I'd like to thank Pahan and InquisitorCOC for beta-reading.
Chapter 4: Hogwarts
The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, August 11th, 1997
Harry Potter was leading his friends towards The Burrow in a run - Apparition had been blocked by the attackers - when he noticed movement in the woods to his right side, less than a hundred yards away. "Take cover!" he yelled, dropping behind the next trunk left from some curse practice. He studied the woods, looking for enemies, when a yelp behind him made him whirl around, wand flashing. Had someone flanked them?
No. Ginny had tackled Luna to the ground and was dragging her behind a rock. He should have remembered that Luna hadn't been trained by Hans and wouldn't know how to react! Harry clenched his teeth at his own stupidity as he turned his attention back to the treeline - and the wardline, he realised.
"I've found them! Behind the large oak with the split trunk!" Hermione yelled - she had her Omnioculars out, Harry noticed. He took a closer look at the tree she indicated and saw a grey-robed wizard hiding behind it. And more movement nearby, in the undergrowth. More grey glimpses.
Ministry weren't disillusioned. Hans had said that on a real battlefield, using Disillusionment Charms was just an invitation for friendly fire, but on the approach, and in front of a wardline, that wasn't a concern until a battle had started.
The enemy was too far away for precise spellcasting. A little far even for Blasting Curses.
"Down, Luna!"
"But I have to see what's going on!"
"I said down! You'll get cursed!"
"The wards are still up; they can't curse me."
"But I can curse you if you don't stay behind cover!"
"Cut the chatter!" Harry yelled over his shoulder. "As soon as the wards go down, we've got an enemy charge to deal with. Probably broom flyers, too," he added.
"Can't see anything in the sky," Ron yelled back. "Not even hints of shafts. They must be staying on the ground for now - or they are too afraid of attacking on brooms after Privet Drive."
Harry saw the air flicker in front of the trees. The wards were failing. And quickly. They were still far from the Burrow or the closest entrance to the underground base. They wouldn't make it before the wards fell - especially Luna - and would end up caught in the open. Dead meat for the attackers, especially if they had support on brooms. And they couldn't stay here either - even if they managed to keep broom riders at bay, they would be outflanked rapidly.
He licked his lips. There was only one option. The enemy wouldn't expect that. Not British Hit-Wizards, at least. He remembered what Napoleon had said according to Hermione: 'The morale is to the physical as three is to one.' Well, they'd find out of Napoleon was correct. "We charge them on three!" he yelled. "One!"
"Me too?" Luna. Of course.
"Two!"
"Just follow me!" he heard Ginny yell.
"Three!"
Harry jumped up and started to run towards the wardline. Another, longer flicker of the wards briefly obscured his view of the trees behind it. And of the Hit-Wizards hiding there.
Fifty yards. He sensed more than saw his friends form a line with him as he flicked his wand an sent a Blasting Curse towards the treeline, blowing up a tree and some bushes. Three more explosions followed, throwing up a cloud of dust. Another tree toppled.
Forty yards. He started screaming, jumping over a fallen tree, and cast another Blasting Curse, together with his friends. The dust from the earlier blasts had barely started to settle, and more was thrown up. Was that a body?
Thirty yards. His friends were screaming as well. Even Luna, though she sounded more like she was squealing. The next salvo of curses hit at the same time and decimated the treeline. Spells flew at them from the trees but splashed against the wards.
Twenty yards. Another flicker, longer. A flash. And a crackling sound. The wards were down. And the treeline had disappeared in a cloud of smoke and dust.
Ten yards. Curses flew at them through the smoke cloud - unaimed, not even coming close. Harry saw someone appear in the smoke. Grey robes. His Cutting Curse left a red line from hip to shoulder just as a Reductor Curse blew the witch's head away. Another Hit-Wizard appeared, wand flashing towards Harry. His curse went wide. Harry's Bludgeoning Curse smashed the wizard's Shield Charm and doubled him over. His next Bludgeoning Curse hit the man's head with a sickening crack. The Hit-Wizard fell.
And Harry entered the cloud of smoke obscuring the treeline. Someone was yelling in front of him. "Hold the line! Hold the Line! Hold the LiARGH!" Harry saw a man on the ground as he closed with the trees, holding his bleeding stomach. The man raised his wand, but Harry was faster. His Cutting Curse sliced the man's lower arm off.
