shower in what seemed like years.

With his consent, even if his face showed clear discomfort, they spent the entire night assessing his mental state, conditioning him where it was needed and even obliviating some years in Azkaban off his mind.

Black was a clear mess, bordering insanity. They had a lot of work ahead of them. For now though, they were trying to patch things up, a temporary fix so that he cold meet with Harry without things turning badly very quickly for both.

She felt the exhaustion creep after what felt like exercising for hours non-stop. Outside, morning was beginning to seep into the sky in pale streaks, yet inside the air still held the stillness of night.

Her master was satisfied with how much they advanced that night and they left Black sleeping on her trunk to get some rest and recover her magic.

Through the day she had to keep Harry busy, while her master continued with their work. With the help of Zicky, they even went to buy new books to Diagon Alley for a bit. Even if it was risky, they were confident the house-elf could get them out in a blink of an eye if it was needed. Once she had Harry hooked reading his new acquisitions, she came back to help her master.

It had taken a lot of effort and many tiring hours, but they felt confident he wouldn't break down anymore. Of course, they still had more work and therapy planned for him, but her master deemed him sane enough, and finally they let him out of the trunk.

Thorne crossed the space without slowing, his boots clicking softly in rhythm with his cane against the polished floor, and glanced back just once to say that he would speak with Harry about Sirius at once while having breakfast. His voice was as calm as ever, but the instruction was deliberate and his face showed his exhaustion clearly.

"Make sure he is presentable, he needs a bath." he said as he moved away.

She was trained to dismiss discomfort, to set aside any sensory distraction that might cloud her task, but this was a stench that clung to the air in a way that no discipline could truly erase. It was a smell that spoke of years without warmth, without care, without even the smallest luxury of clean water. She have had prisoners locked for days before, so she thought she was used to it by now, but Azkaban clearly left a distinct mark.

"We have to clean you first before you can meet Harry." she said.

Black looked down at himself, winced, and with a slow nod accepted. She reached for him and his reaction was immediate as Sirius jerked back, his hands rising as if to ward her off.

"Wait, wait. I can manage." he muttered, his voice rough and uneven from disuse.

He attempted to step aside despite the narrow space. The effort was more about pride than capability. His balance was unsteady, and the faint tremor in his limbs betrayed the weakness he refused to admit.

Her hands moved with quiet precision, unfastening the worn coat that clung to his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and tried again to fend her off, his eyes flashing with a mixture of irritation and embarrassment.

When she began stripping away the last of the ragged layers, his protest turned sharp, telling her that she was too young to be doing this, that she should not be seeing him like this. She ignored the implication and focused on the task.

Beneath the grime, his body was a map of pain and marks all over. Scars crisscrossed his skin in pale, raised lines, some thin and straight as though made by a blade, others jagged and warped from burns or deeper wounds that had healed poorly.

His back was the worst of it, broad sweeps of scar tissue twisting across the shoulder blades, the work of repeated injury and neglect. She did not comment, though she understood that such marks were probably previous to his Azkaban stay.

He tried to pull away again, twisting enough to throw off her grip, and that was when her wand slid from her sleeve into her hand.

"Petrificus Totalus." The full body-bind curse caught him before he could regain his balance.

His body went stiff, and she caught him before he could collapse. In her arms, he felt insubstantial, the weight of a man worn down. To her enhanced strength, it was easy to pick him up.

She carried him through the hall, her steps measured and steady, the sound of water running already echoing faintly from the bathing room ahead, no doubt Zicky keeping track of them. Steam curled into the cooler air, carrying the faint scent of soap and clean linen. She set him down beside the deep porcelain tub, the water still swirling from the taps, and lowered him in with care.

The counter-curse brought a flicker of awareness back into his arms, the shock of the heat making him flinch. His gaze darted to her face as though expecting mockery, but her expression gave him nothing to work with.

Whatever words he had in mind faltered, his shoulders easing slightly as the warmth began to sink into his bones. She worked methodically, washing away the dirt that clung stubbornly to skin and hair alike, replacing the stale weight of Azkaban with the clean scent of soap.

"I'm not a child." he muttered. She chuckled slightly at him without stopping what she was doing.

