Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 129: Pursuers
From the moment he left the Black Rose shop, James had the sensation he was being watched from afar.
If Lady Rose hadn't informed him about the bounty hanging over his head, he would have to wonder about the reason for this.
'There is still the question of who put the bounty on me,' James thought.
He had recently offended three powerful dark families, so it must be one of those, but he wasn't sure which one it was.
The more likely would be someone from the Rosier House, since he had killed the previous Lord. Although using money to get rid of an enemy seems something fitting for a Malfoy to do.
James pretended he was completely oblivious about the individuals following him, and walked into a dark alley.
He could have apparated away after exiting the shop. However… this would have carried some risks.
The destination of a recent use of apparition can be tracked if the person is skilled in that type of magic.
That could lead them directly to his house, and this was something he was not willing to gamble with.
'I have to deal with my pursuers before returning home,' James decided.
He began to walk faster, moving through narrow alleys with barely any light, while at the same time, he left behind some invisible marks on the walls as he passed by. Anyone who passed in front of the wall for the next minutes would become tagged with his magic.
'Three wizards… they are well trained too.' James realized that the ones hunting him were no amateurs.
'Hit Wizards, most likely.' They were the bounty hunters of the magical world. A very dangerous line of work where only the skilled ones survive.
James reached an intersection and stopped all of a sudden. The wand hiding under his sleeve moved slightly, allowing him to track the three individuals who became marked by him.
Two of them were approaching from behind while the other one stood a short distance away, likely to catch him in case he tried to escape.
He applied a charm on himself and his body became translucent.
Two shadowy individuals arrived a few seconds later and stopped at the intersection before looking at each other.
"Where did he go?"
"He must have known we were following him."
"Impossible. There is no way he could have d—"
"Shh!" The masked wizard made a few gestures with his hand that his companion understood.
"Homenum Reve—"
"Crash!" They heard a loud noise of something breaking right behind them and jumped from the shock.
They immediately spotted a destroyed flask on the ground. The dark liquid inside had been spilled all over the ground and was quickly evaporating. This created a nasty-looking mist around them.
"Urgg!" One of the masked men had not been quick enough to cover his face and inhaled some of the mist by accident.
The effects were immediate and in a matter of seconds, the man was on the ground, convulsing with foam coming from his mouth.
The other masked wizard took several steps back before using a spell to remove the potion and the deadly mist.
"You are going to pay for that… Homenum Revelio! Show yourself, you bast—"
The man felt something hit his legs and he lost his balance.
James had been working one step ahead. After throwing that flask with basilisk venom, he moved to the other side of the crossing.
While the masked wizard was cleaning the potion, James was already attacking him again.
The cutting charm was something taught at school. Its main purpose was to cut small things, like a piece of paper or some cloth. But with enough magic and intent behind the charm, this one can be much more deadly.
The masked man tried to stand up from the floor. Only then he realized what happened… and began to scream.
When he felt his legs being hit by something… this was the cutting charm separating flesh and bone. The initial shock had prevented him from feeling any sort of pain, but that quickly passed.
He did not fall because he lost his balance. It was because he lost his legs altogether.
James' wand was directly aimed at his head. "Terebrare." The piercing hex went right through his skull, silencing him forever.
'Tsk! I wanted to get some information from these guys. But now that won't be possible.' James hadn't expected the man to scream so loudly. He must have alerted everyone in the alley.
James felt something on his left and conjured a brick wall as protection before moving away.
Just as he did this, the wall broke into pieces after being hit by a deadly curse.
The last masked man had arrived. This one had been standing a short distance away, waiting to intercept him if he tried to escape. But instead of that, James had killed his two companions.
James looked at the masked man and made a quick assessment of the situation.
'Too far away, my spells will miss.' There was no time for a standoff where they would continue to exchange spells from a long distance. This left him with few options.
He sent a barrage of quick hexes to the masked man, forcing him to defend himself.
James used his opening to store his wand and call upon his Animagus form.
With enough practice, he could now transform in just a second.
The silver stag's body became covered in bolts of lightning as he focused his innate magic.
"What is that?!" The masked wizard looked at the strange creature with a mixture of surprise and fear. But his survival instincts kicked in, and he moved to attack. "Avada Kedavra!"
The stag saw the green spark of death approaching, and it felt like it was doing so in slow motion.
The entire world felt like it was moving slower… everyone but him.
The silver stag moved away from the crossing at such speed that it gave the impression of having been teleported.
The next instant, he was right beside the masked wizard, who was still aiming his wand at the previous spot he had been in.
Before the man could even understand what had happened, he was hit by a powerful bolt of lightning.
His body was burned to a crisp while being also launched towards the other side of the alley.
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