Harry tried to ignore the screaming as he dashed around the first trees which were still standing. Something moved to his side, and he raised his wand before he recognised the black robes. Ron! A curse missed him by inches, and he whirled around. Another curse splashed against his shield. There! A witch in grey robes, ducking behind a tree.
Harry snarled and hit the tree with a Blasting Curse. It disappeared in a cloud of splinters that pelted his shield as he moved to flank the witch - only to find that her shield hadn't stopped the splinters - the tree fragments had shredded her.
"Merlin's Beard!" he heard someone scream to his left. "They're behind us!"
"Stand and fight!" another. "Stand and Fight!"
As he dashed from tree to tree, towards the location of those vices, he heard another one.
"Attacke! Los! Los! Auf sie mit Gebrüll!" Hermione shouted.
"Storm Wizards!"
"God damn it, hold the line! Don't panic!"
Harry broke through a dense patch of underbrush and found himself in the middle of three Hit-Wizards. He flipped his wand to point at the ground and cast a Blasting Curse. The force of the explosion threw him back into the bushes and shattered his Shield Charm. Rolling to the side, he recast it, then dashed forward. Only one of the Hit-Wizard was still standing - and she was staggering. Harry flicked his wand, and the witch dropped hers. "Please! I surrender!"
He hesitated a moment, then stunned her and turned right. There had to be more of the enemies still fighting. But he didn't see any.
There! No, that was Ron, covered with dirt and dust, but looking fine otherwise. And Harry heard Hermione a little away, still screaming German battle cries. Or curses. He couldn't tell. But he knew that they needed to close ranks - they were isolated, and if the enemy managed to rally, they'd be overrun. But he had forgotten to declare a rally spot.
Harry pointed his wand at his throat and cast an Amplifying Charm. "Kampfgruppe Potter, rally at the Snogging Spot! Rally at the Snogging Spot!"
Ron snorted. "Snogging Spot?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm sure the enemy won't know where that is. Let's go!"
Gellert Grindelwald glanced at the wardline as he walked from the shed to the decoy house. The wards would hold for a few more minutes at most. That couldn't be helped - they covered too much ground to be strong enough to repel a determined attack. Another reason for doing away with the Statute of Secrecy - if they wouldn't have to cover the Quidditch Pitch and the entire area between it and the house to hide from muggles, the Weasleys could have put up far stronger wards around The Burrow. No, Gellert reminded himself, he couldn't blame the muggles for this. Albus had said so. So, if the muggles weren't at fault, then it must be the fault of the British Ministry for Magic. If they hadn't banned blood magic, then the Weasleys could have put up strong wards covering their entire property!
He entered the building through the kitchen and found the Weasleys busy panicking, or something similar to that. Mr and Mrs Weasley were in the living room, yelling as far as he could tell, while their children and the French witch were casting spells at the doors and windows and walls.
"You!" Mrs Weasley rounded on him. "Where are Ginny and Ron? Where are my children?"
Those were the two Weasleys involved with Potter, Gellert knew. But where were they? Usually, they would be training at this time of the day, but they were in the middle of an attack, and Hans was leading half their forces to flank the enemy, so he wasn't training them. Unless Hans was using the opportunity to let the kids get some combat experience. Ah, Hans - so thoughtful.
"Where are they?"
Gellert had the impression that telling the witch that her children were about to roll up the enemies outside would not help her focus on more important things, such as killing her enemies. It was very illogical, but witches tended to be emotional. Albus had agreed with him about that, in their youth. But he knew how to handle such a situation. "Don't worry, Mrs Weasley, your children will be fine. We will hold the line here, and Hans will hit the enemy from behind. No one will escape to threaten your family."
"Where are they?"
For some reason, Mrs Weasley suddenly reminded him of Katrina. Only that Katrina would never look at him like that. It wasn't Gellert's fault, anyway, that the kids weren't where they should be - wherever that was; he wasn't responsible for them; that was Hans's job.
Fortunately, the wards broke down just then, and he had an excuse to postpone further explanations. Namely, the need to kill French.
A few steps took him to the front window while something - probably the roof - exploded above him. There! The French Gendarmes where charging across the field, coming straight at him. Like fifty years ago. They were even screaming the same battle cries - "Vive le Duc! Vive la France!"
