It's been a while! This is just an idea that popped into my head during study leave!
WARNINGS: Character death, War themes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This disclaimer goes for all chapters of the story.
-XxX-
Base camp had only been set up for a few hours. Various wizards and witches hurried around setting up tents and seeing to children, the injured were placed in the main tent and treated to by the ever-decreasing number of Healers.
All was dark, clouds covered the moon and stars in an ominous veil.
Lights were kept to a minimum, anything to keep the night calm, a dim luminous no brighter than a flickering candle was permitted. Anything brighter could alert the Death Eaters and they would have to evacuate again.
-XxX-
Livestock rested in the darkness, finally feeling the peace in the cool night air having been rushed from one place to another amid various spells of increased potency.
No noises were made from the small paddock, set up with a small low energy shield that glowed blue. The shield reached about waist height and acted as a small barrier to circle the small amount of cows and a couple of horses, a small breach in the barrier had a makeshift gate made from many twigs and branches.
Chickens rested in a makeshift hut made from large and small twigs stuck together with a simple household charm in a rustic fashion, very alike to the gate.
The cows gave fresh milk and on the odd occasion, meat.
The chickens, about a dozen, provided a small amount of eggs to be rationed between the rebels. The horses pulled carriages when they relocated and the dead after a battle.
-XxX-
Hushed voices muttered back and forth as people worked as quickly as possible. Dumbledore had abandoned them some weeks ago and they had to take control of what they had. Dumbledore had been their strength, a beacon of hope, hope of peace. But when he abandoned them they knew that they had to live, even if it was to spite the powerful warlord.
A little group of small children was being looked after by a couple of teenage girls. The girls helped with daily life for the children as their mothers and fathers helped around the camp or were meeting Merlin in the next great adventure. They made sure that meals were eaten and that the children weren't bored, they tried to help out by making boring tasks into games, competitions.
The boys helped out wherever they could, whether that being looking after the livestock or helping the elderly. They did a lot of the labor around the camp and often helped with the children, most would make excellent fathers If they survived the war.
Many of the older rebels could remember when the darkness wasn't upon them, their unimportant jobs and stressful meeting, their children laughing and playing outside. Of course, that was impossible now; they had to grow up quickly. Everyone had to pitch in with the war effort, no matter of age or gender.
More tents had been erected around the camp, surrounding their main base tent in a semicircle. Teenage girls shepherded a group of sleepy children into one of the larger tents.
No wands were used between the teens; the trace still remained under Voldemort's reign and wands were impossible to purchase. Any wands owned by the younger generation were given to the older wizards who had either lost or broken their wands. Even if the wands didn't choose the wizard that was holding them they seemed to relax wand-lore for the second wizard war and worked enough to cast offensive and defensive spells.
Most of the time.
Flasks of water were passed between the children, whom guzzled the drink before passing it along, although not brilliantly hygienic the flasks would have to do. Water was precious and there was not much around. Water and other food was rationed between the rebels until another source was provided.
The girls settled the weary children into small sleeping bags on the floor. The children didn't really understand what was going on, they were usually moved quickly as son as a battle started. Each girl gave the children a small kiss on the forehead before turning down the small Muggle camping lamp that was suspended from the ceiling of the tent.
The girls got into bed themselves, watching over the children as they fell asleep. Sometimes they would have to wake a little one from sleep as nightmares consumed their dreams, as sadly a few of the children had watched as family and friends met their grizzly deaths.
Outside a group of boys helped an elderly man put up a smaller tent, it was a pup tent, only intended for one, but that was ok as the old wizard's wife had passed years ago. Saved from the degrading conditions and hard life, his wife was in a better place.
Once they completed their task the elder thanked them and collected a sleeping bag from the small mountain of Muggle bedding in the middle of the camp, they were kept on one of the carriages, off the floor to keep them dry.
The boys each collected a bag and walked into a medium sized tent they had put up earlier chatting jovially. There was still hope.
-XxX-
The tents were nothing special. With no access to the Wizarding world without being detected they had to make do using Muggle tents. The tents were cheap and a few were quite old. The only magical tent left was the base tent, looking small on the outside (a little like a tee pee) the tent had a room for a small field hospital and a planning room with a wizards radio, along with a basic kitchen and the only bathroom on the rebels camp.
The teens each had been given a Muggle debit card for emergency supplies, set up by their parents preemptively; they were topped up with funds from Gringotts. But as soon as Gringotts failed, the money would stop and they would have to survive by other means. But at the moment, if you could reach Gringotts, you would be the safest wizard alive.
This meant that in an emergency, they could take the children and escape to the Muggle world. The boys had been trained as much as possible in wandless magic and the teens had learned basic martial arts to protect themselves. All of the rebels were expected to keep physically fit. After all they were the future's only hope of peace.
