Ok, this is my first HP fanfic. I was always intrigued with Grindelwald, and I wanted him to have a better legacy than "second best Dark Wizard". That's where I got started for this story.
I don't own any canon HP characters, JKR does.
Chapter 1 : Remembering
The Burrow, March 1st 2001
"I have to admit, Harry, your idea of a reunion party was great!" said enthusiastically Horace Slughorn, broader and balder than ever, to Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and the Hero-Who-Vanquished-The-Dark-Lord, now one of the most renowned Aurors of the time. Harry shrugged. "It was just an idea. But it's great to see a lot of friends all together. We need some happiness!" His gaze wandered on the crowd : Ron was scowling, looking at Viktor Krum talking to Hermione (she had assured him that he was merely a friend now, but unsurprisingly he wasn't convinced), Mr. Weasley was busy talking to Kingsley (here as a friend, not as Minister) about some Muggle things, a lot of ex-Hogwarts students and teachers were happily chatting. Slughorn nodded. "Hear, hear! I could swear, my boy, you look like your dad, but I'll be damned if your personality is not a carbon copy of your mother's!"
Smiling peacefully, Slughorn strode proudly around; he had never felt happier. Since Voldemort's defeat not only everything was alright, but his need to hide and avoid Death Eaters was gone, and his influence was flourishing another time. He had fought the ghosts of the past when he had given Harry his real memory of Riddle asking him about Horcruxes, taking away a lot of remorse and guilt from his conscience; and he had proven the magical world when he had dueled Voldemort himself together with Shacklebolt and McGonagall he was not an old, rotten puppeteer who only cared about staying in the shadows while spreading his influence. He sipped some of his Firewhisky, sighing.
He should have known it wouldn't last. He slowly turned around, intending to go fetch some cake, and suddenly he felt like the air had been forcibly removed from his lungs. Because standing there before him was a very tall wizard, with long brown hair and a short beard, with fiery blue eyes who was smiling at him. For a moment, he felt like he had lost his mental sanity, and whispered : "Daniel…?" The stranger shook his head. "Not such luck. I'm his son, Robert!" Relief and joy filled him, and he breathed. "Merlin's beard, you scared me! If that's a way to make your presence known…" But just then, Arthur Weasley came, a frown on his face. "Excuse me, would you mind telling me what is your name and what are you doing here?" he asked, eyeing the stranger suspiciously. Robert merely looked at Slughorn, who coughed one or two times and told Arthur : "Don't worry, Arthur, he's the son of a dear friend of mine. He's alright." Arthur gave Robert another look, then shrugged. Robert then said : "Thanks, Horace. But I have no problem telling you who I am and what am I doing here, Mr. Weasley. My name is Robert Walshingham, and I'm here because I need to talk to him!" Horace felt a shiver running down his spine, and he went pale. "Robert… I hope it's just a silly idea… but I hope it's not because… because of…" Robert looked at him apologetically. "I'm afraid it is, Horace. He is back."
Slughorn managed to break into an inarticulate sound, then he did something very appropriate. He fainted.
