Time is the coin of your life.  It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.  So be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. 

-----

Harry Potter awoke to the customary sound of his alarm. He sighed, rubbed his eyes, before sitting up and silencing the alarm with a flick of his wrist. He stumbled out of his bed at Azkaban Headquarters, pulled his robes on with a cursory glance in the mirror.

The last month hadn't been good to him.

Being in the middle of a messy divorce with his wife had been difficult on both him and his job. After numerous slip-ups as Head Auror, the Minister had reassigned Harry to be one of the two Wardens of Azkaban, a fairly lucrative and easy position, only for the duration of his divorce. Four days spent at the prison, the other Warden replaces you and takes control of the wards at midnight, and you have four days of rest.

Azkaban had gone under numerous revisions after the war. The Dementors had been removed from the prison, and guard moral had gone up quickly. Guards were more attentive and efficient, which greatly reduced the likelihood of a breakout. Harry Potter and ten other guards spent four days at the prison, then had four days rest when their replacements arrived.

Harry closed his eyes, sinking into the wards that were currently under his control, giving the prison a brief examination. All's well. It always was.

He looked towards his clock. 11:49. Eleven more minutes until his replacement arrived. He walked over to his desk and pressed a button before speaking.

“Richards, everything okay?”

A moment passed, and then the guard in the room on the third floor issued from a speaker.

“All clear here, boss. Quiet as lambs tonight.”

Harry nodded, unseen by Richards. “Good. Replacements are here in a few minutes. Tell the others on duty, while I wake the rest.”

“Will do.”

Harry walked around the room gathering his backpack with his clothes, and left the room. He walked down a hallway towards the off-duty bunks and entered the room.

“Up and at 'em, boys. Replacements are here in a few.”

The guards lying on the beds stirred. “Out in a few, sir.”

“Alright, I'll be in the front office.”

Harry left the room and walked briskly towards the front office of the guards building. He wanted to be there when Dawlish showed up to take his place. There had been some weird readings from the wards, everything they checked in person showed nothing, but he didn't want Dawlish to be unprepared just in case.

He entered the room and took a seat, waiting. His thoughts drifted, as they always did recently, always towards his family and ongoing divorce. He sighed, the kids weren't taking it well. It had been, still way actually, extremely slow going. Harry had only recently come to realize that he didn't really love Ginny, not like she loved him at least. He was fond of her, and cared for her greatly, but it wasn't love. It was simply a matter of a child growing up in a loveless environment, and latching on to the first girl who returned his affections. At least it was almost over. His barrister was predicting the end would come in less then a week.

He looked up as the ten replacement guards appeared without Dawlish. That wasn't right. They all were supposed to apparate from the Ministry together.

“Where's Dawlish?”

One of the guards started. “He's not here yet? We waited as long as we could, but he didn't show.” He looked at the other guards. “We assumed he came early.”

Harry shook his head, while shaking his watch free from his sleeve. He looked at it, and groaned as he saw the time. 11:59. One more minute. Something wasn't right. Harry stood up, and flinched as he felt the wards tear away from him, a far cry from the normal, smooth exchange.

“Something's wrong. Let's go.”

Harry walked briskly out of the room towards his office, slamming open the door. He hurried to his desk, pressing the button again and speaking.

“Richards. Anything strange going on up there? Dawlish didn't show.”

A rough, deep voice answered him.

“Richards? Was that his name? Pity. I always liked that name.”

Harry jumped in surprise. “What the-. Who the hell are you? Where's Richards?”

“I'm afraid that's a rather complex question. He's currently in several places, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't take the time to list them all.” The voice answered, ignoring the first question.

Harry took his hand off the button, turning towards the guards that followed him. “Wake the rest, and head to the apparition point. We're leaving.”

He pressed the button again, a sinking feeling in his gut. “Where's Dawlish?”

“Dawlish? I suspect he's at home. You could go see him if you like.” Harry blinked as he heard the shouts of the guards down the hallway, only a moment before he felt the oppressive weight of the wards locking down the island. “Hm. It appears I was wrong about him. I didn't think he'd come through on his end. I guess you can't go see him after all, Mr. Potter.”

Harry felt anger fill him as he listened to the voice. “Listen here you son of a bitch. You killed Richards? I'm going to murder you and any one you're with!

“Ah-ah, Mr. Potter. That's not how the game works.”

“You think this is a game?”

“Of course I do. This is a game, and-” The voice abruptly cut from his intercom over to the speaker system throughout the entire complex. “You are tonight's entertainment. There's only one objective. Survive until dawn, and you will be free to go. Oh and...”

Harry looked over towards the alarm system as warning lights and buzzers started sounding.

“You might want to find a place to hide. I suggest you hurry. The prisoners seem angry and are now armed. Dangerous combination, if I do say so myself.” The voice cut back to Harry's personal intercom. “Survive until dawn, Mr. Potter. That's the name of the game.”

Harry growled. “You think this entire prison is going to stop me? I'm coming for you, and you can guarantee that I'll be there long before dawn!”

The voice laughed. “As you wish, Mr. Potter. I'll be waiting for you, if you make it this far.”

Harry snarled wordlessly at the intercom and ran towards the rest of the guards, the voice mockingly following him as he went.

“Tick-tock, Mr. Potter. Six hours left.”

----

Harry swore as he made it halfway down the hallway and slid to a stop, turned around, and sprinted back towards his office. Things that should be second nature to him, like locking down the physical prison manually still hadn't been ingrained into his instincts. He skidded around his desk, stabbed the tip of his wand into the slot on his desk, and hurriedly murmured an incantation. The alarms cut off as all the doors and windows in the prison manually locked themselves.

There was no way of telling how long it would hold the prisoners, or how many had already gotten out, but it would have to do for the moment.

He jerked one of his drawers out and rummaged around for a moment, before finding the sheet of paper he wanted and sprinted back down the hall.

He burst into the main office to the sounds of panic and outrage from the other guards.

Harry cut them off with a loud voice. “Shut up! We don't have time to panic! Gather around this table.”

He laid the long sheet of paper, an ever updating list of what prisoners were assigned to which cells, on the table.

“Alright, look.” He pointed to the first floor,  which had undergone some changes. It was now primarily used for short-term prisoners, and it also had a mess hall were the prisoners ate. “First priority. None of these prisoners are serious offenders. We have to get them out of their cells and into the mess hall. If we can get them into the mess hall, we stand a serious chance of being able to make it through the night.” Harry looked up, pointing at two guards. “Davis, Smythes, you're staying here. If the wards go down even for an instant, leave, and get help. Understand?”

They both nodded their consent, faces grave.

Harry walked over to the edge of the room and opened a cabinet, revealing ten short metal rods, and ten clear plastic tubes. He grabbed one of each, clipping them to his belt. “Grab a shock-rod and flashlight everybody.”

Harry went back to the table as the guards gathered around the cabinet. Harry looked down at the paper, studying the top two floors. Greyback, Rookwood, McNair... This had the potential to turn very messy. Almost every prisoner was skilled with a wand, and without the dementors to leech at them, they still retained most of their minds and bodies. He shook his head, willing himself not to panic. He had to focus if he wanted to get his men through this.

He looked up at the guards, before nodding at them and striding towards the prison entrance. He paused at the door. “From here on out, no one talks except me. I don't want to hear a word from any of you unless it's important, understand?”

The guards murmured their assent. Harry turned, and walked through the entrance. He held the door open until the last of the guards were through, and then shut the door, locking it behind him. Blackness over took them as the door shut. Every light in the prison had been extinguished.

“Flashlights.” Harry drew the clear tube, shook it once, and murmured, “Lumos”. A bright, white light drove through the darkness as his and everyone elses lights lit up. They took off at a slow, careful pace through the hallway leading to the prisoners area. He paused at the door leading to the stairwell, motioning to a guard.

“Rawlins, stay here. Anything comes through here, aim to dismember. Don't take any chances.” Rawlins nodded. Harry turned to another guard. “Fletcher, go and do the same at the other end. Hurry.”

Fletcher whispered his consent. “Sure, boss.” Harry frowned at him, but motioned down the hallway.

