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Veteran
Disclaimer: I do not own the HP world, only some things that I created out of my own imagination and the plot of this story. Otherwise, everything else is Rowling's... the lucky witch!
War of Titans
Rescue: Pt.I
Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Division I, Ministry of Magic, three days later...
"Damnit!" cried a frustrated Auror Lieutenant Andrew Collins.
He crumpled up the piece of parchment that he was reading in frustration and anger. They were no nearer to finding out any Death Eater locations than they were before. Any suspected Death Eater locations had been hit right after the attack on Safe House 23, but it was to no avail. There were no Death Eaters found, though there were signs that they used to be there.
He took hold of a glowing blue ball on his desk, which glowed brighter for a brief moment.
"Vanessa, would you please call in Senior Aurors Harper, Kim, Parker, and Shaklebolt," he spoke to the ball.
"Right away, sir," said a female voice that came from the ball.
A quick flick of his wand and a few files flew out of a filing cabinet next to the Lieutenant. He flipped through a few of the papers as he waited for them.
Soon enough, a knock came from his door and Vanessa poked her head in, showing her curly light-brown hair and chocolate eyes. She was quite attractive, which was one of the reasons Collins hired her, "They are here now, Lietuenant."
"Very well, send them in. Thank you Vanessa."
She nodded and opened the door as four senior Aurors stepped into the room.
Auror Lietuenant Andrew Collins was tall, towering at six feet nine inches. He had short black hair and dark brown eyes with a thin scar running from above his left eye to his chin. It was from some battle against the Death Eaters long ago, when he was still a Junior Auror.
"I've called you here today because you are, as of now, to be the leaders of a special taskforce dealing with the offensive against the Death Eaters. For far too long we've been on the defensive and so now, I am assigning the four of you to head the new Special Auror Task Force. Senior Auror Harper will be in overall command of that outfit," he told them, pausing as they soaked in the information with shocked faces.
"I want results, people. Nothing but results. Too long have we Aurors been on the receiving end of attacks. It's high time we start making some on our own. I would like to be informed of any major raids or attacks. Other than that, you will have free reign for now. The Minister has already greenlighted this project and so we have full approval. This Task Force will remain secret until further notice, so please tighten security especially with your outfit," he paused.
"I am, for now, assigning thirty Aurors to the Special Auror Task Force. We can't afford to put any more unless we want to tell everyone about it. However, there is one thing I think you might like. The Minister has made available the services of ten Hitwizards, who already have their own task force and will be collaborating with our own," he finished, shocking them some more.
"Any questions? No? Good. Now get to work!" he dismissed them, turning back to the files he was reading.
None of them spoke, to surprised to say anything, and so they filed out of the Lieutenant's office with stunned faces. Things were really changing and they felt it was for the better.
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts...
Harry gripped his wand as he faced his first ever test in the Testing Hall. Dumbledore was on the bleachers to the side of the long hall while Harry stood in the middle, on a raised platform.
"Now, your first test will simply test your fighting skills. We've gone over all the spells that you've been taught and I want you to use only those spells taught to you. Remember, overcharging simple spells may prove more damaging than normally charged complex spells, plus they may use the same amount of power," he told Harry, who nodded, "Now, you shall be facing an artificial opponent. Try to disarm it first, but after this test, we will be aiming to disarm and incapacitate using any means necessary."
Harry nodded again. He just wanted to get it over with. Nervousness crept through every fiber of his being, though his anxiety was also very strong. He hoped he would do well.
Dumbledore threw a stone onto the platform and waved his wand a few times while pointing at it. A few spells later and the rock turned into a stone adversary, with a blank face but a body about six feet in height, only two inches taller than Harry.
He had a wooden stick as a wand. Harry decided to ask Dumbledore to teach him that since it could prove useful.
Before Harry knew it, he had ducked and rolled off to his left, his seeker reflexes kicking in fast. Two stunners had already whizzed past and sizzled against the barrier charm that Dumbledore constructed around the platform.
The two opponents traded spells, one after the other, as they hastily conjured shields or dodged each other's attacks, all the while looking for an opening or a weakness.
"Protego!" Harry shouted, pouring a lot of energy into the shield and making it glow brightly before him. He let an exploding hex slam into the shield and quickly retaliated with a few stunning and disarming spells.
The rock opponent twisted to avoid the spells but Harry had also sent a tripping jinx along with the mess, making his opponent fall flat on his face.
With a triumphant cry, he shouted, "Expelliarmus!" intending to end the match right then and there.
