Part II: Infiltration of the Underground

I.

Portraits and Plans

Top Secret:

From the desk of H. P.

Mission File # 5457

Mission Rank:

A: Extremely Dangerous

Objectives:

1.) Infiltrate the council headquarters

2.) Identify the members of the Dark Council

3.) Discern the purpose of the Peverell Artifact

3a.) If possible, recover the artifact

4.) Rendezvous at designated location in 24 hours

Auror Assignment:

Vanguard: Architect, Mist and Wraith

Parameters:

1.) Complete Secrecy

2.) Full Force authorization

Possible Dangers:

1.) Identification, if you are discovered before infiltrating the council, abandon the mission

2.) Dark Wizards, there is a high probability of combat on this mission

3.) Dark creatures, be prepared for the use of dementors, boggarts, etc.

4.) Capture, evade being taken prisoner at all costs

Harry Potter raced through Hogsmeade as fast as his feet would carry him; it was essential he reach Hogwarts as soon as possible. Faint whispers followed him as he sped toward the outskirts of town, passersby craned their necks to get a better look at him. Even though he defeated Voldemort well over a decade ago, he was still made uncomfortable by the constant attention. Harry could not walk down the street without being beset upon by those who wanted an autograph, or a photograph, or to simply shake hands with the "Chosen One." It was all very irksome, after all he had work to do and could not afford the time to indulge the enamored masses today. Quickening his pace as the gates of Hogwarts came into view, Harry wondered to himself if coming here would accomplish anything; he had sent word to Headmistress McGonagall to expect him, but he was not sure if he would be able to garner much information. Nevertheless, he continued his fevered pace toward the school.

As he approached the gate, a hunched, crotchety looking old man was visible through the gigantic iron bars. Harry smirked, he did not expect to be greeted by Filch, the caretaker.

"Hello Argus," Harry said as he reached the entrance.

"Just you then?" croaked Filch, clearly bothered by having to walk all the way across the grounds to greet Harry. Filch opened the gates, suspiciously eyeing Harry as he stepped across the threshold and onto the Hogwarts grounds.

"I will need to go immediately to the Headmistress' office Argus, would you care to accompany me?" Harry inquired in what he hoped was a respectful and polite tone.

"Oh, you need to go immediately to the Head's office eh?" repeated Filch in a derisive, mocking voice, "you expect me to just drop everything I'm doing then, just take you where you want to go? I'll remind you that I'm a busy man, Potter, and I don't take orders from you!"

"Please Argus, there is no need for such talk," sighed Harry, who expected something like this when he saw Filch at the gates, "I'll go myself, I know the way." Not pausing for Filch to find fault with admitting Harry unaccompanied into the castle, he pushed his way past the aged caretaker and hurried across the grounds. He felt a rush of nostalgia at the sight of the castle doors, every time Harry came to Hogwarts he could not help but remember his fondness for the school (after all, the place was where Harry first felt at home). It was unfortunate that he would not have the time to leisurely walk the halls or check in on his children today, but he had urgent business to discuss. The chatter of students was audible from the Great Hall as Harry walked by; with a wry smile he remembered all of the time he spent at those tables with Ron and Hermione, all of the adventures the three of them shared inside these walls.

He neared the stone gargoyles that marked the entrance to the Head Suite, coming to a halt he looked over the ornate statues with a happy fondness.

"Tabby Cat," said Harry, and the gargoyles leapt aside to reveal a staircase that slowly wound its way up to the Head's office. Stepping on the stone platform, Harry allowed the stairs to carry him to McGonagall's door. Pausing for a moment, Harry remembered the many times he was in this office as a student, although back then it was inhabited by Albus Dumbledore. He reached out his hand and gently rapped three times on the wooden surface.

"Enter," came the crisp, business-like voice of Minerva McGonagall from the other side of the door. Harry turned the handle and admitted himself into the office.

"Ah, Potter, I wasn't expecting you so quickly, what is it that I can do for you?" McGonagall said, standing to greet Harry as he entered the room.

"Hello Minerva," said Harry, lowering his head in a respectful bow, "I came to ask a favor."

"Of course Potter, what is it that you want?" replied McGonagall.

"I need to use your office, alone, for what may be several hours," Harry came right out with his request, there was no need to beat around the bush, and no time to be lost.

"My office?" said McGonagall, clearly taken aback, "may I ask what for?"

