Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Harry Potter or Wheel of Time.
Chapter 9: Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War
August 31st, 1995
Courtroom #10, Ministry of Magic
People were still screaming and running even though the battle was over and the last Death Eater was incapacitated. The courtroom was in ruins. There were holes in the walls and floor from the Balefire. Scorch marks and small blast holes were everywhere on benches, floors, walls and even the ceiling from spells that had missed or been deflected. By far, the worst sight was the number of dead and wounded. Soft moans could be heard from those that had been lucky enough to only be wounded. In contrast, the dead could be found with looks of shock or terror forever frozen on their face and in their eyes.
The Death Eaters had not been as lucky. The methods used by Harry and seraph had been just as permanent but far more brutal. Their crushed, burned or mangled bodies were spread throughout the gallery of the courtroom.
Harry was struggling to catch his breath as he made his way over to Seraph. After stepping over or around the still bodies of various Death Eaters and victims, he reached Seraph. Opening himself to Saidin, he performed a health check on Seraph and found that other than some cuts and bruises he had only a broken leg, nothing life threatening. Before he released Saidin, he channeled air creating a splint around his leg and tied it off so that he could focus on other things.
"You're fine, other than the leg of course." Harry said as he collapsed onto the floor next to Seraph.
Seraph laughed a little only to grunt in pain as he accidentally shifted his position and his leg protested the change "I must be losing my touch to let myself get hit like that. Seriously, if you can escape unharmed what does that say about me?"
Harry ignored the comment and leaned his head back against bench behind his back. He asked in a tired voice "Did you see Acheron?"
With a brief sidelong look of sympathy at Harry, Seraph responded "Yes. It was too much to hope that he would have died in our trip through the portal stone. I want to know why he took that Death Eater though."
Harry jerked his head towards Seraph, he had only seen the portal close not who went through it. "I think we need to accept the possibility that if he isn't already, Acheron will soon be allies with Voldemort."
"You know in the end that may make things easier for us. We will only have to go after one primary target rather than two."
Before Harry could respond, Amelia walked over with a number of Aurors behind her. "Mr. Potter do you or your friend require medical assistance?"
"I am fine, but Seraph has a broken leg and requires medical attention."
Amelia motioned for one the Aurors to go retrieve a healer. "Would you be willing to meet with me in my office? There are some things we need to discuss." She was purposely being vague not wanting to take the chance that the wrong ears would hear what they had to discuss.
Harry looked at Seraph who nodded his head. Grunting softly as he stood up, Harry followed Amelia back to her office. She walked to her desk and sat in her customary chair looking for all the world as if she had just reported to work. "Harry we need to figure out how to proceed. With Fudge convicted and Dumbledore dead, Voldemort will most likely come out in force now that his return is out in the open."
"Is Minerva the Headmistress of Hogwarts? I assume they would have assigned it to her at least as a temporary measure until Dumbledore's trial was complete."
"Yes she is. Though after today, the position will most likely be permanent." Amelia sighed "As much as I disagreed with the man, I had no desire to see Dumbledore dead."
"Neither did I Amelia, but you did not fire the spell that killed him or even force him to break laws that put him in that position in the first place." There was little sympathy in Harry for Dumbledore the man had brought it on himself. It was unfortunate that he was dead, but part of Harry was thankful that he wouldn't have to worry about the man's manipulations either.
"Can you tell me what happened in the courtroom and I don't mean what you were doing because I saw your memories so I know what you are now capable of?"
"His name is Acheron. I believe I mentioned him the other night. He is from my time and was one of the stronger Aes Sedai that pledged themselves to the Dark One. He was one of my first friends but he was always jealous of my strength or what he saw as special privileges I got because of my father. I am not sure when it happened exactly, but he and my uncle were put on trial for their crimes they committed while maintaining order in one of our cities. Afterwards they both just disappeared. Later I found out, he tortured and killed his ex-fiance another good friend of mine because he felt she had betrayed him by testifying at the trial. The day he pledged himself, he gave up the name Martin and became Acheron."
She leaned back in her chair thinking on what Harry had said. "I'm sure there was nothing you could have done to stop him." Amelia said in an effort to comfort Harry.
"I know, but there are times when I still miss my friend. Martin is dead replaced by Acheron. You should know that Seraph saw him leave with a Death Eater."
Amelia gasped at the implications "Do you think that he is working with Voldemort?"
"I am not sure if he was, but my guess is that he will be. As Seraph pointed out to me, this makes it easier for us in a way because now we know where Acheron will be. So we won't have to focus on two separate targets."
Eyes hard with determination, Amelia broached another subject "The fire that he was using, I have never seen anything like it. Those people it hit just vanished, there were no remains whatsoever."
His eyes closed for a moment, Harry spoke softly "It is called Balefire. It is perhaps the most terrible weapon that someone using the One Power can make use of. There were no remains or ashes or anything left of those people because as soon as they were hit, they literally ceased to exist.
You have to understand, I don't mean that they died. They were erased from the pattern of the universe."
"I am not sure what you mean by erased." Confusion was plainly evident on her face.
"Imagine everyone's life as a thread in a carpet. Balefire burns that thread destroying any future they may have had but it also burns into the past. Actions that had taken place because of that person will no longer have occurred but the memory of their occurrence remains. Depending on how powerful the wielder is the effect may only go back a few minutes or it could go back for days. Imagine, an Auror arrested a criminal and then later that day the Auror is hit by Balefire from someone very strong. That criminal would end up back on the street because the Auror's action would be erased before the arrest was ever made."
