HP-A New Future

I am 15 chapters ahead on my patreón, check it out if you are interested.

https://www.patréon.com/emperordragon

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Chapter 25: A Silent Storm

The Ministry of Magic buzzed with its usual post-office hours hum. Clerks filed away papers, witches and wizards finished their day's work, and the occasional pop of a departing floo echoed through the halls. It was a normal evening—or so it seemed.

Unseen by all, Harry Potter stepped out of a floo fireplace deep within the Ministry, his emerald eyes sharp and alert. A subtle, yet powerful Notice-Me-Not charm cloaked him, not rendering him invisible, but making him seem unremarkable—an indistinct figure the mind instinctively ignored. His steps were quiet but purposeful as he moved through the grand atrium and toward the lifts.

The charm was working perfectly. Workers glanced his way but their eyes slid past him, no recognition or suspicion surfacing in their expressions. They carried on, utterly unaware of the man walking among them, intent on his dangerous mission.

Harry reached the Department of Mysteries with ease. The dimly lit corridors and strange, swirling magic in the air reminded him of his first foray into this enigmatic part of the Ministry during his youth. His target, however, was not within the mysterious chambers themselves but in an adjacent office—Augustus Rookwood's.

Rookwood, the spy embedded within the Ministry, had long been Voldemort's informant, leaking valuable intelligence and sabotaging operations against the Death Eaters. Eliminating him was crucial to weakening Voldemort's network.

Harry approached the office, pausing momentarily as he sensed the wards protecting the door. With a flick of his hand, the intricate protections shimmered and unraveled, yielding to his advanced magic. The heavy wooden door creaked open, and Harry stepped inside.

The sight before him made him pause. Rookwood was not alone. Six others were in the room, all of them engaged in quiet conversation. Judging by their wary postures and furtive glances, these weren't ordinary Ministry employees—they were spies, operatives feeding information to Rookwood.

Harry's presence shattered the tense equilibrium. Seven pairs of eyes snapped toward him.

"Who—?" Rookwood began, but his eyes narrowed with recognition.

Before anyone could move, Rookwood's wand was up, and a jet of green light streaked toward Harry—a Killing Curse, cast with practiced precision.

But Harry was faster. With a sharp motion of his hand, he summoned the person nearest to him, a wiry man with thinning hair, directly into the curse's path. The man's scream was cut short as he collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

The room erupted into chaos.

Spells flew in every direction, the confined space amplifying their deadly energy. Harry moved like a shadow, his wandless magic flowing effortlessly. A shield of shimmering blue blocked a barrage of hexes before he twisted his wrist, reflecting a Blasting Curse back at its caster. The spell hit its mark, hurling a witch into the far wall where she crumpled, unmoving.

Rookwood and the others fought desperately, but they were outmatched. Harry's precision and control were terrifying. One man's Stunner was redirected with a mere flick of Harry's hand, striking another spy square in the chest.

The air crackled with raw power as Harry conjured barriers, redirected curses, and dismantled his opponents one by one. His movements were fluid, efficient, and merciless.

Within moments, the office was silent once more. Seven bodies lay motionless on the floor, their own spells having turned against them.

Harry exhaled, his gaze sweeping over the scene. Rookwood's lifeless eyes stared at him, the man's final expression one of disbelief.

Harry turned and left the office, stepping back into the corridor. The wards he had undone earlier were now absent, and the Ministry's alarm system detected the disturbance.

Shrill, piercing alarms echoed through the halls, and Harry's expression remained calm as the sound of rushing footsteps reached his ears.

The first wave of Aurors rounded the corner, their wands drawn. They froze for a moment, startled by the sight of a man standing calmly amidst the chaos.

"Hold it right there!" one of them barked.

Harry didn't respond. Instead, he flicked his hand, sending their stunning spells back toward them. The Aurors dropped like stones, unconscious before they hit the floor.

The second group of Aurors approached more cautiously, their leader barking orders to fan out and surround him.

"Take him down!"

Harry raised both hands, and the stone walls of the corridor rippled like water. With a gesture, he transfigured them into thick chains that shot forward, coiling around the Aurors and immobilizing them without causing harm.

Another Auror launched a Blasting Curse, but Harry sidestepped it with ease, his expression unreadable as he incapacitated the man with a disarming spell that sent him sprawling.

The chaos in the Ministry escalated. Witches and wizards peeked out of their offices, some screaming in panic as the alarms blared. Harry moved steadily, his Notice-Me-Not charm still in place, deflecting and dodging the few spells that came his way.

Reaching the nearest floo, he stepped into the green flames, his departure swift and seamless.

By the time the Ministry fully mobilized, he was gone. More than a dozen Aurors lay stunned or bound in the corridors, and Augustus Rookwood, along with six others, was dead in his office.

The Ministry was in an uproar. No one had seen the intruder's face, and no magical traces were left behind. It was as though a ghost had swept through their halls, leaving only chaos and death in its wake.

But Harry Potter, now back in Grimmauld Place, calmly sat down to clean his boots, unbothered by the havoc he had wrought. Another piece of Voldemort's intricate network had been dismantled, and he was one step closer to his ultimate goal.