Miscalculation - Chapter 5

It had been a couple of days since Narcissa left. He had wanted to wait to make sure she was safe before he made any moves. She hadn't told him where she was going, just that she wouldn't be back until after Draco was born. He had agreed to surrender the title of Lord Malfoy to her soon.

Harry strode down Diagon Alley wearing Avery's face. The Polyjuice potion would hold up if he went to Gringotts, but that wasn't his target today. Choosing Avery had taken some thought. Using Lucius could have worked as well, but he didn't want to bring attention to his current hide-out. Nott, on the other hand, had a family. They would be targeted if there were any witnesses and Harry wanted witnesses. He turned and made his way down Nocturne Alley. There was a little place that less important Death Eaters liked to gather. It turned out that while using the potion that Avery's wand would work for him. The 'gentlemen's club' was more akin to a run-down pub than somewhere that a Lord would ever deign to frequent.

A group of disposable Death Eaters were scattered around the room. He scanned those assembled to find his target. There were a couple of people he recognized as Aurors or other Ministry employees. None of them by name. Most importantly, there weren't any people who would be missed. There was only one person he actually knew. The sight of Severus Snape chumming it with other Death Eaters made it even better. The man was such a tragic hero.

"Avery!" One of the scuzz called out. "What's a prim little lord want here?"

Harry pulled a stone cube with small, intricate runes carved into it. He ignored further jeers as he strode over to the table in the middle of the room. A steady pulse of blue energy played along the surface of the cube.

"You are all worthless pieces of shit." He said loudly.

Those deeper in their cups jumped to their feet and started casting. Harry didn't bother to block or dodge. The bright multi-colored magic barely left their wands before they were absorbed by the cube. To his credit, Snape was one of the first to notice the issue.

Another barrage followed once they saw the previous volley didn't reach him. The more observant among them tried to tell the others to stop. Unfortunately for them, yelling at drunks who are also yelling at someone else wasn't the best way to communicate.

Harry stepped back outside a moment before a bright flash of blue lit up the area. The cube was one of the nastier pieces in the Malfoy Armory. It was also one of the items that Draco had turned over to the DMLE. The cube was basically a magical bomb fueled by the spells it absorbed and would explode once it reached its limit. It released a wave of arcane energy that basically tore the soul from the body. . Judging by the screams, it was a painful process. Unlike the Killing Curse, it could be blocked to a point. It was fueled by the magic absorbed by those around it so a shield wouldn't block the pieces of magic that came from them. It also had the extra benefit of preventing apparating as well by absorbing that magic as well. Supposedly, the effect wouldn't harm any of the Malfoy family, but he didn't want to discover if being Lord Malfoy counted. It was a one-of-a-kind artifact that had become more of a trophy than a weapon.

The residual magic faded after a few moments. Harry stepped back inside to finish off anyone who had the mind to send up a shield. Only two had managed, but they didn't fair very well. A couple of quick piercing hexes ended their suffering. He took a moment to arrange all of their arms, so the Dark Mark was exposed. After a moment of thought, he gathered some blood from the closest dead wizard then used it to write on the wall.

'Unworthy'

"That will cause some chaos." Harry chuckled as he stepped outside and raised his wand to the sky. "Morsmordre."

The familiar skull and snake appeared in the air before he popped away. Lucius' memories did not provide Voldemort's current location. It was blocked by some powerful mental magic that couldn't be breached. The only way to get Voldemort to come out and play was to get him to leave his hide-out. Killing a bunch of his minions while dressed as one of them would definitely raise some questions.

Thankfully, the Malfoy wards still recognized him even while he was under the effects of Polyjuice. The wand didn't react negatively when he used it, but the security let him through. It was an odd bit of magic that he filed away for later use. If he remembered when he had the time.

He took a seat in the main study with a copy of the Malfoy Family Grimoire while he waited for the potion to run its course. They had stripped the Manor of everything of worth. Neither knew when the Death Eaters would come looking for Lucius and didn't want to be caught unaware. He had let Narcissa take pretty much everything with only grabbing a few choice items from the armory, potions lab, and library for himself.

Technically, it was impossible to copy a Family Grimoire, but that was only when accounting for those outside of the family. There were times that the book needed to be shared due to marriage, births, or a transfer of title. The original was currently with Narcissa while he held the copy. He wasn't about to lose access to all the knowledge he could now access. Narcissa was the true owner, which was why she had the original.

The Malfoy Grimoire had some interesting magic with a focus on potions and enchantment. Most of the spells had originally been focused on improved control and ways to apply intricate details. The further he read the more notes showed how the family magic had shifted the purpose to more nefarious means. He was pretty sure he'd lose access to this copy of the book once he surrendered the title to Narcissa since it was created using the Malfoy Family ring. As such, he had an automatic quill transcribing the pages into a mundane journal.

Harry put the book down to allow the quill to resume its work. He could feel the potion start to wear off. All of the work transcribing would be ruined if his muscles spasmed at an inopportune time. The wand practically jumped from his hand once the transformation began. He could almost imagine it looking back at him in horror at the realization he wasn't its master.

The clothes he had worn were too long in the arms and legs but too tight just about everywhere. Unlike Harry, Lord Avery had been a tall, scrawny man. The shirt would have torn at the seams if not for the enchantments on the clothes. He stripped out of the stolen clothing once the transformation was complete.

He got changed into some of the borrowed clothes that the Room of Requirement had provided. It was time to take care of some things now that he had gold. A wicked smile crossed his face as a thought crossed his mind. He strode out of the Manor and beyond the wards instead of simply apparating away. His earlier thought about Malfoy Manor was correct. The place was not made for comfort. Even the beds were overly ornate and hard as rock. He had slept on better beds when he had been on the run in his seventh year.