"I think I understand what you are getting at. It all seems very fantastic though."
Harry laughed a little bitterly at that comment. "You use magic everyday and you say Balefire sounds fantastic?"
Blushing at the comment "Yes, well it is not everyday that you see people erased from the universe. It takes a little getting used to."
"That it does."
There was a knock at Amelia's door. Without knowing who it was, Harry opened himself to Saidin and prepared to channel in case it was a Death Eater hoping to take them by surprise. At Amelia's request, Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room. Nodding to Harry, he presented the assessment of the attack.
"How many are dead?" Amelia asked in a businesslike tone.
"We counted 9 dead Death Eaters, one survivor, and two unaccounted for. We had to have your friend release him for us, none of our spells had any effect on the restraints you placed on him."
Harry asked "Is the survivor a member of the inner circle?"
"We're not sure at this point. He may be, but if he is he was not during Voldemort's first rise. Of the Aurors assigned to the courtroom, Pullman is alive, Hornsby is unaccounted for and the rest are dead."
Harry chimed in sadly "Acheron took one of the Death Eaters with him. The other Death Eater and your Auror are dead. They were killed by the attack that Acheron was using. There is nothing left of them to recover."
"What about the civilian casualties?"
"8 dead and 10 wounded and many more unaccounted for. It will be difficult to get idea until we have to check the entry and exit logs to figure out who ran. The Death Eaters also killed the Aurors that were posted outside the courtroom."
Amelia closed her eyes and massaged her forehead for a moment. "Thank you Kingsley. Please see that the families of the slain are notified."
Before leaving, Kingsley said to Harry "Your friend asked me to tell you that he would meet you at the HQ." Harry simply nodded in understanding.
After Kingsley left, Harry confronted Amelia on the real reason for bringing him to her office. She confessed that she wanted to discuss the future of the Ministry with him. Now that Fudge was convicted, there would be an emergency session of the Wizengamot to appoint a new Minister until the next election.
"Arthur Weasley and Victor Harris were looking into potential replacements for Fudge. Since we have a meeting tonight, I suggest we wait and discuss it after hearing their report."
Amelia nodded her agreement and asked if there was anything she could do for him in the meantime. Harry asked if she had the authority to deputize the members of the Order that would be present tonight. With Fudge out of the picture, she was able to give the Order legal authority to serve as Aurors. Giving her his thanks, he told her that someone would be by to pick her up before the meeting. Their conversation finished, Harry stood and Traveled back to Grimmauld Place.
Grimmauld Place
Order of the Phoenix Meeting
This was the first meeting of the new Order of the Phoenix. Everyone from the previous meeting was in attendance. People were chattering amongst themselves about the attack on the Ministry and what it might mean for them and the war against Voldemort. After the last person arrived, Harry called the meeting to order.
Once everyone had quieted down, Harry, Seraph and Amelia gave a recap of the two trials. Discussion lulled for a moment after hearing of Dumbledore's trial and testimony, people were somewhat shocked that he did not deny or refute any of the charges. Even at the end, he appeared to have no remorse for his actions, claiming that sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Still, it was a subdued order that watched the battle play out from Harry's memory in the pensieve.
Harry put his hands on the table and stood. "Before we move on and answer any questions you may have, I would like to have a moment of silence for Albus Dumbledore, the Aurors, and the men and women in the gallery that died today. Despite his actions and methods, Dumbledore strove to protect this world." Finished, Harry lowered his head and the others followed suit as they contemplated the lives lost today.
"Are there any questions before we move on to the first item on the agenda?" Harry asked.
There were a series of question about details of the two trials. Amelia took those questions as she was most knowledgeable on the legal side of the day's events as well as the actual trials themselves. At different points, Harry added his perspective. The Order got a laugh when they heard about Fudge's testimony and that he had damned himself.
When the questions started to pertain to the attack on the courtroom, Harry and Seraph took over for Amelia. Harry repeated his explanation of Acheron while Hunter provided a more concise understanding of Balefire than Harry had given to Amelia earlier in the day. Seraph provided his opinion on the Death Eaters themselves.
"They appear to have little organization. They just barged into the courtroom and opened fire. There was no strategy or tactics behind their attacks. It seemed more like a mob with a singular goal than a organized fighting unit. Is that their normal fighting style?"
Moody having the most experience responded to that question. He detailed the types of attacks that were typically executed by the Death Eaters and their favorite targets. Based on what he had seen in the pensieve, they followed their usual M.O. and had gone after two high profile targets, in this case Dumbledore and Amelia while the rest simply focused on causing mass panic. Their only real advantage in battle comes from their willingness to use the Unforgivables and in particular the killing curse.
Amelia looked foreboding as she gave her perspective "We may not use the Unforgivables, but I expect that my Aurors and the members of the Order to use whatever means necessary to put the Death Eaters down in a manner that keeps them from getting back up seconds later." Pausing briefly to let that bit of news sink in she went on "The standing orders for the Aurors will be to shoot to kill any Death Eaters. We are only doing a disservice to the public the longer we play around and let this situation continue. Too many people died today, this can't be allowed anymore!" She finished hotly, eyes flashing and hands clenched tightly around a tea cup.
