Escalation
(_)(_)(_)
1973
Immediately after their private meeting and the establishment of their Alliance, the elder Marauders got to work. Harfang and Charlus went to Gringotts and dug out all the war equipment they'd bought to replace what had been lost during the raid on their camp that had seen Cedrella and Callidora captured along with some of the group's support staff. Septimus dug out the wands in the Weasley vault that had been of use to the group last time, along with his and Cedrella's personal equipment.
The three women went over the lists of the various Black, Potter, and Longbottom properties in order to develop an efficient itinerary for visiting each of them. They needed to see which would be feasible as retreats for the threatened muggleborn children and their families, and how many people could live at each property comfortably. Once that was decided, the three women talked over potential additions to existing ward schemes, storage of extraneous furniture, irreplaceable valuables, and portraits (none of them wanted a portrait with a frame elsewhere to tattle to enemy forces about what was going on) and setting up the properties for their potential guests.
Charlus flooed Septimus and Harfang late that evening. Jinx had finally returned, clutching a thick sheaf of parchment and a triumphant grin.
"We've got the address of every kid currently attending, and all the Muggleborns that have done accidental magic to date." Charlus told them. "They promised to alert us to changes of address, and whenever a new kid popped up on the list. I almost kissed Jinx."
That had made Septimus laugh, not that he'd blamed Charlus for his glee. "Go to bed, Charlus. We're going to have a hell of a day tomorrow."
"No shit. The Wizengamot is going to have a collective apoplexy." Charlus said, grinning like a fiend. "I'll make copies of the list for you two, and a copy to go in my vault, just in case."
"Make enough copies for us to put one in each of our vaults too." Septimus recommended. "The more backups we have, the better."
"Good point. Will do." Charlus said, then retreated from the fireplace.
They had no choice but to announce their Alliance - there was no way in hell the Ministry in general or the various Families in particular had missed the blast of magic that had accompanied the sealing of the oath. Fortunately for their activities that day, while pretty much everyone knew *something* big had happened, almost no one would be able to figure out what it was, or who was involved. The Light, Neutral, and Dark sides would be able to talk to their own people and eliminate some suspects, but none of the three sides were talking to the others anymore, so they wouldn't be able to tell if something had happened with the other groups. This allowed the three men to visit their vaults without raising any alarms.
Their biggest advantage lay in the fact that they could lie about just how long the Alliance was in effect if anyone asked, saying it was only for the remainder of their own lives, not binding to their families in perpetuity. That would incline any inimical parties to wait until the existing generation was dead and gone before acting on any nasty plans ... at which time they'd be in for a hell of a surprise.
What amused Septimus though, was the fact that most of the reason the Wizengamot would be having a fit was because the Weasleys were in the Alliance. The bright among them (which was most of them) would realize that the Longbottoms and Potters now essentially had an army of grunts at their beck and call thanks to the sheer numbers House Weasley enjoyed. The petty idiots would be offended that the poor, politically and socially useless Weasley family had been accorded the incredible honor of an Alliance with two such prestigious families.
The brightest among the Wizengamot would realize that whatever apparent uselessness the Weasleys had in political circles did not reflect their usefulness elsewhere. The Alliance basically meant that if the Longbottoms or Potters got wiped out thanks to their lesser numbers, the Weasleys would come down like a ton of bricks on whoever did it. That basically nowhere on the planet would be safe, as there were Weasleys on every continent save Antarctica. Worse, what the Weasleys had always lacked in funds, they had not lacked in magical strength, magical skill, or overall intelligence, making them a very formidable fighting force. There was nowhere the perpetrator could flee to evade the Weasleys' wrath.
Better still, thanks to Septimus' careful husbandry, the family in its entirety was in a far better financial place than it had been in a very long time. However, everyone still assumed the Weasleys still lacked funds. It hadn't yet penetrated the collective consciousness of the Wizengamot that House Weasley was no longer anywhere near as poor as it had been a generation ago, or that the family's wealth was now increasing daily. They still weren't anywhere near the Potter/Black level of wealth, but they also weren't dead last in finances anymore. William, Arthur's oldest boy, would probably be dead and gone before the Wizengamot truly bought a clue in that regard.
(_)(_)(_)
The next day, the three men were hard put to it to keep from snickering as they walked into the Wizengamot. The entire place was abuzz, people gabbing back and forth as they discussed the previous day's magical event and what it could possibly mean. The Wizengamot was, at this point, so used to the three men arriving and sitting together they took zero note of them now, which just increased the men's amusement exponentially.