“Meet at the mess hall in ten.” Harry waited until Fletcher disappeared into the shadows before turning to the rest. “Alright, you go to the other end, and start opening the cells. Keep them with you until you get to the mess hall. You three go to the middle, one guards the mess hall doors, the other two open the cells in opposite directions towards the rest of us. You're with me, we're going to start here and work towards the middle. Any questions?”

Harry stared at the guards for a few moments. “Alright, thirty prisoners. Start releasing them in five minutes. Go.”

They did.

Harry looked over at the guard with him, a young kid. Maybe twenty by the looks of him. Harry offered the sweaty guard a toothy grin. “Relax, kid. We'll get through this.”

The kid wiped his palms on his pants, light visibly shaking. “I know... It's just... I have a family, man. A newborn daughter. Haven't even seen her yet. She was only born four days ago.”

Harry frowned. “Why didn't you ask for time off?”

The kid swallowed. “Premature. Wasn't supposed to happen for another two weeks. She's fine, but... I want to see her at least once, you know?”

Harry looked downwards, mind turning towards his own children. “I know, kid. I know.”

They stood in silence for a few more minutes, before Harry checked his watch. “It's time, they should be in place by now. Start over there while I handle these.” The shaking kid nodded and walked over to the cells.

Harry walked up to the first cell and shined his light in it. “Hey there. Just relax, and do what I say. We're taking you to the mess hall.” Harry frowned as his light fell on the prisoner. The man, normally a thin, talkative thirty year old had changed. Muscle was literally bursting out of him, and his eyes were shining a bright red while he moaned weakly on the bed.

“What the fuck...?” The sound of his voice caught the attention of the prisoner, who slowly turned his head towards him. He let out a feral growl, and Harry jerked backwards as the prisoner slammed into the bars, bending them slightly.

Harry snapped his head to the right towards the kid twenty feet away who had just opened a cell. “No, shut it! Close it!” The kid turned towards Harry, confused, before a woman with long blond hair took a bounding leap out of the cell, slamming into his waist. The kid fell to the floor, and the crazed woman bent down and ripped his throat out with her teeth.

Harry's wand snapped into his wand as he pointed his arm towards her screaming an incantation. “Percutio!” The piercing curse slammed into the woman, punching a hold through her chest a moment to late. Harry pointed his wand at his throat, whispered “Sonorous!”, and shouted down the hallway.

“Shut the cells! Don't open them!” The sound of a few cell doors being slammed shut echoed down the hallway along with shouts of confusion. Feral screams of anger followed a few moments later.

Harry sighed, casting a sad glance at the dead guard. He snarled in wordless anger as a voice issued out of the speaker system.

“Strange, isn't it? I've always heard that using the wrong ingredients in food can have lasting effects, but I never thought they'd be this profound.”

Harry growled under his breath. A potion in the food, then.

“Well,” the voice said, an undercurrent of happiness in his voice. “Let's see what you make of them, shall we?”

Harry's heart dropped out of his chest as a loud buzzing noise echoed throughout the floor. The sound cut away abruptly, as cell doors sprang open of their own accord.

And then there were screams.

Harry's wand came up as his head snapped towards the man in the cell. The words to his spell died in his throat as the man surged out of the cell, slapped the wand aside and slammed a hand into his throat. Harry fell backwards, the man on top of him, as his choking grip grew stronger.

Harry slammed a forearm into the man's elbow, bending his arm and bringing the man down to his level, before he fell to the floor courtesy of a vicious elbow. The warden surged to his feet, ready this time, as the prisoner jumped up. The deranged man leapt towards Harry again, only to be knocked out of the air as ten-thousand volts surged through him as the shocker slapped into his head.

Harry outstretched a hand, wand flying into it. “Percutio!” The piercing curse slammed a hole into the prisoners forehead.

Turning, Harry ducked his shoulder underneath a leaping woman, throwing her up and over his head. He grabbed his shocker with his left hand, swinging it into another prisoner, messily aimed his wand behind him, and snapped out the words “Frendo!”.

The devastation curse slammed into the ground at the woman's feet with an eerie screech, the force of which threw her into a wall. She collapsed bonelessly to the ground, blood splattered on the wall from her head.

Harry turned downwards the hall, surveying the now cautious prisoners. They twitched endlessly, some growling, others just standing there, all of them filled with an endless rage.

Words would be wasted on them, Harry decided.

His wand flew through the air as he made a short, complicated series of movements, and then dragged his wand slowly, but with a sense of urgency, from left to right in front of him.

Three piercing curses left his wand at the beginning, middle, and end of the sweep of his wand, blowing through the first three of the prisoners and continuing through to the next group.

A hulking man, large even before he ingested the unknown potion, leapt through the spray of blood, hands outstretched like claws towards Harry's face. Harry pushed himself to the side, slamming into the wall, and slapped his wand into the man's back like a whip.

A sharp cracking sound issued before the man's spine ripped it's way out of the muscle and tissue holding it in.

Slapping his wand into his left hand, a bright blue dome encircled the warden, stopping the next prisoner in his tracks. Harry glanced over the man's shoulder as he slammed his body into the shield repeatedly.

Looking down the hall, Harry spotted the rest of his guards, or what was left of them, at least. Three, maybe four of them were left, Harry saw with a sense of panic and anger.

'Only four of five prisoners left, two on my end.' Harry thought as he turned back towards the mutated man in front of him. Harry dropped the shield, and with a sweep of his left hand holding the shocker, slapped the man's hand away from his face. Using his momentum, Harry brought his wand down and slapped the man across the cheek with it. The man's face snapped to the side, blood flying as the left part of his face exploded.

Harry turned back towards the remaining prisoner, shaking his wand as if trying to shake something off.

The man snarled at him, flexing his hands in anticipation, as light began to gather on the end of the wand with a low thrumming sound. The sound reached a crescendo, and the ball of light began to pulse almost angrily.

The man leapt.

Harry raised his wand.

There was a high pitched screeching sound akin to tearing metal, and the wand shuddered as the beam of light discharged from the wand. The beam slammed into the prisoner, knocking him down the hall and into a wall, pinning him there, before enveloping him completely.

Harry clenched his eyes shut as the light grew to bright to look at. When he looked back, all that remained was dust.

The remaining guards stared at Harry with shock as he lowered his wand. Harry cast his eyes upward towards the ceiling.

“That all you got?! I'm coming for you, fucker!”

Harry's head fell to the ground, as he began to walk towards his fellow guards.

He spoke quietly.

“I'm coming for you, fucker.”

----

Harry walked slowly towards the rest of his guards. He reached his men, speaking softly.

“Don't think about them. If you take the time to mourn, you'll die. We can grieve later.”

He jabbed his wand towards the ground, incanting, “Expecto Patronum.” He focused on the message he wanted to send to the other ten guards back in the main office.

“Sir, what are we going to do?”

Harry looked up sharply. “What are we going to do?” His mouth drew a grim line across his face. “I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to kill these fuckers.” He looked around at his men. “Every last one of them. They forfeited their lives when they decided to kill us. Well, play time's over. Aim to kill, boys.”

The oldest guard there, a big, burly man, stepped forward, speaking gruffly. “What's the plan?”

Harry concentrated for a moment, twisting his wand through the air causing a rough, but passable diagram of the prison to appear. He pointed his finger towards the west staircase.

“I just sent a message to the other guards in the office. They're going to be on the east staircase, we're on the west.” He cast a hard look at his men. “Sweeper teams. In and out.” He tightened his belt and made sure his shock rod was secure. “No prisoners, no mercy. Understand?”

The guards nodded, although a few of them looked sick.

“Alright. First floor is cleared. They took us by surprise with that little... trick... of theirs. It's not going to happen again. Second floor and up are the lifers. If they're out of their cells, kill them. Second team is going to handle the second and third floor, and then make sure nothing gets down to the lower levels. We handle the fourth, fifth, and the central control room.” He cast a hard look upwards. “That's where our new friend is. Wards are locked down, so the only way he can leave is getting past us.”