"I have a matter of great importance that I must discuss with Severus and Albus," said Harry, pointing to the portraits hanging above McGonagall's desk.

"Insolence!" cried a portrait of a pompous looking wizard from the corner of the room, "in my day one could not just walk in to this office and demand its use!"

"Clearly, Potter still has not learned humility," came the slow, snide voice of Severus Snape from his portrait above the desk, "a grown man and still patience eludes you, I cannot say that I'm surprised..."

"Enough Severus," said McGonagall, a disapproving look on her face, "you of all people should know if Harry came here to speak to you and Albus then it must be very important!"

"Oh yes," hissed Snape, "I'm sure the Chosen One has a perfectly legitimate reason for being here, let me guess: you're head has grown too large and you would like me to teach you to brew a deflation draft to shrink it back to normal size?" Snape smirked, a few of the other portraits let out an appreciative chortle as well.

"Now Severus," a deep, clear voice came from the painting next to Snape's, "surely we can aid Harry in his request." Albus Dumbledore glared at Snape from his own frame, with a look that suggested casual amusement. "After all, what other pressing engagements do you have that require your attention?"

"I will grant your request Harry," said McGonagall, peering at Snape over her spectacles, "and both of you will aid him to the best of your abilities!" She finished, pointing at the portraits of Snape and Dumbledore in turn. "Good luck, Harry," said McGonagall before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Harry sat himself beneath the portraits and turned his head up, looking at the faces of Dumbledore and Snape. "The resurrection stone has been acquired by dark wizards," said Harry, stony-faced, "apparently they used this to find it." He held out the emerald-emblazoned talisman for the former headmasters to see. "Do either of you recognize this device?" The two wizards in the paintings exchanged knowing glances, then turned their grim faces back to Harry, ready to reveal an ancient and well-kept secret.

Meanwhile, many miles away, the Auror Vanguard met at a predetermined location; the three figures were bent low, conversing in hushed voices:

"We should send Mist in first, as the owl, while you and I follow under the cover of disillusionment charms," said the Architect, his blue eyes assessing the environment, "the darkness in addition to the limited color of the stone walls will make it near impossible to detect us."

"I agree," replied Wraith, nodding, "that way you can scout ahead while we take note of the ground defenses."

"Risky," said Mist, a knowing look in her eyes, "splitting up the group this early may cause one or more of us to become lost, and that may attract unwanted attention."

"Nevertheless, we must approach the situation as intelligently as possible," retorted the Architect, a hint of impatience to his tone, "it makes more sense for you to fly in, scout out the area, and for Wraith and I to follow your directions. You can use audire sententia while transformed, relaying information as quickly as possible, if all three of us attempt to go in on foot the likelihood of discovery is much greater; there are bound to be enchantments and guards to stop just such an occasion. They won't suspect the owl, so many fly by that no one will take notice, then we can sneak past anything with your instructions."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Architect on this one Mist," said Wraith, "we are deep in council territory, we need to be as careful as possible; the Architect's plan is sound, we should proceed along that path." Wraith and the Architect looked at Mist, waiting for a reply; she nodded in agreement, although she looked apprehensive about it.

"Very well then," said the Architect, "let's not waste any more time; Mist, perform the audire sententia spell and begin scouting, Wraith and I will follow when we receive your signal." Mist nodded, pointing her wand to her temple and performing the charm, then transforming into the owl and flying into the night. Wraith and the Architect faced each other and simultaneously disillusioned themselves, their camouflaged forms barely visible against the twilit stone walls.

"Architect, Wraith, can you hear me? " Mist's voice rang in the heads of her companions.

"Yes, are we ready to move out? " replied the Architect.

"Almost," said Mist, "I am approaching coordinates supplied by our informant; there appears to be two wizards standing guard outside the door around the next corner, this must be the place."

"Got it," replied Wraith, he and the Architect slowly crept around the corner and, spotting the guards, took care to make as little noise as possible.

"I'm about 80% certain that those guards are being observed, best we find another way in to the building," said Mist, "I can see a blank stretch of wall on the right side of the building, looks unguarded, try to enter through there, hopefully there isn't anyone on the other side." Wraith and Architect slowly made their way around the structure to the unguarded wall.