By the time she finished, the man in the water looked less like a prisoner and more like someone who could stand in daylight without shrinking from it. His hair, though still ragged, no longer clung in greasy strands, and the deep lines of tension in his face had eased fractionally. He sat in silence now, no longer fighting her presence, as though the act of being clean had momentarily disarmed him more effectively than any spell.
​

---

The bathwater had cooled by the time Sirius settled into it without flinching. The steam had thinned into faint wisps curling toward the high window, and the restless twitch in his shoulders had faded into something closer to a comfortable and relaxed state.

His eyes no longer looked panicked, though there was still a wariness to the way they tracked her as she wrung out the cloth in her hands. For a time neither of them spoke, and she let the silence stretch.

She cleaned the last traces of grime from his neck and jaw, passing the cloth over his pale but now clean skin. It had taken its time but now he really looked quite handsome if you ignored his scrawny state, although that thought was a bit conflicting as she wasn't used to it invading her mind.

When she finally straightened and set the cloth aside, his voice broke the quiet.

"Who are you, exactly?"

The question was careful, more curious than hostile, though there was a guarded edge to it. His gaze lingered on her face as if measuring how truthful her words could be.

"I'm Lynne Volant." she replied. "I attend Hogwarts with Harry."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You are very young to be rescuing people off of Azkaban."

She didn't correct him, never mentioning her age and continued.

"My master is Solan Thorne, he is my guardian and the one who staged your rescue."

She expected the name to sharpen his suspicion, to draw some reflexive condemnation, but instead his brow furrowed and his mouth pressed into a thin line that spoke more of thought than rejection.

"I remember Thorne, but I've never had much contact with him, thought he looked familiar." he said at last, his voice low. "Dumbledore was never fond of him. Said his methods were… extreme. I can see he trained you for this. I may not be fond of how he does things, but he fought ferociously and at times made the war switch to our favor."

That was not the reaction she had anticipated. Her impression of Sirius had been shaped by Thorne's limited reports and by what little the Prophet had ever written before his imprisonment.

She expected a man firmly in Dumbledore's camp, a loyalist who would have little tolerance for those operating beyond the headmaster's reach. Yet there was no outright disdain in his tone, maybe it was being a part of the Black family that didn't see his master's methods in a bad light.

"To be honest I expected another reaction." she said, her voice measured.

"I'm surprised for sure, but you rescued me anyway, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt at least." he admitted, leaning back against the rim of the tub. "I thought Azkaban would be the end of me that I deserved. But for some reason, right now I feel that there are still things left for me to do and have a second chance to do so. There are more important matters at hand, I'm not in a position to complain."

She studied him for a moment, searching for the flicker of falsehood that sometimes betrayed a man's real intent, but found none. Whatever else Sirius Black was, he believed his gratitude enough to say it plainly, they had really done a good enough job so far then.

"We won't stop you if you choose to leave, at some point, but we want you to be recovered first." she told him, "The Ministry will be looking for you the moment word spreads. That will be sooner than you think."

A faint smile tugged at his mouth, though it didn't reach his eyes. "They'll have to catch me first. For now I just want to make sure you are not using my godson for some nefarious purpose."

It was bravado, she thought, but not without conviction. There was a spark there, a stubbornness that might make him more trouble than safety in the days ahead. She nodded back at him, not many survived 12 years of imprisonment and looked that sane without strength.

"About Harry, we will explain his situation to you shortly."

Sirius's gaze drifted toward the small window, the light there brighter now as the day continued to break. His fingers tapped absently against the rim of the tub, as though keeping time with a thought he had not yet voiced.

"You are too silent for a kid." he remarked at last, looking back at her.

"There is no need to say much right now." she replied.

That earned her a short laugh, dry but genuine. "Thorne's style, I suppose."

She briefly considered telling him more, some of the details about the war Thorne was preparing for, or the quiet network already working to dismantle the remnants of Voldemort's circle, but held her tongue. He would hear it soon enough from Thorne himself, and she had no reason to gauge his reaction here in the bath.

Instead, she stepped back, letting the moment settle. The lines in his face were different now, not erased but softened, as if the simple act of being warm and clean had shifted something in him. He didn't look as embarrassed as before, now that he understood that she was just cleaning him without a hint of being unsettled on her task while he was naked.

