Agent Potter Ch.15: Raining Fire (Patreon)

Spells flashed from the gleaming nozzles, bursting into sparks against the golden shield like a wave upon a rock. Harry eyed their attackers through the golden whorls cascading down Valkyrie’s trembling shield.

‘Over dozens spread across the property.’ Harry’s heart clenched. ‘The shield won’t hold.’

The house behind the attackers glowed and Harry’s skin prickled, the hairs on his neck standing up as he felt magic close around them like a noose. A shimmering dome rose in the sky, disappearing a moment later.

“Wards,” Valkyrie gritted her teeth, her knuckles white against her wand. “We cannot apparate away.”

“I’ve sent up a distress call!” Daphne’s watch flared red, and simultaneously, Harry’s watch vibrated hard, its screen flashing red rapidly.

“They’ll never reach here in time.” Harry thrust his wand out. Metal molded into spears out of thin air, and pierced through the chest of the two gunmen closest to them. “And even if they do, they will be walking straight into blazing spellfire.”

Golden flames roared from Valkyrie’s, twisting into more runes, sinking into the golden shield that blazed fiercely against the haze of spells. Daphne thrust her wand, a purple curse slicing a gunman’s chest open.

“I cannot keep this shield up!” Spells gonged against the golden barrier, thin cracks spreading across its surface. “I need to drop this and make a better one before it breaks!”

“Da—Khione, take over!” The Elder Wand snapped up in a bluish blur. 

The spells flying at them changed their path, curving around them, tearing trees to splitters, turning rocks to dust in the forest behind. Valkyrie’s golden shield crumbled and a white wall of magic rose in its place. 

In the blink of an eye, more curses smashed against it. Daphne’s arm buckled, her feet skidding back.

“I can’t hold—” Daphne’s knees trembled, her fingers barely holding onto her wand as the shield shook. “DO SOMETHING!”

Harry’s eyes flicked down to the wand in his hand, which thrummed, drinking in his power, its tip glowing. 

“Do we need them alive?” Harry breathed, peering past the cracks of the shield toward the house. “Because—”

“DO IT!” Daphne screamed in his ear.

Harry thrust his wand out and yanked it back, feeling a knot twist in his gut. The house behind the gunmen groaned and some stopped, whirling around to inspect the source of the noise. Harry grunted as the magic quivered, the wand humming in his hand.

“What the fuck?” Valkyrie’s murmur was drowned out by a thunderous snap that rang across the field.

Cadros’ whole house hurtled forward, smashing through the gunmen in front of it. Harry’s wand swished through the air and the house swept across the clearing like a humongous bowling ball, ramming into the attackers. 

Windows shattered as furniture flew out of them, rolling across the ground below. Debris rained, crushing their attackers under them.

A few moments later, Harry let go of the house allowing it to collapse on the ground with a thud, cracks forming up its walls. With a crash, the front wall crumpled just as Harry dropped to his knees, a deep ache settling in his muscles. 

Sweat dripped down his forehead, his breath ragged.

Valkyrie gaped at the crumbling house, her spell dissolving into a shower of golden sparks. Daphne’s mouth hung open, her shield breaking into motes of white light. 

“What the fuck?” Valkyrie twisted to look at him. “Did you just uproot a whole house and— do that?”

“You…” Harry coughed, his hand grasping his chest. “had a better plan?”

“No, but—” Valkyrie was cut off as the wards over the house trembled, multi-colored lights flashing across the invisible dome. “W.A.N.D is here. Late.”

With an ear-piercing bang, the wards shattered and agents flooded onto the property, their wands glowing.

“SURRENDER!” A voice boomed and Harry winced. “OR WE WILL BE FORCED—”

“THIS IS AGENT VALKYRIE!” Valkyrie stepped in front of Harry and Daphne, her amplified voice reverberating through their surroundings. “THE THREAT HAS BEEN NEUTRALIZED. I REPEAT, THE THREAT IS DOWN. CODE EVERGREEN! CODE EVERGREEN!”

Brooms swooshed over them in a gale of wind, disappearing in a swirl of colors beyond the treeline. Some of the agents disapparated with a crack, a few staying back.

Valkyrie tensed as a man in a light blue robe whom Harry didn’t recognize strode toward them. 

“Shit, decision review. Of course,” Valkyrie ground out. “We—”

“What the hell happened?” De Luca jogged toward them from the side, Natalie and Ares following closely behind. “Check on Felix.”

