AN: Hi everyone. At long last I've finally managed to drag myself back to writing. For far too long I lacked any sort of inspiration or will to put pen to paper, as the words simply refused to flow. Even now, while some stories come in torrents, others have slowed to a drip. Still, now that I've managed to regain some inspiration, I will work to milk it for as long as possible and hope I will be able to provide a good story for you my readers. Now the next two chapters are already pretty much done, so you can expect them both to be published by the end of the week. Until then, please enjoy this little chapter.

Chapter 11

Kane's return to Britain was marred by the unexpected news of an incident of Muggle baiting during the Quidditch World Cup held in Britain which culminated with the conjuring of Voldemort's Dark Mark.

"What can you tell me about the incident?" Kane asked as he sipped on some tea in a small sitting room in a simple, non-descript house identical to its neighbors in one of London's suburbs.

"Nothing much I'm afraid, Prophet. The perpetrators of the Muggle baiting were just a bunch of drunk idiots reminiscing about the 'good old days', but none of them conjured the Mark." Umbridge replied quickly. Receiving an unexpected visit from Kane had surprised the woman greatly.

"I see. I don't need the distraction of whatever foolish plan Voldemort had cooked up right now. I was content to simply wait until his Horcruxes eventually burned out his soul, but he's stubbornly persisting in being a thorn in my side. Call Danzo and tell him to send his best people to track him down and destroy him. We don't need the trouble of a resurgent Dark Lord at this critical time, especially in such an important target like Britain." Kane's voice carried a tone of annoyance in it.

"It shall be done, Prophet." Umbridge nodded.

"Let's switch to more pleasant topics. How is your protégé doing? Anton if I recall correctly?" Kane asked as he continued to drink his tea. He had to commend Dolores, she had excellent taste in tea.

"Slavik prefers using his last name, but I have nothing but praise for him. He's already on the short list for field commanders for the coming war despite his young age. You'll hear great things about him in a few years." Umbridge replied with great pride in her voice.

"I'm sure I will. And I believe you're looking forward to your role here for our emergence?" Kane asked which in turn got him only a smug look from the woman.

"So very much, Prophet. I've been waiting for this day all my life." She replied.

"The time will come very soon. Thank you for the tea. I'll have to order some of this blend for myself. It is truly exquisite." Kane put down his cup and stood up.

"Thank you, Prophet. It's made to order for me. I can order extra for you the next time I purchase some." Dolores stood as well to escort him out of her home.

"If it's not too much trouble. Until next time, Dolores." Kane gave her a short nod and vanished from her parlor.


The return to Hogwarts was unexciting, marred only by the thought that this would be his final year in the castle. Once Nod emerged into the light, he would be too busy in both his identities to afford the time attending Hogwarts required.

The news that the legendary Triwizard tournament was being once more revived was met with plenty of excited murmurs from the Hogwarts students, and plenty of them imagined themselves as the winner of such a prestigious event. The arrival of the other two great European magical schools was a rather memorable event as well, as both schools were quite eager to show off in front of their hosts at Hogwarts.

The night of the arrival, the members of Nod met to greet their brothers and sisters from the other schools. Only three members came from Durmstrang as Nod presence was not that big there in comparison with the dozen from Beauxbatons.

"Greetings, brothers and sisters. Be welcome to Hogwarts." Hermione greeted them warmly.

"Thank you. We didn't expect to meet a full member at Hogwarts, especially one so young." The Beauxbatons group leader Fleur Delacour replied with a kind smile.

"You can tell that?" Hermione was surprised. Only Harry and her parents knew she had received Divination.

"Only because of my Veela heritage and plenty of practice in aura reading. I've also spent a lot of time with older Veela who have received Divination." Fleur replied softly.

"That's interesting. Yes, I took the tests a while ago, and no, I wasn't allowed to speak about it." Hermione noticed the looks her friends gave her and decided she would have to say something.

Fortunately for Kane's plans, he had learned early on to manipulate his aura as reading it was far more common in the time he created Nod, and it was one part of magical knowledge that did not survive the centuries, as it was a rather niche and difficult skill to master, so to Fleur's eyes Harry was no different than all the other students around him.

"How are things in your schools?" Hermione quickly changed the topic before she could be questioned further.

"We have very little presence in Durmstrang, but the members we have are strong and competent. Several secret passages have been found and secured. When our brothers come, we'll let them through and aid them in securing the school." The Durmstrang group leader spoke in a thick Nordic accent.

"We have a lot more presence in Beauxbatons, but the plans are more or less the same. Fortunately for us, Madame Maxime is also a member, so the takeover should be rather simple." Fleur shared.