"Dry off when you're ready." she said, placing a folded towel on the stool beside the tub. "I'll find clothes for you."

As she left him, the smell of his Azkaban stay was finally gone, replaced by soap and steam. The change was small, but it was enough to make her think that Sirius Black, for all the damage he carried, might be able to walk out of this room looking like a man again.
​

---

The clothes she found for him were from Thorne's own collection, heavier fabrics in dark colors that would not draw attention. Sirius complained about every piece as if the fabric itself had personally wronged him.

The shirt was too stiff, the trousers too plain, the sleeves not cut the way he liked. His protests were more dramatic than angry, a half-playful defiance that seemed to be part of his nature.

She ignored it entirely, fastening buttons and adjusting hems until he was dressed, the smell of soap still clinging faintly to his skin. It took around 4 hours to complete her task but he was finally presentable, just in time for lunch.

When she pulled him toward the dining room holding his hand, he made a sound of exaggerated suffering, muttering about his dignity being dragged across the manor floor. She said nothing, though she could see how his eyes darted toward the corridor ahead, curious despite himself.

The long dining table was already set, silverware gleaming under the pale daylight streaming through the tall windows. Thorne sat at the head, posture composed, and Harry was seated along the side, fidgeting with the edge of a folded napkin.

When Sirius saw him, whatever lighthearted mockery had been in his expression fell away entirely. He stopped in the doorway as if his feet refused to move, his gaze locked on the boy.

For a long moment no one spoke. Lynne could feel the shift in the air, the way Sirius's guarded posture loosened into something rawer, almost fragile. Then Harry looked up, his eyes widening in recognition not of the man himself, but of the sense of connection that passed between them.

"Harry." Sirius said, his voice unsteady, as though testing the sound of the name after too many years of silence. Harry gave a small nod, then another, as if unsure whether to speak.

"You look so much like James." he said with pain in his voice.

He glanced once at Lynne, as though to confirm it was safe, before his curiosity overcame his hesitation.

"So it's true... You knew my parents."

Lynne thought that Thorne should have explained more to him, but since Harry didn't know about Sirius's existence yet, he probably wasn't even aware that he was branded as a traitor to his dead family, and this was a good start.

Sirius stepped forward, pulling out a chair but not yet sitting. "They were my best friends." he said. "Your dad was like a brother to me, and your mum… she kept both of us from doing even stupider things than we already did." His mouth curved into a faint smile.

Lynne hoped that he wouldn't break down right there, she was prepared just in case with her hand prepared to grab her wand as fast as possible.

Harry's face changed with every word, at first cautious interest giving way to a tentative smile, then to a flicker of grief at the mention of his parents, and finally to a warmth that surprised even Lynne.

She watched the exchange with careful attention, not to the words themselves but to the way Harry's posture shifted, how his shoulders straightened as this was the first time he heard something real about his parents.

Sirius sat down at last, though his eyes did not leave Harry's. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." he said. "I should have been, and I know it will take some time, but I'm here now and I will do what I can to make up for it."

Harry's voice was quiet when he answered. "I… didn't think I'd ever have the chance to know more of them from someone close." His eyes shone faintly in the light from the windows. "I want to know everything."

"Then you will." Sirius promised, leaning forward as though closing the distance would make his words more certain. "Stories, the memories I still have of them, whatever I can give you. They would want you to know who they were."

The table sat untouched between them, the meal forgotten as the conversation began to weave between questions and recollections. Harry's voice gained strength with each answer, asking about how his parents met, about their time at Hogwarts, about the war. Sirius spoke easily at first, but now and then his gaze would harden when the past took him somewhere darker. Lynne remained silent, letting the two of them navigate the fragile ground between grief and discovery.

Her role, in that moment, was not to speak but to observe, to ensure Harry and Black were steady under the weight of what was being discussed. She knew the boy well enough to see that his questions came not just from curiosity but from a deep need to finally know more about his family.

Thorne would chime in here and there and it seemed her master was also fond of the Potter family and their contribution to the war effort, even if he didn't know them from Hogwarts as he never attended the school. Something to ask him about later on, her newfound curiosity getting the better of her.