The left half of the living room blew up, but his Shield Charm easily deflected the force of the explosion. He hoped that the Weasleys hadn't forgotten to shield themselves, but he couldn't afford to worry about them. Not when three dozen French demanded his attention. He stepped out from the house - or what was left of it - and swung the Elder Wand in a wide arc, lines of fire whipping through the air - and cutting through the front rank of the French, Literally. He grinned as he conjured a concrete wall to absorb the surviving Gendarmes' retaliation. Albus had never acknowledged that Gellert's Fire-Cat-of-Nine-Tails Spell was superior to his Fire-Whip Spell. It was even more British, too.
The concrete wall crumbled and Gellert replaced it - while disillusioning himself and falling back. Reckless the French might be, and brave to the point of stupidity, but - some rumours to the contrary - they weren't actually stupid; they wouldn't let a wall stop them for long.
As expected, fire engulfed the entire wall, breaking over it and splashing on the ground behind it. And more Gendarmes were flanking the wall on both sides. Perfect. He flanked the flankers on his side - and had to suppress another urge to cast the Killing Curse. Ah well - he should have expected this. After fifty years in Albus's hand, the poor wand must be starved for some dark curses. He was happy to oblige it - as long as the curses were tactically sound. Which the Killing Curse wasn't right now.
He flicked the Elder Wand and conjured a black cloud in the middle of the closest French. Their screams didn't last long - when all of the moisture in one's body was sucked out by a dark curse, people tended to die quickly. Or at least lose their voices quickly - they might actually last a little longer than that.
He saw curses flash towards the French from the other side, and from the house. And behind him, Storm Wizards were taking up their positions along the base entrance. The anvil was forming. Good.
He stopped a few more curses sent his ways with a conjured metal shield - they had spotted him quickly - and vanished the cloud with his next spell. It was near the house, and the Weasleys were close enough to French - one had even married one - that them charging into the cloud was a possibility. Accidentally killing your allies would be embarrassing.
The sight of the desiccated corpses his curse had left gave even the French pause. Not for long, of course - they were stubborn like that. Most of the British wizards would have broken already. But just as they were rallying, Gellert saw something fly out of the upper floors of the decoy house, and several black clouds appeared on the battlefield.
He blinked. Had Albus taught dark curses to his Order? That was more pragmatic than he had expected - Albus had always been on his case for using dark curses, despite their efficiency. Then he realised that those weren't curses, but something else.
The French, however, lacked his experience in the Dark Arts and faltered again.
And that was when Hans hit them from behind and sealed their fate. Caught between what they mistakenly thought were more Dark Drought Clouds and two dozen charging Storm Wizards, the French broke. Some stayed and fought, others fled, most died anyway.
Gellert smiled as he sent a Killing Curse at a fleeing Gendarme, hitting the witch in the back.
It really felt like old times.
"Good work, Hans," Gellert Grindelwald said, stepping over the bisected body of a Gendarme and around parts of the roof of the decoy house that had been blown this far. He glanced back at the remains of the house. Two and a half floors had survived the battle. And the Weasleys wanted to rebuild it. As stubborn as the French!
"Meister Grindelwald!" Hans struck his heels together and stood at attention. "We just did our duty."
"How many casualties did we take?" Despite the perfect plan and setup, there always were some who simply were unlucky or stupid.
"Two were killed when dealing with the flanking force of the enemy. One more when we attacked the main force. Half a dozen wounded."
"Two?" Gellert frowned. Hans's force must have outnumbered the flankers of the enemy by a considerable margin. They should have wiped them out without trouble.
"They ran ahead of our line."
"Ah." That explained it. "Were they new recruits?" Veterans would have known better than to rush ahead. That wasn't conductive to surviving a battle.
"Yes." Hans scowled. "Katrina didn't train them well enough."
Gellert chuckled. It wouldn't do to remind Hans that even his Storm Wizards sometimes were too French. Then he blinked. "That reminds me - where are Potter and his group?"
Hans frowned. "They should have reported to the base. That are standing orders when under attack."
"Ah." As Gellert had thought. Potter and his friends were… walking towards him from the northern flank? And there were five of them, not four. He turned to Hans. "You didn't recruit another kid without telling me, did you?"
"No, Meister Grindelwald!" Hans barked. He narrowed his eyes. "That's the journalist, Meister."
Gellert squinted. Yes, the fifth figure looked like that charming young journalist. But why was she wearing the coat of a Storm Wizard? "We did forbid the ranks to bet their coats when gambling, didn't we?"
