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Chapter 2

The Gathering Storm

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"Is it supposed to be that sickly green color?"

"For now, yes. When it's done it should be a pale blue." Catherine moved away from the sizzling cauldron and sat down on the teacher's desk. Several minutes passed before either of them spoke.

"Mum, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." said Hermione, sprinkling a strange, yellow powder into the cauldron.
"Why is this happening? Why is everything falling apart? It… it doesn't seem fair…" Hermione sat down on the next to Catherine and wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know." Hermione said sadly. "And no, you're right it isn't fair at all. We just have to do everything we can to make it right."

"What if 'everything we can do' isn't enough?" Hermione shrugged.

"Then it's not," she said plainly. "We can't worry about that. All we can do is fight as hard as we can, for as long as we can. The rest is… not up to us."

"Then who is it up to?"

"The powers that be? Hell, I don't know, Kat. Just remember… whatever happens, we did all we could." Again, silence fell between them. Hermione continued adding ingredients, measuring colorful powders and foul smelling liquids on scales, and consulting the Book of Shadows. After about half an hour, Catherine spoke up again.

"Mum… are you scared?" she asked quietly.

"Do you want an honest answer or do you want me to make you feel better?" Hermione inquired, not looking up.

"An honest answer,"

"No, I'm not scared, Kat… I'm terrified." Catherine smiled.

"Well, you don't show it."

"I can't. I have four beautiful daughters that need someone to be strong for them."

"We don't always need you to be strong, Mum." Hermione looked up at Catherine.

"I wasn't talking about you, Kat." she said. "I meant Elizabeth, Hope, Danielle and… Leslie."

"Leslie…. Who is Leslie? Oh, God… you're pregnant again, aren't you?"

"Yes," Hermione said as she emptied a vial of purple liquid into the cauldron. "You… you're strong, Kat You always have been. Honestly, I need you far more than you need me."

"That's not entirely true. You're… an inspiration for me."

"I'm not so sure about that. Have you noticed how Danielle and Elizabeth, both of whom are older than you, seem to look up to you as a leader? That's not something you can learn. The ability to lead is something you either have, or you don't." Catherine said nothing, but allowed Hermione to continue working in silence.

"There, done!" Hermione announced twenty minutes later, extinguishing the flame and gesturing toward the cauldron. Catherine peered over the rim and sniffed. It didn't smell too bad, but she was still thankful this was one potion she didn't have to drink.

"Well, let's get this mess to Hogwarts then." Catherine said.

"Alright, but I'll have to orb. Apparation is difficult as it is without toting luggage along too." Catherine sighed.

"Fine, just be careful."

"Yeah, you too." Hermione said as Catherine vanished with a loud crack. Hermione gathered the potion ingredients, gripped the rim of the cauldron, and dissolved into blue-white mist.

-.-

Hermione appeared in the Gryffindor Common Room. Despite having orbed, which was slower than Apparation, she still arrived before Catherine as she would have to walk up to the school due to the castle's Anti-Apparation spells. Elizabeth and Piper sat by the fire, talking. Piper seemed to be in a much better mood. It was apparent that Elizabeth had told Piper that Paige would become a Whitelighter.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Hope sat with Dumbledore and a group of other Order members discussing the next move. Phoebe and Danielle poured over maps of the city of San Francisco on one of the many tables filling to room. Hermione deposited the things she had brought along from Magic School on a chair and moved toward Dumbledore and the others.

"It won't be that easy, Professor. The Golden Gate Bridge is a very weak point in our defensive position. If Grindelwald manages to secure it, he'll have a direct route into the city. I think we might have to accept that we may need to destroy it." Dumbledore nodded.

"I agree. The Order has already eliminated all other bridges leading into the city. With the anti-magical transportation spells placed over the city, we should be safe. If, however, it seems we will lose the bridge, we will destroy it." Dumbledore looked up at Hermione.

"Could you mix up some of that potion you used several years ago to destroy Voldemort's prison facility? I think it's the best bet to destroy the bridge." Hermione nodded.

"Of course," Hermione said. She gestured over her shoulder at the cauldron. "The shield potion is finished. I just have to add one final ingredient when we're ready to use it, but otherwise…"

"Excellent." Dumbledore said.