When Sirius finally leaned back, a faint smile tugging at the edge of his mouth, Harry mirrored it almost unconsciously. It was a wholesome moment for her best friend and she was sure they had given Harry something he yearned for deeply, a connection with his dead parents as well as the possibility of finally having a family, as unconventional as this one was.
​

---

Thorne's office was a room built for both war and negotiation. Dark shelves lined the walls, each filled with orderly rows of books and scrolls, their spines worn from use but never neglected. The air held the faint scent of parchment, ink, and the smokeless candles that burned in wrought-iron holders on the desk. A large map of Britain covered one wall, dotted with pins of varying colors, the pattern shifting with every new development in Thorne's work.

It had been a very busy week and Lynne was glad that they were progressing rapidly. She entered first, holding the door open for Sirius, who strode in with an easy confidence that seemed at odds with the gauntness still clinging to his frame. Thorne was already seated behind the desk, fingers steepled as his gaze passed from her to their guest.

"Sit." Thorne said simply.

Sirius gave a faint, mocking salute before lowering himself into the chair opposite. Lynne took her place to the side, standing rather than sitting, her hands resting lightly at the back of Sirius's chair.

Thorne did not waste time on pleasantries. "You are free now. The Ministry will not forgive that. Azkaban has been humiliated, and its guards will not take the embarrassment lightly."

"I am aware." Sirius replied, his voice calm but carrying an edge. "I have no intention of handing myself back over."

"Good." Thorne said, his tone making it clear this was not a courtesy remark. "I did not risk this operation for you to waste the opportunity. However, do not mistake this for complete trust or altruistic reasons. I know your history, Black and I know you were innocent. But I also know you have a tendency toward reckless decisions that cannot endanger what we are building."

Sirius tilted his head, eyes narrowing faintly. "What exactly are you building?"

Lynne caught the subtle pause in her master's movements and the shift of a man deciding how much to reveal.

"A war." Thorne answered. "Against the Death Eaters. Against every one of them still walking free. Whether or not the Dark Lord is back at full power, most of his allies remain, and we will dismantle it piece by piece."

Sirius's expression darkened at the mention of Voldemort. "And you expect me to help."

"Yes. I do." Thorne said. "If you choose not to, I will still let you visit, as Harry is close to us at the moment, we have been protecting him where Dumbledore failed and that won't stop now. But if you choose to stay, you will operate under my command."

The room was silent for a few moments, save for the quiet flicker of the candles. Sirius's gaze moved to the map on the wall, then to Lynne, and finally back to Thorne.

"Why are you using a little girl like her for this? It's dangerous enough."

"The war took her parents away, if someone deserves to take up wands against them is her, she is more than what you think. She is also protecting Harry at school, she knows the risks involved and I have full confidence in her capabilities." her master replied, giving no room to question him more about it.

Sirius nodded slowly although looked unconvinced.

"You mentioned the dark lord as if he were still alive." Sirius said slowly.

"Lynne and Harry encountered him already in her first year at Hogwarts. We know he is, we believe he is not at full power though." he answered.

Sirius's eyes widened for a moment then he considered his words carefully. "Then you are trying to cripple his followers now than wait for him to return somehow. I understand..." With a look of newfound determination he stood. "Harry deserves to grow up without that shadow hanging over him. So yes, I will help."

"Great! I have many plans ahead but I will let you know when I need you and I can slowly share more details with you. I'm glad we can work together, Black."

"Sirius, please."

Her master nodded. "Sirius then. As a token of goodwill I'll let you know what we did up until now to fight them." he said.

"What about Dumbledore? I don't see you working with him."

"That's right, we will not work with Dumbledore, he won't approve of me or my methods and he is content doing nothing."

A shadow crept on Sirius face.

"There is something else you should know." Thorne said, his voice sharpening slightly. "You didn't manage to kill the rat that night. But you will be glad to know, that it is now dead."

Lynne glanced briefly at Sirius. She did not understand the significance, but the change in him was immediate, his eyes widening in surprise. Then a slow, feral smile spread across his face, his shoulders relaxing in a way they had not since she had first seen him in the trunk.

"Good. I didn't know he was still alive." he said simply.