"Yes, Meister Grindelwald."
What was his policy about looting the dead, if they were his own, again? Waste not, want not was a good rule to live by, but did that count for journalists?
He was still pondering that when Potter saluted. "Kampfgruppe Potter, reporting. We were caught in the open on our way back by a flanking force. We attacked and routed them when the wards fell."
So they hadn't actually made it to the base. Gellert nodded, smiling. Another mystery solved. "Hans, tell Mrs Weasley that her children are safe."
"Hello, Mr Grindelwald!" The blonde journalist was waving at him.
"Hello, Miss… Lovegood, was it?"
She beamed at him. "Exactly!"
"You seem to be wearing a Storm Wizard coat."
She nodded several times. "That's because I'm an embedded journalist. And it's not a Storm Wizard coat, look!" She turned around, and he saw that the symbol on the back wasn't his sigil, but The Quibbler's logo.
He had no idea what an embedded journalist was, but everything seemed to be in order. "Very good, miss." He nodded.
"And I've brought you a personal copy of the special edition of The Quibbler with your interview!" She held out a slightly battered copy of a magazine to him. "It got a little damaged when Ginny tackled me, though," she added with a pout and a glance at the female Weasley.
He frowned at the redheaded girl. "No roughhousing in battle! There's a time and place for that sort of thing, and it's not when curses fly over the battlefield." Really, he and Albus had never made such a spectacle. Of course, when they had met on the battlefield, they had been fighting each other, and they hadn't been a couple any more, but the point still stood.
The female Weasley was saying something about curses, but he wasn't really listening. Of course, there were curses, and anyone sane would take cover, really. He was reading the magazine. Potter was saying something about Miss Lovegood being young and special - that much was obvious to anyone with a brain, so Gellert ignored the boy as well.
Dumbledore behind Grindelwald! Attack on the Ministry planned by Dumbledore according to Grindelwald!
Yes, he could already see from the headline alone that Miss Lovegood was one of the rare honest and professional journalists who wouldn't twist his words to sell more issues!
The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, August 12th, 1997
"He's crazy. You heard what he told Luna: She wrote exactly what he said!" Harry Potter shook his head as he paced in the tent serving as their new quarters until The Burrow was rebuilt. "He thinks Dumbledore is behind all of his actions!" He should have realised this long before yesterday. Sirius had been unstable after a mere ten years in prison, and Grindelwald had spent fifty in prison. Granted, he hadn't had to deal with Dementors, but fifty years?
He looked at Ginny, Hermione and Ron. Ginny was nodding. But his friends...
Hermione cleared her throat, and Harry frowned. He knew the expression she wore right now. That was her face when she disagreed with him. "Well, is he really crazy?"
"He thinks Dumbledore planned his breakout from prison! And wanted Voldemort to take over the Ministry!" Harry exclaimed. "How isn't that crazy?"
"As crazy as sending three students to hunt Voldemort's Horcruxes?" Hermione countered. "Without any support? And what about the things he left us in his will? If he wanted us to have them, wouldn't he have given them to us before he died so that the Ministry couldn't confiscate them?"
"And if he truly cared about saving the Ministry, wouldn't he have become Minister long ago?" Ron was supporting his girlfriend, of course.
Harry shook his head again. "There's the prophecy. And my blood protection. I, we are the best choice for this mission."
"That doesn't mean that he hadn't wanted Grindelwald to come help us," Hermione pointed out. She raised her chin. "I've researched him - he was a steadfast fighter for equality among wizards and witches. Even when all of Europe opposed him, he remained firmly committed to that policy. And he promoted rights for magical creatures, too!"
Harry looked over the rim of his glasses at her. "He also as responsible for the greatest atrocities in Magical Europe since the Thirty Years War."
She pouted. "Well, yes, but he said that he had changed. That Dumbledore managed to reform him."
"I still don't think Dumbledore wanted him to break out but didn't tell him," Harry said, sitting down at their table.
"Mate, Dumbledore took how long to tell you about your protection and the prophecy?" Ron shook his head. "And do you remember our first year? This wouldn't be Dumbledore's craziest plan."
Harry pressed his lips together. His friends had a point, but still… "Doesn't it bother you that we're following a man who's all but worshipping Dumbledore?"
Ron shook his head. "Not at all."