"Our own presence here is significant too, and combined with our control over the wards, we should have no trouble securing the castle when our brothers come to support us. I'm told our troops are already moving in to secure other key locations across the country." Hermione added.

"Things are the same in France. We've put up with the bigots for far too long. The time has come for a change." Fleur grinned viciously. The Veela enclaves had suffered greatly over the centuries, which was why they jumped at the opportunity Nod offered them.

"One vision." Hermione stood up and pressed her fist to her chest.

"One purpose." The rest followed before slowly dispersing for the night.


A couple of nights later Kane was alerted via a special enchanted item he carried with him that an urgent request for a meeting was made for him. Following the instructions sent with the message, he arrived in a clearing deep in the Forbidden Forest where two Shadows were waiting for him.

"Thank you for arriving so quickly Prophet." One of them spoke once he had bowed in respect. "We would not have presumed to request your presence if we didn't believe it was important."

"I was nearby. Report." Kane sat down on a conjured chair. The Shadows remained standing.

"We have tracked down Voldemort, and have captured him along with one servant, one Peter Pettigrew. Interrogation led us to a second servant, one Bartemius Crouch Junior, currently using polyjuice potion to masquerade as Alastor Moody. We have secured both as well." The Shadow began his report.

"Interesting. And the Horcruxes?" Kane asked as he pondered the report so far.

"Tracked down and destroyed, Prophet. We had an issue with one of them, as it was not where Voldemort said it was. It appears someone had found it before us and replaced it, but through pure chance, one of the local brothers we brought with us as a guide, one Sirius Black recognized the handwriting of the message left with the decoy as that of his brother's, so that one was destroyed as well. Voldemort is no more." The Shadow concluded.

"Excellent. Your prisoners are alive?" Kane asked and the Shadow nodded in confirmation.

"Crouch and Moody are simply loose ends, and Moody especially would be a big thorn in our side in the coming events. Dispose of them. As for Pettigrew, give him to Raveshaw. Tell him to be creative." Kane smirked as the second Shadow shivered slightly. "Oh, did the prisoners divulge anything of interest during their interrogation?"

"Nothing particularly relevant, Prophet, although Crouch revealed that the reason for his presence in Hogwarts was to ensure Harry Potter was entered in the Triwizard tournament and won it, however we picked him up before he could put his plan to action. I recall Potter was considered a person of interest so I decided to mention it." The Shadow replied.

"Thank you. That would have disturbed a few of my plans. You will inform General Danzo and the rest of our specialists that Potter is not to be touched without my direct order no matter what." Kane commanded in a firm tone, feeling relieved that the Shadows had helped him avoid a rather annoying plot by his now deceased foe.

"As you command, Prophet." The Shadows bowed again and vanished into the darkness of the Forest.


While things remained seemingly normal in the magical world, things were rather different in the non-magical world.

Staring in the early fall and progressing towards the New Year, a lot of smaller countries all over the world started to undergo regime changes.

In some of them this change happened peacefully, as rising pressure from the people forced an early election, replacing the current government with a new one. In others, the change happened via a military coup as the armies of these countries rose to overthrow the current leaders, and in a rare few cases, the changes happened through violent revolutions as the people marched into the street and forced a change in their countries.

The one thing in common with all these new governments were their rather hostile foreign policies as they deported foreign diplomats and citizens and in many cases nationalized assets owned by foreign companies and governments. The second thing were massive investments in their countries transport and logistics infrastructure as projects and contracts were developed and assigned in days and construction companies worked day and night to finish these project as quickly as possible.

Adding to the global confusion was the fact that these new governments did not respond to the inevitable diplomatic backlash as the great powers expected. The diplomats sent to open a dialogue with these new governments expected they would simply threaten them with some sanctions or embargoes or rattle their sabers a bit, and everything would be back to normal. To their shock however, their threats, veiled or open were met with derision or outright dismissal. Even trade embargoes did nothing. As far as their agents could determine, life went on smoothly even in the embargoed countries.

Any spies or black ops teams sent to dig out information or to destabilize the new regimes would quickly vanish without a trace, leaving their superiors confused and slowly growing afraid.

As the winter passed and the spring was approaching, more and more countries replaced their leaders despite all attempts by foreign powers to stem the tide.


In the magical world that was as of yet still ignorant of the changes sweeping the non-magical countries preparations were made for the Spring Equinox and the traditional Wizengamot meeting or the local equivalent of the body.

In his office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was preparing to attend the Wizengamot meeting as was his duty as Chief Warlock.