-
Sometime later, he regained consciousness in a surge of energy and fear, opening his eyes and sitting up in a rush. He was in a couch, and around him were the Order members : Harry, the Weasleys, the Granger girl, Shacklebolt, Longbottom, Lovegood, McGonagall and Robert Walshingam, who was eyeing him strangely. "Horace, you alright? You've passed out for almost two hours! The party's over, and the others have gone home." Said McGonagall, who had a preoccupied frown on her face. Slughorn sighed; now he didn't give a damn about the party. He was thinking about what Robert had said him. He looked up at him and merely asked : "Are you sure?" He shrugged. "Would I came here and say something like that if I weren't be sure?" Slughorn moaned and closed his eyes, bringing a hand on his forehead. Harry spoke up : "Excuse me, but would you mind explaining what is going on? He just said he told you that someone was back, but refused to say more, declaring that you may prefer privacy…"
Slughorn sighed, then shook his head. "No, I guess I can tell you. He" and he nodded to Robert, "is the son of Daniel Walshingham, my late best friend. Great man, and very powerful wizard. We… well…" "Maybe it's better if I go on telling you what happened!" intervened Robert. "In 1968 my father, Horace and another wizard named Bilius Weasley" He smiled briefly at the shocked gasps from everyone in the room, excluding himself and Horace, "fought and defeated a Dark Wizard!" "Bilius?" echoed Mr. Weasley, gobsmacked. Robert nodded. "Yes, your late brother. I'm afraid that one of the reasons he was so odd in his last years was the fact he had contributed in the downfall of one of the most dangerous wizards of our time, and unfortunately that is something that is impossible to survive unscathed, if you're not made of steel!" "And who did they face?" asked Harry, getting directly to the point. Robert sighed and closed his eyes. "The Dark Wizard I'm talking about was one of Gellert Grindelwald lieutenants, perhaps his most loyal and trusted ally, but most assuredly the most powerful; I think he was just a little bit less powerful than his master, but of course Grindelwald had the Elder Wand, so that was never a problem!" "You know about the Elder Wand?" exclaimed Hermione, shocked. Slughorn spoke up. "Of course; his father knew, he was a close friend of Dumbledore, for obvious reasons!" "Exactly; you know that Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore in 1945, but even if nearly all of Grindelwald's henchmen and allies were rounded up and sent to Azkaban, this guy, named Erich Rommell, managed to stay free." Hermione frowned. "Rommell… I already know this name!" "You might; he's the younger brother of Germany's most known and successful soldier of World War II, Erwin Rommell." He sighed, then went on : "But unfortunately he was very different from his brother. Erwin, as cunning as a fox, was a man of honor, and was disgusted by the regime Germany had; he nonetheless remained faithful and served loyally until he was forced to commit suicide. His little brother shared his great cunning and intelligence, but not the honor. He was the most ruthless of Grindelwald's supporters, and personally took care of those who tried to oppose him…" Robert closed his eyes, then he murmured : "One of them was my uncle, Keith Walshingham; now you should understand why my father wanted to find out what happened to Rommell when he eluded capture and disappeared."
Kingsley said : "Well, I think I understand. But I don't understand why there's nothing about him in the Archives… the Ministry should be informed…" "The Ministry IS informed, Minister!" Robert interrupted him, a sarcastic tone in his voice. "But the information was so 'disturbing', that it was decided to keep it locked up. You would be surprised on discovering how many things the Ministry had covered up!"
He laughed briefly, then he sighed again. "Well, at least my father found out that Rommell was trying to carry out his master's plans; he was trying to find traces of some ancient magical artifacts, with which he hoped to overpower anyone who could stand a chance against him, normally. So, he went to Dumbledore."
"Why didn't Albus take charge of everything?" asked McGonagall. "You see, he half wanted to, but my dad objected, and he managed to convince him to stay at Hogwarts for two reasons : one, he was mentally and psychologically exhausted from his duel with Grindelwald, and second, father wanted to keep someone with the power to match Rommell in reserve. Instead, he proposed to rally a selected strike force, with which to frustrate his plans and to stop him, if there was a way. Albus approved, and my father began his quest." "And your father chose HIM?" said Harry, looking at Slughorn. Robert smiled. "I know Horace look like someone who only wants to stay out of trouble and to get some crystallized pineapple, but since Dumbledore was to stay in reserve, he was the obvious choice. Albus always thought Horace was perhaps the most skilled wizard after himself, and so did my father. So, he tracked down Horace and spoke to him. At first, as you can imagine, Horace was a little bit… reluctant." Everyone chuckled, even Slughorn himself. "But then, father managed to convince him. Then he went and recruited what he felt was the last piece of the puzzle : Bilius." "But how did he choose him?" exclaimed Molly, puzzled as everyone else at the mention of her brother-in-law. "You figure him as he was when he was old and broken down from what he had faced, but my father said that before everything that happened he was just… different. Just a little bit. But he did hate Dark Wizards, and Rommell in a special way : he had killed the only girl he could fall in love with. So, even before father had ended, he was in." He grinned at the shock on their faces. "Oh, yes. From what I know, there was this girl, Elaine McAlister, who managed to strike a chord inside good ol' Bilius; they should have married, if she hadn't stumbled upon Rommell and he caught the occasion to kill her."