"As long as he keeps fighting Voldemort and works towards toppling his regime, and save the muggleborns, I'm fine with that," Hermione said. "Dumbledore was more than a little eccentric, and we followed him, didn't we?"
Even Ginny nodded.
"And what alternative do we have?" Ron asked. "The Order's not exactly helpful. Didn't see anyone of them coming to save The Burrow."
"To be fair, they probably didn't hear about this in time," Hermione said.
"And he didn't save The Burrow either," Ginny said. "It's half-destroyed."
"Still, he and his Storm Wizards defeated first the Death Eaters, and now the Ministry forces and the French." Ron shrugged. "Could do worse."
Harry sighed. He and his friends had also fought. And killed. He hadn't really slept well, despite sharing the bed with Ginny for the entire night - since they had a tent for themselves, they didn't have to worry about her parents checking up on them. But Ron and Hermione were right - there was no alternative to Grindelwald. Not with the French supporting the Ministry controlled by Voldemort.
A chime sounded. That someone wanted to visit. Harry stepped up to the entrance. "Yes?"
"It's me! Can I come in?"
Luna. Harry sighed, then tapped the flap with his wand, unsealing it.
A moment later, Luna's head appeared, sticking through the gap. She looked around, smiled, then entered. "Good! I didn't want to barge in if you were having sex."
Harry gasped. "Luna!"
"We wouldn't have let you inside in that case," Ginny said.
"Well, better safe than sorry!" Luna held up a bundle of newspapers. "I brought news! And propaganda and lies! The very first issue of the underground edition of The Quibbler! And the Daily Prophet, in case you need more toilet paper." She beamed as she spread the newspapers and magazines on the table.
Harry took a glance at the Daily Prophet's front page and winced.
Boy-Who-Lived apprenticed to Grindelwald! French Gendarmes and British Hit-Wizards murdered by mudbloods and blood traitors!
"They're not really hiding their allegiance any more, are they?" Ron commented as Hermione started reading.
"Of course not!" Luna said. "It would be pointless when The Underground Quibbler exposes it all!"
Indeed, Harry noticed, The Quibbler's title had changed. It now read 'The Underground Quibbler - Voice of Freedom'. He was more concerned about the headline, though.
Kampfgruppe Potter in action - Boy-Who-Lived leads Storm Wizards!
And of course the picture beneath it, showing him and his friends taking cover behind rocks. With their Storm Wizard coats clearly visible.
Luna beamed at him. "See? The Prophet will have to admit that you're fully behind Grindelwald's Crusade!"
Harry forced himself to smile.
The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, August 14th, 1997
"...and according to my contacts in the Corps, the Ministry has stopped all offensive actions and is focusing on protecting the Ministry itself, with minimal patrols in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley."
Shacklebolt obviously was a wizard born for war, Gellert Grindelwald thought. When he first met the Auror, in Potter's former home, he had been scatterbrained and easily confused - barely able to follow a conversation. Now, though, with war having broken out on British soil, he was focused, clear and concise in his report to the Order of the Phoenix. If only the man weren't glaring at Gellert so much; it was as if he held a grudge against Gellert for some reason.
And why was it the Order of the Phoenix? It should be the Order of the Weasleys, in Gellert's opinion. He still hadn't met many Order members who weren't Weasleys. Albus probably had been hoping to expand the Order but hadn't had the time to do so, or he would surely have named it the Order of the Weasleys. Gellert also suspected that there was a prophecy in play here as well - seven kids? That was a magical number! Of course, that was it! Albus had wanted to hide the fact that the Weasleys were crucial to his plans! The other Order members were camouflage!
"With so many Hit-Wizards dead or captured, they are trying everything they can to recruit more, but that will take time. The Aurors have been called up to fulfil the missing Hit-Wizards duties, which has prevented them from conducting any more raids against muggleborns."
Useful camouflage, though, Gellert amended as Shacklebolt continued his report. That, too, was typical for Albus. His old love had been so efficient in everything he did!
"Even less now, after a number of Auror patrols have been attacked in Knockturn Alley and even Diagon Alley," the metamorphmagus with the weird name - who called their daughter 'Tonks'? The poor witch must have had a horrible time at school - said. "This must be connected to the leaflets that urge the muggleborns to fight for their rights. Every few nights the Alleys are covered with them."