She stored the reaction away for later, his master would answer it if she asked. She briefly wondered if this was the same rat she killed as she never considered even for a moment she had killed something important.

Thorne reached into a drawer and withdrew a long, slender object wrapped in dark cloth. He laid it across the desk, pushing it toward Sirius. "This was recovered from the Ministry by a contact of mine, it's a miracle it wasn't snapped. I believe it belongs to you."

Sirius's hands moved slowly at first, as though afraid it would vanish if he reached too quickly. When his fingers closed around the cloth and unwrapped it, the polished wood of a wand gleamed in the candlelight.

He turned it over in his hands, running his thumb along the familiar grooves, and for the first time Lynne saw his grin without restraint, teeth bared in genuine delight.

"Feels like it never left me." he said.

Thorne inclined his head slightly, as if acknowledging a piece returned to its rightful place.

"Make sure it stays with you this time."

The meeting ended without ceremony. Sirius stood, still turning the wand in his fingers, and followed Lynne out. She kept pace at his side, the image of that unguarded grin lingering in her thoughts.

It was the first glimpse of a man who had hope and resolve in his eyes, a great improvement from the battered look he had when rescued.
​

---

The air outside was sharp with the scent of wet grass and turned soil, the kind that lingered after a night of steady rain. From the manor's rear terrace she could see the rolling grounds stretch toward the far hedgerows, where Harry and Sirius were weaving low arcs through the air on broomsticks.

Sirius's movements were quick and erratic, his path looping around Harry's in teasing spirals that drew bursts of laughter from the boy. It was the kind of sound she had rarely heard from him at school and only present when he was up in the air. She stayed a moment longer to watch before turning toward the smaller path that led to Thorne's study.

Her master was at his desk when she entered, a single sheet of parchment spread before him, its surface covered in tight columns of names. He did not look up immediately, his quill moving in slow, deliberate strokes. Only when he finished the line he was working on did he set the quill aside and lift his gaze to her.

"The Ministry is aware." he said, the words leaving no question as to which matter he meant. "Sirius's absence from Azkaban was discovered. By now the news has reached every office and outpost they control."

She stepped closer, the faint crackle of the fireplace filling the pause. "Their response?"

"Exactly what I expected, they wanted to keep it under wraps but it is something too big for that." he replied, leaning back in his chair. "Two Death Eaters used the chaos to their advantage. Antonin Dolohov and Augustus Rookwood escaped, both gone before the guards woke up after we left them unconscious. In which manner, I'm not sure."

The names were familiar from her training, from lists of the most dangerous still living. Dolohov's reputation was one of brutal precision, Rookwood's one of cunning and long patience. She understood the frustration that edged Thorne's voice when he continued.

"We should have ended them when we had the chance." he said. "But the rescue was the priority. That was the right choice, even if I have to create new plans to contain those two."

He rose from his chair and crossed to the map on the far wall, his fingertips tracing an invisible path between several of the marked pins.

"We will find them, and when we do, they will die. But before that, we need to gather information on them and I don't know who they will go to first. Especially Rookwood."

She nodded once, the decision requiring no further discussion.

"The Ministry's panic has already reached the Muggle world." he went on. "The Prime Minister himself has issued a statement. A 'capture or kill on sight' order for Black. They have dispatched dementors and aurors to the most likely locations Sirius might seek refuge."

"Will that be a problem for us?" she asked.

His mouth curved faintly at the question. "Not unless we allow it to be. Moody proved to be a successful project, he has fully turned to our cause. That old paranoia of his will be useful, and he has always outspoken against Dumbledore's inaction. The reinstatement of the Order of the Phoenix was inevitable once news of Sirius' escape reached him, and he has already returned to active work."

He stepped away from the map and picked up a smaller folder from the side table, holding it out for her to take. She opened it to find sketches, coded notes, and a thin sheaf of financial ledgers marked with Yaxley's name.

"This is our next target. Corban Yaxley." Thorne said, the syllables flat with disapproval. "His illegal operations run deeper than most realize. We have enough to break them apart, but this will need to be done with precision. When he falls, every death eater will feel threatened and amidst the chaos, they might unite under someone's leadership. From here many things could happen, either they band together or they escape the country. If they band together, then they will probably launch raids or attacks to feel they are still in control, that they still hold power, while trying keep the rest of their allies and businesses from collapsing."