There was a pause in the conversation, as everyone was trying to get the news to sink in, then Robert sat on the couch alongside Slughorn and went on. "So, my father chose his two companions and then had his team. It was Bilius who, in an absurd display of humour, dubbed them…" "…The 'Highlands Rangers'!" finished Slughorn, with a smirk. After a moment, everyone burst out laughing. "That's the dumbest name I've ever heard!" declared George, wiping the tears from his eyes. Robert was smiling broadly. "I agree, but no one was able to find a better name, so it stuck. And then, the three Highlands Rangers set off to deliver the magical people and the Muggles from peril! I won't say everything they did, or what did they face, it would be too long, but at last they faced Rommell for the final fight. The duel was declared by onlookers as comparable to the one that Dumbledore fought against Grindelwald. My father, Horace and Bilius were seriously injured, Bilius got a bad spell in his head that disrupted his mental equilibrium, already wavering since the death of Elaine, but they made it. Erich Rommell was defeated, but more importantly his power source he had used to become alarmingly powerful was broken. He was forced to flee, leaving behind an arm and an eye, but alive. And the three heroes returned home, licking their wounds." "Licking their wounds?" exploded Horace, standing up and with such a rage in his voice that everyone stared. "It's easy for you to say that! He was incredibly powerful, the bastard one, and we barely managed to get out of there alive! I had to wait two months before to declare I had recovered completely. Your father wasn't much better off, and Bilius… well, Bilius was never the same! So much for licking our wounds!" Robert merely stared at him. "I was there when my father returned. I barely recognized him. So I pretty much figured out what happened, Horace. But that's not the point; we've been avoiding this since we started to talk. Rommell is back, and he wants revenge. Obviously along with victory, crushing his enemies and triumphing over the magical world. So, the question is : will you help me?" Everyone stared at him. Kingsley spoke up : "Excuse me, but I think the Ministry can…" "The only thing you can do, Minister, is keeping your employees out of my way, I don't want any amateur tripping on his feet and alerting Rommell he's watched over. This is a thing that only the professionals can do!" He looked at Slughorn and said : "My father always said that you weren't the one who could leave when the need arose. He would have trusted upon you his life; now a lot of innocent lives are at stake. And you have the power and the experience to protect them. What do you say?"
Slughorn looked at the wizard : at forty-one he looked exactly like his father. The fire in his eyes was the same Daniel had displayed in so many occasions. The cloak he was wearing was the same Daniel had worn for all the time during their mission. He closed his eyes, and the emotions he had felt then rushed through him another time… fear, determination, rage… friendship. He felt a sudden urge to go back to his house, eat a large portion of his pineapple, and go to bed without thinking anymore about Rommell. He then opened his eyes and nodded decisively at Robert. "Okay, okay, I'm definitely mad, but yes, I'll help you!" Robert grinned broadly. "Wonderful!"
Just then, Ron, who had been silent all the time, strode forward and said matter-of-factly : "If you want me, I'm in, too!" "What?!" The shocked and outraged shriek was from Hermione. Ron turned around and looked at his girlfriend with sadness but determination. "Listen, Hermione, I know it could sound mad, but since I saw him," and he pointed to Robert, "I felt something. I couldn't put my finger on it, but now I realize it. It's not the fact I share with my uncle his name, it's not the fact I have to prove something or other rubbish; I feel I have to do it. I feel I have to go and complete what my uncle started. Call it whatever you want, I know I'm doing the right thing." He turned to Robert. "Of course, if you want me!" Robert had a strange smile on his lips. "Well, I was going to ask you myself, but I have no need to do it!" His right hand disappeared under his cloak, and when reappeared, it held a wand. Ron stared at it. "Is that…?" "Yes; your uncle's wand; 13'', elm, unicorn hair, quite flexible. It went into my possession after he died, but now I feel it's better if you have it!"And he gave it to him. Then, he looked at Horace, who looked pale, but who sustained his glare unyieldingly, and then at Ron, who was looking at him forcefully. Robert Walshingham nodded, and declared : "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I guess I can present you the new Highlands Rangers!"
-
Very well, I can explain everything. Ron is kinda my favorite character, he's got more strength than people normally thinks and he's going to demonstrate it. I like Slughorn, and I think he's one of the best wizards in the HP universe, regarding skill and magical power. So, here's the reason for their recruitement.
But don't worry, other reasons shall be given, with some interesting stories about Bilius…
If any of you feels like reviewing, be my guest! ^_^