"What about that spell to use with it?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I've been thinking about that." Hermione said, taking a seat between Harry and Hope. "The reason for the spell was that there wasn't a way to properly replicate the shield power. With your blood now in the potion, we shouldn't need it."

"Couldn't you have just used the damn spell and allow me to keep all my blood in my body?" Hope complained.

"Well, yes, but the spell was a gamble at best. This way, we've got a better chance of success."

"Hey! I've got great news!" Catherine said hurrying through the portrait hole. "I met Tonks on the way up here and she said she and a few others went to New York. The device there had already been brought to the surface, but… but the city survived! The device there failed to activate. New York is still standing." Cheers exploded throughout the room as members of the Order halted in their duties to celebrate.

"Professor," Harry said. "We'll need to send a team there as soon as we can. Grindelwald'll be going there as well as San Francisco."

"Indeed, I'll take care of New York if you take care of San Francisco."

"What about London?" Luna asked.

"It's gone," Catherine said sadly. "Reports are coming in… it's the same thing everywhere. A massive, dark tower standing over a wasteland. Not a building or sign of life anywhere. The sky is black and a huge, spiraling cloud like a hurricane spins above the tower. The tower is connected to the cloud by a beam of reddish light. The ground is alight with fire. Flames so hot… It's unimaginable."

-.-

"Hey, Bill! Come take a look at this!" Mark leaned away from one of the International Space Station's small windows to allow Bill to look down at the planet below.

"Dear God…" Bill said, his eyes widening as he took in the scene before him. The planet which had once been a blue and green paradise was now a blackened desert. Fires blazed across the planet's surface, burning everything they touched. Billowing, black clouds filled the sky, spinning like hurricanes over a devastated world.

"What the hell is happening down there?" asked Mark.

"I don't know, but I get the feeling we're going to be up here for a long time."

-.-

Bank of America Building. Downtown San Francisco. Three Days Later

"I can't believe we're actually basing our operations here." Phoebe said as she and Catherine walked out onto a wide balcony and peered over the railing.

"Can you think of anywhere else to do it?" Catherine asked inquisitively.

"Well… no," Phoebe reluctantly admitted. "I would've just picked somewhere… that's not so… you know, high."

"You're not afraid of heights, are you, Phoebe?"

"Of course not!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I just… don't… Damn it. Fine, I'm actually terrified of heights. Are you happy?"

"Actually, yes," Catherine leaned against the railing of the tower, staring blankly around at the city below her. The citizens of the city had been ordered to stay in their homes. Dumbledore had spoken to the mayor of the city and explained what was happening. He had then helped the mayor address the city about what was to happen.

Even so, some people chose to leave their homes and venture into the city. Ministry wizards had to keep rounding up the curious and the nosy. Dumbledore then departed to New York, where Grindelwald had already launched his assault. The shield potion had performed wonderfully and Grindelwald's forces there had been repelled.

"Phoebe? Catherine?" Harry said, stepping out onto the balcony. "Where's Hermione?"

"Up on the roof," said Phoebe. "She's about to test her potion and she said she needed silence."

"Well, you two dotalk a lot… Err… never mind. Look, Ron and I were out scouting near the Golden Gate Bridge and we spotted an army approaching. Their numbers…. Well, he couldn't get an accurate count, but there's at least two thousand, maybe more. They'll be here within the hour. We've got the bridge rigged to blow and we should be able to thin their numbers when we destroy it."

"They won't all cross it all at once." Catherine said. "They'll be expecting us to destroy the bridge. Grindelwald will send a strike force across the bridge. We'll destroy it and then the rest of his forces will storm the city from another way."

"You're both wrong." Hermione said, pushing open the door to the balcony. She pointed out toward the horizon where a massive fireball was streaking toward the city. "They're going to bombard the city at long range." The fireball struck the side of the Transamerica Pyramid, leaving a red-rimmed hole through nearly twenty floors. The weakened structure creaked and shifted and finally collapsed down upon itself. A moment later, a silver-blue bubble encased San Francisco. The hail of devastation unleashed by Grindelwald's army dissipated as it struck the protective shield.

"Harry," Hermione whispered as she watched the shield flash and flicker under the bombardment. "We're not going to be able to hold them for long."

Whether it would be days, or weeks until the end of the battle, none of them knew. But they did know one thing. The Battle of San Francisco had begun.