Lynne closed the folder and met his gaze. "When do we begin?"

"In around ten days time." he answered. "This time we will get support from hired wands. The first strike will draw blood in more than one sense. When it lands, the war will no longer be quiet. It will begin in earnest."

Her grip tightened slightly on the folder, the weight of it more symbolic than physical. "I am ready." she said.

"I know." he replied. "You have been ready for some time."

He returned to his desk, settling into the chair once more, and for a moment there was only the sound of the flames. Then he looked back at her, the faintest spark of anticipation in his eyes.

"If they find a leader to whom rally behind, this will escalate quickly. From this point onwards, there will be no going back."

She inclined her head in acknowledgment, the decision already made. Whatever came next, she would face it head on.
​

---

The manor felt quieter in the days that followed, though not with the stillness of peace. It was the kind of quiet that came when everyone in the house was waiting for something, each of them aware that the plans set in motion would soon demand action. Yet for now, the attention was turned inward.

She divided her time between reviewing the information gathered on Yaxley and helping Harry with his summer work. He was sprawled at the far end of the library table, quill in hand, parchment spread out in front of him, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Sirius had offered to help, but his advice tended to wander into wildly unrelated stories about pranks, duels, and the questionable merits of hexing Slytherins when they didn't expect it. Harry laughed more during these study sessions than she had seen all year.

In the evenings, Thorne joined them in the training room to continue work on the Patronus charm. Harry's progress was rapid, the silver mist already forming into a more defined shape whenever he summoned it. His determination burned bright in every attempt.

Sirius had not even attempted the spell, he had shrugged it off with a smile that did not reach his eyes, muttering that he did not have enough happy memories left for the charm to work. She understood that feeling more than she cared to admit. Her own attempts were frustratingly inconsistent, the right memory always just out of reach.

They celebrated Harry's birthday a bit later than they wanted to, the library was abandoned in favor of the dining hall, where a modest cake sat at the center of the table. The candles flickered in the warm light, their glow reflected in Harry's eyes as he leaned forward to blow them out.

There were wrapped boxes beside the cake, gifts purchased with Sirius's vault funds. He had insisted on buying far more than they could possibly fit on the table, his enthusiasm almost boyish in its persistence.

Master Thorne watched from the head of the table, a faint trace of approval in his expression. When the last gift had been opened, he spoke, his tone carrying the measured calm that meant the words were important.

"I have found a place safe enough to carry out your theme park trip." he said. "The arrangements are made."

Harry's head came up sharply, the grin spreading across his face before the words had even settled. Sirius's reaction was even louder, a bark of laughter followed by a wide-eyed look of recognition. "Lily told me about those parks." he said. "She wanted to take all of us once we finished school."

Her master explained that they would use an international Portkey to reach Rio de Janeiro, then switch to Muggle transport for the final stretch into Argentina. Their destination was Parque de la Ciudad, a vast sprawl of attractions that had been open since the early eighties. He described it had sixty rides and features that they could try out.

Most importantly, there was a towering Aconcagua roller coaster, the twin Scorpion giant wheels, the double-track Vertigo-rama roller coaster and the sky-spanning Aero-gondolas which were chained floating chairs that would spin fast enough for them to take flight.

It all sounded so unbelievable to her but she couldn't deny it sounded exciting in it's own way. Harry's eyes grew brighter with every detail. Sirius leaned back in his chair, smiling as if the thought alone carried him far from the walls of the manor. The constant healing sessions were improving his condition but he would still at times stare at a random spot and looked lost.

Lynne forced herself to think in their trip instead, she could feel the subtle pull of anticipation inside of her, the idea of stepping away from the weight of war if only for a single day.

The folder on Yaxley still waited on her desk upstairs, and the plans for the strike were still taking shape in Thorne's office. But as she watched Harry laughing with Sirius over what rides to try first, she found herself willing to believe that the day ahead could be more than a temporary reprieve.

She was quite content that she was able to make happy memories before they plunged their world into war. Which on its own, was a novelty to her thanks to her new feelings.
​

---

Her master had left them to their own devices once they entered the park, Sirius claimed he would be the adult taking care of them but one look at his face and she could see she would have to be the responsible one on this trip.