The guards started to make sure their equipment was in order, before they all set off towards the stairway. Harry shoved the door open and began running up the stairs, guards matching his pace. He rushed up the flights of stairs, only pausing to hear the sound of fighting from the second floor. He ran past the third and up to the fourth, stopping at the door. He drew his wand, turning to his guards.

“You all know the layout?” The guards nodded. “Three main hallways. Me and... Stevens will handle the middle. You and you, left. You and you, right. I'm going to seal this door behind us, so we'll meet at the other stairway. Questions?” Harry looked around. “Good. Let's go.”

Harry took a moment to compose himself, knees almost shaking from nerves, before he kicked open the door to face the hordes of prisoners. They rushed in, spells on the tips of their tongues, only to see... nothing.

Harry paused three feet in, and looked around. Where were the prisoners? “Stay alert, boys. Don't think, just do. Go.”

The four guards walked down the side hallways, eyes scanning the darkness for movement, before they were swallowed up by the black. Harry turned towards his partner. “Ready?”

Stevens swallowed, sweat trickling down his throat, before nodding. “Yeah. Let's do this.”

They started to walk down the hallway slowly, backs against the corridor's walls. Harry felt anxious. There was just to many prisoners in Azkaban for their to not be anyone on this floor. He hoped that they hadn't gone down to help the second and third floors.

His foot hit an outcropping stone from the wall, sending him to his knees.

That was all that saved his life.

A yellow beam rocketed out of the darkness. Harry jerked his body to the side in panic and the beam only partially hit his shoulder, opening a gash down his shoulder. Stevens immediately stepped in front of Harry and raised a shield as mocking laughter drifted down the hallway.

“Pity you fell. I would have liked to see your guts splattered across the floor, Potter.”

Harry forced himself to his feet, dragging his wand down the cut. The gash closed sloppily, but well enough for now.

“Evan Rosier. I'm going to enjoy killing you.”

Rosier stepped out of the darkness, ten feet away, while barely discernible shapes stood behind him. He raised his wand. “Of course you will.” He twisted his wand backwards and slammed it forward as a shimmering blue disc launched out of his wand.

It slammed into Stevens shield, before the shield wavered and shattered. The disc continued into Stevens, slicing across his leg. Stevens fell to a knee as Harry twisted his wand and blocked the next disc.

Stevens gasped out a curse as he pressed a hand to the wound. He staggered to his feet, absently shaking the blood of his hand. The blood fell to the ground, landing on a weathered stone that suddenly glowed red. A blood red rune appeared as the glow faded, leaving Harry wide-eyed. He shouted, “Back!”, and grabbed the back of the guards cloak, dragging him backwards.

The rune flashed once, before the walls shimmered, and spikes burst out of the wall, impaling the lower half of Stevens. Harry turned, ice in his veins, as he looked upon his friend.

Stevens gave two gasping breaths, before his body overloaded from pain and blood loss. He shuddered once, and fell to the floor as the spikes shook, and retreated into the wall. Harry bent down and closed Stevens eyes, before standing. “I'm thinking I should work alone from now on.”

He turned towards the grinning Rosier. “You always did have a flair for the dramatic, Rosier. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this entire floor is like this.”

Evan hummed once, shaking his head. “Nope. That was a present, just for you. For old times sake, you could say.” Harry frowned. Several Aurors, all close friends of Harry, had died the same way, during a raid on Rosiers hideout years earlier.

“Like I said, I'm going to enjoy this.” Harry grasped his wand tighter, before spreading his feet into a dueling stance.

Rosier grinned, and followed Harry's lead, as a voice drifted out of the speakers.

“And now the real game begins, Mr. Potter.”

Rosier let out a shout as he swiped his wand through the air. Harry shook his wand slightly, an almost imperceptible yellow glow surrounding it, before he reached out and parried the electric blue curse to the side. Harry swished his wand before him and a stream of fire shot out of his wand down the hall. Rosier, taking a step backwards, raised his wand and a bright blue wall appeared before him. The fire slammed into the shield, obscuring his vision for a moment.

In the moment it took for the fire to dissipate, Harry dropped to a knee and slammed his wand tip into the ground. A moment of tense silence passed, where everything seemed to slow down, before there was a rumbling boom and a visible shock wave passed over the rippling ground.

Rosier narrowed his eyes and leaped over it, but his fellow inmates weren't so lucky. The ground shook and vibrated beneath their feet, sending them to the ground. Harry surged forward, ducking underneath another curse, until he was face to face with the former Death Eater.

Harry jabbed his wand towards Rosier's neck, a vicious severing curse glowing on the tip of his wand. Rosier knocked the arm away from his body, before twisting to the side and slamming his elbow into the side of Harry's head sending the warden falling to a knee. He looked up to see a wand with a glowing green tip snapping towards his head.

Harry jerked his head backwards, reaching out and latching onto Rosier's wrist. He pushed his weight forward, forcing Rosier's killing curse into the chest of one of the inmates that was starting to stand up. Still holding onto the wrist, Harry stood, grabbing onto Rosier's neck with his other hand. He spun, forcing Rosier around, viciously slamming him into the wall.

Hearing steps behind him, Harry kicked his leg out behind him blindly, connecting with another inmates groin. He released the dazed Rosier and spun around, striking the inmate across the face with his wand. Blood gushed out of the inmates mouth and Harry stepped to the side, before swiping his wand back across the inmates body tearing a deep gash all the way across his chest.

His head snapped back as Rosier tackled him from behind forcing him into the other wall of the narrow hallway. His head swung back forwards as he slammed into the wall, his head connecting solidly with the wall. Stars burst into his vision as Rosier stepped back and Harry fell to the ground. He shook his head, blindly swinging his legs and knocking Rosier's feet out from underneath him.

Harry twisted as a killing curse missed his head by inches, sending fragments of the floor into his face. He raised his wand, shouting out “Ferio!”. An almost invisible mass of air rippled out, slamming into the inmates jaw. He spun around, before his momentum carried his head into a wall, where he collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

Harry jerked back towards Rosier who was already standing. He flicked his wand, and a dark purple curse bounced off his shield with a clang. Rosier kicked at Harry's face, but Harry reached forward, catching his ankle. Harry reached up, stabbing his wand at Rosier's knee, which shattered and collapsed to the side. Rosier let out a painfilled scream as he collapsed to the ground, dropping his wand and clutching at his knee.

Harry groaned as he forced himself to stand up, finally reaching his feet and looking down at Rosier.

“Does that hurt?”

Rosier glared upwards at the Warden. “You are going to die here, Potter.”

Harry was silent for a moment, before speaking again. “I should draw this out. Torture you for all the friends you've taken from me.”

Rosier let out a weak laugh. “You don't have the guts.” He continued in a mocking voice. “After all, it wouldn't be rig-”

“Crucio!”

Rosier's back arched horribly as he thrashed on the ground, screaming. Harry stood over him, a vicious look etched on his face as he held the curse for a few seconds. Harry visibly shook his head as he stood over the screaming prisoner, before releasing the curse.

He looked at the gasping man lying on the ground below him, before shaking his head in disgust.

“Good bye, Rosier. Percutio.”

Rosier's chest exploded violently as a hole was punched through it. His eyes darted around wildly before locking onto Harry as he gave one last shuddering breath.

Harry looked downwards a moment longer, before turning and walking further down the hall. He reached the next door uneventfully, and looked around for his fellow guards. He spotted one group walking towards him, while the other was just rounding the corner.

He leaned his head backwards for a moment, before sighing and pressing a hand to his bleeding forehead. He looked to the side.

“Where's Rains?”

The guard looked downwards slightly, speaking gruffly. “Didn't make it. Rookwood was there, took him out.”

Harry nodded. “You got him, obviously.”

“Yeah.”

Harry turned towards the others. “Any high security prisoners in your side?”

One of them nodded. “McNair. Just him and a few other guys who weren't all that good.”

Harry turned towards the doorway. “Good. I got Rosier, so with him, Rookwood, and McNair down, that just leaves Greyback left of the old crowd. Should be a piece of cake now.”

“Oh, I wouldn't say that, Mr. Potter. Very good, by the way. I was almost certain Rosier was going to kill you.”