"I do wish these meetings weren't mandatory. They grow rather tedious after a while." Dumbledore sighed as he gathered his notes for the meeting from his desk.

"You could always relinquish your position, Albus." The portrait of Phineas Nigelus Black commented.

"Not yet, Phineas. I still…" Dumbledore gasped in shock and pain as he felt someone grab him from behind and a sharp blade stab into his heart. As the old man fell, behind him Kane faded into view.

"Nothing personal, but I cannot afford for you to interfere with what will happen today. Take whatever small comfort you can from the knowledge that I had to personally take your life." Kane stood until he was certain the old man was dead. "For Nod."

"Peace through power." The portrait of Armando Dippet, a former Ravenclaw and Nod member spoke once the office was empty. "Rest in peace, Albus. Such a waste of good talent. He could have been the greatest of us all. And all he ended up as was a speed bump on Kane's path."

In Britain, the Wizengamot Hall was full, as attendance was mandatory on the solstices and equinoxes. To their rising agitation, even after half an hour of waiting, the usually punctual Dumbledore had yet to appear, and before things could deteriorate further, Dolores stood up and called for order.

"Honorable members of the Wizengamot, please settle down. While we wait for the Chief Warlock to arrive, I have a few words to say." The room settled down and turned their attention to the woman as she walked down to the center of the circular room. Only a handful of members actually knew what she intended to say and stood prepared for the key moment.

"For over thirty years I have been working in the Ministry of Magic, watching over and over again as the witches and wizards in power failed to learn how the world worked. For decades we have worked passionately to ensure that the status quo was maintained, our society remain stagnant, to ensure fresh blood and ideas remained foreign to our society and to banish all who would not conform from our shores." She paused for a moment as increasingly confused and angry faces surrounded her.

"For decades you have been eagerly cutting the very branch you were sitting on, all the time so blindingly confident you were doing the right thing. So many of you passed laws and supported the bigotry and oppression that kicked out all the undesirables from your pristine pureblood society. And for years, I acted as one of the most extreme of your lot, and not only did you not punish me, no you praised me for it even as my actions led to your own end." Dolores began to laugh softly at this point. "I admit I do this with no small amount of pleasure."

With those words, over two hundred soldiers rushed into the packed hall, quickly subduing everyone that tried to resist. Thanks to her speech, most were still too shocked to react in time.

"As of this moment, the British Ministry of Magic as well as all communities and citizens under its authority are taken over by the Brotherhood of Nod. Cooperate and you will be shown a future unlike anything you could have imagined. Resist, and you will be removed from our path." Dolores chuckled under her breath as she finally shed the illusion on her body, surprising a lot of people. Now that she no longer looked like an immature hag, her presence became much more authoritative.

"Is the Ministry secure?" She turned to the nearest soldier who was quick to salute her.

"Yes, Grand Confessor. We left this room for last as per your instructions." The soldier replied promptly.

"What about the rest of the teams?" She continued, wanting to show the ignorant bigots around her just how far their reach extended.

"Diagon Alley, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are under our control, as well as most of the magical enclaves." The soldier added proudly.

"Excellent. Dismissed." Dolores smiled and sat down in the Chief Warlock seat. "Now, let us talk about some changes."


While most of the magical governments were quickly overthrown across the world, not all of them were overtaken by Nod. For some countries, Nod simply did not have enough presence there or simply lacked the interest to invest the necessary resources.

"The Secretary of Magic is very grateful for your warning. Who knows what kind of damage these fanatics might have done without your help, Mr. Potter." Harry simply gave the woman sitting across him a soft smile.

"When I learned about this, I had to warn you. I'm afraid I was too late to warn my own government, but considering how deep the rot had spread there, I doubt I would have been able to do anything. I'm worried thought that by doing this, I have put my own life in danger." Harry said, with a slightly nervous tone.

"Rest assured you have been already given asylum and the protection of our finest Aurors." The woman was quick to reply.

"That is most kind. Please tell the Secretary that I will continue to aid you in any way I am able." Harry offered.

"I will let him know, Mr. Potter. Have a good day." The woman left, leaving Harry to stand by the window of the New York apartment with a soft smirk on his face. 'Things are falling into place.'


Almost two months later, once their position in the magical world was consolidated to a satisfactory level, did the Brotherhood take the next step in their plan, which was to reveal themselves to the people of the world.

All over the world TV stations and newspapers received a video tape with a recorded speech by Kane.

