Chapter 176 - – Hook, Line, and Sinker Ⅱ

The sun was setting on the Scottish Highlands as four auror's apparated on the outskirts of the muggle town of Caithness. "I bet Moody would have loved to be here," commented the handsome featured, Gideon Prewett.

"Not with Scrimgeour around," the long-nosed, Fabian Prewett snickered.

"Enough you two, we're here on serious business," snapped the older, salt peppered Auror, Sara Vinovich. Her sharp yellow eyes almost seem to glow in the near dusk as she glances about.

"And just why are we here again?" Gideon grumbled unhappy at having been chastised.

"An anonymous letter arrived at the ministry suggesting that there was an imminent attack on the muggle village," declared, the round faced, Percius Clements. A bit round, yes, but Percius was most light on his feet.

"And that does not seem suspicious at all, why?" Fabian said with an arched brow as they made their way down the grassy slope to the town below.

"Because after the attack on Malfoy-," Percius paused at almost tripping down a rabbit hole. "Ogden and the Minister take such threats rather seriously."

"What could possibly happen out here in the middle of nowhere?" Gideon huffed as he kicked a stone away with his boot and watched it skip down the slope.

"Enough," Sara chided them again. "We'll split up into two teams. Percius and I will speak to one of the locals, while the two of you go and speak to one of the wizarding families in the nearby vicinity."

"Yes, Ma'am," Fabian and Gideon solemnly said with a wide grin on their faces.

Barely refraining from rolling her eyes, Sara says, "Shoo now!"

Laughing as they scramble away Percius chuckles, "Those two always seem to get the best of you, Sara."

"Brats the whole lot of them!" Sara snarled unable to hide the spark of mirth in her voice.

The two of them had barely made their way down onto the main street when the screaming began. Instantly their wands sprang out as Sara barked, "Left!"

"Right!" Percius barked back as they sprang into action and each rushed forward splitting into two directions as one headed to nearest house where magic was presently being cast and the other to the next.

Sara burst into the nearby home to see a withering cursed man on the kitchen floor as his wife and children screaming in terror huddled against the yellow kitchen wall. The hooded masked figure was laughing maniacally, before turning and firing a stinging hex at the Auror. Training instantly kicked in as Sara dodged and returned fire with a stunning spell.

The masked female figure instantly froze as Sara rushed over to feel the man's pulse. Weak, but still alive.

"I need you to head down into the cellar and hide with your children," Sara steadily instructed. "Don't come out until you hear it's safe."

Seeing the muggle woman still remain in shock, Sara loudly said again, "Ma'am, it's dangerous out here!"

"Yes, but my husband-," stammered the distraught woman.

"He's merely fainted for the moment, he'll be fine," Sara firmly restated again.

"Okay," the fearful muggle woman grabbed her tearstained children and darted down the stairs into the cellar to hide.

Not willing to leaving the stunned Death Eater on the ground, Sara instantly levitated the stiff body and brought it out with her. Murmuring a binding spell, she ties the stunned Death Eater to one of the muggle electric posts, before rushing away.

In the distance, she could see a house a flame as nearby wizards attempted to rescue the screaming family found within. Rushing over, Sara sees a pair of wizards that seem like siblings as one douses the flames with water, while the other manage to levitate the fearful family out of one of the windows and onto the ground below.

"Names!" Sara instantly barked as the two young wizards in their mid to late twenties turn to gaze at her.

"Malcom McGonagall!" The elder dark-haired brother reported as the younger said, "Robert McGonagall Jr.!"

"Good lads," Sara said in approval. "Not related to Professor McGonagall, are you?"

"Our older sister," the two said in unison as they wiped the soot off their faces with their sleeves.

"Are your families safe?" Sara quickly asked.

"Our wives floo'd away with the children and our mother," Malcom answered with some relief. "What will you have us do, Auror?"

"Evacuate as many of the muggles as you can," Sara instructed. "There are three auror's in the village at present, but we are in need of immediate reinforcements-."

"I've already sent a request for aid," Robert Jr. interrupted.

Hearing a blast of magic in the distance, Sara merely nods at them before bursting into a run in that direction. Sara suddenly found herself engaging what seemed like a pair of brother and sister due to their similar wheezing voices. "Well, look what the cat dragged in!" Squealed the female Death Eater.

Sara didn't even reply as she sent a blast her way destroying the fence behind the Death Eater. The female squealed like a pig as she went flying back as the male shouted, "Crucio!"

Sara dove straight for the ground as trained to do, but still managed to return a nonlethal hex of her own. The man squealed in a pig-like fashion as he rolled over to the ground and began to spew slugs unable to speak.