Jones and Tonks in particular were surprised to hear this. There had been a lot of disagreements in the Auror ranks regarding the return of Voldemort and how to deal with the Death Eaters if he was back. Shacklebolt was happy with Amelia's announcement, he felt that the Aurors had been ineffective during the first war, it was part of the reason he had joined the Order of the Phoenix in the first place.
The announcement received mixed reactions from the rest of the group. In general, the younger members were more supportive of the action while the older members such as Arthur and Molly Weasley were more reluctant to use lethal force except as a last resort.
Harry decided that it was a good time to discuss the next steps with the Ministry. After receiving a nod from Amelia, Harry passed around the badges that she had given him earlier in the day. Any member of the Order that was not already an Auror now had the full authority to act as an Auror. Amelia took the opportunity to explain the penalties for abusing the privilege before allowing Harry to move onto the next topic for the evening.
"Arthur and Victor you have been looking at potential candidates to fill in as Minister of Magic until the next election. What have you found?" Harry asked and returned to his seat.
Arthur and Victor followed Harry's example and stood while there were giving their report. They had identified three potential candidates. Amelia had already refused to serve as Minister. She felt that she would be more effective continuing in her position as head of the DMLE.
The first candidate took many in the room by surprise when Victor said their first choice would be Rosaline Zabini. She came from an ancient Pure Blood family that had never sworn itself to Voldemort. Despite the fact that they had similarly never supported Dumbledore, which some in the room found to be a selling point, the Zabini family tended to support positive changes to the laws controlling the lives of dark creatures, goblins and elves. Rosaline was a pragmatist and a highly successful businesswoman in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. Voldemort would be a highly destabilizing factor and negatively impact the family's business ventures. Because they were viewed as neutral, she would have better chances at garnering support from the darker families as well as the light families.
The second candidate was Amos Diggory. He had risen through the ranks of the Ministry and after the death of his son this past June had a major reason to fight back against Voldemort. While he had great political instincts, he would not have as much of a rallying effect on the masses as someone like Rosaline. Despite his devotion to the Light, he was likely to oppose easing many of the restrictions on the dark creatures thus forcing them to be neutral or worse to join Voldemort's camp.
The last candidate was Samuel Croaker. He was the former head of the Unspeakables. Croaker would take a very hard line with the Death Eaters. Most likely, he would declare the wizarding version of martial law until the war was complete. While that was not necessarily the wrong approach, not everyone was comfortable with giving that kind of authority to someone. In regards to the dark creatures, he could go either way. He would either give them the same rights as any other witch or wizard or he would go to the opposite end of the spectrum and order their extermination in the name of security. Of the three candidates, he represented the greatest unknown.
When their report was complete, Arthur and Victor returned to their seats to answer questions and participate in the discussion regarding the three candidates. Unsurprisingly, Remus was in support of Rosaline Zabini. As a werewolf he had faced discrimination for much of his life and had worked to obtain equal rights for all dark creatures. Bill, Charlie and Sirius were also in agreement with Remus because the experiences from their work at Gringotts or the Dragon Preserve. Harry was also supportive of Rosaline for other reasons, he argued that she would be a good bridge between the wizarding and muggle worlds and could be effective in opening the wizarding society up to future integration with the muggle world and instituting other needed changes.
Seraph and Moody were more supportive of Croaker. Despite the risks in the vagueness of some of his positions, it appeared that he would be the most aggressive in taking on the Death Eaters and destroying their infrastructure after Voldemort was defeated. Shacklebolt and Jones were in agreement.
Molly and Arthur were supporting Diggory. They did not feel comfortable supporting Rosaline since she had never openly sided with Dumbledore or the Light and they were not comfortable with the aggressive tactics that would most likely be utilized if Croaker were the Minister.
Everyone else was sitting on the fence. Discussion went on for another 30 minutes before they finally called a vote. In the end it was decided that Rosaline Zabini would be approached to run for the position. If she refused, then Croaker was their second choice.
With the Ministry matters decided for the moment, Harry asked for an update on the research projects.
Hunter took over the meeting at this point. He explained that his team had made the most progress on researching different fire arms and which type was appropriate for different types of situations. He asked Hermione to go into greater detail.
Hermione, in her element as she took on a lecturing tone, stood and began to describe the difference between handguns and rifles. Many of the wizards in the room were Pure Bloods and have never seen or fired a gun before. After making sure that the chamber and clip were empty, she passed around a 9mm Sig-Sauer Pro so that people could get a feel for the size and weight. These are best used in close quarters because their stopping power and accuracy fall off sharply as the distance increased.
The second type of gun they were looking at were rifles. So far, they had mainly looked at hunting rifles which had a longer range and did more damage than the handguns, but were best used from stationary positions. Passing around an empty rifle, she explained that they would be ideal for setting up an ambush or being used in the defense of a fortified position such as Grimmauld Place.
Hermione went on to explain that the bullets seemed to penetrate the standard Protego and the Auror shields with little problem. Practice was critical to achieve any sort of consistent firing accuracy. Some of the members added their own experiences. Remus and Victor were both familiar with rifles and had used them for recreation in the past.
Hunter progressed to the next research topic. His team had not made much progress in identifying the optimal body armor just yet. The dragon armor that Sirius and Harry had purchased was not due to arrive for another week or so. Until that time, his team had been working on identifying the different types of muggle body armor that they would purchase.