The group looked upwards towards the nearest speaker. “You see, we still have a little while before dawn, and I would really hate for you to reach me before then.”

Harry clenched his fists, growling out, “Good luck stopping me.”

“Oh, I'm not going to. Your fellow guards are going to take care of that for me. You see, I have here with me around twenty people or so, but there's only three people here who really pertain to the point I'm going to make.”

One of the guards let out a small moan. “Oh, no...”

“Oh, no, indeed, Mr. Beck. Your wife is very anxious to see you, by the way. The desperation... well, let's just say it's written all over her face.”

Beck let out a choking noise, collapsing against the wall.

“Oh and Mr. Peats, let me tell you that you have a very beautiful daughter. Why, if I was a younger man... Well, I suppose I shouldn't tell the father things like that.”

Peats opened his mouth, rage written on his face, before the voice cut him off coldly.

“I'm not finished. Now, let's see. Oh, yes, Mr. Wilson. I must say, for an older man, you managed to catch quite a beautiful woman.”

Harry swore quietly, eyes wide. “You son of a bitch.”

The voice tsked quietly. “I'll thank you to not insult my mother again, Mr. Potter. Now, seeing as how well you've been playing the game so far, let's change things up a bit, shall we? If Mr. Potter isn't dead in ten minutes, I'm going to kill these three people. The choice is yours. Your esteemed leader, or your loved ones.”

Harry turned, looking at his fellow guards, who were looking between him and the speaker.

“Tick-tock, friends. Better hurry.”

Jenkins sighed, standing up over one of his fallen friends. He walked over to another guard, bent and searched for a pulse before rising again. He turned down the hallway, shining his light down its lengths.

“Bennet! How many?”

The guard answered. “Four dead down here, Jenkins.”

Jenkins groaned, and started walking down the hallway. Six dead guards... He walked in silence to the next doorway towards the rest of the guards.

Jenkins spoke, answering the unspoken question of the remaining guards. “Six, total. We're all that's left, along with the group upstairs. We pissed away too much time, sitting around like we did. Gave the prisoners too much time to prepare and lay traps.”

The guards stood silently for a moment, before one spoke up quietly. “Now what? Potter and his crew should have handled the upstairs pretty soon, if not already.”

Jenkins opened his mouth to speak before being cut off.

“That, gentlemen, is an excellent question. I have a proposition for you.”

-----

Harry's wand shot into his hand as he fell back defensively. “Don't even think about it.”

Peats raised his wand slowly. “She's my daughter, Harry. Please.”

Harry raised his wand, pointing squarely at Peats chest. “Wands on the ground. Now! I'll go it alone if I have to.”

Becks turned towards Peats, protesting. “Ernie...” He didn't raise his wand, Harry noted. Yet.

Peats half-turned towards the other two guards. “They're our families! Harry would do the same if he had to make the choice.”

“I mean it, Peats. Drop it, or I drop you.”

Wilson turned towards Harry reluctantly and raised his wand. Becks followed a moment later after a pause.

“I'm sorry, Harry. We'll make it quick.” Becks said.

Harry looked over his guards. “So, this is how it is? You're just going to let him twist and turn you to his will? This is what he wants! If you let him do this, he'll just keep doing it over and over! For Christ's sake, think of the men we've lost! Rains, Stevens, Fletcher, Adams! You going to let them have died in vain?”

The guards stared at Harry, not speaking, their hands shaking.

Harry raised his wand again. “Last chance.”

Wilson spoke. “I'm sorry, Harry.”

Harry's face set coldly. “So be it.”

The three guards jumped to the sides giving them some room before twisting their wands, spells rocketing towards Harry. Harry half-turned towards the nearest wall, slamming his left hand into the wall. His banishing charm slammed into the unmovable wall that set off a deep rumble, shaking dust from the ceiling. His charm forced him away from the wall and down the room, away from the spells which dissipated into the walls.

Harry twisted in the air, snapping off a blinding curse towards Wilson and a stunning charm towards Becks. He turned again, placing his feet beneath him and did an awkward half-skip jump as he slid to a stop next to Peats.

Harry slashed his wand, forcing Peats curse away from his body, before unhooking his shock rod from his belt. The warden dropped to his knees, ducking underneath another curse while swinging at Peats shins. Peats jumped over the rod, swinging his wand, launching a muddy brown curse at Harry.

The warden snapped his wand up, knocking the curse aside, before bringing it back down into the ground. A shockwave flashed across the ground around him, knocking Peats off his feet as he landed. Harry surged forwards, slapping Peats wand away before stunning him.

Harry slapped his hand into the adjacent wall, sending him flying across the small room again. He landed, a bright blue shield blocking Wilson's spell, before turning towards Becks. He brought his wand up, slamming it into Beck's wand, a shower of sparks erupting from the spells when their wands collided. Harry twisted underneath Beck's guard, and slammed his left hand into the guards chest. The banishing charm slammed into Beck, knocking him backwards and to the ground.

Harry turned towards Wilson, blocking a piercing curse. Harry aimed towards the wall next to Wilson, snapping out “Frendo!”. The purple devastation curse left his wand with an eerie screech, slamming into the wall next to Wilson. Debris showered over Wilson, covering him and knocking him down.

Harry turned back towards Beck who was starting to stand. Becks raised his wand towards the warden, but Harry latched onto his wrist forcing it away from his body. Harry jerked his wand upwards, slapping it into Becks arm, breaking it. Harry spun underneath the broken arm, twisting it further and spinning Becks around. Harry slashed his wand, and Becks collapsed as the stunning spell slammed into him point blank.

Harry looked towards Wilson, who was groaning underneath the rubble. He walked towards him slowly, speaking. “I trusted you three more then anyone else in my group, you know.”

Wilson groaned. “I'm sorry, Harry. We had to.”

Harry raised his wand, a red glow on the tip. “I know. Stup-”

The door and the wall surrounding it blew into the room, the door falling onto Wilson who managed to choke out a scream before it hit him. Harry stumbled from the shockwave, dust flying everywhere as spells shot out of the hole in the wall. Harry swung his wand twice, knocking the first two around him, before spinning his wand. A bright blue shield enveloped him, stopping the other two spells with a loud clanging noise.

Jenkins stepped into the room. “Sorry, sir. But you were never my commander, Dawlish was. And that asshole has our families.” He raised his wand. “We'll take care of him after we do this, I swear it.”

Harry swore, releasing his shield. Jenkins stepped forward, spells flying from his wand. Harry dived forward, rolling underneath the spells, before rising up in the middle of the four guards. He reached out, parrying a paralyzing curse away from his face as he reached behind him, banishing charm slamming into the two guards behind him.

Harry grabbed his shock rod, thumb dialing down the voltage to a non-lethal level, before swinging it around. The rod slammed into Bennets stomach, and the guard bent over clutching his stomach as electricity surged through him. Harry jerked his arm upwards, and the rod slammed into Bennets face, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious. Harry turned again towards Jenkins who grabbed Harry's wrists. He forced the warden backwards, slamming him into a wall, causing him to drop his wand. Jenkins slammed Harry's left wrist against the wall, forcing him to drop the shocker, before slamming a knee into Harry's stomach.

The warden bent over, gasping for air as Jenkins stepped to the side. Harry fell to his knees, and lashed out with his foot. His kick slammed into Jenkins knee, breaking it, and the guard collapsed to the ground. Harry stretched out a hand, wand flying into it, and knocked Jenkins out with another stunner.

The warden stood, blocking another curse, and surged forwards. Harry stepped in between the two remaining guards. He twisted around an ugly looking curse he didn't recognize, before latching onto one of the guards wrists. He twisted the wrist, forcing the spell away from his body and into the wall. Harry snapped his wand out, blue light glowing on the end, slapping Jenkins with the wand three times.

The guard convulsed twice, pain visible on his face, before collapsing to the ground. Harry turned, ducking under a decapitation curse, before rising and slapping another one away. Harry flicked his wand, ropes flying towards the guard who cut them apart with a slicing hex. Harry stepped around the slicing curse, before stepping forward and slamming his left fist into the guards chest. The banishing charm released as his fist made contact, knocking the guard backwards. The guard skidded across the ground, limbs splaying awkwardly, before hitting the wall where he laid, unmoving.