-XxX-
Each person at the base was elected into a job, the teens were to look after the children and buy supplies from the Muggles. They seemed to fit in best and had knowledge hat the older wizards didn't possess in ways to pass as a normal Muggle.
The smaller children were expected to listen to their elders and learn what they could, basic mathematics and English along with a limited amount of science and a small amount of emergency magic was taught (although the child's accidental magic could help save them, it was not always enough) by the older people on the camp.
The middle aged wizards were expected to protect the base, it contained all they had left and the most precious thing of all, Harry.
Harry. Their last hope. Currently the black haired green-eyed boy was laid on a camp bed in the main base tent, various bottles of potions scattered around the base of the fold up cot. His forehead was bandaged, blood seeping through in an enlarged lightning bolt. His right hand and foot were wrapped in a large layer of bandages. He looked delicate, prone.
He had helped in the last battle, protecting the children as they ran to a safer place, and had been hit by a couple of curses. His leg was fractured and his hand burned badly. They had managed to collect him as they fled but they didn't have the potions on hand to heal his hand and leg, so he was dosed up on sleeping potions as it saved on precious pain relievers.
Next to him lain an older woman, in her late thirties, early forties, with red hair sprawled underneath her head.
Lilly Potter, she wasn't doing well, breaths shallow and a pale look upon her face, her lips had been slowly turning a forget-me-not blue during the last few hours, her hair was no longer glossy and had a dull dead look about it.
James Potter, Lilly's husband was dead. They had not been able to recover his body, left to rot in the field he lay in. He had fought valiantly like so many fallen but fell to the shadows, into the inky blackness and everlasting slumber of death. He rested next to his best friends, Remus and Sirius, they had fought in a triangle, Lilly had lain injured in the middle, they had only fallen after Lilly had been slipped out by the Rebel healers and taken away for treatment.
Lilly breathed a small sigh. Her face was as white as the moon that bled through the thin lining of the tent. She shifted slightly in her sleep, facing towards Harry. She smiled slightly in her sleep as she dreamt of her husband and son.
Further up the tent someone moaned, waking Lilly. Her strawberry blonde eyelashes fluttered up slowly and her eyes, eyes that had lost so much of their character and held so much pain, landed on her son. She coughed, a small amount of blood working its way to her blue lips. She smiled again, a proud smile. Her eyes fluttered shut and she slept again.
Never to awaken in the morning.
-XxX-
The early dawn rose upon the camp. There had been a thin frost overnight, picking up the details in the small spiders webs and turning each blade of grass to a pale mint green. The red sunrise created a foreboding air above the base. Another soul had been lost overnight.
The camps healers had found Lilly in the early morn. They moved the body from next to the orphan and placed it in one of the rudimentary coffins that they had at the base. They only had basic ways of respectfully caring for the dead, wooden caskets were made by some of the older witches and wizards, they weren't anything special but they would have to do.
All was quiet as the camp slowly awoke. No one dared to make much noise as they got up and started to get ready for the day. A couple of witches emerged from a tent and checked on the cattle and horses, checking the shield and adding a little more power before letting out the chickens. They checked for eggs and collected what was there and turned back to the cows. The pair set themselves with a bucket each as a stool and placed another bucket under the cow's udders and milked the cattle, two by two.
On the other side of the camp wizards searched the nearby wooded area for bits of twigs and pieces of wood, being careful not to collect greenwood, as it would smoke excessively and possibly alert the enemy. Once they collected enough they set it in the middle of the camp close to the base tent and lit the fire.
The rationing began.
The camp's healers came over first and received some eggs which had been cooked in a Muggle frying pan over the fire, they each received a piece of slightly sooty toast which had been cooked with a pair of tongues.
The Teenage girls were emerging from their tent, their hair stood on end from sleeping in a way that was quite popular with the Muggle girls, but they didn't know that. They yawned and stumbled their way over to the campfire and each received a bowl of cheap Muggle cereal – Liddle's home-branded Rice Crispies – and a small amount of milk from the cows. The boys came over a few minutes later and received the same.
Other wizards and witches stumbled out of their tents and received breakfast, the healers returned to the base tent. Life went on, even in war.
The news that Lilly had died overnight didn't reach the citizens of the camp until after breakfast. There was a somber mood for a few hours but they had to move on quickly and by lunch they were all chatting about the camps most recent mishaps.
-XxX-
Harry blinked awake to see bushy hair and a blur of orange. He groped around the floor next to the camp bed with his left hand before grasping his glasses. He fumbled them on, the world came into focus, and smiled at the pair, they were lip locked (and possibly had been for quite a while) and hadn't seen him wake. Ron's hand slipped down behind Hermione's shirt and Harry looked away quickly. He glanced across to his Mothers bed.