"…as this message states…"

"…the Brotherhood of Nod offers salvation to the oppressed…"

"…shocking revelations as Nod…"

"…we stand united by one vision on the path towards…"

"…the enigmatic Kane proclaims a new age of…"

"…rioting and protest erupt following Nod proclamation as people…"

"…expert baffled as Brotherhood of Nod claims responsibility for revolutions in…"

"…Nod a hoax say political experts from…"

With a sigh, the President of the United States turned off the TV with a groan as he got out of bed. For several days now, all anyone talked about was the so called Nod Proclamation. And as far as he could tell, his entire administration didn't have a damn clue these people even existed.

"Alright people. You've had forty-eight hours to get a handle on this mess. So tell me, who is Kane, what is the Brotherhood of Nod, what are they planning and how do we stop them?" President Clinton stood with his hands on the desk before his cabinet and various experts and aides gathered to deal with the Nod issue.

"We don't know, sir." The CIA director broke the silence the President's words caused.

"You don't know. Remind me how much money is the government giving you every year? How did you miss something this big?" The President shouted.

"Sir, if I may, technically we didn't miss them." The President turned towards a woman that spoke up in the silent room.

"Explain. And introduce yourself." The President turned towards her.

"Dana Scully, deputy-director of the FBI. There have been clues about the existence of the Brotherhood for decades, but the clues are so scattered we would have never pieced them together, especially not without a level of inter-agency and international cooperation that was simply inconceivable before they stepped into the open. To be honest sir, the Brotherhood are masters of misdirection. They've been showing us what we wanted to see all this time, and none of us thought to dig deeper." The woman began to explain.

"Can you give me an example?" The President decided to ask for clarification.

"Remember the Los Santos cartel bust fifteen years ago? Over a thousand arrests and convictions made from the lowest pushers all the way up to the leaders, with millions of dollars in seized drugs and weapons. It was lauded as one of the biggest victories in the war on drugs. Looking through the files now, we realized that the Los Santos were nothing but Nod patsies that were placed to take the fall when they grew too big and we decided to dig them out. My team has reviewed hundreds of case files and we now suspect that possibly half of all organized crime in the world is backed or either run directly by Nod." Scully reported.

"Jesus Christ. That would give them control of a very sizable cash supply, not to mention illegal smuggling routes." The CIA director grumbled.

"I'm afraid things are a lot worse than you know." Everyone turned to the door as four men walked into the room.

Looking at them, the quartet made a very odd bunch. The man leading them looked like all the other cabinet members, dressed in an elegant suit, but the three following him were not. The one right behind him was a young teen boy in simple pants and shirt with short hair and piercing green eyes, while the two men behind them were rather scruffy, dressed in worn clothes and both wearing trench coats, one black, one beige. The one with the beige coat even had a cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Secretary Jacobs, your arrival is most unexpected." President Clinton frowned when he saw the Secretary of Magic walk in the meeting room.

"Due to recent events Mr. President now is not the time to rely on the usual protocols. The ICW has repealed the Statute of Secrecy." President Clinton gaped in shock at that. Of all the things he expected to hear today, that was not one of them.

"What? Why?" The President finally asked.

"The Brotherhood of Nod, of course." The man in the black coat replied.

"Mr. President, perhaps we could be filled in?" The Secretary of Defense spoke up.

"Yes, of course. This will be hard to accept, but Mr. Jacobs here is the Secretary of Magic." The President began. A lot of people didn't seem to believe him, but the man in the beige coat waved a wooden stick and a briefcase sitting on the desk before him turned into a cat that walked around for a bit before returning to its original spot and turning back into a briefcase.

"We don't have time to break it to you gently. The magical world is facing a monumental crisis. Almost seventy percent of all magical communities are currently under Brotherhood control. The remaining free countries have banded together, but we're no match for them on our own. We need your help, and you need ours." Jacobs began to explain.

"That's impossible. Nod doesn't have that big a hold on the world." The CIA director exclaimed in protest.

"The magical world has been separating from the non-magical for nearly a thousand years, and even before that, there wasn't that much contact between us. Do you really expect the map of the magical world to be identical to the non-magical? The borders are very different, as are the people living in them. Thanks to the pureblood propaganda prevalent in Europe and other countries across the world, Nod has managed to absorb the majority of the magical populace of Earth. Furthermore, since they're not bound by laws and treaties, Nod has managed to make incredible advancements in both magic and technology." The teenager next to Jacobs spoke up at that.

"And how would you know anything about that, kid?" The man next to the CIA director scoffed, clearly dismissing him due to his age.

"I know about it, and a whole lot more, because for the past four years, I was a Nod initiate." With those words, Harry Potter gave a slight smirk at the thoroughly silent room.