Intimate Moments and Moving Aims
"It turned out the arrivals were Victor Krum along with a couple of his old school friends as well as Gabrielle Delacour – the young Veela had had a public falling out with her older sister over her wedding to Bill and returned to France shortly before the attack on the Ministry by Voldemort" Harry said to the reporter.
"You were close to her, were you not?" Shah asked.
"Yes, but not as close I was to Hannah. With Victor's arrival, we got news of what the rest of the magical world was thinking of doing. Germany, Bulgaria and most of the central European countries were staying right out of it. France was supplying Vampires and Werewolves for Voldemort's cause, Spain and Portugal showed some willingness to help but both of them faced civil war, Italy had been helping by providing shelter to those British persons seeking refuge and Holland simply refused to help us for fear of being attacked next"
"What about America?"
"THEY BETRAYED US!" the reporter flinched at the tone in the old man's voice. Not only did America help by allowing its people to come over and join the fight for Voldemort, they also gave him money, supplies, weapons, slaves and everything else you could think of. We had often joked about us being against the world, but it was only now that we realised how true that was"
"And yet you managed to go on fighting and win some engagements"
"We'd take out one or two groups of Death Eaters when we could, raid storehouses for supplies and equipment, but it was not for another three months that we had our first big break…"
#
"I have been given a report that the Malfoys are holding some sort of meeting for the top Death Eaters as well as those from aboard that have managed to get through the blocks I set up" Harry said from the top of the table that had extended itself to accommodate everybody in the mainly repaired Potter House. "Voldemort is not attending himself, we suspect he will be at Hogwarts, but we have an opportunity to take out a good many of Voldemort's old guard and the leaders of those sympathetic to his cause. I want your thoughts and opinions on what we should do"
"Does this come from the same place as your last big lot of information?" asked Lavender.
"Yes"
"Then I say we trust it" she replied.
"What do you propose to do" asked Hermione.
"My contact is getting a time and location, but we can expect heavy wards around the place as well as foot patrols. Given it is the Malfoys holding it, we can expect Dementors flying around too so we're practicing the Patronus until we go in and do this. This goes without saying, but we're going to take prisoners when possible and question them for everything we can prise out of their minds. Dean and Seamus… you're healing well but still not good at running around – you'll stay behind ready to get the prisoners" Harry said. Both boys looked mad but understood Harry's reasoning. Whilst practicing their duelling and evasion, both had been hit in the legs by gouging curses which had taken days to heal.
"They could be using a lot of old rune based defence systems" Hermione mused. "Susan, any idea what we might be facing?"
"I never went to the Malfoy properties, my Aunt would never allow it, but she talked about the defences put up around some of the larger places. They might have upgraded them over the years, but apart from the standard stuff I would expect poison gas, swamps, air removal, fire…" Susan shrugged. "Who knows"
"Could we fly in over the top of the defences?" asked Parvati.
"Maybe" replied her sister, "But I would doubt it because that would be an easy thing to think of. Polyjuice will be out as they are stupid but not dumb"
"So how the hell do we get in?" growled a frustrated Hermione.
"Could we tunnel in from a distance?" asked Gabrielle.
"Perhaps, but I doubt that we'd be ready even if we used magic" Harry shook his head.
"Maybe we don't have to" Astoria spoke up. She'd kept normally quiet during the meetings they'd been having, preferring to sit in the laps of either Dean or Seamus and have her hair brushed and stroked. As the boys had said to Harry before, that is all she seemed to want from the pair.
"What do you mean?" asked Padma.
"A lot of houses that are owned by purebloods used to belong to muggles. As they don't use magic, they had to have huge sewer pipes for waste and stuff… If your contact could find out if this is the case for the target location, we'd have a tunnel already made for us"
"That's genius" Seamus said, dipping his head down and giving her a light kiss on her head.
"Its just an idea" she said. "It doesn't mean that I am right"
"No" Harry agreed, "But it means that we have the start of a plan. Right, we'll go on the assumption that Astoria is right and there is a sewer pipe. We'll start learning and practicing the combat magic we already know in the morning. Hannah… Can you stay behind?" and the meeting broke up. Most of them drifted through to the newly repaired kitchens to get something to eat, some of them decided to start a little bit of reading whilst Astoria changed into her pyjamas, got into bed and fell asleep to Seamus singing an Irish lullaby.
