Prologue
After a decade as an auror Harry Potter and his unit worked together like they could communicate mind to mind. In fact Harry's proficiency as a legilimens allowed them to do just that at times.
He had long since learned to grasp any and all opportunities for an edge, to always be prepared, training and researching day and night until he mastered a spell or subject. He learned that lesson at 14, during the triwizard tournament and his years as an auror had only made him more aware of it's importance.
Meeting the eyes of his scout Woodrow, around the corner of the building they were observing, he dove into the man's surface thoughts.
They're here. Five of them, first floor, room at the back. They're getting ready to move. Now or never, sir.
He nodded at the man and while relaying the message to his waiting colleagues he made a series of hand signals to Woodrow, telling him to cover the back with his half of the unit and enter after them.
Harry had three aurors with him and Woodrow had two, so they outnumbered the group of dark wizards fortunately or Harry might have signalled a retreat.
Knowing they would likely trip a detection ward, and with no time to try and sneak past it, Harry and his unit moved quickly to the front door of the townhouse and promptly broke down the door with a spell and a loud crash. A short dash down the hallway and another spell sent the door to the back room flying. It hit one of the five startled wizards inside, and Harry led his aurors in, wands raised, shield up. The mission was to catch and subdue them quick. They started firing off spells, but the panicking wizards fought back with no qualms about using lethal curses.
Harry hit the leader with a stunner that she blocked. Harry's spell was strong and broke through her shield, weakened but a hit, causing her limbs to go weak.
"Stone! Use it now, go!" she yelled as she tried to throw something she had clutched in her hand to her nearest compatriot. The item, which looked like a mess of gears landed hard on the floor, and to Harry it looked like something broke.
The man Stone lunged for it, and Harry threw a summoning spell at it, before he could grab it. The little device flew at Harry, and the force set it spinning. He caught it on his gloved hand, gloved to protect him from touching cursed objects with bare skin. He felt the mechanism whirring in his palm before he opened it to look. The gears spun, but something was broken and one of them pinged off it, past Harry's ear, nicking it with the force. He had it less than two seconds before it started glowing red hot and searing through his glove and into his palm.
"Fuck!" He exclaimed, trying to drop it, but it seemed to cling to him. And before he could try dislodging it he felt something very akin to a portkey yank and the world went white around him.