It appeared that there were two main types of armor. The first type was Kevlar body armor It was mainly used to protect the torso but additional pieces could be purchased to protect the arms and legs. Based on the documentation they had read, the body armor was very effective at stopping bullets and piercing attacks such as knives. Until they had examples to conduct tests with, they would not know its effectiveness against spells. The second type was Kevlar with a layer of Nomex that provided greater protection from heat and fire. It allowed the armor to withstand incredibly high temperatures while not affecting the protections offered by the Kevlar layer.
Orders had been placed that day for multiple sets of both types of armor so that the research team could conduct field tests to see how it reacted to different types of spells. One advantage held by the muggle body was that it was easily concealable underneath clothing. So if it was able to provide protection from different spells, the Death Eaters would not know the reason.
The last item that Hunter wanted to discuss was a new research topic for his team.
"We need to find a way to incorporate muggle communication technology into a magic environment. I understand from Hermione and Ron that electronics do not function in a heavily magical environment." Hunter stated.
Despite his love of muggle gadgets, Arthur never really saw them as necessities and asked "What is wrong with the floo or owls?"
"Those are fine; however, in a combat situation you don't have time to write a note or find a nearby fireplace." Hunter stopped for a moment and he rifled around in one of his pockets finally removing a small cell phone. Holding it up he explained "This is a cell phone, it allows muggles to communicate to virtually anywhere on the planet instantaneously. Having the best and most accurate information can make the difference in a battle where the odds are otherwise even."
People began speaking excitedly at the possibilities offered by the simple device. It began to dawn on them that perhaps magic was more of a crutch at times than a benefit. The muggles didn't have magic at their disposal and they had accomplished incredible things such as airplanes and landing a man on the moon.
Groaning loudly in dismay, Molly said "I can't believe I am suggesting this but you should speak with the twins. Lord knows they are creative enough. With the amount of energy they have spent on coming up with jokes and pranks they may very well be able to figure out a way to get these to work in a magical environment."
Everybody jumped when they heard a crash outside the doors. Hunter strode over to the door and jerked it open only to have Fred and George tumble into the room. Looking at everyone a little sheepishly they tried to explain that they were just wondering where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had run off to.
Arthur held up a hand to stop Molly from shouting at them and said "If you are going to help, you need to take this seriously. Something like this could make a big difference in the war against Voldemort."
Grinning like madmen, Fred and George stood up. Fred stated "Actually we have…"
"Already started researching something similar…"
"To let kids us CD Players and other things …."
"In Hogwarts, so we have some ideas on how to proceed." George finished.
Hunter just stared at them for a moment before muttering to himself as he returned to his seat.
Seraph stood up after seeing that Hunter had no further topics for discussion. He had two main points to discuss recruitment and the training schedule.
"Now that Voldemort is out in the open, we are going to need more people in addition to the forces already fighting for the Ministry. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for new recruits that we can bring in." Seraph went on, looking specifically at the kids "Kids, this includes you. If possible, we would like to build a network of students in Hogwarts. Based on what Harry has told me, it is clear that Voldemort already has his tendrils in the school, you will need to be a balancing force to give the students another option."
Ron in particular sat up straighter in his chair at Seraph's words. He would have an important role to play. Research was fine for Hermione, but Ron wanted to be doing something, out there fighting if possible.
"Amelia other than the Aurors that are already members of the Order, I would suggest we don't look to recruit further for your organization. Instead, I suggest we share intelligence and plan joint operations that can leverage the strengths of both groups."
Nodding quickly, Amelia was unable to mask the brief look of relief at Seraph's idea. Despite the authority she had given to the Order, it still remained a vigilante group and she was not happy with the idea of more of her Aurors splitting their time and loyalty between the two groups. She rationalized that Tonks, Jones, and Shacklebolt were liaisons between the Order and the DMLE.
Seeing that there were no further comments or points to be made regarding recruiting future members, Seraph moved into the training schedules. He passed around sheets of paper with the names of all the current members and when they would be expected to show up at the headquarters for physical fitness, combat and magic training. There were many groans at the mention of physical fitness including one particularly loud groan from Hunter which prompted a lot of laughter from Harry and Seraph.
Finally, Harry stood again. "The last item on the agenda for this evening is the establishment of a secondary HQ should something happen to this one. With Dumbledore dead, the Fidelius on Grimmauld Place has fallen. We have hired the goblins to re-ward the house including a new Fidelius charm. Unfortunately, the work will not begin until September 2nd. Until then, we are vulnerable here. Therefore, I have opened one of the Potter Mansions as the secondary HQ. It is located in the countryside outside of Cardiff in Wales."
Flashback
August 25th, 1995
Cardiff, Wales
Sirius, Remus, Hunter, Seraph and Harry apparated to the coordinates provided on the property deed that Harry had retrieved from his vault. They weren't really sure what to expect. Sirius and Remus had never heard of this particular property from James so he may not have been aware of it.
Arriving in the middle of a wide open field, the five men took a few minutes to look around. Directly in front of them were what appeared to be the ruins of a large stone manor. Surrounding the manor were the remains of gardens that had long since been overgrown by weeds and wild flowers. A stream could be seen running through towards the rear of the manor and large groves of trees could be seen in virtually every direction.
Harry approached the manner while the other four hung back waiting to see what would happen. He pulled a sheet of paper out of his pockets and read it aloud. "I, Harry James Potter, son of James Thomas Potter do lay claim to the ancient abode of Potter. I ask leave to enter and assume my rightful ownership as heir to the Potter name and bloodline."