However, his spell never connected as a shield was suddenly erected out of nowhere and his opponent started firing off numerous spells at the same time that his opponent jumped up. Surprised, Harry quickly tried to evade most of them, though letting a few hit his shield.
"Diffindo! Confundo! Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Expelliarmus!"
Spells were exchanged some more as both tried to wear down the defenses of the other.
"Damnit," Harry hissed as he was thrown back by a rather powerful stunning spell that blew through his shield. He was saved by his shield however, since it took the brunt of the hit and so Harry wasn't stunned.
Another shield later he was back on his feet. He tried to overwhelm his opponent with multitudes of spells and though he knew it drained him faster, it was the only way he could beat it with these simple spells.
A disarming spell flew past his ear and Harry had no time to register it as three consecutive spells headed towards him. In an instant, he had turned to one side and then launched himself at the feet of his enemy, who stumbled back in surprise.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried and his opponent was thrown back and shattered into tiny fragments while the wand flew into his other hand.
Dumbledore started to clap as he took down the barrier charm.
"Well done, Harry. Effective use of your physical fitness in battle. This will prove more useful to you than you may think," Dumbledore said approvingly.
Harry grinned. He didn't feel all that tired, but he did feel his magic drained a little.
"So, what's next?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment, "Have you begun reading on Occlumency?"
"Yes, I've read through almost all the books you've given me. It's working pretty well, really. I just need someone to test my defenses now," replied the young wizard.
"Excellent. We shall try that later on then. But for now, I suggest we begin with what I am most proficient at. Transfiguration..."
Harry did not know how long they were inside the Training Hall, but when he stumbled out of it he was really tired. Transfiguration with Dumbledore was harder than McGonagall ever had been. Especially since they had gone by relatively quickly because Harry grasped Transfiguration very well.
It was only when they got to the higher level transfigurations that Harry really had to concentrate and focus his magic. He still could not transfigure anything made of stone and some transfigurations seemed out there for him, specifically because stone or earthen materials like stone were the hardest to transfigure of all things. However, the one thing that drovc him to succeed was that Dumbledore told if he mastered Transfigurations, then they would go in to Conjuring.
Harry quickly went into the Laboratory and drank a pepper-up potion to replenish some of his energy. He emptied the vial quickly before replacing it in the cabinet. He then eyed the table on which stood a moderately-sized cauldron and multiple vials, tubes, clamps, and cutting utensils as well as measuring materials.
'Professor, what are we doing now?' he asked through his mental link.
Through his studying of Occlumency, he had built strong defenses around his mind, building upon what was already there to begin with. He was surprised that his mind had created its own defenses, but it was crude and rough and had some cracks in it. He had fixed that though and he was confident he could withstand Dumbledore and even Voldemort if need be.
He had then prodded the mental link he had with Dumbledore and discovered that Dumbledore could, if Harry let him, feel his emotions and read his thoughts. Of course, Harry didn't want that, and so he shut off those parts of the link. But he kept the mindspeech link in case anything were to happen so he could communicate with Dumbledore.
'Well, I suggest you rest for now or continue on your reading. I have some business to finish and I will return there shortly,' replied Dumbledore.
Harry sent him a quick okay before deciding to brush up on his potions. He scanned the shelves and picked out a few books he found interesting and began reading on how to brew the potions contained within the pages of the books.
Granger Residence...
Hermione chewed on the end of her quill as she debated what to write her two best friends about. She especially wanted to write something good for Harry because of what happened. He was probably blaming himself for everything that happened and he hoped he was alright.
Concerned, she quickly wrote out an entire paragraph on the piece of parchment before her, before she stopped and then took what she wrote and crumpled it up. Too concerned and too emotional on that one. She needed to give him space and yet also tell him how much she cared. She knew if she crowded him and gave too much emotion into it he would distance himself even more.
"Oh, if only I could see you in person! Stupid Dumbledore!" she cried in frustration.
She had seen Harry's mental state the last time they were together and she knew it wasn't long before something bad happened. For all she knew, he could have already... no, that wasn't how she should think. She needed to be calm and think positive. Yes, think positive.
"Okay.." she whispered to herself, breathing deeply before resuming her writing.
Ten minutes later, she was satisfied with her letters and so tied them to the waiting owl. She had requested an owl through the Order member who stood outside her house.
The Order had taken to securing her home after a few hints that they might try to attack it. Dumbledore himself had come over to erect new wards and strengthen the old ones he had placed upon the home. Hopefully that would deter them enough to not attack, though he had not promised them it would.