Empty.
Had she woken up? Was she better? Was she… No he couldn't think like that, the Healers had obviously taken her outside for a breath of fresh air. They had done that with the sick and healing before.
Hermione and Ron emerged from their own world, flushed and out of breath.
"Harry! I... We.. Umm hi?" Hermione offered blushing and panting a little. Ron, who had turned an interesting shade of red, looked at the amused expression on Harry's face, "Have they told you? About your Mum?" Harry looked slightly confused, Ron spluttered. Hermione took over.
"Harry, she didn't make it…" Harry smiled,
"No I think the Healers took her outside, y' know for a breath of fresh air, she'll come in soon." Ron shook his head.
"Sorry mate, she went last night." Harry shook his head in disbelief,
"No, she wouldn't leave me, not after Dad…" He pushed.
"I'm sorry Harry." Hermione put a hand on his arm softly.
A single tear ran down Harry's face it was quickly followed by another and another. Soon Harry was sobbing in Hermione's arms. Ron patted Harry's back awkwardly with rough manly pats.
"The funeral is tonight Harry." Hermione choked out. The couple shed a few tears with their best friend; Lilly had been a loving mother, a shining example of a young family matron. Most of all she had been their mother when their biological ones weren't around.
-XxX-
The rest of the day passed without many wrongdoings and dusk settled around the camp. A spectacular sunset marked Lilly Potters funeral, Harry sat on the back of one of the carriages as Lilly was buried. The eldest wizard of the camp traditionally said a few words, saying that Lilly would be at peace with her husband and friends. Hermione and Ron sat either side of him. Hermione's arm was snaked 'round his waist, Ron's arm rested on his shoulder. He was angry, angry that she'd left him alone, with this humongous burden on his shoulders. The prophecy and the worst of all…
Being the last Potter.
The night passed swiftly with a solemn finality to it.
-XxX-
The morning rose without a sound, no birds chirped, no rustling of wind.
Silent.
Dead.
The camp rose and went about their various activities oblivious to the silence; children were woken and sat in a circle about the elders. The teens helped clean. A small rustle went unnoticed to the busy warlocks.
Unknowingly the magicians filled the silence as best they could with chattering and clattering items together. But a somber air stifled the camp.
A sudden rustle went unannounced at the back of the camp, behind the tents and the rebels went on with their tasks. It was a hot day and flies whizzed around the wizards who lazily batted them away. The humid air made them want to rest, but they felt uneasy. Like something was going to happen.
A couple of branches moved over to the side of the camp, also unnoticed. Cattle shifted and moved away from the wooded grounds and the horses snorted and breathed in the air, nostrils flared. Chickens perched upon the top of their hut. Another branch moved, noticed by a few wizards but dismissed as animals.
-XxX-
Healers surrounded Harry's bed, they were healing his hand, but it was a slow job. The Healers didn't have much energy and therefore magic, so healing was done a little at a time in a group. Harry's hand was most likely to get infected so they healed that first, his leg would have to heal naturally.
Once the hand was healed a support bandage was placed on it to give it support and protect it a little as the skin would be tender.
A Muggle born carried across some cotton wool and wrapped it around the fractured leg, his entire calf was covered and a layer of fluff protected the bottom of his foot along with the heel.
The young wizard went back and collected a bundle of bandages and a bucket of hand-mixed plaster-of-paris. He dipped a bandage in the white mixture and wrapped it around the cotton wool. He continued this process until the entire calf and foot was covered with the warm plaster except for a small fluffy overhang that filled the gap at the top and bottom of the cast. The makeshift cast was left to dry as the young wizard dropped into a light slumber.
-XxX-
Outside more branches moved unnaturally and a strange silence fell between the wizard counterparts.
Suddenly a huge rustling fell through the camp. Masses of birds fled all at once, the distress calls resounding through the forest, a stark contrast to the silent day. Many wizards jumped at the sudden noise.
A glimpse of black in the dappled sunlight alerted the wizards that something was amiss, twins walked cautiously towards the area the mass had been seen at, they paused and looked at each other comically, ginger hair gleaming in the sun before letting out an all mighty battle cry and charging into the woods.
It was meant to be humorous, to make light of the situation. They believed that they had just seen a shadow, made up in their minds as a result of the tense situation. A couple of the rebels chuckled at the young men's antics
Silence reigned over the campers. Suddenly the twins were sprinting back as if the devil was on their heels, their faces, white as sheets. They stopped dead and together muttered two words, words that would change the life of the wizards yet again.
"Death Eaters."
-XxXxXxXxXxX-
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