Still, the day had arrived to finally try and ride the roller coasters. She hoped everything would be safe enough but also that they could enjoy it without issues. As soon as they located where to go, Harry and Sirius were already running to the Aconcagua attraction.

Now a man was strapping her to the small carts that were going to go around the twisted tracks at high speeds, the only reassurance was that she had both of the people she was entrusted with keeping safe by her side.

The trains of the roller coaster rattled overhead as they climbed the first incline, the rhythmic clank of the chain pulling them toward the sky. From her seat, Lynne could see the park spread out in every direction.

There were flashes of color from spinning rides, the slow turn of the twin Scorpion wheels, and the glint of sunlight off the water in the musical fountain. The air smelled of oil from the tracks, mingled with the sweetness of fried dough and caramel drifting up from the food stalls below.

The click of the ascent slowed, a final pause before the drop. Beside her, Harry leaned forward in his seat, gripping the safety bar with one hand and raising the other high, a grin wide enough to rival the sunlight.

On her other side, Sirius was already laughing, his voice carrying above the noise. The drop came suddenly, the world tilting forward as gravity seized them, air rushing past in a roar that stole the sound from her throat. The track twisted into a steep turn, then surged upward again before plunging into the first loop.

Unlike flying, where you feel the freedom and thrill of the rush of air on free fall, this didn't feel in control at all, strapped into the small cart chained one to the other gaining speed while everything shifted from side to side.

This was wild, relentless motion, the track dictating every lurch and spin. Yet the force pressed against her chest in a way that sent a pulse of exhilaration through her, and she found herself holding on not from fear but from the sheer intensity of it.

They flew through another turn, then into a corkscrew that left her vision tilting before the track leveled again. Harry's laughter was unrestrained, the sound cutting through the rush of wind, and Sirius whooped in, throwing a glance at her as if to challenge her to match their energy.

She let the smallest smile slip past her usual control, the moment too bright to resist entirely.

"Brilliant! Woohooo!" Harry shouted.

By the time the train pulled back into the station, her pulse was still high and her magic was on high alert from the echo of the ride. Harry was already speaking over himself about which coaster to try next, while Sirius commented that it was nowhere close to riding the goblin carts on Gringotts and insisted they ride this one again immediately.

They compromised on a second round later in the day. The park was a constant swirl of movement and sound and they wandered past stalls where vendors called out in Spanish, their voices competing with the music drifting from the miniature railway station.

The Aero-gondolas passed slowly overhead, the long chains holding the spinning chairs glinting in the sun as riders drifted high above the walkways. Harry craned his neck to watch them, pointing out that it was actually higher than he initially thought. Sirius nodded in agreement, though Lynne suspected his interest was more in the spinning motion than the height.

They tried ride after ride, each with its own rhythm. The swaying lift of the giant wheels, the sudden drop of the free-fall tower, the tight spirals of the Vertigo-rama that pressed her into the seat with each turn. It was relentless in its own way, yet none of them seemed eager to slow down. The day had the quality of something suspended outside of their usual time, untouched by the weight of the world waiting beyond the park gates.

Between rides, they shared a meal at one of the shaded outdoor tables. Sirius insisted on trying every fried food available, declaring each one the best so far until the next arrived.

Harry joined in with equal enthusiasm, while she ate with quieter interest, noting the unfamiliar flavors and the way the heat of the day seemed to settle differently after the meal. Of course, she didn't need to eat, but the fact that her body still had capabilities to taste and bring her new feelings was reason enough to try them.

As afternoon bled into early evening, they returned to the Aconcagua for one last ride. The sun was low enough now that the light turned the rails to bands of gold, and the wind carried a cooler edge.

This time, she felt something different in the seat beside her, these were the memories her other soul was after, not just the rush of speed but a slow warmth spreading from the presence of those with her.

It was simply a moment where they existed together, a strange and imperfect family bound by choice and circumstance, and she was beginning to understand what that was. She let the thought settle, and as the coaster plunged once more into its first drop, she swore silently to herself that whatever came after this, she would do whatever was necessary to keep them safe.