Magic flashed and surrounded Harry in a coruscating aura. The house was judging his worthiness. While Harry was certainly the Potter heir, he no longer had magic so they were not sure how the house would react to his claim. Eventually the aura faded after a few moments.
Then the image of the manor wavered in front of them in the same way that heat shimmers of the road in the summer. Replacing the ruins of manor, the true manor appeared. It was a magnificent structure composed of light grey stone. While it was clearly ancient, its style reflected a different era of architecture with arches and delicate carvings dotting the structure. The main doors were easily 8' high and were a deep brown almost black wood that glistened in the afternoon sun.
Waiting a moment for the other four to join him, they entered the manor to find a large entrance hall filled with portraits of his ancestors and with the Potter Crest inlaid into the center of the floor. Before they could get more than 10' into the room, a man about their age entered the room to greet them. He was dressed in midnight blue robes with light blue pants and a tunic with the Potter Crest on the chest. "My Lord Potter, finally you have returned to us." He said as he bowed deeply to Harry.
"I am sorry, but who are you?"
"My Lord, I am Thomas Renther. My family swore to serve the Potter line over 1,000 years ago. My family and I live on the grounds. When you claimed your rights, we were notified by the manor that the Potter Heir had returned to us." He was clearly happy at the development even if Harry and the rest were totally lost.
"What do you mean your family swore to serve the Potter line?" Harry asked.
Thomas explained that over 1,000 years ago his family had been minor nobles and were involved in a conflict with other nobles of the time. One of their allies had betrayed them and during a key battle, killed the head of their family. The Potters who had been neutral in the conflict stepped in a rescued the remaining family, vowing to protect them from further treachery. While the Potter family was strong, it was not strong enough to stand alone in the conflict and so they risked much by rescuing the Renther family. For over a year, the Potter Manor was under siege until finally they were able to secure the alliance of the goblins and elves. With the combined might of these races, the Potters were able to defeat the forces arrayed against them. In return for their selfless defense of my family, we pledged to serve the Potter line as long as it exists.
Harry was floored by the story. For the first time, he truly realized what it meant to be a Potter. Even though he had stopped asking "why me?" years ago, he now knew the answer. It was because his family was willing to put itself at risk for the sake of others.
Regaining his voice Harry introduced his companions "Thomas these are my friends Remus, Seraph, Hunter and Sirius."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. Will you be staying my Lord?"
Grimacing at the title, Harry responded "No, but we will be returning. Is it possible for you to give us a tour of the manor and the grounds?"
"Of course, it is no trouble."
They spent the rest of the day touring the estate. If it had been located closer to London, they would have scrapped Grimmauld Place immediately. The manor had 10 bedrooms and included a fully stocked potions lab, dueling chamber and number of empty chambers that could be put to use. Harry asked Thomas to order a great deal of exercise equipment and weights that would be used during their training sessions. He also asked that an infirmary be setup and stocked with the standard potions and salves.
Thomas was thrilled to have a Potter back in the Manor. He told them it would take a few weeks to complete the preparations and setup of the infirmary and exercise room. Harry gave him the information for his Barclay's account since he had closed out his Gringotts account.
Before they left, Harry explained what they were doing and that more people would eventually be joining them in the Manor. Promising that they would return soon, Harry and his friends opened a portal back to Grimmauld Place.
End Flashback
Voldemort's Hideout, Wales
Voldemort had summoned his Death Eaters to discuss the events of the raid against the Ministry. The Death Eaters arrived and one by one the proceeded to bow and kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes. Each one took a surreptitious glance at the stranger standing by Voldemort's side.
"My loyal followers, today we have struck a great blow against the forces of the Light. Albus Dumbledore is dead. He was slain by you my loyal Death Eaters. Without Dumbledore's influence, the Light's forces will be in disarray, we will be able to sweep aside the Ministry and the Order. Voldemort continued after a brief pause while the Death Eaters chattered excitedly "I would like to introduce our new ally. His name is Acheron and he brings with him a powerful new magic that will secure our victory over the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix."
Lucius Malfoy stepped forward and asked "My Lord, are you sure he can be trusted? He does not sound like he is from any Pure Blood family I am familiar with. Why should we need the help of this filth?"
Face contorted in rage, eyes flashing a deep crimson red Voldemort roared "Crucio!" The spell struck Lucius in the chest and he immediately collapsed to the ground writhing in incredible pain while the other Death Eaters looked on with glee. Not many liked Malfoy, he was constantly bragging about his superiority. So many of the Death Eaters were happy to see him taken down a peg.
Voldemort eventually released the spell when Malfoy started to foam at the mouth. "How dare you question me!"
Acheron decided he needed to prove his power to these people and stepped forward "Voldemort, do you need this one?" He was clearly looking to Malfoy when he asked the question.
Thinking over the answer for the briefest of seconds, Voldemort answered "No I do not. Feel free to make an example of him."
A grim smile spread across Acheron's face as he opened himself to Saidin and once again shot a thin bar of Balefire at Malfoy. He deliberately kept the power level low so Malfoy's death would be more dramatic. His body appeared to fade in and out of existence for a few seconds before simply disappearing, leaving nothing behind. The demonstration complete, Acheron returned to his spot next to Voldemort without another word.
Voldemort nodded in approval at the sight. The other Death Eaters had never seen a display of magic like that and were looking at each other somewhat nervously. "Snape! Step forward now." Voldemort ordered.
