She approached the hut carefully. By all accounts, they were dealing with smugglers of stolen goods that got nicked from an import firm warehouse two weeks ago. Smugglers won\u2019t like being caught, so they were considered dangerous. Not truly dangerous, not like that dark alley at night, but dangerous enough for her to test herself in her new job as an Auror.<\/p>\n
The babies were over a year old now and were no longer nursing, and Lyra had their breasts magically repaired to their earlier, pre-pregnancy condition. They were smaller, and she was kind of miffed about that because Viktor liked them bigger, but smaller ones were more practical, she told herself. And currently, practical was important.<\/p>\n
This should be no different from sneaking into a chicken coop and stealing eggs on a muggle farm<\/i>, she thought, and I did that before<\/i>. Only the chickens had wands and reasons to use them. The hut was magically protected against remote viewing, so she couldn\u2019t see what\u2019s waiting for her inside. It was also protected against apparition, but she wouldn\u2019t want to do that in the first place; too risky if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re getting yourself into. Slow and steady wins the race, said the turtle.<\/i> Hermione smiled.<\/p>\n
Non-verbal Alohomora<\/i> dealt with the lock. It was dark inside, but she had a bad feeling. Hidden humans, more than one. More than three.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpelliaramus<\/i>. Petrificus Totalus.\u201d<\/i> Two spells hit her and her wand flew away. She couldn\u2019t move, not even her eyes, as she fell to the floor. It was an ambush.<\/p>\n
\u201cJared, look what we caught\u201d, a sneering, filthy figure addressed another. \u201cWe got ourselves a pureblood\u201d, he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cPure muggle-born delicacy, just for us\u201d, a witch with messy black hair and patched up worn robe replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the blonde freak holding her leash is nowhere to be found, regrettably\u201d, the third one added in a mocking tone, as lights and sounds of heavenly bells started appearing from what looked like cracks in space.<\/p>\n
And then the space itself fragmented where they stood, tore them apart and then sucked them into a swirl and back out again, in liquid form.<\/p>\n
The body-bind curse vanished, and Hermione stood straight, and dusted off her robes. \u201cI need immediate assistance, and it\u2019s not going to be pretty\u201d, she tapped her wrist and spoke into the red circle. \u201cI know, you told me so, but I think I will need to puke\u201d, she closed her eyes and covered her nose and mouth with the cloth of her robe. \u201cWhere\u2019s my wand? Oh, here. Eek\u201d. She noticed, as she picked up her prop, that it\u2019s covered in blood and other things, and then she actually threw up.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you know how I learned not to play with space. I did that to a cow. I threw up all afternoon and couldn\u2019t eat for the next day\u201d, Lyra rubbed her sister\u2019s shoulders as the Auror team cleaned up the mess.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will never be as precise and elegant as you\u201d, Hermione hunched slightly. \u201cI used the thing that came easiest, which was to touch magic, feel their presence in it, and just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShred and crush\u201d, Lyra finished the sentence for her. \u201cI know. Time is harder, but we\u2019ll work on it more\u201d, she nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just killed four people and I feel nothing wrong about it. What\u2019s wrong with me?\u201d, Hermione stuttered in shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with you. From what I can see, the deeper layers of the world assisted you and that means they approve. You would only feel wrongness if you used your free will to tear at the magic against the feeling of rightness, and in this case, you killed four horrible people. Another dark cell adjacent to the Voldemort regime, by all accounts. They used petty crime to finance themselves, and that deceived us into thinking it\u2019s all they were\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go home, I need a shower\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
She approached the hut carefully. By all accounts, they were dealing with smugglers of stolen goods that got nicked from an import firm warehouse two weeks ago. Smugglers won\u2019t like being caught, so they were considered dangerous. Not truly dangerous, … Continue reading