Harry stood quietly, eyes scanning the area for more people, before coming to rest on Jenkins. He stepped angrily towards the fallen guard, waking him with a flick of his wand. Jenkins woke with a groan, before clutching his knee in pain.

“Why? You have no family, Jenkins.”

Jenkins gritted his teeth and shrugged. “They did. I never really liked you anyways.”

Harry was silent for a moment. “Your curse killed Wilson. You always favored that way of entering a room during raids when we in the Corps.”

Jenkins looked away. “Didn't know he was there.”

Harry flicked his wand, forcing Jenkins face to turn back towards him. “I should kill you. Repay the debt you owe Wilson's wife. A life for a life.”

Jenkins gritted his teeth as Harry raised his wand. Blackness overtook him as the stunning spell slammed into him.

Harry turned away, walking towards where the doorway used to be, speaking to the unconscious man. “I'll let the Aurors deal with you and the rest, Jenkins. I've got places to be.”

A voice issued out of the speakers, quietly.

“You most certainly do, Mr. Potter.”

----

Harry spared a brief glance at the speakers above him as he ascended the stairs, thinking furiously. His mind was spinning trying to work through all the mysteries. None of it made sense, yet, everything was laid out in front of him.

All of the traps, the hostages, everything that Harry and his crew had come up against... All of that pointed to a lot of foresight, preparation, and setting up. It had to be somebody who was intimately familiar with the prison, maybe more-so than Harry or even Dawlish.

Yet, despite Harry racking his mind for answers, he couldn't think of anyone who it could possibly be.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he arrived at the top floor. He needed every wit and tool at his immediate disposal if he wanted to survive the coming war.

There was no other word for it. After the last war, Fenrir Greyback had managed to evade capture in the resulting confusion, and he didn't waste a single minute of it. The man destroyed whatever he came into contact with, and he was very good at it.

Of every criminal Harry had ever apprehended, Fenrir was the most dangerous, second only to the late Voldemort.

Harry concentrated as he pulled out his mokeskin pouch. The man was very fast, very strong, and extremely talented at up-close wand work, Harry's preferred method of combat. He only had two weaknesses. Silver, and distance wand work. Harry hoped his long-range spell casting was up to scratch.

It had been very close the last time.

Harry closed his eyes, placed both hands on the inside of his pouch, before murmuring a word and spreading his hands. The pouch quivered for a moment, before it's opening enlarged three times larger then normal.

Harry bent down, reaching inside the pack and pulling out several things. He whispered another word, shrinking the pouch back down, before tucking it away in his cloak. He turned back to what he sat down.

He grasped the first item, a rejuvenation potion, and downed it. Energy rushed through his body and mind, washing away his aches and pains and sharpening the dull edges of his frayed mind. He cast the bottle aside absently, before tucking a knife into his boot. He snapped his wrist out to the side, summoning his wand, and tapped his belt once. Three loops formed out of the leather of his belt, and Harry reached down, grabbing the three silver stakes from the ground, before sliding them into the loops.

The warden turned, facing the door, stretching his limbs in preparation. He closed his eyes, crease lines etched into his forehead, as he focused on his task. Eyes still closed, he reached for the door handle, pausing for only a moment before opening the door. The hallway was bathed in darkness. Not a single light was visible.

His eyes opened, and he took a deep breath before he stepped into that dark abyss.

-----

The first thing Harry noticed was the music. It was one of Lily's favorite lullabies when she was young, and both Ginny and Harry used to hum it to her when putting her to bed.

In retrospect, he probably should have seen this coming.

Harry's eyes scanned the dark corners of the room as he walked further in, the haunting melody fraying his nerves. He spun slowly, looking all around him to no avail.

A sharp noise caused him to spin in place, dropping into a loose stance. The noise repeated, and Harry narrowed his eyes as he recognized the sound. It was a sound Harry heard all to often these days, the sound of someone crying and trying to hide it.

He reached down, grasping the glow rod, before shaking it and murmuring “Lumos.”. The rod feebly lit, sparks emitting from a long crack down the length of it. Harry gently tossed the rod towards the noise and raised his wand cautiously. His eyes widened as he watched the light reveal what the darkness had hidden from him.

The newly reanimated corpse of Ginny Potter crouched down over the shaking form of Lily Potter. The girl was gagged and blindfolded, while the Inferi absently stroked the girl's red hair. Harry started forward, but stopped, thinking. What used to be Ginny Potter must be under a control spell, possibly Imperio. If he made a move now, it could cause the man controlling her to set her off.

Harry's limbs started shaking as he restrained himself from running to his daughter. His mind spun as he realized the ramifications of what this meant. Little Albus and James were probably already dead. This man didn't seem the type to let people live when he had no use for them.

Tendons bulged along his jaw as he clenched his teeth, and his palms stung as his fingernails were dug into them.

Harry's eyes caught movement on the edge of his sight, slightly behind him. His head turned a fraction of an inch over his shoulder bringing the man into view.

Fenrir Greyback stopped a few feet away, looking towards the two girls. “I've got no stomach for killing like this.”

Harry turned towards Greyback, speaking softly. “You murdered your fair share of little girls back in the day, Fenrir.”

Fenrir shrugged absently, still gazing forward. “Can't argue, I suppose. Was always fast, though. Never drawn out. This, this is torture, Potter, and it takes a twisted mind to think up something like this knowing you'd see it.”

Harry gazed at Fenrir, before turning back towards his daughter. “Imperious?”

Fenrir rolled his shoulder. “Don't know. Like this when I got here.” He turned towards Harry. “You should know, he's got some kind of barrier between us and them. Likely kill you.”

“You know this how?”

Fenrir pointed towards a charred corpse in the corner. “Walker. Decided he was gonna have some fun with your daughter. Barrier caught him probably three feet away.”

Harry looked at the corpse for a moment, before grunting out, “Thanks.”

An amused look in his eye as he turned, Fenrir said, “Don't thank me. I plan on killing you myself.” He nodded towards the girls. “It'd take the fun out of it.”

Harry nodded, before speaking. “You don't have to do this, Fenrir. All I want is him.” His eyes took a hardened look. “Stand in my way, and I will kill you, Fenrir.”

“I do, actually. Eight years, Potter, eight very long years. I want out.” He turned slightly towards the roof, voice wistful. “I haven't turned once since I've been in here. An experimental potion the Ministry gave me. Didn't cure my lycanthropy, but it's stopped me from transforming.”

“Really? I didn't know we had a potion like that.”

Fenrir nodded. “Mm-hmm. And this,” he drew a vial out of his pocket. “-is the antidote.”

Harry took a wary step away. “Why haven't you used it yet?”

“Eight bloody years, Potter. It's going to be amazing. After I drink this potion, it'll be just like I was turned again.” He turned, snarling suddenly. “And I am not going to waste it in a god-forsaken place like this!” He calmed himself, looking at the vial again before tucking it away. “I've already got the perfect forest picked out. Lots of open space, a few muggles. I can hardly wait.”

Harry turned, and drew his wand. “Guess this is the end of the road for you, Fenrir. It's a pity you'll never get to see that forest.”

Fenrir lazily saluted Harry, raising his wand to his forehead, and Harry returned the favor. “Goodbye, Potter. Gonna be boring without you trying to catch me all the time, eh?”

Harry nodded, snapping his wand out to the side. Both combatants stood motionless for a moment, before surging forward with a roar.

---

Harry's mind raced furiously as he and Fenrir met halfway. Fenrir, like himself, favored an extremely aggressive and physical fighting style. Neither were afraid to get dirty in the muck of things, so to speak, and Fenrir would do everything he could to keep the fight there in order to keep his strength advantage.

The combatants clashed together, bodies twisting and wands flashing. Harry kept a slashing curse ready on the tip of his glowing wand, and mentally assessed the glow on Fenrir's wand.

Milky white, most likely a bone-breaker.