Snape took a tentative step forward into view of Voldemort. "For many years now, you have been betraying my secrets to Dumbledore and his ridiculous Order of the Phoenix. I give you one chance to save your own skin and prove your worth to me."
Almost sagging in relief that he wasn't a condemned man just yet, Snape knelt and said fervently "Anything my Lord. I am your humble servant and will never stray again."
"Yes, I thought that would be your answer. So, tell me where is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix located?"
Snape realized that the Fidelius must have fallen with Dumbledore's death because he could now answer. Thinking of Potter and how he had been humiliated by him the previous week, Snape said maliciously "They are located at #12 Grimmauld Place in London my Lord."
"Excellent, then tomorrow night you will lead a strike to capture or destroy Grimmauld Place. You may take up to 20 men with you. Do not fail me in this."
"I won't my lord." Snape said his head bobbing up and down quickly.
"Oh and Snape before you go, Crucio!" Voldemort cast the spell for the second time that night. As with Malfoy, Snape sank to the floor trying to contain his screams of pain which quickly broke though and echoed off the walls of the chanber.
"That is for betraying me to Dumbledore. If you ever betray me again, you will be begging me to kill you."
Snape was unable to respond, he just stayed on the floor twitching occasionally in pain before passing out.
September 1st, 1995
Grimmauld Place
It was getting late. Many of the Research team had left but there were still a few people hanging around the house. Hermione was in library working on the background research on the different muggle body armor. This was Hermione's last night since she would be starting her 5th year tomorrow. She had gotten permission to help out on the weekends and someone would make sure she and Ron had a portkey to use. Hunter and Remus were also in the library researching different topics. Hunter was looking for any references to the portal stones and Remus was reviewing manuals on Occlumency and Legilimency.
Sirius, Seraph, and Hestia were in the dueling room in the basement practicing off to one side. In the other half of the room, Harry and Victor Harris were working with Ron. They had just finished taking Ron through his first endurance and strength exercises. The three were sweaty but Ron was virtually exhausted not being used to heavy exercise.
Wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, Ron glared at his friend "You want me to do this everyday? What good will it do me?"
Harry laughed softly and shared a look with Victor who as an Unspeakable understood the value of being physically fit. "Ron being fit will help you in lots of way. You will probably be able use more magic without getting tired and who knows it may even help with quidditch."
Victor added "If you are serious about being Auror, then physical fitness will be critical for your success and a long career. I am sure Hestia or Moody would tell you the same thing."
"Come on let's head back upstairs and get something to eat." Harry smirked as he saw Ron's face brighten up at the suggestion. "You know, you will need to keep up your exercises while you are at Hogwarts. Perhaps you can just focus on running and we will leave the weight training for the weekends." Ron's face fell as fast as it had brightened up. He had hoped to avoid working out once he was at Hogwarts.
Shortly after arriving in the kitchen, an alarm similar to the buzz from a muggle alarm clock started to blare loudly throughout the house. Sirius charged up the stairs followed by Seraph and Hestia. He explained that someone must be trying to penetrate the wards of the house. With Dumbledore dead, the Fidelius had fallen and the goblins were not scheduled to re-ward the house until the next day. It could only mean that someone had given up the location to Voldemort once the Fidelius had fallen.
"Is there a way to see who is outside without giving our position away?" Seraph asked.
"Yes, the windows on the third floor are spelled so that you can look out but no one can look in." Sirius replied quickly. Just as he finished, Hunter, Remus and Hermione found them in the kitchen.
Hunter, confusion plainly evident on his face, was about to ask a question when Harry cut him off "Remus I need you and Victor to go to the third floor and see if you can identify who is trying to take down the wards." Remus and Victor both took off, running out of the room and up the stairs to find out who was outside.
"Harry, what can I do?" Hermione asked. Her eyes were a little wider than normal and she was pale from nervousness, but she still needed to be doing something.
"Hermione, I need you Hunter and Ron to start getting everything you can to the secondary HQ in Cardiff. You should start with the library and move on from the there. Hunter can keep a portal open and you can just cart stuff through."
Remus came charging back into the room huffing slightly from the exertion. "Death Eaters, it looks like there are close to 20 of them spread out on the street in front of the house."
Sirius saw that Hunter, Hermione and Ron were still in the room. He shouted, breaking them from their daze "Go! If there are that many out there it won't take long to break through the wards and we won't be able to hold them off."
Startled, Hunter just grabbed Hermione and Ron and left the room to begin their task.
Seraph asked "Sirius, how long do we have until the wards fall?"
"I'm not sure it all depends on how many they have on working to bring them down. I wouldn't bet on anything more than 10 minutes though."
Harry was thinking "I know we haven't had much practice, but Remus can you and Victor take any of them out with the rifles that we have?" Seeing Remus' reluctant nod, he went on "There are not enough of us to take them all on Remus. Work with Victor, take out who you can and then get to Cardiff."
Hestia asked while fingering her wand "What about us? What are we going to do?"
"You, Seraph, Sirius and I will take the fight to them. Hopefully, we can distract them long enough that Hunter can get everything to Cardiff."
Seraph added "Come on, we can get an idea of their positions from the 3rd floor and open a portal up there."
The five quickly jogged back up to the third floor. Remus only stopped to pick up two rifles and ammunition that were in a storage closet on the 2nd floor. Harry explained to the plan to Victor.