"This is an awful risk to take," the Architect responded, "is that the only part of the building unattended? " The Architect suddenly stopped in his tracks, eyes darting around the dark alleyway. "Wraith, stop where you are! " Reaching out his hand, the Architect touched the stone wall. "There is a motion detecting charm in this alley, see the unnatural ripple across the stone? If we were to cross it I'm sure somebody would be alerted to our presence." Drawing his wand, the Architect traced the distortion from one side of the alley to the other; a faint, but entirely visible, ripple ran from one wall to the other, confirming the Architect's suspicions. "I'm not sure I can dispel the barrier, we may have to find an alternate route."

"I swear, your eyes miss nothing! " came the voice of Wraith, clearly impressed.

"I found another entrance, but you'll have to retrace your steps a bit, it's on the other side of the building: a window about a third of the way up the wall, I can't see anyone through it." Mist's voice once again rang in the other's minds, "I'll fly up and make sure." Waiting for the go ahead, Wraith and the Architect slowly crept past the guards again, approaching the window side of the structure. "Seems like our best bet, but I want you to take a look when you get here Architect, just to make sure there aren't any hidden enchantments impeding our entry."

"I see no sign of enchantment from this side, strange, this seems like a glaring oversight on the part of the council, we should move with caution," said the Architect as he examined the window and walls. He pointed his wand at the window and gave it a little flick, the glass disappeared allowing them entry. First Mist flew in, then Wraith and the Architect hoisted each other up and inside. Mist transformed back into human form, then quickly cast her own disillusionment charm to camouflage her appearance.

"Shall we move in? " inquired Wraith as he eyed the door apprehensively.

"Hold on, we should see how many people we're dealing with first," said Mist, waving her wand while incanting the Hominem Revelio spell. "There are 12 people in the building, 2 on this floor, 4 below us and 6 in the basement; three guesses where the council is meeting..."

"We should attempt to reach the basement without alerting any of the guards, there may be enchantments in effect to monitor them in case they're attacked," said the Architect.

"Agreed," came the simultaneous responses of both Mist and Wraith. If the effects of the disillusionment charm were not in effect, the three of them would have exchanged the familiar looks of understanding they usually shared in assignments such as this; they had been on so many missions together that they experienced a kind of camaraderie rarely found outside of military units. Indeed, with the sheer number of battles the three of them had been in, one would think they were a military ensemble.

Taking care to be as quiet as possible, Wraith pointed his wand at the door: it opened ever so slightly, allowing the three of them to squeeze through without disturbing the silence. Entering the hallway, they spied several rooms and an unattended staircase. Not waiting to find where the two guards were on the top floor, the Vanguard slowly inched down the steps. Upon reaching the bottom the trio stole quick glances around the landing. There were two doors at opposite ends of the room, each with two guards on either side.

"Which door do you reckon leads to the basement? " asked Mist.

"It's the one on the left," replied the Architect, "the door to the right has not been opened for several days, you can tell by the dust forming at the tops of the hinges; also, the left door bears the unmistakable signs of an imperturbable charm: note that those guards are standing several inches further from the door than the others and the distinctive shine of the barrier."

"Well spotted, Architect," said Wraith, "now the question remains: how do we gain entry to the basement without alerting the guards? "

"Leave that to me! " said Mist as she pointed her wand at each guard in turn, silently incanting some unknown spell. The four figures all looked up at the stairs, clearly Mist's spell caused them to hear a false disturbance from the top floor.

"What in the blazes was that?" asked a clearly shaken guard, a hint of nervousness in his voice, "I thought this place was supposed to be secret?"

"It's prolly just Mekare, she was always a bit clumsy," said another, putting on a brave face, "I'll check it out, you stay here; Carrin, come with me." The two forms headed up the stairs to check the source of the disturbance, leaving two guards behind. Brandishing her wand once more, Mist pointed it at the figures heading up the steps and thought "Muffliato," successfully ensuring that they would not hear any commotion from below. Creeping closer to the remaining guards, Mist waved her wand in a complicated motion before directing it at the figure standing in front of the door leading down to the basement.

"Ugh, I don't feel so good," said the guard, the color draining from his face, "I think I'm gonna be sick!" He ran off and up the stairs, a hand pressed tightly over his mouth to ward off the possibility of vomiting all over the floor boards.

"Oi, great, now I'm alone!" lamented the last guard, clearly not keen with the idea of being the sole protector of whatever was happening in the basement. Smirking at the guard's misgivings, Mist raised her wand and took aim. The remaining sentry slowly slid down the wall where he fell, clearly asleep.

"That should buy us at least 5 minutes, now we just have to break through the imperturbable charm on the basement door," said Mist.