“Ha— Felix, deep breaths,” Natalie whispered, kneeling next to Harry. “Stay still and let me work.”

“Agent Khione.” The man in light blue robes neared them, glancing at his watch. “You sent up a distress call about three and a half minutes ago. Is that true?”

“Yes, I did. We—”

“I ordered the call,” Valkyrie slid between the man and Daphne. “We had walked into a trap that could’ve proven fatal. If Felix hadn’t pulled a miracle out of his ass we would’ve been in desperate need of backup.”

He looked over her shoulder to see the crumbling house that stood at the side of the clearing, splatters of blood running down its base, a few hands and legs visible under it. Around the field, people lay scattered, some buried under concrete and furniture, their limbs bent at awkward angles.

“Then I must call you in for questioning, Agent Valkyrie.” The man drew himself up in an attempt to match Valkyrie’s height. “You—”

“I know the protocol, but I am afraid I am in the middle of a level six case.” Valkyrie smiled. “I will hand in a report by the end of the day, for your consideration.”

“Actually, it is a level seven,” De Luca cleared his throat. “The Decision Review team has no jurisdiction over this case now. But even then I’d say the distress call was absolutely justified.” 

“I wasn’t aware there was a level seven, Agent Hippogriff.” The man turned to him, his eyes narrowing. 

“It is now. Mage signed off on it five minutes ago. You can feel free to ask him about it.” De Luca patted the man’s shoulder. “Your job here is done and you aren’t needed. Feel free to fuck off.”

With a scowl, the man vanished with a crack, leaving them alone.

“Those motherfuckers.” Harry flinched as Natalie jabbed her wand wildly at his face.

He pushed her wand away from his face.

“You’re going to—” Harry let out another ragged cough, pain lancing up his chest. “—take my eye out.” 

“Sorry,” Natalie mumbled. “You have a severe case of magical strain. You used too much magic in a very short amount of time— considering if you did what I think you did, that sounds about right.” 

“He uprooted the whole house and used it like a giant hammer on the attackers.” Daphne waved her hand indicating to their surroundings. “I have no idea how he even did it.” 

“Summoning and levitation charm.” Valkyrie’s eyes shifted to Harry who gave a weak nod. “But to do that with a two-storeyed house, that too a magical one, should be impossible unless you had a team of wizards working with you. No wonder he is so out of it.”

Natalie stood up, grabbing Harry’s arm and pulling him to his feet, wrapping an arm around his waist. “I am going to take him to the med-bay. He needs some potions and a few hours of sleep before he can use magic again.”

“Do whatever is necessary. We will clean up here.” De Luca inclined his head. “Take care, Felix.”

Natalie muttered something beneath her breath and the world swirled into darkness before Harry knew no more.

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The white ceiling swam into view, a groan slipping from his lips. His head spun, patches of darkness swirling in his vision.

“Agent Felix.” A dark-skinned face hovered over his eyes and something cool slipped down his throat.

The world cleared and the ringing in his ears faded. A witch in white robes stood over him, the W.A.N.D logo stitched on the front of her robes.

“Good, you’re awake.” She waved a wand over him, slipping an empty vial into her pocket. “How are you feeling, Agent?”

“What time is it?” Harry looked around. “How long have I been here?”

“A little over two hours. You were admitted because you suffered severe—”

“Magical strain, I know,” Harry pulled himself up, grimacing as an ache ran up his arm. “I need to go.”

“You will not be going anywhere, Agent Felix.” Her arm shot forward, pushing Harry back onto the bed. “You are in my care and until the moment I declare you fit, you cannot leave. I have spent over a decade keeping stubborn idiots in check, boy. Don’t test me”

“Look, give me whatever potion you have to—”

“Oh, I will shove them down your throat, if need be.”

“And I will be on my way.” Harry mustered a smile. “Let’s be done with it.”

The witch pursed her lips and flicked her wand, summoning a flask full of teal potion.

 “You will be drinking a glass full of this and you are free to go. Though, no magic for the next couple of hours. I would recommend at least six hours, but you ain’t gonna listen to that, are you?”

“I am afraid it is a big—” Harry felt bile rise in his throat as the smell of the potion hit him.

“What? Can’t handle a little smell?” The witch snorted. “Pussy.”