The owl hooted as she finished tying the letters to the owl's outstretched leg and it hooted again before flapping its wings and taking off into the setting sun. She had also included a letter to Dumbledore, asking if he could send her a few books that she had listed on the letter. If Harry was going to fight, she would fight beside him.
She knew something was up and that there was some strange connection between Voldemort and Harry. No one knew, but in her time at the library she had also researched on links and bonds, especially with the type concerning Harry and Voldemort since he gave Harry his scar. The scar itself was a symbol that there was some connection with him, add to that all the dreams he got from Voldemort and Harry does have some connection with Voldemort.
However, that was not the connection she was thinking of. She had a general idea that the prophecy included not only Voldemort but Harry as well, which was the only reason Voldemort would really go after it. Her mind quickly churning she decided that if Dumbledore did not give her the books she wanted, she would try to get them herself.
"Hermione!" her mother called from downstairs, knocking her out of her thoughts.
"Coming mum!"
Hogwarts...
It had been... well, how long had it been? Harry had engulfed himself in potions all throughout the time Dumbledore was gone. He triumphantly raised the large bottle of Strengthening Potion, which he had brewed along with a few rejuvenating potions, endurance potions, and a replacement batch for the pepper-up potions he made.
"Well, here goes nothing," he said to himself as he poured the potion into the amount specified by the book that one should take. Three-quarters of the large bottle of neon orange liquid remained and Harry knew just who to give it to.
He looked at the vial in his hand and then quickly up-ended it into his mouth.
Licking his lips, he grimaced, though it was not as bad as some of the potions that he made while in Snape's class. Not having the greasy potions master around seemed to give Harry calm and also much confidence in his potion-making abilities.
He read the book again to make sure what to expect from drinking the potion.
Effects of the Strengthening Potion
The effects of the potion will not be felt for another hour after consumption. During this hour the potion will be mixing into your bloodstream and will fully integrate itself into your body... there will be much pain for your muscles will be magically strengthened... lasts only thirty minutes... make sure not to eat or drink during this period... ligaments, bones, and muscles will be strengthened... expect to see an increase in strength two hours after consumption... the amount of increase in strength depends on overall power of user and the quality of the potion...
Harry reread the passage and then nodded silently. There was going to be a lot of pain and he couldn't take any pain relieving potions to alleviate it since it would disrupt the strengthening potion. He just hoped he was ready for it.
Suddenly, he sensed shock, fear, and cold fury through his link with Dumbledore and he was instantly curious.
'Professor, what has happened?' he asked.
There was a pause before the voice of his mentor came through, 'Severus has been discovered as our spy. He is asking for help now and is being kept prisoner. We do not know yet where he is, but we will shortly...' his voice was stiff.
'Is there anything I can do?' Harry asked. Well, he knew that he could do nothing really, but he asked anyway.
'No, Harry. I just ask that you not think about it and study on your own for now. You should also train more while I am away. I will keep the mindlink open, but try not to disturb me anytime soon.' came the reply.
Harry sent a quick affirmative before grabbing a few books on strengthening one's magic and transfigurations. He plopped onto the couch in front of the fireplace and placed the stack of books on the floor in front of him.
He lay down and took the top book, flipping to the first page. He wouldn't disturb Dumbledore anytime soon even if he wanted to, anyway, since he was going to be in a lot of pain. He carefully checked his shields and defenses around his mind, making sure they were strong and stable so that his pain would not seep over the link and disturb Dumbledore.
There are many ways to strengthen one's magical power. There is training, which is the most common form where one teaches another or where one learns and practices magic on their own. Then there are rituals, which some consider to be very dark. There is also just doing the same spells over and over again, which not only makes the spells very familiar to the caster but also strengthens the magical core of the caster through repetitive draining...
Special Auror Task Force Headquarters, somewhere in England...
Kingsley Shaklebolt was not only tall, towering at six feet eight inches, but he was bald and black. He was the first black auror in the Ministry, which had accepted him when Moody insisted. This was, of course, when Moody was still a very senior Auror and very respected.
Kingsley had shown that wizards of other skin color also had the ability to be very strong, since most of wizarding Britain was white. In comparison, Kingsley did not have many connections in his earlier days. His only reason for rising in the ranks being his significant magical skills as well as his intelligence and cunning.
He was also very friendly and amusing to those he knew, but not often did he try to amuse others. He was very serious most of the time and found that actions meant more to him than words.