Harry took a moment to clear an area around him of trees, stone, and underbrush. Once that was finished he used his magic to dig a few deep trenches that could easily fit a few people shoulder-to-shoulder and lined the bottom with branches transfigured into spears. Even if they missed the spears, the fall would be enough to break a bone. He stretched out some nearby grass to cover the various holes. The pits were placed in a spiral around a small island of untouched ground. Once that was complete, he squatted down in the center of the safe area.

"Voldemort is a bitch." Harry yelled.

A moment later a trio of pops announced the arrival of a group of five masked Death Eaters. There was a moment of confusion when they recognized where they were. It took another precious seconds to find whoever had spoken the taboo. The hunched wizard in the center of the newly made clearing didn't look like anything special.

"Who are you?" One of the Death Eaters growled.

"I have to admit." Harry stood. "The masks are a nice touch. Your voice sounds like a monster." He side-stepped a nasty looking curse. "Rude. Does no one appreciate banter these days?"

Another few curses answered his question.

"Arfwisg." Harry whispered.

A slight blue sheen appeared around his body about an inch away from his skin. Unlike a shield spell which usually only blocked one direction, or a more advanced version that created a dome, this was magical armor. It was on par, strength-wise, as a standard Protego, he could still move while being protected.

He took a couple of steps to the side, inspiring them to do the same to keep him in their line of sight. Harry had to hold back a laugh as the first Death Eater stepped into a pit-trap. The scream and its sudden stop caught their attention.

"Accio." Harry pointed at another one of them.

They let out a short scream as they disappeared into the trap. One of the others decided that running in the other direction in hopes to avoid the pit. It would have been a good plan if there was only one trap. The Death Eater pitched head-first into another pit.

The two remaining Death Eaters stopped their assault. They scanned the ground to spot further traps. It was rather easy not in the middle of a fight.

"Who are you?" One of them yelled.

"Your doom." Harry said dramatically before breaking into a laugh. "Couldn't help myself."

"Stop talking, just kill him." The other yelled. "We'll identify the body."

"Before we start." Harry held up his hand. "How do you like those masks?"

He couldn't see their eyes, but he could feel their glares.

"Fine." Harry sighed.

A swipe of his wand sent a broad arc of sparks. The two Death Eaters intercepted the spell. Instead of fading away the sparks collected on their shields. He kept sending more their way until their vision was completely blocked. Harry dropped the deluge and waited. Their shields dropped, sending the sparks to the ground at their feet. Each one let out a little pop along with a tiny flash as they connected with the grass.

Harry targeted their masks. They glowed red as they were suddenly superheated. If that wasn't bad enough, he shrunk them as well, effectively welding the masks to their faces. They dropped their wands as their sole focus shifted to removing the molten things. He would have left them to slowly suffer until they died if he didn't have things to do. An overpowered cutting curse ended their plight. No head meant no pain. At least once the brain realized it wasn't connected to the body anymore.

He carefully checked the pit traps that had been triggered. The simple spikes had taken care of the Death Eaters. With that done, he rolled the two headless corpses into the nearest pit. He made sure to gather their wands first. A sheet of transfigured stone covered each pit once the bodies were all hidden. He had already wasted enough time on these. At least he knew that the Taboo worked and could be used in the future.

Harry paused. It wouldn't take long for the Death Eaters investigate the missing kill squad. They would probably check in a lot faster than usual since it had happened so close to Malfoy Manor. Once they were here they would discover that the place was all empty and the wards had been sealed. He could fill the open stretches with numerous traps, plus even more in the Manor itself. Harry looked back at the house. He had spent more than enough time here already. It was time to move on.

He popped away and appeared in the specified arrival area in Diagon Alley. There was an edge of anxiety in the air. A few Aurors patrolled the area asking questions. Harry stepped out of the landing area to clear it for any further people.

"What happened?" Harry asked as one of the Aurors got close.

The guy searched for whoever had spoken.

"Potter?" The Auror paused.

"Yes?" Harry answered.

"You're not James Potter." The Auror shook their head.

"Correct again." Harry smiled. "Who are you?"

"Auror Longbottom." The man replied. "You're a Potter? I've never met you."

"I've never met you either." Harry shrugged. "Can I get to Gringotts?"

"Sure." Frank nodded. "Avoid Nocturne until we've cleared it."

Harry gave a lazy salute as he walked away. He stole a couple of looks as he walked by the entry to Nocturn Alley. It looked like there were a few Auror squads around the pub, or whatever it was. Only a couple of them were instigating, the others were there to provide security for their colleagues. Nocturn was not kind to Aurors, not even in the future. In the future, it was policy for squads like this if they had to go in at night. Now, in the midst of the war with Voldemort, it wasn't safe for them in the daylight either.

The goblin guards didn't take any extra interest in the happening in the alley. They still looked like they were ready to attack at any moment. He strode through the doors up to the desk.

"Business?" The goblin asked.

"I need to speak to the Malfoy account holder." Harry stated.

The goblin looked up from his ledger. Harry flashed him the Malfoy ring.

"Follow." The goblin shrugged.

Another goblin appeared beside the desk. They didn't even look at him. The goblin simply led him to a side room. There was a rather distinguished looking goblin behind a much nicer desk.

"Lord Malfoy?" The goblin asked.

"For now." Harry smiled as he slid the ring off his finger. "I've come here to surrender my Lordship to Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black."

The goblin stared at him for a long moment before they took the ring. Harry felt a slight tingle as the Malfoy Lordship left him.

"Is that all, wizard?" The goblin asked.

"I need to open an account of my own." Harry offered.

"The front desk will do that." The goblin dismissed him.