Harry slashed his wand, moving Fenrir's aside in a rush of sparks, sliding to the side. He spun around, crouching, swinging his wand at the werewolf's ankles. The convict jumped, barely missing the wand before his leg snapped down into Harry's face. The warden's head jerked to the side, blackness encroaching on his vision, before he planted a hand and leaped to his feet.

He ducked under a claw-like swing, stepping under Fenrir's guard. Harry carried his weight forward and shoved his shoulder into Fenrir's chest. The werewolf stumbled backwards, and Harry backhanded the man away, wand flashing across his face. Blood spurted as a long gash opened across Fenrir's face. Greyback snarled, stumbling to the side, and Harry stepped forward to press his advantage.

His wand moved in long sweeping strokes, only to meet Fenrir's every step of the way. The flurry of movement, swings and thrusts, parries and dodges carried the two fighters across the room in a dangerous dance. Harry's mind was in overdrive, thinking two or three steps ahead as he tried to find an opening.

He grasped his wand in both hands to block a powerful swing from Fenrir, only to have his breath forced out as the werewolf kneed the warden in the stomach. Fenrir stepped to the side of Harry, and swung a vicious elbow at Harry's upper back. The warden fell to the ground, twisting as he fell and lashing out with his feet. Fenrir's legs were knocked out from underneath him, sending him falling towards the ground.

Harry twisted on the ground, swinging his open left hand towards the descending werewolf. His hand found it's mark on Fenrir's chest, and the resulting banishing charm sent the werewolf careening into the far wall.

Harry lurched to his feet as Fenrir did the same. Gasping for breath, Harry locked eyes with his smug opponent. Harry couldn't keep this up, and they both knew it. He was dead on his feet after that short, but violent exchange, while the werewolf could keep it up for a while longer. Something had to change.

Harry twirled his wand in his hand, as he fought to regain his breath. He stepped forward, snapping out incantations while his wand moved through the air.

“Percutio!”  The glowing curse left his wand and Fenrir jerked to the side to avoid it. Harry adjusted his aim accordingly, opening up his arsenal of dangerous spells. Banishing charms, bone-breakers, devestation curses, all left his wand in a matter of moments while Fenrir lept around the room dodging the spell-fire.

The werewolf ran around the edge of the room, before kicking off the wall and leaping high in the air towards Harry.

Harry jerked his wand upwards towards the ceiling, and a purple devestation curse left his wand with an eerie screech. The curse slammed into the ceiling, and the resulting explosion sent Fenrir plummeting to the ground.

The man hit the ground painfully dropping his wand, and actually bouncing back up only to receive a handful of banisher to send him back towards the wall. Harry switched his wand to his other hand, and grabbed his silver knife.

His arm snapped forward, magic guiding the thrown blade. Fenrir's hand flashed out, snatching the blade out of the air before tossing it back. The blade tumbled end over end and the hilt hit Harry's hand, numbing it and causing him to drop his wand. Fenrir was on him before he had a chance to reclaim his wand.

Harry dodged the initial punch, stumbling backwards. His hand clenched, and the poorly aimed banisher sent Fenrir stumbling backwards. Harry surged forward, throwing a right hook. Fenrir grabbed the punch, twisting Harry around. Harry swung an elbow backwards towards Fenrir. The werewolf blocked it, before tying up his arm in a half-nelson.

Harry reached backwards, peeling the hand from the back of his neck and breaking the hold. He slammed his elbow backwards again, knocking the werewolf away, before spinning and lashing out with his foot.

Fenrir grabbed the kick, and spun, swinging Harry off his feet and throwing him across the room. Harry crashed into the ground in a tangle of limbs, already moving as he came to a halt. He stepping inside the punch the werewolf threw, shoving the arm to the side, and slammed his elbow in Fenrir's face.

The werewolf shrugged the blow off, wrapping his arms around the wizard, pinning his back to Fenrir's chest. Harry swung his head back into Fenrir's face, causing the werewolf to release him. He reached back over his shoulders, grasping the back of Fenrir's shirt and pulled it up over his head. He spun, pulling Fenrir's covered face down towards his knee.

Fenrir's arms managed to block the knee, and he twisted his body, freeing his face from confinement. Harry jerked his knee up again, and Fenrir blocked it with an elbow right above the kneecap, causing Harry's leg to twitch painfully. Fenrir's hand lashed out into Harry's throat, which closed reflexively. He stepped forward, arm extended, hitting Harry's already vulnerable throat in a clothesline.

Harry crashed to the ground, choking for breath, as he reached for one of the stakes in his belt. He lashed out and Fenrir stumbled backwards as the stake flew by his face. Harry staggered to his feet, hand reaching and flying out twice more.

Fenrir jumped backwards twisting away from the silver stakes. He jumped back towards his wand as Harry reached out a hand, wand flying into it as Fenrir recovered his own.

Harry's extended his arm, wand flying through the movements. The piercing curse hit Fenrir's lower leg in an explosion of blood, a hole punched clean through his calf. The werewolf staggered, before he shrugged off the pain.

He jumped, leaping across the room towards Harry. The injury slowed him too much, and Harry spotted his chance. He stepped forward, raising his wand, calmly speaking out his next incantation.

“Frendo.”

The devestation curse met Fenrir in the air. Blood flew as the cursed man's chest exploded, ribs showing through where most of the muscle was blasted off. Fenrir fell to the ground face first, still and unmoving.

Harry stepped forward cautiously, knowing the durability of werewolves, and Fenrir in particular. He flicked his wand, and Fenrir flipped to his back. Harry almost gagged as he saw Fenrir's mangled chest, before spying Fenrir's eyes flicking around the room as blood dribbled out his mouth.

Harry sighed. The man wasn't long for this world. “Not bad, Fenrir.”

Fenrir chuckled, blood spraying from his mouth as he did. “Same to you, Potter.”

Fenrir reached down to his pocket, and grabbed the unbreakable vial. He gazed at it wistfully as he held it.

Harry almost winced at the look of longing on the werewolf's face. “Full moon was last week.”

“I know.” Fenrir nodded.

Harry winced as his leg gave a painful throb from being elbowed. “I'll make it quick.”

Fenrir gasped. “Don't bother.” He shuddered out another breath, locking his eyes onto Harry's. “It's already done.” He turned his eyes back to the vial.

Harry watched as Fenrir gasped out a few more breaths. Then he died, hand clenching the vial he never got to use.

-----

Harry watched dispassionately as Fenrir Greyback breathed his last, before letting out an exhausted sigh, and rising. He had no time to be tired. One more fight, possibly the most difficult one yet, and he would be out of this nightmare.

But, first...

Harry frowned as he considered the barrier separating him from his daughter. He had never seen anything like this before. As such, he had no counter-spell available, no warding techniques he could cast, nothing he could use. His eyes rose to consider the Inferi that was formerly his wife. The dead Ginny Potter's cold, blank eyes were locked onto his form, and her hand had ceased it's incessant petting of Lily's hair. Her hand was a hairsbreadth above Lily's forehead, and Harry knew all too well Inferi's abnormal strength.

The speakers above him crackled to life, a voice speaking quietly.

“Do you like it? You know, when I designed this spell, I created it with you in mind. Consider it a gift.”

Harry glanced up, too tired to bother talking, and looked back at the spell.

“It has no weaknesses, as far as I know. A perfect, unbreakable, unmovable wall. Perfect for what I had in mind.”

Harry broke his silence. “And what was that?”

“This, mostly. Of course, now that perfect wall is keeping you from me, and I am so anxious to meet you, Mr. Potter. You've done so well in my little game, much better than I thought you would. I had originally intended for you to get here right when the clock ran out, but my little distractions proved insufficient.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Au contraire, Mr. Potter. I'm rather pleased by it. I had intended for you to die in this room, but, as you know, plans are fluid things. Ever changing. So, let's change the plan.”

The barrier flashed once, twice, and then fell as the Inferi rose.

“Oh, by the way, I heard tell of some marital troubles, I believe? Well, consider this a gift then. Mrs. Potter? Attack, please.”

