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 73: Visiting the Museum
No one was supposed to be in this part of the Ministry at this time, so most of the lights were turned off, leaving the place looking very dim.
Still, Amelia had no issues walking through here, as she had done so a million times before.
She tried to calm her nerves as she approached the Museum of Dark Arts, where this supposed kidnapper had demanded that she come alone.
It was a very strange request, now that she had a bit of time to think about it.
No money or any other demand, just her sole presence.
If the objective was to make an attempt on her life, why not bring Susan outside the Ministry of Magic, to a place that would be more advantageous to the attacker?
The Auror Department was just one floor away, so it would be very difficult for them to leave this place after committing a crime here.
Amelia finally arrived at the entrance of the museum. It was sealed shut by a large double door. This one would only be unlocked during visiting hours, and people would only be allowed inside with the company of a guide.
There were very dangerous objects in there...dark artifacts that the Ministry had banned but chose to keep as remnants of the older days.
Her eyes scanned over the area. "Well?…here I am," she declared loudly.
"Where is my niece?"
"Aunt Amelia."
The voice came from her right side. When she looked over and pointed her wand in that direction, Amelia saw someone moving in the darkness and walking from behind one of the many pillars.
She saw the figure approach until they were beneath one of the few magical lights and could finally see them clearly.
"Susan! Are you—" Amelia stopped, the words choking in her mouth when she saw that her beloved niece was being held by none other than Harry Potter, who was now pointing his wand directly at her face while holding her neck with his other hand.
A tremendous fury invaded her. The moment she received the letter, she was also concerned about the lack of mention of Harry Potter.
She was worried that the kidnapper could have harmed Harry to get to her niece.
Not even for a second had she contemplated the possibility of the famous Boy Who Lived being the actual perpetrator of such a nasty crime. Now she was feeling like a fool for thinking like that.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?!" she screamed with rage at Harry, pointing her wand at him. "Let Susan go right now!"
A cruel smirk appeared on Harry's face before he increased the grip on the girl's neck, forcing some painful noises out of her.
"Stop!" Amelia shouted.
"Control yourself, Madam Bones. Whether I let Susan go without further harm…depends solely on you." Harry spoke in a tone that made Amelia Bones' blood run cold.
'This is not how a child would speak…' she thought.
Amelia had spent over two decades working as a field agent, and during that time, she had interacted with many dangerous individuals.
The way Harry was behaving and speaking to her reminded Amelia of some of the worst ones she had seen, the ones who always seemed calm and collected, even when confronted by the authorities.
"You will do as I say or I will kill this girl." Harry's voice was devoid of emotion, and it made Amelia believe that the threat was real.
"Who are you?" Amelia could not believe that this was actually Harry Potter. It must be someone impersonating the boy. That would be the most logical explanation.
Sparks appeared on Harry's left hand as this one held Susan's neck.
"Ahhh!" The young girl began screaming. She felt as if a bolt of lightning was coursing through her body, burning her flesh and making her blood boil. The pain was insufferable.
Amelia went pale. "Stop!" Her wand was pointing at Harry, but she couldn't just shoot with the way Harry was holding her niece in front of him. She was more likely to hit Susan instead.
After five long seconds of screaming, Harry stopped his spell and Susan calmed down.
"Unlike the Cruciatus Curse, this one does not leave any residual pain. The moment I stop the spell, the pain does as well. You can take this as a show of kindness on my part," said Harry. "It will be the last one."
"Okay…calm down." Amelia collected herself and recalled her training when dealing with hostage situations. The last thing she had to do was antagonize the criminal.
"You wanted me to come here, and I did. Why don't you take me instead and let Susan go?"
Harry pointed at the door of the museum with his wand. "I called you here so you would open that door."
"You…" She glanced at the museum. "You want to enter the museum?"
"Do I have to repeat myself?" Harry asked, pointing back at Susan and sending a clear message.
"No!" Amelia responded immediately. "I'll open the door, just don't hurt her." She turned to a stone panel on the side of the gate and placed her hand on it.
The enchantments recognized her magical signature and unlocked the gates.
As Director of the Auror Department, Amelia Bones was authorized to unlock most doors in the Ministry.
"Let's go inside, and don't try to waste my time." Harry urged her. He wasn't sure if this woman had already alerted someone, and with the Auror Department just one floor away, he could not take much time to get what he wanted.
Luckily, he had done his homework in advance and knew exactly where the book he wanted was being held.
Amelia took a few steps into the museum and looked back at Harry and her niece.
"Keep going. We are going to Section D."
Amelia flinched as she remembered what that area of the museum contained. "Forbidden Books…"
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