Hadn't Potter's other witch mentioned something about leaflets? Gellert dimly remembered her talking about warning the muggleborns or something. He had been busy planning the layout of his command room, so he hadn't really been listening. In any case, leaflets weren't really important.
"What about the French?" The middle Weasley asked.
Gellert hoped he hadn't missed anything important. Probably not - meetings hadn't changed in the last fifty years.
"My sources didn't hear anything concrete - they had not much contact to the Gendarmes," Shacklebolt answered. "The Gendarmes are organised more like Hit-Wizards than Aurors."
Gellert nodded. Only the French would consider soldiers the best choice to enforce the law. Well, Magical Prussia did the same, but only because, for some unknown reason, they hadn't rebuilt the Storm Wizards after Gellert's defeat. Quite shortsighted, in his opinion - they wouldn't have as much trouble with the French if they had a decent force of Storm Wizards.
Mr Weasley spoke up. "I've been talking to some friends in the Ministry. The French are willing to send more Gendarmes, but only if they aren't under the command of the Ministry. And the Ministry, of course, doesn't want that." He winced. "And both have appealed to the ICW for support."
Gellert scoffed. "The ICW won't do anything unless the Statute of Secrecy is threatened." And that wasn't the case.
Mr Weasley coughed. "They voiced their concern over the recent battle and the rising tensions between France and Prussia. Apparently, there's a certain wariness towards, well, you."
"What?" Gellert shook his head. "Are they still going on about that? I've made my goals very very clear - I gave an interview, too - and they don't include breaking the Statue of Secrecy!" He was a wizard of his word! And Albus wouldn't have liked it if he broke the Statute.
"They do not seem to put too much faith in that declaration," the middle Weasley said.
Gellert huffed. How was a wizard supposed to change if no one believed him? "In any case, the ICW is no concern. Even if they wanted to intervene, by the time they have sorted out who will actually do it, we'll have finished Voldemort and the Ministry. Katrina informed me that recruitment in Prussia continues to rise and that many wizards and witches from the other German countries are joining our forces. Even some foreigners."
Strangely, though, the Order members didn't seem to be pleased to hear such good news. They looked even worried, for some reason.
"This could be bad," Mr Weasley said. "If the Prussians fear a coup..."
Ah, that. Gellert waved his hand. "Don't worry. I've ordered Katrina to clear up things with Prussia. There won't be any misunderstandings." He could trust her - she wasn't a witch to accept failure. He smiled widely. "And as soon as the latest batch of recruits has arrived and is settled in, we'll be taking Hogwarts!"
That didn't seem to improve their mood either. You simply couldn't please some people!
The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, August 21st, 1997
For being at war, things looked rather peaceful, in Harry Potter's opinion. There hadn't been any fights since the Battle of The Burrow. The Aurors and Hit-Wizards were supposedly rebuilding and recruiting, but so far, all they seemed to be doing was hiding in the Ministry with the rest of Voldemort's supporters. And the French were still refusing to send more Gendarmes until the Ministry gave them carte blanche.
Not that the Storm Wizards were doing much better - they were once again spending every day training under the not so tender attentions of Hans the Horrible. If not for the nightly visits to Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, Harry would even feel bored.
At least The Burrow had been rebuilt - just as it had been before, to Grindelwald's vocal surprise. The Weasleys had even replaced their ghoul, the only casualty of the family during the Battle. Which meant that Ginny and Ron were swapping beds at night again. Everyone missed staying in a wizarding tent.
He leaned back against the tree stump and looked at the Storm Wizards struggling on that slope he knew so well, shaking his head when he saw one of them collapse.
"We're actually not bad," Ginny, leaning into his left side, said. "Not compared to them," She pointed at the recruits. "No matter what Hans says."
Harry nodded. Of course, he had realised that they weren't 'hopeless slackers who couldn't beat a flobberworm', as Hermione had translated, when he and his friends had beaten the attacking Hit-Wizards. Killed them, he thought, wincing at the memories of the carnage. But it was one thing to fight a battle, and another to see new recruits doing much, much worse than he had done in their place.
And to be able to call himself a veteran when talking to other Storm Wizards felt good, too.
"There you are!"
He looked up and saw Luna approaching them. The blonde witch had become a sort of honorary Storm Witch in the past week. This was partially thanks to Grindelwald's obvious respect for her, and partially because she had spent the entire battle with a camera in hand, snapping pictures while curses flew by.