The Inferi darted forward, a still impressive speed for a newly reanimated corpse. Harry grimaced, raising his wand. He waved his wand and the Inferi stilled mid-stride. Harry stepped around the corpse, taking a last look at his former wife, before continuing on to his daughter. The Inferi's skin started to crack, light shining through, before the corpse blew apart into dust.

Harry fell to a knee as he reached his daughter, and untied her blindfold and gag.

“Daddy!”

Harry put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Don't speak, Lily. I want you to go through that door. There'll be some stairs. Go all the way down, and follow the hallway to the main office. Use the floo to contact Kingsley, you remember him, right? Tell him I need him here, and what happened. Wait for me there. Understand?”

Lily nodded. “Yes, daddy, but I-”

Harry quieted her again. “Just do it, Lily. Then we'll go home, I promise.”

Lily nodded, eyes brimming with tears, as she spoke again. “Dad, he killed James and Al.”

Harry felt his blood run cold. “I know, honey. I'll take care of him. Just do as I say.”

Lily nodded again, before turning towards the door in a run. Harry watched her pause at the door, gave her a reassuring nod, and watched her head down the stairs.

Harry bent his head, unbidden sobs and panic attempting to break free. It was no surprise, but it hurt just the same.

Harry spent a few moments like that, before rising, anger etched on his face. “I am going to kill you.”

“Touching, Mr. Potter. I had no idea you cared that much. The door is open. I'm waiting.”

Harry stalked to the door, wrenched it open and walked in. The central guard station on the fifth floor was what welcomed him. Harry's eyes raked the room as stood in the doorway. He spotted Richards body, or what he thought was Richards, scattered across the room. In the corner, there was a pile of dead bodies. One of the females, Beck's wife, he thought, was lying face up in pool of her blood.

Desperation had been crudely written in blood across her forehead.

“I told you it was written all over her face.”

Harry turned towards the man. He stood next to the intercom, a long cloak and hood obscuring his face. He was powerfully built, easily reaching six feet. Harry eyed him for a moment, before speaking.

“Who are you?”

The figure shook with suppressed laughter. “Someone of no importance to you, until now. You don't know me, and I don't plan on giving you the pleasure of finding out, either.”

Harry shrugged carelessly. “That's fine. Identification spells work better on corpses anyway.”

“Oh, so you plan on making a corpse-”

Harry's wand snapped up, a blasting curse leaving the tip. The orange curse slammed into the man's chest, picking him up and throwing him into the wall. The hood didn't budge, most likely a sticking charm, Harry assumed.

“Feel like talking yet, asshole?”

The man rose, and brushed himself off. He considered the Warden of Azkaban for a moment.

“Nemo. You can call me Nemo.”

“Nemo. Nobody.”

The man stared at Harry, waiting.

“Fine,” Harry shrugged, before bursting into action. “Have it your way.”

----

Harry stepped forward, wand swishing through the air in long, broad strokes. The tip of his wand glowed blue, and with each wave a glowing, blue disk flew through the air.

Nemo ducked underneath the first disk, and it sliced into the wall, debris flying as it cut through the solid stone. He drew his wand, flicking it, and Richards severed hand rose in front of the next disk. The disk cut through the hand, continuing on towards Nemo who was already diving underneath it. He rose, wand flying out and slapping a disk aside as he stepped towards Harry.

Harry paused in his casting, wand flying through the air in a circle as one of the blue disks appeared. It grew with each circle, larger and larger, until Harry slammed his wand forward. The overpowered disk left his wand with a bang, a visible wave of distorted air following it.

Nemo raised his wand, shouting out a shield charm. The disk slammed into the green dome, sparks flying as it attempted to cut through before sliding off the shield and into the wall behind.

Harry surged forward as the sparks distracted Nemo, who backed up as Harry neared him. He raised his wand, sending it crashing towards Harry's head. Harry slapped Nemo's hand to the side, stepping inside his guard. Forgoing his wand completely, Harry smashed a fist into Nemo's face. Nemo staggered back, wand flashing through the air, and Harry jumped back as a severing curse flashed by his face.

Harry snapped his wand forward, moving to the side as a curse flew towards him, raising a shield to block it. The bone breaker bounced off his shield with a ringing sound, and Harry dropped the shield, raising his wand higher. Harry flicked his wand, and smoke poured out of the tip, twisting sinuously over the ground towards Nemo. The man swept his wand before him, and the smoke parted around his form.

While he was busy with the smoke screen Harry raised, the Warden swept his wand upwards, rocks and various debris following his wands movement. Harry twisted his wand through the air, and the accumulated items were transfigured into long spikes. Harry turned towards Nemo and swung his wand forward sending the spikes crashing towards the wizard. Nemo snapped both arms out to the side with a yell, stopping the spikes in mid-flight. He swished his wand once, and the spikes reversed direction back toward Harry.

Harry spun, wand dragging through the air as he built momentum. Air collected in a shimmering ball on the tip of his wand, and as Harry reached a full circle, the air rushed out in a roaring wind towards the spikes. The wind crashed into the weapons, sending them flying in every direction, before it crashed into Nemo. The mysterious man was picked up and send careening into the wall, before being pinned there by the gale.

Harry raised his wand, aiming down it's length, before snarling out, “Cornollivo!” His arm buckled under the tremendous amount of energy released as the curse left his wand almost to fast to see. Nemo struggled wildly, freeing an arm an instant before it was too late. A blue shield encompassed him, and the curse crashed into it. The curse detonated loudly, and the walls shook as rocks and various debris fell as part of the ceiling collapsed.

Harry stood for a moment, surveying the dust filled area in front of him. His eyes scanned the dust, looking for any sign of life from his opponent. His eyes widened as he saw a slight glow in the dust before him, before a purple devastation curse burst out of the cloud.

Harry backed up a step, mentally in canting Declino!. He slashed his wand diagonally, catching the spell on the tip of his wand. He spun, dragging the spell around with him, before releasing it with a snarl back to where it came from. No sooner had he released the spell, a bone breaker slammed into his left shoulder from the opposite direction. Harry spun wildly to the ground, teeth clenching in pain.

He looked up, and saw Nemo some feet away. Harry struggled to his feet, wand slashing through the air as he did. “Evertoxuro!” Smoky flames rushed out of his wand towards Nemo who swished his wand once. The fire slid around him to dissipate against the wall.

Harry collapsed slightly against the wall next to him, gasping for breath. Nemo, likewise did the same.

“How's the shoulder?”

Harry pushed off the wall. “It'll heal.”

Nemo glanced at his wrist, before taking on a surprised tone of voice. “Oh, would you look at that. Time's up.” He sketched a mocking bow towards the Warden. “You are free to leave whenever you like.”

Harry ground his teeth together as he listened to the infuriating man before him. He raised his wand, and an icy-blue curse swept out of his wand.  Nemo shifted to the side, and the curse splashed against the wall like water, the wall glowing blue where the curse had hit it.

Nemo looked at the wall for a moment before turning to Harry. “Excellent! I had hoped you'd stay. I'm having such a terribly good time here.”

And just like that, the fight was back on. Harry swung his wand before him, and a visible wave of light swept across the room towards Nemo. The wizard raised a shield, only to stagger as the curse slid through it like it wasn't even there. The curse swept through Nemo, and he collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. Harry snapped his arm forward, snarling out, “Effodio!”. The curse left his wand with a bang, and a flash of light.

Nemo, still on the ground, raised his wand and slapped the curse aside. He flicked his wand once towards his stomach, and the coughing subsided slightly. He staggered to his feet, jabbing his wand towards Harry.

The Warden of Azkaban ducked under the curse, and bit back a curse as his arm flopped painfully against his side, wrenching his damaged shoulder. He slapped his wand against that arm, and it stuck to his side. It was uncomfortable, but it'd have to do. Harry extended his arm behind him, and the banishing charm sent him flying up and over Nemo's next curse. Harry extended his wand as he came soaring down towards Nemo, and slapped it across the wizards face.

Nemo's head jerked to the side as blood flew out of the hood, before he recovered. He swung his wand to fast for Harry to react, and Harry felt skin tear away from his face as the wand crashed into his jaw, sending him spinning. Harry used that momentum, falling to a knee, and completing the spin. His wand swept Nemo's feet out from underneath him, and Nemo bit back a snarl as his knee was dislocated. Nemo swung his wand towards his knee as he was falling, and the knee reconnected with a gut-wrenching pop.