"Alright, this is our first full meeting. We have thirty aurors in the SATF and the full support of the Ministry as well as ten Hitaurors provided to us, coupled with the cooperation of the Hitwizard department itself," began Senior Auror Harper, who was tasked to lead the SATF.
He was cool under pressure and intelligent enough. He was loyal to his fellow aurors and was actually more aggressive than most auror leaders would have been.
"Our first task is to uncover any information regarding the location of Death Eater hideouts. We need to have an entire database set up and since we have the support and cooperation of the Ministry, we can pull a few strings to help us. I want, and the Lieutenant wants, results, and we best get them," he continued on with his speech as Kingsley suddenly felt the call of the Order through his enchanted golden earring on his left ear.
The earring was enchanted to glow warmly if the Order wished to call him in and also had some basic protective spells on it to help block any attacks if he were caught off guard.
Twenty minutes later, they were all scrambling to begin their respective tasks. Kingsley took this chance to leave, giving some excuse about talking to his contacts to find out information. Harper was too busy to really notice and just waved him off as he began coordinating with the two other SATF leaders, both of whom were women: Rebecca Kim and Jennifer Parker.
"Oh, and Kingsley, I'll need any information you can get from your contacts and I'll fill you in when you return," said Harper.
Kingsley just nodded, already halfway out the door.
Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix Headquarters...
The core of the Order was there, including a few outside the core. In total, there were forty-something of them in the room. Dumbledore didn't bother to count, knowing full well that they could take on whatever secured Snape.
"I have called this emergency meeting to inform you, for those of you who are not aware, that our spy and fellow Order member, Severus Snape, has been found out. We are not sure how, but we are certain that he is now locked up. We have a general sense of his location, but for the most part we'll be going in blind," he said, his eyes sweeping the room.
They all had determined faces, though he could sense some fear gripping them.
"I do not expect all of us to return, though I hope that we can do so. We will leave in ten minutes as I have sent someone to scout ahead and we shall wait for his report. In the meantime, I suggest you get ready and not leave the premises," he finished.
The talking began. It started from slow murmuring to fierce conversation until they were downright arguing. Dumbledore didn't notice as he thought of anything that Tom might have up his sleeve. He must know they would go after Severus, which was why he was even alive at that moment, but he wondered what Tom was planning.
Maybe it was a trap? But then he would know once Alastor returned. He was, after all, best suited for the job thanks to his magical eye and his intense intuition about such things as traps.
A slight crack reported from the hallway and in came Mad-Eye Moody, covered in leaves and dirt. He didn't seem to notice, though everyone else took a step back from him. He quickly strode up to Dumbledore, his wooden stump thudding onto the wooden floor and echoing across the now silent room.
"Alastor," Dumbledore greeted.
"Albus, I've scouted the place where he's at and I'm pretty sure of where they're keepin' him. They've got a buncha wards set about, but its nothing we can't handle. What I'm more worried about is the fact that there isn't much security 'round the place. I smell something's up, but it ain't anything I stepped on," he reported in his gruff voice.
Dumbledore nodded, "I thought so as well, Alastor. Do you think it might be a trap?"
Moody scrunched up his face, which was lined with scars from all his fights with the dark side, "Well, it's hard to tell really. I'm sure they would have some trap in place for us, but this feels different. It's almost as if they want us to focus on it and attack it... perhaps another attack elsewhere?"
Dumbledore nodded, "It's all possible, but alas, we have not much time. Severus was our only real source for information on Voldemort's plans, the others we have in place are very suspicious with their allegiance and I also suspect that they may be feeding us wrong information. Furthermore, I think it's more likely that they are setting a trap for us, which is why I have called so many of you in," he paused to look at the others gathered in the room.
"We must enter in loose formation, coming from all sides and angles. We cannot be bunched up in case of a trap. I will enter first, along with Remus and a few others. Alastor will lead a second team, Minerva a third, Flitwick a fourth team, and Nymphadora a fifth team," he quickly gave them instructions.
He quickly conjured long metal bars and made them into portkeys before handing them out. Soon, all six teams had one and were grabbing on to them. There were roughly eight of them a team and, in total, amounted to about fifty Order members.
"Once there, advance with caution and silence until the alarm is raised. I have sent a letter of alarm to the Ministry and I presume they will send in Aurors after they've read my letter. We must hurry, else Severus be mistaken for a Death Eater," he stopped speaking and then said, "Portkeying in five, four, three, two, one..."
Somewhere in England...
"What's the plan again? I'm hungry..." whined a fat Death Eater, who played with his wand with his fingers.
