28 August 1998
To the causal observer it might have looked like Guy Fawkes Night had come to London early that year. Four massive fires were burning out-of-control, and a dozen smaller blazes were spread throughout the capital city. The police and fire services were totally overwhelmed, and the Royal Army had been deployed to counter what the Prime Minister was calling the worst race riot in British history.
Colonel Poshepny had to smile at that last bit. While this was technically was a race riot, it was a race riot the Prime Minster had personally organized. Not only was it an excellent cover story for their operation, but it would also benefit the self-serving bastard politically. The poor Tories didn't stand a chance in the next general election.
"Sir, we have another magical family approaching from the north-west."
Their command post was located on a rooftop across the street from the so-called "Ministry of Magic", which was now nothing more than a burning hole in the ground. As the Colonel studied the video monitor a feeling of disgust came over him. These people were a toxic mixture of arrogance and ignorance. Despite the obvious destruction their secret Ministry, the wizard was leading his wife and two children straight towards it. And they were all wearing those ridiculous, full-length robes which made them stick out like sore thumbs in the late summer heat.
"I want a full squad to approach them from the rear. Once the targets are in range hit them with the tranquilizer darts, especially the two children. I don't want to see any more spontaneous telekinesis or light shows tonight. Is that perfectly clear?"
"Yes, sir."
The takedown went smoothly, and the unconscious family was placed in a waiting ambulance. They had captured over twenty children so far using the exact same method. For some reason most wizards couldn't quite comprehend that "muggles" and their mechanical weapons could actually be a threat.
"Colonel, we have another target approaching and he is using that invisibility trick. He also has his wooden stick out."
That invisibility trick had caused a great deal of concern over the past few months until one of their scientists realized it only worked on visible light. If you were using infrared it was easy to spot their ghostly outlines from a safe distance. Put a high-quality thermal scope on a sniper rifle and Bob's your uncle.
"He is probably one of their Aurors. Hit the police siren, and then neutralize the target."
After a short radio signal the siren from a nearby police car began blaring. At the same time a sniper opened fire. It was a perfect headshot, and dead Auror dropped to the ground. No one paid him any attention; they simple assumed that the man was another casualty from the nearby fire. The falling ash even soaked up most of the blood from his large head wound. The body was quickly taken to a parked ice cream van and dumped in the freezer with the other Aurors—from start to finish the whole process had taken less than ninety seconds. The Colonel was receiving reports of similar successes from around the world, and so far everything was going according to plan.
"Sir, we have another target approaching from the east."
"This is going to be a very long night."
"Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Ministry of Magic, and Diagon Alley... they're all gone," Harry told his friends as he held up a collection of tiny magical mirrors. The few that were still working showed scenes of utter devastation.
"How can you be sure?" Bill asked. "Maybe the mirrors aren't working properly."
"Professor Flitwick cast those charms himself, so of course they are bloody working," Ginny snapped. "Harry, please tell us you warned Minister Shacklebolt about all of this."
"I tried and I tried, but the fool just wouldn't listen to me. Finally in desperation I went to the International Confederation of Wizards in Switzerland, but they thought my duel against Voldemort had affected my judgment. They acted like I was brain-damaged or something. The new Supreme Mugwump claimed it was impossible for the muggles to even locate our major settlements, let alone destroy them. After that I was going to give an interview to the Quibbler, but Minister Shacklebolt told me that Luna and her father would be sent to Azkaban if I informed the general public about the Prophecy."
"We would have printed the story anyway," Luna said.
"I know, but if we were all sent to Azkaban we wouldn't have been able to work on the Hedwig. Plus we would be dead right now, since the island was also hit. I know it's hard to believe, but the muggles must have perfected a method for bypassing even our strongest defensive wards."
"What happened to my parents?" Hannah Abbott cried. "Are they dead too?"
"None of you has anything to worry about," Harry told her. "Headmistress McGonagall, Professor Vector, and Madame Hooch went to your homes shortly after we left for Blackpool and... well, they kidnapped your families. Charlie and his girlfriend took a portkey from the Dragon Preserve last night. Hermione, your parents arrived from Australia early this morning. Fleur your sister Gabrielle, your parents, and Headmistress Maxime were picked-up by Hagrid this morning as well."
"I take it that Beauxbatons has also been destroyed?" Fleur asked. When he nodded, she continued: "Where has Minerva McGonagall and her accomplices taken our families?"