Harry didn't think that that was normal or healthy, but Luna claimed it was normal for war reporters, and since she was an embedded journalist at war, it was normal for her as well. And he knew better than to argue with Luna. Hermione had tried it and learned her lesson as well.
"Here! The latest issue!" She pushed a magazine in his hand and one into Ginny's. "With the recent influx of Prussian recruits, we have increased the number of copies again!" She beamed. "Mister Grindelwald said that it was a good way to teach them English! Even with all the free issues we're dropping on Diagon Alley, we're selling more than ever before!"
Harry looked at the headline. "Magical Snake killed while trying to impersonate old witch?"
Luna nodded. "There was an explosion in Godric's Hollow. Daddy investigated and found the remains of several Death Eaters and one huge snake of a previously unknown species. He concluded that Voldemort had been trying to replace Mister Grindelwald's great-aunt with the snake to lure him into a trap. One of the next issues will cover this new species's habitat and life cycle. He's calling it a Puppeteering Serpent."
Harry kept smiling and nodding, but it was obvious that this article was far removed from what had actually happened in Godric's Hollow.
Hogsmeade, September 1st, 1997
A secret tunnel that connected Hogwarts with the Honeydukes Sweetshop? Albus must have created that one personally! He had such a sweet tooth! Gellert Grindelwald chuckled as he followed Potter and his friends into the basement of the shop while Hans and his men took care of any witnesses with a barrage of Obliviations.
"I still say we should have taken the passage in the Hog's Head Inn. We wouldn't have to obliviate half of Hogsmeade," he heard Potter mutter.
The boy wasn't wrong. But the Hog's Head Inn was owned and run by Albus's brother. And Gellert knew that a wizard who hadn't even found it in himself to forgive Albus - the man's own brother and the greatest wizard and most noble soul Gellert had ever known - would be more trouble than a few dozen villagers. And contrary to most British wizards, Aberforth could wield his wand very competently. Not as well as Albus, of course. Not even close. But Gellert would rather deal with a squad of Aurors than Aberforth, and not because he still felt guilty about his most tragic mistake. If only he hadn't lost his temper… Ariana wouldn't have died, Aberforth would have found someone else to hate, probably a goat, Albus wouldn't have been broken, they would have stayed together…
"Meister Grindelwald?"
Ah, he had been woolgathering in the middle of the tunnel. How embarrassing. "Sorry. I just went over the plan again," Gellert lied.
Potter nodded, even though the plan wasn't really complicated. Sneak into Hogwarts through a secret passage - another sign that Albus had planned all of this. Why else wouldn't he have closed off all of those passages? - hours before the first students arrived. Overpower the teachers and anyone else present - probably a few Aurors and Hit-Wizards - and take control of the school.
Child's play for a few dozen Storm Wizards.
He reminded himself that he couldn't afford to underestimate his enemies. They were facing Albus's murderer. It might have been done by foul treachery, cursing Albus in the back when he already was at his weakest due to that ugly curse, but this Snape was obviously willing to do anything.
It wouldn't help him.
"We're here," Potter whispered. "Third floor. No one is around."
"Open it," Gellert ordered, "but let me pass first." Potter knew the school, but Gellert was the more experienced wizard.
Potter whispered the password - 'Dissendium'; Gellert took note - and the wall in front of them changed into… a steep slide? Gellert frowned at the boy.
"Ah… it's easy to climb?"
Gellert shook his head. Stepping foot into Albus's school for the first time should have been an impressive gesture. Doing so by climbing up a slide wasn't impressive. He blinked. Of course! Albus had arranged that to help Gellert stay humble right before he entered Hogwarts. He sighed with a smile. His love had been a genius indeed and had known him so well!
Ignoring the whispering behind him, he quickly climbed up the slide with the help of a few transfigurations.
He found himself in a deserted corridor - on the third floor, as Potter had told him. He couldn't detect anyone nearby, nor any traps or curses. Behind him, Potter and his friends climbed out from under the ugly statue that hid the passage, followed by Hans and the rest of the Storm Wizards with him.
Potter and his group bent over some parchment - a magical map of the school, an heirloom if Gellert had correctly understood the slightly chaotic explanation the group had given. The kid's ancestors must have been teachers - why else would anyone create a magical map of a school?