There was an alley across the street from the front door. They could see that there were a couple of commercial trash dumpsters on either side that could be used for cover. Seraph and Harry would try and get close to the Death Eaters while Hestia and Sirius provided cover fire.
"Remus, Victor once we close the portal, take out as many as you can and then help Hunter get as much evacuated to Cardiff as possible." Harry finished. He opened a portal to the back of the alley that was just visible from the windows and the four of the crept through, letting it close behind them once they were in position.
Harry was about to advance when Seraph grabbed his arm to stop him and whispered. "Wait until Victor and Remus open fire. We can take advantage of the surprise attack then."
Victor saw that they were in position and began to take careful aim through the glass of the window. They could not afford to open them for fear of giving themselves away. After giving his target to Remus so that there was no chance of doubling up, he counted down "On three, 1…2…3!" Two shots and the sound of shattered glass ripped through the quiet of the night. Neighbors' lights were turned as the sounds of battle echoed across the neighborhood.
From Harry's position he could hear rather than see the two gun shots but he did witness the results. One Death Eater was thrown back 3 feet as the bullet tore into his chest and he landed hard on the pavement. Blood was blossoming on his robes and was pooling onto the street. The second Death Eater collapsed where he stood, the back of his skull blown out by the impact of the shot to his face.
The Death Eaters panicked and began running around frantically at the sight of two of their number being killed before their eyes by an unknown force. Before anyone took charge of the situation, two more shots rang out. The first bullet smashed into the pavement near one, throwing up bits of stone. The second bullet rammed through the right shoulder of another Death Eater and severed an artery in the process. He screamed out, grabbing at the wound in a futile effort to stem the bleeding.
Another Death Eater reacting more rationally than the others and sounding suspiciously like Severus Snape caught sight of Remus and Victor in the 3rd floor windows. Avada Kedavra he yelled out. The neon green curse was off target and blew a piece of the window sill into Victor but otherwise left him unhurt. Other Death Eaters following his line of sight cast their own spells. Another Avada Kedavra flew towards Victor. This one was aimed better and caught the man in his face, killing him instantly. More Avada Kedavras and a Reducto flew towards Remus.
Harry leapt into action when the Death Eaters started firing spells at the house. He opened himself to Saidin and channeled as he started to move towards the nearest Death Eater. Weaving earth and fire he detonated the street underneath a group of three Death Eaters throwing them to pavement and showering the resting with stone fragments and fire. Channeling again as he ran, he threw a fireball the size of his fist at one Death Eater only to see it impact against another home, igniting a portion of the wall when the man dodged out of the way. Harry used fire again, this time creating a sheet of fire 3 feet wide and shooting it at the Death Eaters. Most were able to dodge out of the way, but one man was immolated. Finally with his sword drawn he slipped into Lightning Strikes the Field form and tore into his original target severing the man's hand before shifting into Parting the Silk and running the man through the chest.
Remus having ducked out of the window after his second shot and watched as the myriad of spells blasted holes into the window and rear wall. He grabbed a hold of Victor's body and carried him to the second floor to go to Cardiff through Hunter's portal. He didn't want to leave the body of his friend behind, Victor deserved a proper burial.
Seraph drew his sword and advanced on a Death Eater. Little skill was needed for the first kill. The man never even turned as Seraph swept his sword through the men's neck and allowed the body to topple forward as the head rolled free. The second kill was not so easy.
Two Death Eaters turned at the sight of their comrade collapsing to the street headless. Catching sight of Seraph they both fired the Avada Kedavra only to see Seraph dance out of the way and move closer to them. Spinning, he moved into Boar Charging through the Forest opening a deep gash running diagonally down the Death Eater's torso from his shoulder to his groin. The man struggled frantically to hold in his intestines which were spilling out. Not wasting any more time on the dying man, Seraph moved on the next Death Eater.
Sirius and Hestia were providing cover fire for Harry and Seraph. Each was hiding behind a garbage dumpster. Hestia was threw a Reducto at a Death Eater fighting Seraph blowing his head apart while Sirius cast Diffindo at a Death Eater that was aiming at Harry's back. The spell caught him in the neck severing his jugular. His hands flew to his neck but he bled out and fell to the pavement before he could portkey away.
Other Death Eaters seeing spells coming from the alley fired a series of blasting hexes and Percussios. Most of the spells went sailing past Sirius and Hestia blasting away parts of the alley. Fragments of stone covered the ground. One blasting hex struck the wall near Hestia. Already weakened by the other blasting hexes, it collapsed outward into the alley, crushing her underneath the debris.
Harry was no longer trying to take Death Eaters down, he could only focus on dodging the spells he could and blocking those he couldn't. Rolling to the right to avoid a string of Avada Kedavras he wove the deep blue shield that provided the greatest protection. The dome shattered a moment later from the impact of another Avada Kedavra. As he was standing to dive out of the way, he was hit on his right leg by the bludgeoning hex which managed to fracture his femur. He leg crumpled and he crashed to the ground getting hit by a Diffindo on his left arm, cutting through the bicep to hit the bone underneath. An Incendio hit the same arm a second later burning away his shirt sleeve and roasting the skin underneath. Harry was struggling not to pass out but he was losing blood and blackness was engulfing him.
Police sirens could be heard now and the light from their headlights could be seen reflecting off of the windows of nearby homes. Neighbors awakened by the sounds of the battle had called the police.