“That smells rotten.” Harry wrinkled his nose, backing away as she poured the potion into a goblet. “There’s no way I am going to drink that.” 

“Oh, well, you can stay here for the next two days then.” She raised an eyebrow. “If that’s what you want—”

“I cannot stay here.” Harry snatched the goblet out of her hand, pinching his nose. “Oh, Merlin.”

Closing his eyes, he chugged the potion down, feeling the putrid taste seep through his tongue. Draining it, he threw the goblet away, retching as the aftertaste hit him.

“Yak,” Harry gagged. “That was the most horrible potion ever.”

“That potion is specifically tailored for you operatives. Be thankful.” The witch poked him with her wand and the taste on his tongue vanished, a minty freshness filling his mouth. “Now get out of here and do no magic for as long as you can. The longer you don’t, the better it will be for you.”

“Minimum of two hours, right?”

“Ideally six. But sure.” She rolled her eyes. “You will find your robes in the drawer next to you, washed and pressed with all your belongings. I will call up Fern and hand her over to you.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t get into trouble, Agent.” The woman walked away. “I don’t like patients.”

“Of course you don’t, you old crone,” Harry mumbled under his breath, swiping up his belongings.

A few minutes later, he walked out of the lift, only to stop short at the unfamiliar place that greeted him. Wizards and witches in suits bustled around, papers whistling over them while quills scratched away and photos pinned on boards snarled at him.

‘This looks like the British Auror office all over again.’ Harry frowned, checking the floor he was on. ‘This is nothing like the Headquarters.’

“Harry!” Faizal stepped out of another lift opposite him, a huge bag levitating in front of him. “You’re awake. We heard what happened.”

“What’s happening here?”

“Oh, this case is now Level Seven. Which means the whole of W.A.N.D is getting involved. Heck of a first case, eh?”

“Yeah.” Harry followed him, weaving between the crowd of agents. “Can you get me up to speed?”

“I’ll leave De Luca to do it.” Faizal jabbed a hand at the center of the room where their common space once had been. “He is coordinating operations. Valkyrie will be overseeing attacks but they are a few hours away. Till then, you’re on operations.”

“Right,” Harry shoved his way toward De Luca, catching his eye.

“You’re awake. That’s great!” De Luca rose to his feet. “Lots of work to do, Harry. In the next thirty hours, we will be raiding every operation of theirs taking it down. Not to mention all the preparations we have to do before it.”

“Wonderful. What do I have to do?”

“Natalie told me you are not to use magic for the next six hours.”

“Two,” Harry corrected.

“No, six. I want you in top form,” De Luca declared. “Go to Quetzalcoatl. He’s handling remote recon right now. He would appreciate all the help he can get.”

“The new guy?” Harry’s forehead creased.

“Yes. And once you are done with that, go to Valkyrie. I think she would like you to go with her when we confront Le Duff. And that thing is going down in twenty-four hours, give or take.”

“Right.”

“It is time to see this shit through. We still don’t know what their mission is or who the Liberator is either.”

“Let us not forget Cadros, shall we?” Harry said. “She’s neck deep into this.”

“That she is.” De Luca bowed his head. “But we cannot find her right now. The house was nothing but a trap. She has scoured it clean. Not that it was in a good enough condition to give us something anyway.”

“What of the attackers?”

“While some are alive, they are in no condition to talk.” De Luca rubbed his face. “It might’ve been nice to get a couple of them alive and unharmed. Not that I blame you. What you did saved all your asses back there.”

“And I’d do it again if that is what it took to keep the team safe.”

“I’d expect nothing less. Though, it does make it all the more likely that Valkyrie will want to snatch you for herself.”

“That is the least of our concerns right now, I think.”

“Indeed. Get to Quetzalcoatl. And you tell him that I want all the locations under watch within the hour.” De Luca nodded. “And remember, no magic.”

“Of course,” Harry sighed.

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Beams of sunlight peeked through clouds, streaming through the glass window and glinting on the cogs of the watch on the wall. Valkyrie stood atop a raised platform, the image of a villa stretching on the screen behind her.

“Our target has doubled his security since the past week. There are over thirty guards spread across this property, some armed with guns and some with wands. The wanded guards are only a handful, hired from a security agency nearby. But what is most worrying is that Le Duff has hired two new bodyguards.” 

The villa's image changed to show Le Duff flanked by a witch and a wizard, both of whom had a golden sword strapped to their backs and a staff in their hand. 