He swept his wand up, parrying Harry's next blow to the side, before swinging his wand towards Harry's body, a glowing green light on the tip of his wand. Harry recognized the killing curse on the wand, and hurriedly brought his wand forward to meet it. The wands clashed against each other in a shower of sparks, and the two wizards grunted as they struggled to overcome each other. Harry's eyes drifted slightly over Nemo's shoulder, spying the glowing blue spot on the wall behind him.

He shifted his weight, bringing Nemo's wand up and over his shoulder, sliding almost completely around the wizard. He flicked his wand towards the glowing wall, and the ice-blue curse burst out of it. The curse slammed into Nemo's back, and the wizard careened to the ground, a thick layer of ice covering his back and immobilizing him. Harry stood, breathing heavily, before striding towards Nemo, and kicking him over so he was facing up. He bent down over the wizard, staring into the blackness covering his face.

“Ready to tell me who you are?”

Nemo's teeth chattered as the he struggled to move. “Oh, come now. That'd take all the fun out of this.”

Harry sniffed, wiping blood away from his face where his skin had been ripped off painfully. He stood, before shrugging. “Fine.” He paused, before speaking again. “Why? Why the games, all the manipulation? There has to be an easy way to kill me.”

Nemo laughed. “You're assuming that I want to kill you.” Although Harry couldn't see his eyes, he had the impression that Nemo was staring intently at him. “Killing you was never the point. One day, it will be. Not now, however. Not for a long time. I intend to play many more games with you before I choke the life out of you.”

Harry stared at him, quietly, before speaking. “Sorry, but it doesn't look like you'll get that chance. The Aurors will be here any minute.” He flicked his wand, and a rock near his feet was transfigured into a knife. “Unfortunately, you don't have a minute.”

He bent down over the wizard, raising the knife. “Goodbye, Nemo.”

As Harry swept the knife towards Nemo's neck, his eyes caught a twitch off to the side. Realizing his mistake, Harry tried to fall back away from Nemo, but it was too late. The wizard's arm came up, sweeping the knife away, and Harry screamed as one of the metal spikes ripped it's way through his body from behind. He collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony as pain coursed through his body. Nemo stood, body shaking from the cold as the ice fell off of him.

He stood over Harry. “You should have killed me while you had the chance.” He knelt beside the Warden. “I am grateful, though. For a moment there, I thought that I wasn't going to get the chance to play any more games.”

Harry struggled to reply, but his body refused to cooperate. Nemo grasped his face in his hands, bending over Harry. He spoke furiously, “I want you to rememeber this moment, Warden. The moment when you could have killed me. I took everything away from you, and you let me live. My, my, how your fellow guards must be feeling. You had the chance to avenge them, make their deaths count, and you wasted it with your incessant talking.”

Nemo took a deep breath, calming himself, before patting Harry's cheek. “Next time, don't waste my time. If you get the chance, kill me.” He stood. “The Aurors will be here shortly. I'll be in touch.”

Harry struggled to watch as Nemo limped out of the room, anger filling his body, before blackness over took his vision as he mercifully passed out.

----

Harry groaned, lifting an arm to cover his eyes. He half-turned in his bed, asking the woman if she could dim the lights.

“Sure thing, Mr. Potter.” The lights blessedly dimmed to a bearable level, and he lowered his arm.

“St. Mungos?”

The nurse nodded as she examined a clipboard. “Yes sir. You were in pretty bad shape, but you're recovering nicely. Should only be a few more days.”

Harry nodded absently, mind churning. He had places to go, people to... see. His eyes were drawn to the doorway as Ron walked in.

“Harry. How you doing?”

“Better, I think. Where's Lily?”

Ron winced. “She's with Hermione. Listen, mate...” Ron paused. “We can't find Ginny, Albus, or James. Aurors are combing the country, but it's not looking good.” He hesitated again, swallowing. “What in the hell happened there, Harry?”

Harry frowned, avoiding the question. “You take Jenkins and the other guards statements?”

Ron shook his head. “It's kind of hard to take a statement from a corpse.”

“They're dead?”

Ron nodded. “Yeah, looks like Killing Curse from the lack of disfigurement.” Ron leaned forward. “You have no idea how many corpses we pulled out of there, Harry. You were literally the only one still alive in that place. People are screaming for your head.”

Harry snorted. “Let those stuffy purebloods scream all they want. I'll be paying a visit to a few of them in the near future. We can work out our differences then.”

Ron leaned back, eyes wandering the room. “I'll just pretend I didn't hear that. So, Death Eaters?”

Harry let out a choking laugh. “More like Death Eater.”

“One?” Ron's eyes bulged as he heard Harry. “One wizard did all of that?”

Harry's hand clenched, twisting the bed sheet. “He played us, Ron, all of us. He played me. That son of a bitch better hope I never find him.”

“Holy shit.” Ron exhaled, sagging in his chair. He sat up, pulling out a recording device. “Alright, let's get this over with. You know the drill. Anything you want off-record?”

Harry shook his head. “No, nothing particular. Start whenever.”

Ron flicked the recording device on. “Auror Ronald Bilius Weasley, and Warden Harry James Potter. Recount of the events concerning the Azkaban Incident of 2014...”

----

Harry's eyes snapped open as something woke him suddenly.

“Sorry, Mr. Potter. The doctor will be here to check on you in a moment.”

He let out a sigh of relief, and relaxed back into his bed. Moments later, a man in a white coat walked in, face buried behind a clipboard.

“Well, Mr. Potter. Everything looks good.” The doctor waved his wand, and a potion flew out of the nearby cupboard and into Harry's hands. “Drink that. If all goes well, you should be released tomorrow morning.”

Harry drank the potion, sat the bottle down, and sank back into his bed. He had a moment of relaxation as the potion worked its magic, before his body stiffened suddenly. A restraining potion, auror-grade. What was St. Mungo's doing with one of those?”

He panicked as he tried to wrench his arms and legs, but they only twitched. He tried to look to the side as the doctor set down his clipboard, but his eyes were firmly locked into place towards the far wall.

“Relax, Mr. Potter. I'm not going to hurt you. Well, not yet at least.” Nemo walked to the edge of the bed, just out of Harry's vision. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

“It's quite a risk for me to be here, as you well know. I really felt like I should apologize, though. You see, I didn't mean to injure you that badly. I'm afraid I lost my temper, which caused me to make some rather hasty decisions. Decisions that almost resulted in your death, I' m afraid to say. I'm not quite ready for you to die, I think. I want a few more years out of you, at least.”

Nemo reached for the clipboard. “I was just looking at your medical report. Impressive. The severity of your wounds would have killed a lesser man, and it sounds like you were nursing at least a cracked rib or two by the time you found me.”

He sat the clipboard back down, sighing. “I should get to why I'm here. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with young Mr. Weasley yesterday. Planning on paying a visit to a few purebloods, Mr. Potter? I'm afraid I can't let you do that.” He pulled up a chair and sat down. “You see, I just don't think you're stable enough to visit them and let them live. You might make some rash decisions. I'd hate to see an innocent get hurt, Harry.”

He leaned forward over Harry, bringing his face into Harry's view. “I debated doing this, you know. Look closely. Memorize my face. So, that way, it eats at you even more. You and I both know St. Mungos wards screen for polyjuice and glamours after the bombing of 2009, so you can rest assured that this is really me.” He leaned back, and stood. “Good-bye, Mr. Potter.”

He walked out of the doorway, voice drifting back. “I'll be in touch.”

Harry's face was lax, unmoving, but his mind was spinning furiously trying to place the face, almost desperate for a name to go with it. He finally calmed down, resolved to just wait until the potion wore off.

Nemo's identity had already chewed a hole through the back of his mind. He was right about that.

Harry had seen his face. He had memorized every detail, drank it all in.

White, black hair, blue eyes. Scar across the left cheek, and a small piece of his right ear was missing.

Harry had never seen him before in his life.