#
"There's something happening that you don't want even Hermione to know" Hannah said as the door closed behind Victor Krum.
"Luna had a vision… At least one of us is going to die during the attack"
"Did she say who it was? Maybe we could have that person stay here" but Harry shook his head sadly.
"Luna said that it is a fixed event – nothing we could do could prevent it. She did say it wasn't you… You have something else to do it seems"
"Yeah" she waved her wand and the bowl, knife, towel and containers came over.
"I don't think that Luna meant this" Harry chuckled as he moved to sit in the chair with the headrest. Over the course of the next half an hour, Harry allowed himself the luxury of relaxing as Hannah gave him a shave the likes of which he had never had before. The pair found it to be very intimate, loving and, for Hannah at least, a way to show how much she appreciated Harry and what he had sacrificed to save them all – not including the late and much missed Daphne. As she carefully used the razor knife on Harry's cheeks, she wondered which of her friends would be the next to die. After she had wiped the last of the shaving foam off, she put some soothing oil onto both of her hands and rubbed it into the skin on his face. The teenager did not mind at all that Harry had fallen asleep – so tired was he that the relaxing feeling of somebody shaving him lulled him to the land of nod.
"Harry, time to wake up…" she said at last – shaking him gently as she spoke. It took a minute before Harry was awake and he apologised. "Hey, you deserve to fall asleep" she whispered, pulling him into a deep and loving kiss – smelling the lotion and oil she had put on him moments ago.
"It almost nine" Harry looked at a nearby clock. "We should go and get some sleep – who is on watch?" he asked.
"Krum and one of those French witches" Hannah replied. She blushed before looking away which get Harry's attention.
"What?"
"Would you mind if I stayed the night with you?" she whispered. "I don't want to have sex or anything, though I'll let you if that is what you want, I just want to have a peaceful night with you were I fall asleep and wake up in your arms"
"You'll set tongues wagging" said Harry with a tired but amused look.
"Screw them" Hannah replied.
"Already moved on from me?"
"Prat" she slapped his arm.
#
The following morning, before Hannah awoke, Harry had got up, dressed and slipped out to meet his contact. When he came back, his close friends as well as Gabrielle were up and getting ready for a long day ahead.
"I'm surprised you are up, Mademoiselle" he said.
"I like to get up extra early and watch the sun come up" the little Veela said. "It makes me wonder about the simple magic in a sunrise – the start of a new day"
"Don't you dare change that mindset, Gabby"
"Why?"
"Because you are still very innocent"
"I am, how do you English say, not so very innocent"
"Oh?"
"I had to kill people… Am I a bad person for killing people?" she asked him.
"Did you take pleasure in it?" he asked.
"Sometimes… A little beet" her almost perfect English slipped a little. "I wondered around France before meeeting with Victor and found some Death Eeeaters torturing some innocent muggles. When I was finished, two of them were dead and the other was dying – I was overjoyed zhat zey would never hurt people again"
"That doesn't mean you are a bad person, Gabby… Hell, I have had to do things in this war that nobody should ever have to do"
"Like?"
"I won't tell you" Harry said.
"But I zam just like you…"
"No, my sweet Gabby, you are better then me"
"How zo?"
"Because you had a family that loved you, were never beaten or abused for making a mistake, never had to kill somebody at the age of 11" Harry sighed and shook his head. "Despite everything you have faced, Gabby, I think you are one of my very best friends"
"Really?" she asked, her accent getting back to grips.
"Do I tell lies?"
"Eet has been known"
"That's it – I hereby ban you from talking to Luna" and Gabby giggled – the first real laughter he had seen in the girl for days. "Joking aside, though, the fact that you took joy in killing the Death Eaters but felt bad afterwards means that you are not as evil as they are" and the little Veela was quiet for several moments.
"Will I get to go to heaven?" she asked. "I know that I have killed, but maybe God will understand I had to do it to save others"
"I'm sure he will" and he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Luna looking very hesitant. Say, why don't you go and get breakfast?" and he gave her a sweet kiss before she skipped off. "You know who it is, don't you?" he asked simply.
"Me"
"Fixed or variable?"
"Fixed"
"Damn…" Harry ran his hands over his face. "How the hell can I order you to take part knowing you are going to die? What happens?" he asked.
"You know I can't tell you that, Harry" Luna whispered quietly. "If the events of my death are changed, terrible things could happen"
"A bit late on that, aren't we?" Harry replied – sarcasm dripping through his voice.