"I do believe I can manage that," came the dry, serious tone of the Architect's voice. He walked toward the door and traced his wand around its frame, as he did so the charm's area of effect began to glow. Muttering some strange incantations, inaudible to the others, the Architect continued to outline the door frame. Suddenly, he jabbed his wand into the glowing barrier and it instantly disappeared.

"There, I've dispelled the charm, Wraith, do you have the extendable ears?" asked the Architect.

"Three pairs, right here," replied Wraith, magicking them to Mist and the Architect, "I've done some tinkering with these ones, they are only visible to the user, so when the guards come back they won't notice the strings underneath the door."

"Good work!" cried Mist, securing her extendable ear and winding it beneath the door. Wraith and the Architect did likewise, and slowly the hushed tones of the meeting in the basement became audible.

"The council promised us that Magical Law Enforcement wouldn't get involved!" came an angry voice in accusatory tones, "but Wyndle has been captured, and some believe it wasn't just any enforcement squad, but one of Potter's Auror elites! If we have a team of Aurors on to us, there is no telling the danger we are in!"

"Calm down Orion; Wyndle was indeed captured, but there is no evidence to suggest that it was an Auror who apprehended him!" replied another in a more commanding, confident voice, "but you need not worry, Wyndle was successful in retrieving the Resurrection Stone, which I have personally delivered to the other members of the council and is now being kept in a safe place."

"I recognize that voice!" said Mist, with a hint of anxiety, "he was there when I captured the informant, he's one of the leaders of the council! That's Blaise Zabini!"

"Dammit!" cried Wrath, "this isn't a council meeting! Our intelligence was wrong, this is some kind of recruitment gathering!"

"It would seem so," responded the Architect, "however, we should not give up on an opportunity to discover the purpose of the artifact; we have already infiltrated the meeting, perhaps we should gather as much information as possible and then try to take in Zabini."

"But the talisman has been taken! Without that, the plan will not succeed!" yelled someone from the meeting.

"True," replied Zabini, "but there are plans we can put into motion immediately. I speak, of course, about learning the great stores of knowledge from long-dead witches and wizards; we will use the resurrection stone to bring back the greatest wizards of all time, and learn their secrets. Not even Harry Potter will be able to stand in our way when we arm ourselves with infinite knowledge!"

"I wonder what the talisman is for?" inquired Mist, "obviously it's more than just a tool to track Peverell artifacts."

"Indeed," said Wraith, "Hopefully the boss has made some headway on that end."

"That is of little comfort to us!" came a woman's voice from the basement, "the talisman contains a most ancient magic, honed and perfected over generations, designed as the counterpart to the resurrection stone! Do you know how long we have been waiting for a united attempt? You said we could trust your informant, he was captured, how do we know he didn't reveal the location of this safe house? You take too many risks, why yo–" her voice was muffled by a gargled, choking noise. The Vanguard heard her feeble attempts at breathing, unable to respond.

"How DARE you speak to me in such tones!" shouted an angered Zabini, "do not forget your place, whelp, I know the talisman is important, we are working on a solution; until then we should use the stone to learn, we may even be able to construct a new talisman. However, if you EVER speak out of turn again, you will suffer my...displeasure." He placed a particular emphasis on the last word, as if he was savoring its effect. The woman suddenly gasped for breath, evidently, Zabini had lowered his enchantment.

"I... apologize... sir," she gasped, barely able to speak.

"Very well," said Zabini, "we shall proceed as planned, we will contact you in the usual way within the next 48 hours; the council is glad of your assistance, when we achieve our goal, your sacrifices will not be forgotten."

"Time to act," said the Architect, drawing his wand.

"On the count of 3," responded Wraith, "1...2...3...Move!"

Blasting open the basement door, the Vanguard broke their disillusionment charms. All three of them sent quick stunning spells at the closest adversaries, using the element of surprise to their advantage. As the bewildered forms of the stunned wizards fell to the ground, the remaining three quickly drew their wands and prepared for battle.

"Blaise Zabini," said Mist, "you are under arrest for suspected participation in dark magic, if you come quietly you may avoid further charges."

Zabini laughed maniacally, an amused look in his eyes, "so Potter did manage to get some information from Wyndle; too bad he'll never know, he won't even find your BODIES!" Zabini launched himself, wand out, directly at the Vanguard, his remaining comrades following in his wake.