"McGonagall is in her quarters, same as Slughorn, Flitwick and Sprout," Potter announced. "There are two Death Eaters - Alecto and Amycus Carrow; they were there when Dumbledore was murdered - in the Defence Teacher's quarters. Vector is in the kitchens, with Sinistra. Filch is in the courtyard." He sneered. "And Snape's in the Headmaster's office."
"Lead us there," Gellert said, clenching his teeth. Albus's murderer would pay!
"I'll show you the teachers quarters," Potter's muggleborn witch said.
"And I'll lead you to the kitchen," the male Weasley offered.
"I guess that leaves Filch for me," the female Weasley sighed.
The Storm Wizards split off, and Gellert followed Potter to some ugly Gargoyle. The statue moved to the side as soon as they approached it, and the boy stopped.
"I haven't given the password yet," he whispered. "Something's wrong."
A trap? Gellert looked around.
"There's no one near," Potter said. "Snape's alone in the office."
That didn't mean anything. The stairs could be cursed and trapped. They probably were - Albus likely had defences in place. Gellert certainly would have had them, in his place. He looked up. It shouldn't be too hard to blow a hole in the ceiling, and then into the walls.
"Oh for heaven's sake!" a voice sounded from the Gargoyle. "I'm coming down before you blow something up in your frantic haste, Potter."
"Snape," Potter whispered. Gellert had suspected, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Cursing the wrong wizard would be embarrassing.
Half a minute later, an ugly man with an uglier nose but elegant black robes appeared on the stairs. "Potter," he spat, before turning to Geller. "Mr Grindelwald, I presume." He seemed to ignore the two wands aimed at him.
"And you're Snape. Albus's murderer," Gellert said, surprising himself with his self-control. He wanted to curse this foul excuse for a human being who had murdered the greatest wizard he had ever known. But he couldn't act rashly - it wouldn't do to kill the man by mistake before he was begging to die.
"Is that what Potter told you?" The man sneered. He was remarkably calm in Gellert's presence. People who had angered him less were usually shaking in their boots when he laid eyes upon them. "I should have assumed that Potter was too much of a dunderhead to realise what happened." He shook his head.
"You murdered him! He begged for help, and you murdered him!" Potter snarled. "I was there! I saw everything!"
The man had the gall to roll his eyes. "You saw what Albus wanted you to see. It was all his plan."
Gellert blinked. Of course, it was all Albus's plan… normally. But his death? "Explain!"
Instead of obeying, the man turned to Potter. "Watch if anyone approaches us. This cannot get out."
Gellert quickly cast a privacy charm. "Talk!" He was thinking of a few curses to help the man along, should he continue to stall. As if any reinforcements could go through two dozens of his Storm Wizards before he showed Snape the error of attempting such a transparent ploy.
"Albus was dying from a curse - which Potter knew. He hadn't much time left, and he knew it. And he was in terrible pain. So he orchestrated his death at my hand, to make the Dark Lord trust me. I was his spy among the Death Eaters. Since the first war."
Potter was gaping at the wizard. Gellert had more self-control. He slowly nodded. This made sense. That was exactly what Albus would do - even in death, he would strike a blow at his enemies. But… this was exactly what a clever murderer who had spied on Albus would say. "You will have to prove the truth of your words," Gellert said.
"If I weren't a spy for the Order I would have trapped the 'secret tunnel' you used to gain access to Hogwarts. I could have had it flooded, or buried."
Gellert inclined his head. "That may be right, but it's no proof." He pulled out a vial from his pocket.
"Veritaserum?" Potter asked.
"Yes," Gellert confirmed.
"That won't help." The boy shook his head. "He's a master at Occlumency."
That was a complication, but not a real problem. "Then I guess we'll have to soften you up a little to reduce your ability to withstand the serum," Gellert said. "Fortunately, one of my specialists for such a task survived the purges after my defeat."
Snape's eyes widened right before Gellert hit him with a Full Body-Bind Curse. He caught the man with a Levitation Charm on his robes and turned to Potter. "Please show me the way to the dungeons." When Potter looked confused, Gellert added: "Albus didn't get rid of the torture chamber, did he?" His love had been a little soft on kids, but surely he would have kept the necessity of extracting information from captured enemies in mind!
Potter gaped again, then blinked and finally smiled. "Oh, no. Filch has an office full of torture instruments!"
Gellert smiled as well. Of course, Albus would have foreseen this! And if Snape had been telling the truth, then a little torture would only help his cover.
