Birth of a Nightmare Man

Chapter Ten

Harry remained docile and quiet for a long time after Percy's death. In fact, almost a year since the Order had gone into hiding had passed before Harry finally found the ones he really, really wanted to kill after Percy.

"You could pick someone else," Rabastan tried to reason with him once, in March and roughly four months after Percy's death. "You know, you don't have to wait to kill someone specific."

"I want to say hello to Ron and Hermione. I doubt she taught anyone the rules of tag, so I'll have to go to her."

"Potter, they're hiding better than ever now."

"I don't care, I'm finding them," Harry replied, and that was it.

On October 31st, anniversary of his parents' death, Harry stepped up to a house in a small Muggle town. A small group of children ran past him, buckets filled with candy in their hands, all of them dressed out. One girl stopped and said:

"Mister, are you dressed up too?"

"Why yes, I'm a wizard!" Harry told her. He was wearing simple, black robes and had forgone a cloak despite the chilly weather.

"You look weird."

"Thank you, I was aiming for that."

She giggled and he waved her away. Could've grabbed her to get inside the house easily, but what the hell, she was kind of cute in her ladybug costume.

He walked up on the porch and knocked on the door, the excited knocking of kids on Halloween and hoped it would ease the occupants of the house into thinking it was just some more kids demanding candy. He heard steps and Voldemort's wand slapped into his left hand. It was Ron who opened.

There was a second of silence, shock radiating from Ron and Harry enjoying putting that shock there. Then he got down to business.

"Trick or treat," he said and sent Ron into the house with a magic-enforced kick. He walked inside and closed the door behind him.

Ron was already coughing up blood, the kick must have broken some of his ribs, and he couldn't get a word out.

"Oh, my, I'm sorry, Ronnie-kins, I didn't mean to kick so hard!" Harry said in a stage-whisper. "Hey, are the kids at home? I've been dying to meet them."

Ron shook his head but Harry had already read the truth in his eyes.

"Shall I just go and look for them?" Harry wondered. "Maybe they're asleep? Or are they permitted to stay up late for Halloween?"

Ron pulled out his wand but Harry was there and stomped on his hand. A gasp came out, then a garbled:

"Hermione, get the kids out!"

Harry aimed another kick, this time at Ron's face and laughed as Ron's nose broke, blood gushing out. He heard steps on the second floor.

"Oh no, we can't have them leave," he told Ron who rolled over, holding his ribs, blood smearing onto the floor. "I haven't even had a chance to meet them!"

He flew up the stairs and met Hermione in the hall, both of them empty-handed, Harry having put away Voldemort's wand once he realized he didn't need it for the moment. She screamed at him but he slammed his hand into her chest and pushed out raw magic. It burnt away her clothes and she was thrown down. Once both parents were subdued, Harry listened. He only heard the snuffling breaths of two sleeping children.