"Shut up, fool! I think I saw something..." hissed the other.
"But, I'm hungry... you got anything to eat? Please?"
"Silence!"
The fat Death Eater grumbled and then took something from out of his pocket. He soon began stuffing his face with what seemed like brownies.
The other Death Eater was relatively tall and thin. His eyes narrowed into slits and his face screwed up in concentration from behind his white mask.
"Hey, there's something out there... alert the others and make yourself useful, will you?" he said angrily.
"I think it's too late for that," said a different voice.
"What the-" the Death Eater began to say as he turned around in time to get hit by a powerful stunner that sent him back a few feet.
The Order member smiled and then ran off, steps light and silent on the grass.
The house, which looked really old, was made mostly of wood. It sat atop a hill and was surrounded by a small forest. A few pits were dug into the base of the hill and wards engulfed the area.
Dumbledore quickly scanned the wards, careful not to trip any alarms that may be situated in them. A few moments later, his lips tugged into a slight smile and then with a quick jabbing motion he collapsed the wards.
Shouts of, "They're here!" and "Sound the alarm!" echoed throughout the forest as the Death Eaters scrambled to get into position. A hail of spells exploded all around them as the Order members assaulted the hill.
"Quickly now! We haven't much time!" yelled Dumbledore in a commanding voice as he ran fast, not showing any signs of his age. He ducked and weaved as killing spells and bludgeoning spells whizzed at him. He immediately set up an anti-appparition ward and then with a few quick motions a foxhole with three Death Eaters exploded, killing all three.
Dumbledore sighed, it had to be done.
"Avada Kedavra!" a voice shouted triumphantly.
Dumbledore turned and saw the green light coming at him...
Hogwarts...
Harry yelled in agony. His entire body felt like it was churning in a vat of molten lava. His muscles felt as if they were being torn apart, tissue by tissue, and his bones seemed to explode outward into tiny shards. The only time he felt this much pain was under the Cruciatus curse, but he didn't even think about that as a new wave of pain assaulted his senses.
He used his occlumency to try and break through the pain or at least dull it, but it was to no avail. He was still not a master of occlumency and try as he might, the pain kept coming back, even stronger.
The pain soon became unbearable to the point that he flickered in and out of consciousness. His breathing was harsh, his skin was sweaty, and his vision blurred.
"Harry..." a voice echoed around him.
Pain ripped through his body once more and Harry returned to the darkness.
"Harry..." the voice echoed again, this time stronger.
He could smell fresh flowers. He could hear water trickling from a nearby brook. Birds were chirping and the sun shone brightly, warming his skin. A breeze picked up, ruffling his shirt and his hair.
He stood at the bottom of a hill, a grassy hill with many flowers. Atop the hill stood a woman who looked so very familiar and yet her name was unknown to him.
"Harry..." the voice echoed, and he knew it came from her.
He struggled to reach her, to walk up the hill, but his legs could not move. His body could not respond.
"Harry..." the voice called again, soothing and enticing.
"Come to me...fight it, Harry... fight the pain..." she said, whispering as if she were merely next to him, yet she seemed so far away.
The sun was setting and it bathed her in a heavenly glow, taking his breath away. She looked at him and called to him again. He willed himself to move, but then the pain returned. He fell to the ground, tears in his eyes. The grass around him suddenly died, turning black. The flowers wilted, the trees turned to ash, and the birds suddenly disappeared.
Everything was dying around him, yet the hill remained untouched. The sun shone upon it while the darkness consumed everything other than what was on the hill.
The green grass and the bright and colorful flowers called to him as much as the woman did. He got up to his knees and he willed himself with all his power to walk, to reach the safety of the hill.
Darkness closed all around yet he finally was able to shove one foot across the black dirt. Another foot moved forward, and he was closer to the hill.
"Harry... yes... come to me... ignore the pain... fight the pain... for there is no pain... come to me..." she called.
He felt lighter, better, as if he had just taken a pepper-up potion or a rejuvenating potion. His steps became stronger, his stride lengthened, and his spirits rose. Just as he was about to step onto the base of the hill, the pain returned and his legs turned to lead. His strength dissipated. He fell once more, a mere inch away from the safety of the hill.
The darkness was consuming him. It slowly crept up from his legs, engulfing his feet, his shins, his thighs. Harry tried to get up, to get away, but it was all for naught. He looked up for one more fleeting glance at the woman who stood atop the hill...
Author's Notes: Hmmm... I'm being very bad, aren't I?