Next to him, Harry watched the color drain out of Quetzalcoatl’s face. Around the room, many shifted, some whispering to each other

“Who are they?” Harry asked.

“By the way they are dressed and what they have?” Quetzalcoatl turned his head. “The Japanese Kamaitachi squad. Or well, at least ex-operatives.”

“As many of you might’ve guessed, they are ex-operatives of Kamaitachi.” Valkyrie continued. “Disbarred from the force over six years ago for crossing lines one too many times and killing anyone that gets in their path without mercy or hesitation. Coming from a squad meant to be lethal, that is something.”

“Reports also state that both of them are a couple and their dedication to a job borders on… insanity.” Mage’s gaze swept through the room. “Highly paid, skilled, and lethal to boot. They are both wanted in multiple countries for numerous high-profile assassinations amongst several other crimes. Once labeled as a cold case, they are now naught but another file in this mission’s… growing pile.”

“Let us get on to the villa itself.” The image changed back to show Le Duff’s lavish property. “Four floors in total spread over an area of more than fourteen acres. Amenities aside, there are guards at every corner and every floor. That is not to discount the other magical protections that might be over the property.”

“You will have no help from the local Auror force either. All the men you have are sitting in this very room with you. Worst comes to worst, I shall authorize an airstrike. But it is not an option I fancy.”

“There are nine of us Agents in this room.” Valkyrie tossed her hair over her shoulder. “We split into three teams, of three people— one of whom will stay back and assist the two in the field remotely. Each team goes in through different routes, taking care of any resistance they face and continuing till they reach the target— Le Duff.”

“Once that is accomplished, you either extract Le Duff or interrogate and kill him there.” Mage removed a tablet from his robes. “All three teams will be given a special signal on their watch. Once it lights up green, you will have to retreat to safety, well outside the villa in less than two minutes.”

“If you don’t, you’ll be blown up,” Valkyrie said brusquely. “We are going to leave no evidence behind.”

“Also, under no circumstances is Le Duff allowed to escape.” Mage flicked his wand and the images vanished. “I am authorizing everything we have in our arsenal to get to the bottom of this. If Le Duff turns out to be the Liberator, make sure to know of his plans before killing him. Or better yet, bring him straight to the Blacksite where we can deal with him. Am I understood?”

“Yes sir!” Someone yelled.

“Thank you.” Mage’s lips quivered. “Agent Valkyrie will walk you through a plan of attack while I go and make necessary preparations to handle both  “Agent Hippogriff and Agent Loki will accompany you to deal with the wards if needed. Once inside, you will be on your own.”

With that, Mage swept out of the room. Valkyrie waited for the door to close before turning back to the agents assembled.

“Teams, now. First, Agent Chutney with Agent Bertie-Beans and backing them up will be Agent SugarQuills.”

“Sweet,” a witch twisted in her seat and tossed a man a bar of chocolate. “Welcome to the chocolate family, Chutney!” 

“Agent Whale and Agent Jupiter, who will be accompanied by Agent Moonlace,” Valkyrie said. “And Agent Felix will be with me, alongside Agent Quetzalcoatl in the chair. Any questions?”

Not a single agent moved and Valkyrie nodded in contentment. 

“We have three hours till we go and attack. Get some rest and think of a plan of attack. You all have the schematics of the villa. Let us see this mission through once and for all.”

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AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter.

It all will go down very soon. By this time next month, Agent Potter will be at its climax, with an action-packed chapter before the story will be wrapped up.

It will be the end of my first major fic and it will be an awesome one. Now, onto the talk of the next story. You might already know that I have posted a poll for it. Please go through the options of the premises and choose what you want to read from it.

Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/next-big-story-104472451?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

As for Agent Potter itself, I do have a sequel planned for the story. But it will not go up as a main story now. It will be pretty short and I will probably put it up in the special stories update schedule. Because, let us face it. With so many short pieces already written and published, I am bound to burn out my plot bunnies at some point. 

So, an Agent Potter sequel might be a fun thing to do instead of short pieces. It won’t be long, to be honest. 5-7 chapters, at the best. Which is less than half the length of Agent Potter: Wizard of WAND. 

Now, before I forget, do keep an eye out for the polls. There might be a few important ones coming up soon.

A huge thanks to Mughil & Anax for betaing this chapter!