She didn't resent her master for not giving her something similar until now, thanks to him, she had the tools to protect her new family.

The following day, long after the lights of the park had faded into memory, the world returned to its truer shape. The warmth of the day lingered in her mind but could not hold back the pull of duty.

By the time they reached home, the glow of sunset had given way to the cold light of the moon, and every trace of laughter had been locked away behind the focus that the work demanded.
​

---

The smell of metal and scorched air clung to her lungs as she stood over the bodies. The ground beneath her boots was uneven, broken by the weight of the fight that had passed through it.

Moonlight spilled over the clearing, silver against the black shapes of the dead, a dozen of them sprawled in the grass where their lives had ended minutes before. They could hear the other mages making sure everyone was alright, looting the corpses as they saw fit and recounting who did what.

It had been a small battle, around 16 snatchers and death eaters of which 15 were already dead and she knew they didn't plan on leaving anyone alive.

Her master had hired a company of 25 mages, and they had only one casualty on their side, which spoke volumes of the team her master had requested. Professionals from abroad indeed.

Her breathing was steady, but her senses remained sharpened to a knife's edge, her magic was scanning the world around her still. Every motion, every spell in the last hour had been part of a rhythm she knew by instinct, built through years of her master's training.

The bodies around them were not by accident, the plan was to leave the bodies behind, to send a message that they no longer had strength in numbers unless they banded together again completely, which was the goal.

Across from her, Thorne was lowering his wand, the last traces of green fading from its tip. His coat was marked with ash and dirt, though his stance was as composed as if he had just stepped out from his study. His eyes were fixed on the figure still breathing in front of her.

Corban Yaxley was on his knees, his robes torn, his face bruised and streaked with blood. His eyes darted between them, defiant yet wary, as though trying to decide whether pleading might buy him more than silence.

He wouldn't be able to apparate as the wards put in place before the attack held firm. Lynne stepped closer, her shadow falling across him, the familiar cold focus settling into her chest.

She had stepped on both his legs, breaking them to immobilize him as she extracted information out of him using legilimency. Now, there was only one more task left to complete her mission.

Her wand was steady in her grip, the wood warmed by her hand. She thought of the Death Eaters' hands in shaping the war, in taking her parents from her, in trying to carve fear into Harry's life before it had barely begun.

She thought of what it would mean if Yaxley lived long enough to gather others, to plot revenge, to rebuild what her master meant to burn to the ground. Her magic responded to the hatred and anger that she built with those thoughts. As he was about to open his mouth to speak, she raised her wand.

"Avada Kedavra."

The curse struck him squarely in the chest, the green light flaring bright against the dark for the briefest instant before it vanished. Yaxley's body fell back, empty, the grass bending beneath the weight.

She then conjured butterflies on each corpse left behind, finally lowering her wand once his job was finished. The tension willed by magic holding her arms up eased without softening her resolve. Around them, the clearing was silent now as the team of mages was already gathered.

Thorne's gaze met hers across the bodies and in silent communication they both nodded. They had both known this was how it would begin, as she turned away from Yaxley's corpse, she felt the thought was already assimilated in her head.

As the team of hired-wands was ready for their departure, she felt the wards lift and the soft cracks of apparition from the mages rang in her ears. Her master grabbed her hand and together they made their exit.

Sunday, 8th of August 1993, Britain would later remember it as the start of the second wizarding war and this attack as the spark that initiated it all.
​

---

"Ah yes, compulsions, mental conditioning and obliviation, this method will surely never come back to bite him." - Lynne's other self

 

[Honoa51]

Well, well. Seems that Lynne's managed the Avada Kadavra. A sad day in the end, and the start of the second Wizard of war.

Although it probably won't last a month given all the prep Thorne's done and the fact that Voldemort still doesn't have a body.

 

[Lucernello]

Well, well. Seems that Lynne's managed the Avada Kadavra. A sad day in the end, and the start of the second Wizard of war.
Although it probably won't last a month given all the prep Thorne's done and the fact that Voldemort still doesn't have a body.

Click to shrink...

Hehe, a happy day for Solan. It's all about perspectives after all. It is not as easy, otherwise getting rid of Death Eaters would have been simple after the Dark Lord's first defeat. There will be entertainment enough...