Climbing to her feet, Sara ran in the direction of the blasts of magic to see Fabian carrying away a rather wounded Gideon away over his shoulder as Percius covered their retreat. Already a Death Eater corpse was on the ground as Percius battled the second skilled figure. "Go!" Sara shouted as Percius withdrew back with a nod as Sara leapt forward to engage the skillful dueler.

Firing deadly spells at each other the two whirled and dodged and let out sounds of pain as an occasional spell hit them. A third of the town was on fire, but the McGonagall brothers and other nearby wizarding families had successfully managed to evacuate over half of the town. Suddenly, a loud nearby wolf howl could be heard as the figure Sara was dueling could be heard saying, "About time, Grayback."

"No," Sara whispered as her eyes darted to all the innocent muggle families gathered on the nearby slopes. Clenching her wand, Sara made an instant, rash decision. "Bomborda!" The Death Eater before her was literally blasted away into bloody smithereens as she ran in the direction of the howls.

Quickly she converged with Percius on the edge of town as she shouted, "Gideon?!"

"Fabian, managed to stop the bleeding for now, but he needed to go to St. Mungo's! They should have floo'd there by now," Percius shouted back.

"Protect the muggles on the hill!" Sara yelled back. "I'll take on the werewolf."

Percius reluctantly nodded his head as he darted up the grassy slope, while Sara darted around the side to reach the other side as fast as possible. The evening seemed rather dark despite the rising moon as the sun disappeared completely over the horizon as dusk fell plunging them into sudden darkness. The howls grew louder as popping sounds in the distance could be heard signaling the arrival of reinforcements as the Auror's began to put the fire and tackle the fleeing Death Eater's.

A loud gunshot is heard as Sara flinches and rounds the corner of the slope to see a muggle dressed farmer firing at the werewolf that carried away a child in its arms. The young boy cried out, "Daddy!" But rather than running away, the muggle father without any fear reloaded and fired again.

Muggle bullets could not kill werewolves, but they certainly could hurt. The werewolf let out a howl of pain as the fired shot burst through his shoulder and out the other side. Dropping the terrified child on the grass, the werewolf snarled and turned to face the father. The werewolf viciously leapt at the father as the father struggled to reload the gun and raise it up again to fire.

Raising her wand, Sara desperately cast a spell knowing full well that she was still too far away. The spell just fell short to her despair as the werewolf fell upon the struggling father and tore upon his jugular in a spray of crimson droplets. Raising its bloody maws, the werewolf let out a howl in triumph as the terrified child screamed out, "Daddy!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Sara hissed as she cast a shield charm on the child causing the werewolf to slam into the protective bubble surrounding the boy.

Baring it's teeth at her, the yellow-eyed werewolf met its match in the yellow-eyed Auror. With the grace and experience of a veteran, Sara began to push the creature back with a spell, after spell as it was unable to fully dodge at the close proximity. Letting out a fierce howl it tried to flee at seeing it's imminent capture or death.

"Watch out!" Cried out the little boy far too late as Sara felt something hit her from behind.

Gasping, Sara glanced down to see a gaping hole in her stomach as blood began to well up between her lips. Chocking, she still managed to point her wand at the werewolf that was darting for the boy at her side. "Avada Kedavra!"

The werewolf wasn't the only in shock at the sickly green light that emerged from her wand. The backstabbing figure behind her seemed to be in utter shock as well at seeing an Auror cast such a dark killing spell. The werewolf fell backward as it began to transform back into a man but was dead before it could finish. Its final state was that of half-man, half-beast, a monster, through and through.

Spitting out the wad of blood she was choking on, Sara fell to her knees trying to breathe as she gurgled blood. The grass rustled behind her as she clearly heard her attacker approach from behind. Weakly, spitting out a spray of blood, she feels the blood drip down her chin. Turning weakly to stare at the hooded figure at her side, she harshly breathes, "Get on with it and end it. But leave the boy alone."

The killer is silent for a moment, before slowly nodding his head in acceptance at the Auror's final request. After a moment of hesitation, the masked man whispered, "Avada Kedavra!" A green burst of light caused the brave Auror to fall dead and limp back onto her back as her dull eyes blankly stared at the dark night sky above her.

The boy in the shield bubble let out a terrified whimper as the masked killer turned towards him as the shield charm faded away. The killer was still for a moment, before glancing back at the dead Auror on the grass. As if honoring his promise, the killer raised his wand and pointed in into the sky, "Morsmorde!"

A gaping skeleton appeared screaming as a snake emerged from its mouth. With a loud pop the killer instantly vanished leaving behind a poor sobbing boy next to three corpses of that of his deceased savior, his father, and the monster that took him.