"We are going there now," Harry replied. He explained that his plan was to temporarily hide in the Forbidden Forest until they could complete construction of the Hedwig. "The centaur Firenze approached me a few days after Professor Trelawney gave the Prophecy, and told me that "those few who survived the coming storm" could hide there for a short time. He claims that the Forbidden Forest is an ancient source of magical power, and that it existed long before the Founders built Hogwarts. According to centaur legend this magic is different than the kind we use, so I'm hoping that the muggles won't be able to find us there with whatever technology they are currently using."
"What are we going to eat?" Ron asked. "Acromantulas?"
"None of us are going to live in the Forest itself," Neville explained. "Harry, Luna, and I have set up several underground greenhouses in the long tunnels that run between Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the Forbidden Forest."
Ginny frowned. "If you had told me about these new greenhouses I would have been glad to help."
"The fewer people who know about a secret, the longer it stays a secret," Harry said.
"In addition to the tunnels we should have access to the dungeons beneath Hogwarts. During the past few days Headmistress McGonagall and I have blocked the entrances with several meters of solid rock. She also ordered the house elves moved the kitchen, the seeds from the greenhouses, the books from the Library, and the entire Infirmary down into the tunnels. It will be a tight fit, but that will give us an excuse to start practicing our new and improved Expansion Charms. I don't think any of us should use our wands until we the safety of the Forest, since the muggles might be able to track our magic."
"You think they have something like Taboo Curse that Voldemort and the Snatchers used during the War?" Ron asked.
"They might have a machine that could mimic what the Taboo Curse did," Harry replied. "Something like a radar that detects magic."
"I don't know, that's a bit of a stretch," a skeptical Bill said.
"Why don't you take that Pureblood superiority nonsense and cram it up your arse!" a hysterical Hermione suddenly shouted. "Everyone claimed that Dumbledore and Voldemort were the two greatest wizards in the world, yet they both turned out to be incompetent idiots. The rest of you don't have a chance of defeating six billion muggles. This is why I stayed in Britain rather than going to Australia with my parents. I didn't think for a minute that Voldemort could actually take over the world, but I was afraid his actions would provoke the muggles into exterminating us. But that's exactly what has happened anyway!"
"Could they really kill us all?" Susan asked in a small voice.
"They made a pretty good start of it today. If all the places Harry listed were completely destroyed than over half of the world's wizards and witches are already dead. And it only took the muggles ten minutes to do it. Harry, why didn't talk to Ron and me about all this? We could have helped you."
"You were standing right next to Professor Trelawney when she gave me the bloody Prophecy, but you told me the Doom of Magic would never happen. You said that I should just ignore the whole thing, and then you ran off to Australia for a nice two-month vacation in the sun."
Hermione had no reply for to his harsh rebuke. Instead she latched on to her boyfriend Ron and stared crying. Susan, Hannah, and Mrs Weasley quickly followed suit. Even those who weren't crying fell into a somber silence as the big lorry continued north towards its destination.
It was a good twenty minutes before Mister Weasley asked another question. "I don't understand. If you couldn't convince Kingsley that this threat was real, then how did you get Minerva and the other Professors to help you set this all up?"
"I used a good old-fashion guilt trip. I told them they were all cowards for working at Hogwarts while Voldemort was in control of the school. I told them they were cowards for allowing underage students under their protection to be tortured by the Death Eaters like the Carrows. I told them if they didn't help me I would curse their names for the rest of my life, and that after I was dead I would come back as a ghost and curse them some more."
"That certainly explains it," Mister Weasley muttered. "How did you know the muggles would attack us today?"
"I didn't know for sure, but it seemed like a logical assumption. Trelawney gave the Prophecy in the beginning of May, just a few months before the largest gathering of wizards and witches in the world. A gathering which only takes place once every four years. If something like the Doom of Magic was going to happen, it was going to happen at the Quidditch World Cup."
"What if you had guessed wrong?" Fleur asked. "Hagrid could have been arrested for kidnapping. In France that is considered a very serious crime and is punishable by death—especially for a giant."
"I wasn't wrong, so I guess we will never know the answer to your question."
"I don't understand, if all this was going on why did we spend the day riding roller coasters?" Ron asked as he gently rubbed Hermione's back.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It was easiest way to get you all together, and I knew we would be safe surrounded by a park full of muggles."
The trip continued with only a brief stop in Glasgow to use the loo and buy some snacks. After seven seemingly endless hours Professor Sinistra opened the trailer doors. When the group got out they found nothing but an old and deserted motorway. Even if they were in the middle of nowhere everyone was still glad to be on solid ground, at least until they saw the massive pillars of smoke rising in the distance.