Harry's scream of pain alerted Sirius. He rushed from his position in the alley towards Harry while firing spell after spell at Harry's attackers. The nearby Death Eaters were driven back by the intensity of his spells. A Reducto caught one in the stomach, blasting into him a leaving a gaping hole in his abdomen. Another caught a Death Eater in the arm, shattering it, but doing little to prevent a counter-attack which would come quickly. Finally reaching Harry, he took a second to note that he had passed out. Casting Protego Maximo he set about defending Harry for as long as possible.
Seraph saw Harry go down and scrambled trying to reach him, but there were too many Death Eaters between them. Then, Seraph remembered the flash-bang from his training session with Harry. Channeling he wove muffles from air for his ears and eyes, and created the flash bang from earth, and filled it with weaves of spirit, air, fire, and water. Not wanting to take a chance of giving away the element of surprise by alerting Sirius, he threw the sphere to street. As the sphere broke, the energy inside burst outward in a blinding flash of white light and an explosion of sound that shattered nearby windows and echoed for blocks.
The blast stunned everybody but Seraph. The Death Eaters and Sirius collapsed screaming at the blinding light and deafening sound. Seraph taking advantage of the lull in fighting moved towards Harry and Sirius.
Seraph could only hope that Hunter was able to get everyone out of the house. He opened a portal to Cardiff and wove a stretcher for Harry and brought him through. Going back, he grabbed Sirius by the arm and dragged the man through the portal and let it close behind him.
While the portal was closing, three police cars pulled up to the scene. Bodies were strewn about, of the 18 Death Eaters that had attacked the house, 8 were still alive and in fighting condition. Shaking off the effects of the flash bang, one Death Eater managed to point his wand at a policeman to cast Avada Kedavra. The police saw the threatening movement and opened fire, hitting the man in the chest 3 times before he was able to fall. The remaining Death Eaters watched their comrade die at the hands of the muggles and portkeyed away, leaving behind the bodies of 12 men.
10 minutes earlier
Inside the house, Hunter, Ron and Hermione were working frantically to get everything they could to Cardiff before the Death Eaters managed to break in. Hermione was working on transferring the library and anything else of value on the 2nd floor. Ron was working on the 3rd floor while Hunter was clearing out anything of value from the training room and first floor.
Hermione was just picking up a stack of books when the 2 rifle shots rang out. She jumped at the sound and dropped the books only to knock the stock over again when another 2 shots were fired. Losing her nerve, she grabbed the books and ran through the portal. She looked back at the open portal after dropping off the books. There were still a lot more to get but her whole body was shaking and she was afraid. Harry was always with her before when they were facing life and death situations and now she was alone. Then she thought of what Harry was doing right now, he and the others were risking their lives so that she could have time to get everything important or dangerous to Cardiff. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she ran back through the portal to continue her job.
Hunter ran downstairs to the meeting room and began collecting everything he could find. They couldn't afford to leave any of their plans behind. Weaving earth to create a box, he started loading everything in. When the room was emptied of everything of value, he wove air to lift the box and dragged it behind him as he moved into the next room to repeat the process. He only stopped when he heard the first gunshots ring out. Wishing briefly that he was outside fighting, he knew he was most valuable in here making sure everything was saved and moved. With a heavy sigh, he finished up the room and moved onto the training room with two containers now being dragged behind him.
Ron's face was red as ran up to the 3rd floor and began to collect everything. It was mostly bedrooms so he was collecting clothes and personal items. Why couldn't he be out there with Harry, he had been there to go after the Sorcerer's stone in the first year and to help rescue Ginny in their second year. Hell, he got a broken leg when he fought with Sirius and Pettigrew their third year. Now, he wasn't old enough to help out anymore.
He had just finished his run when he heard Victor say "3" and then there were two gun shots. Ron stood in the doorway and watched as the fired again, jumping a little at the sound. Again he was thinking, I could be doing that. Instead I am packing Harry's clothes. While he stood there, he saw the window sill explode in front of Victor and before he could move, Victor was hit in the face with an Avada Kedavra and dropped to the floor dead. Ron just stood there staring at Victor's eyes which were open and empty until Remus started yelling at Ron to help him get Victor's body downstairs.
By the time that the police arrive and the surviving Death Eaters had fled, Hunter, Ron, Remus and Hermione had finished emptying out Grimmauld Place. Taking a last look around, they stepped through the portal to Cardiff and Hunter let it close behind them.
Cardiff, Wales
Remus was wandering around looking for a drink. He needed something to calm his nerves. As he entered the next room, which was largely empty except for a fireplace, he was almost run over by Sirius. He tried to grab Sirius who just shook him off and lit the fireplace with a quick Incendio and threw some floo powder in. "Hogwarts Headmaster's Office!" He shouted. In a flash of emerald green fire, Sirius was gone.
Seraph called out "Sirius!"
Remus followed the sound of his voice and found Seraph and Thomas sitting next to an unconscious Harry. "Oh my god, what happened? He's not …" He couldn't bring himself to say it as a lump formed in his throat.
Looking up with grave eyes, Seraph replied "No, but needs help soon if he's going to make it. Sirius went to Hogwarts to get that healer. I just hope he gets back in time."
A/N: This chapter was much easier to write now that I didn't have any more court scenes and consequently I was able to update sooner.
As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. Ideas, comments, criticism are always welcome.