"Knowing how I die, Harry, is the same as going back in time and changing something major"
"I've done it before"
"You have?" Luna was curious as to how that had happened.
"Long story… Luna, I am giving you a direct order to stay here when we go in"
"You can not change my death – there is no way for you to win this time" she hissed at him
"A wise muggle once taught me to never believe in the no win scenario" Harry smirked at her and then nodded.
"And what are you going to do to stop me from dying?" Luna put her hands on her slim hips and tried to look angry.
"Nothing" Harry admitted, "But Susan is about to stun you"
"Wha–" Luna was cut off by the stunner that hit her square between the shoulders. She fell forwards and was caught swiftly by Harry who was handed a pair of magic restraining handcuffs.
"I thought you might need them" said Susan.
"Thanks"
"So what do we do with her?"
"Keep the handcuffs on her, tie her up, stick a silencing charm on her, place her in the store room and seal the door. I don't care what she says, Sue, I am not going to lose another bloody friend if I can help it"
"I take it your meeting went well?" Susan changed the subject.
"Yes… And no"
"Okay, so why not pick one?"
"I met with my contact, but he gave me some bad news. Voldemort is massing an army which he means to start attacking the Muggles with and also that the Malfoys moved their gathering up to this afternoon. He also said that Dumbledore, the Order and a number of his supporters will join in this attack from Hogwarts – and bringing the students with them"
"Imperio?" Hannah asked, standing in the doorway dressed only in some slippers and a dressing gown. Harry briefly wondered if she was wearing anything under it – she had been when he left her, but anything could have happened since then…
"That is what we have to assume. We can't say who will be there willingly and who will not be – therefore we're going to take care of that problem" Harry held Hannah close to him and felt his body react when he felt her nakedness underneath.
"How?"
"The students selected are already at the Malfoy place getting trained. According to my contact, the first attack on the muggles will take place in three days – therefore we're going to have to let them carry out their attack whilst we sneak inside and take everybody out…"
#
"… everybody out" Harry outlined his plan to everybody except Luna after breakfast. "If you are unsure about a target, try to take them alive for questioning – we can always execute them later"
"Do we know if any of the wards are weak or if Astoria's idea works?" asked Padma.
"The wards are very strong, but not so much at the back because of the cliff face. There are tunnels leading all the way back up to the castle, but they are all covered by heavy shielding" Harry said, "But we have one advantage to that. My contact says that electrical storms negate the effect and there is a huge storm going to hit tomorrow evening"
"How is that going to help us?" asked Gabrielle.
"I should have thought it was clear" Dean said. "Those of us that are going will be in the tunnels when Voldemort and Dumbledore launch their attack. Once they have gone, we break in and take down and out everybody we see"
"As well as grab all of their paperwork and money" said Lavender. "Harry, I could look into their minds and see what they know. If they are innocent and there under duress, we can simply hold them somewhere. If they are there willingly, execute them on the spot" and there was a general agreement with that thought.
"Then it is settled. Those that are capable of fighting will train as much as they can today and part of tomorrow. Those that are not coming with us can still help out by getting supplies ready for at least one full day of being in the tunnels as well as healing potions"
"What changed?" asked Susan.
"We're done running" Harry replied. "We're done with running, hiding, sitting around like scared children wondering if the next attack will kill one of us… If Voldemort wants a fight, then I'll fucking give him one" and a loud cheer went around the room.
"What about Luna?" asked Hermione.
"Luna said she saw herself being killed, but I like to think outside the box – we get a prisoner and use Polyjuice. We will not win the war by short measures – we will win it by all necessary means"
"You know, a lot of them will bring their children… Ones that have never started Hogwarts" Hermione traced a finger on the table.
"I'm not going to kill children out of hand, Hermione, as that would make us as bad as they are… But if they throw cursed objects at us, then we'll take them out the same as any other attacker. We have less than twenty four hours – lets get moving"
A/N:
We've been away from this one for a far bit, but we're back to normal. Incidentally, with the upload of this chapter, I will now be back on a two uploads a week schedule.
For those of you that don't know, I have a twitter account (and have done for a while now) which I've decided I will now use to post scheduled releases of fanfics and to keep you up to date with what's happening with me. The account name is PhilsStalkers
Well, hope you leave reviews in the normal manner
Regards
Pixel