"Those fires must be coming from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade," Harry told them. "The edge of the Forest is about two kilometers to the east, just on the other side of that large hill. We don't want to be caught out in the open when the sun comes up, which means we don't have any time to waste."
Professor Sprout slowly drove off the lorry off the road into a dense thicket of trees, and it was hidden using a large green tarp. Harry had walked this trail twice before, so he took the lead. Professor Sprout brought up the rear, and covered their tracks with the skill of an experienced Herbologist. The darkness and heavy vegetation made for a dreadful hike. Several fights broke out and everyone started complaining, even the good-natured Mr Weasley. It came as a great relief when the distinctive magic of the Forbidden Forest began to swirl around their bodies.
They had only been inside the Forest for a few minutes when they were met by the centaur Firenze. "I bring you sad tidings Harry Potter. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade have both been put to the torch. By sunrise nothing will be left of either."
"Have you seen any muggle soldiers in the area?"
"We have encountered many, and they all carry the foul metal tubes which breathe death," Firenze replied. "They search at the edges of our Forest but can not enter. The great magic of the trees protects us even during this darkest of nights."
Hermione couldn't help herself and asked the obvious question. "How exactly is the Forest protecting us?"
"That is a question we centaurs can not answer Hermione Granger," Firenze replied. "Even your great Merlin was perplexed by the enduring mysteries of this ancient magic. Come, I will lead you to the other wizards."
The hidden entrance to the new tunnel complex was located on the far side of the Forest, close to Hogwarts. Before they went underground everyone stop to stare at the destruction. All of the towers had collapsed, and the castle was now nothing more than a giant pile of burning rubble. No one could hold back the tears this time, not even Harry. He had just lost the one place in the world he thought of as home.
29 August 1998
As Ginny climbed down the metal ladder into the tunnels she was surprised to see that it had been purchased from the muggles. There were several other unexpected sights waiting below. The metal braces which supported the ceiling and walls were also of muggle design. She expected to see lots of Neville's plants, but none of them were set in the dirt. Instead they were hanging in the air on wire frames with the roots totally exposed. The glowing crystals set above each one of the plants looked like miniature stars, and they provided plenty of pseudo-sunlight for the long underground tunnels.
"The muggles called it aeroponics," Neville explained to his curious grandmother. "Instead of using topsoil you spray nutrient-rich water directly on the root system. It's incredible efficient in terms of water usage and providing the plants with fresh air. It also cuts down on fungi and other blights."
After a short walk Harry showed them what he called the Little Hall. It had four long tables just like the Great Hall in Hogwarts, and they were all filled with people eating breakfast. The ceiling was even enchanted to show the sky above, just like the ceiling in its destroyed counterpart. Ginny wanted to be mad at her boyfriend for hiding all this incredible work, but she knew it was her own fault. They were never, ever breaking-up again.
Of course mum screamed like a banshee when she saw Charlie. Ginny was relived to see that he was alive, but she refused to leave Harry's side as the other Weasleys exchanged hugs. She was done being the family's precious baby girl, and the rest of them would just have to accept that.
Thankfully she was being ignored at the moment, since mum was already interrogating Charlie's nervous girlfriend Crina and her parents. The female dragon keeper had several vivid scars, but it was easy to see why Charlie liked her. She was almost as sexy as Phlegm, even in that hideous leather outfit.
On the far side of the room Hermione and the others were surrounded by their own families. The people watching all these joyous family reunions were a mixed bag. Ginny recognizing some of the faces from her many trips to Hogsmeade. Harry explained that Aberforth Dumbledore and Madam Rosmerta had somehow convinced their fellow villagers to close their shops early and hide in the passageway under Honeydukes. It was an act of foresight which saved their lives. Finally she noticed a wizard with distinctive blonde hair who was talking with Professor Slughorn.
"What the bloody hell are those three tosspots doing here?"
"That is an excellent question," Harry said as they marched over to their Potions Professor. "Horace. First of all, how are the carbon dioxide levels?"
"They are well within normal parameters, but you must realize that these tunnels are far from being airtight."
"Yes, I know that. Neville is just about done setting up three hermetically sealed greenhouses, so we can begin running proper experiments in a few days. I asked you to find Mrs Malfoy and Draco, not this Death Eater scumbag. "
Narcissa quickly stepped forward before Slughorn could defend himself. "Mr Potter, I wasn't about to abandon my husband to those insane muggles. You owe me a Life Debt. If I had let the Dark Lord know you were still alive after being struck by the Killing Curse, you would have been tortured and then killed again. As repayment for that Life Debt I insist that you shelter the entire Malfoy family until the muggles have ceased their current attacks."
"I repaid you by killing Voldemort and keeping Draco out of Azkaban where he belongs," Harry snapped. "The only reason I sent for you was because of a promise I made to your sister Andromeda Tonks. For some strange reason she seems to value your worthless life."
"This discussion is irrelevant," Lucius said in a loud voice everyone in the Little Hall could hear. "The important question is what are we going to do about these murderous muggles."
"We are going to do absolutely nothing," Harry replied. "Instead we are going to concentrate all our time and resources on building the Hedwig. Then we are going to leave the Earth. Forever."
Lucius looked genuinely appalled by that statement. "That is your answer boy? To just run away after the muggles have murdered thousands of our fellow wizards all around the world? Are you nothing more than a coward?"
Ginny looked around and saw that many of people in the Little Hall shared Malfoy's views. They wanted revenge, and if Harry felt differently they would just ignore his advice. She wasn't going to let that happen, at least not without a fight. Everyone was watching the two wizards, so no one noticed when she discretely drew her wand. Harry claimed that you could only use the Unforgivable Curses if you really meant it. That wasn't a problem for her in this case.
"Avada Kedavra."
As Lucius fell to the ground everyone began to panic. The green light and distinctive sound of a Killing Curse had a tendency to inspire terror in all magical folk. Draco's wand was out in a flash, but Narcissa quickly grabbed his hand. She knew that if her son harmed Harry Potter's girlfriend nothing would be able to save him from a quick death.
It was Aberforth Dumbledore who finally took charge of the situation. After breaking up all those fights at the Hog's Head tavern he had plenty of experience dealing with unruly crowds. Harry looked furious and quickly dragged her out of the Little Hall. Once they reached a narrow side passage he stopped to cast a privacy ward.
"After all the wizards who have died in the past twenty-four hours how could you possible murder another one? We can't afford to lose anyone else—not if we hope to survive as a species."
"Lucius Malfoy had it coming. He willingly served Voldemort in both Wizarding Wars, and he was the one who gave me that bloody diary. I was just eleven years old and that thing almost killed the both of us. And just now he tried to start a riot so he and his racist friends could seize control of the tunnels you built. He had to be stopped once and for all, so that's what I did."
"Ginny, you can't just go around killing people because they disagree with my plans. We are adults now, which means we discuss things calmly and rationally without using the Unforgivable Curses."
"Tell that to Fred. And Dumbledore. And Tonks. And Professor Lupin. And Colin. Do you think this whole mess with the muggles is going to be any easier than the War we just fought?"
Harry ran a hand through his messy black hair; he looked so exhausted and confused. "So I'm the new Voldemort and you're my new Bellatrix? Is that what you want?"
"What I want no longer matters," Ginny replied. "Those people back there are terrified. They need a strong leader who has a concrete plan for dealing with this crisis. They need a sense of hope that the future will be better than this nightmare we are currently living through. If you don't give them that hope someone else will. Someone who doesn't believe in the Sybill Trelawney's Prophecy. Someone who will lead them into a hopeless war against the muggles. Is that what you what?"
"Put this on and keep it on," Harry said as he pull a spare Invisibility Cloak out of his trusty Mokeskin pouch. "I will deal with Draco and Narcissa."
Ginny watched from a distance as her boyfriend had an intense discussion with the two remaining Malfoys. Draco started yelled, but Narcissa quickly slapped him in the face. A few minutes later the three of them stood together as the Ferret made an Unbreakable Vow. It was sometimes easy to forget how deeply muggles frightened bigoted purebloods like Narcissa. All those scary bedtime stories about being burned alive must have had a profound influence on the witch, and she was desperate to keep her stupid son here where he would be safe.
After that problem was taken care of Harry addressed the Little Hall. The news about the Hedwig did not go over well. Most thought his plan to travel into outer space and then to another planet was insane. Luckily Harry had kidnapped Ollivander from his shop in Diagon Alley last night. The old wandmaker explained that the idea of a magical starship has theoretically possible, and his opinion cared a lot of weight with most people in the crowd.
"I won't lie to you. This journey will be long and very dangerous, but I believe that we can make it if we all work together." Harry told them. "Just think of it. We could have a world of our own where we won't have to worry about being attacked by the muggles ever again. A world where we won't have to hide who we are and what we can do. A world where our children can play Quidditch out in the open."
"What about the muggles?" one of the shopkeepers from Hogsmeade asked. "Aren't we going to fight back?"
"If you want to go up to the surface and fight back against those soldiers I can't stop you," Harry said. "But in my opinion this war with the muggles is over. And we lost."