Once everyone had settled down finally, which took longer than usual due to everyone's excitement and curiosity, Charlus pushed to his feet. The entire place fell silent in anticipation of what Charlus was going to say.
"We are all aware of the magical event that took place mid-day yesterday." Charlus said. "It is therefore my duty, honor, and privilege to inform this body that Houses Potter, Longbottom, and Weasley have entered into an Alliance Oath."
There was complete, dead silence for roughly the count of twenty. Septimus, who had been watching Dumbledore (and the people nearest him) carefully, saw the brief flash of ... well, something other than pleasure and happiness. At the distance the two men were from one another it was hard for Septimus to tell what exactly the reaction had been, it was there and gone so fast.
Then, after that twenty-count, all hell broke loose. All three men, having planned this, had agreed to watch separate sections of the room so they could compare notes about reactions later. Dumbledore may have been something other than pleased, but Septimus noted that the people around him had different reactions. All the people around Dumbledore were his allies, the so-called Light side. Almost to a man, they looked ecstatic at the announcement. The few who weren't that all had 'well, it's about damn time' type expressions on their faces. Septimus would admit that himself, Harfang and Charlus going that far would hardly have been a shock to the people that knew them, given their tight friendship virtually their entire lives. What bothered Septimus was the fact that pretty much everyone in that arc of the room also looked expectant. It didn't take much for Septimus to realize they were all assuming that the three Houses would re-align with the Light 'where they belonged'. Why they thought that when all three Houses had made a point of being Neutral, he didn't know.
It took a good ten minutes for everyone to be brought back to order. Even then, the entire day was pretty much wasted, as no one seemed to be able to concentrate on the normal business of the day. Everyone seemed to be far too interested in contemplating the power shift that the Alliance represented, and what it would mean to the escalating hostilities with Voldemort and his group.
Later, when the three men talked, Septimus discovered that the Dark contingent had, more or less to a man, been furious and/or apprehensive, and had spent most of the rest of the session whispering to each other. The Neutrals had all looked pleased, and had evidently had a few 'about damn time' faces too, but had lacked the expectant 'yay, they've seen the light and are going to rejoin the Light' expression Septimus had seen on the faces of some of Dumbledore's people.
(_)(_)(_)
The rest of that summer was hellaciously busy. Cedrella, Callidora, and Dorea spent the summer traveling, going from home to home, both in the UK and elsewhere, evaluating the various homes at their combined disposal. A half dozen of the biggest and easiest to defend were chosen as retreats for the threatened muggleborns and their families, at least initially. Several other properties, while smaller than the chosen six, were earmarked for use if those six got filled up, which was entirely possible. That done, they then cleaned the places out as planned with the assistance of the resident house elves, and put in the things necessary to host a number of people fairly long-term. All told, the six primary rescue houses would be able to hold a hundred people. The backup houses would be able to hold another fifty. Hopefully, it would be enough.
Arcturus personally went to the chosen Black homes and swore the elves there to complete secrecy, forbidding them to communicate in any way, shape, or form what was going on in the house they were in charge of with anyone other than Lord Black, Cedrella, Callidora, or Dorea. Given his family's normal leanings, it just wasn't worth the risk to have an elf accidentally blab to a hostile family member what was going on. Especially considering just how fanatical Orion, Walburga, and the teenage Bellatrix were. He also wrote a very detailed Will, ensuring that if he was killed before they reached their majority, that Sirius and Regulus would be taken care of and protected from their Dark relatives, especially their parents.
Similarly, the Marauders wrote their own Wills. Charlus, the only one with an under-age Heir at that point, made sure that James would be covered. It wasn't really necessary, not with the Alliance in effect, but it was a case of better safe than sorry. The more they could cover their butts, the better.
Everyone but Charlus and Remus started working on becoming an animagus ... even Cedrella, Callidora and Dorea. The kids were thrilled, and threw themselves into it with a will, determined to achieve becoming animagi come hell or high water. Remus, realizing that a lot of their enthusiasm came from being able to help him during his transformations, was incredibly touched. He did what he could to help, which mostly amounted to ensuring the other kids weren't disturbed while they meditated (or attempted to) as they tried to find their forms. Septimus also started teaching him the animagus-reversal spell, so that he'd know it and be able to perform it easily by the time any of his friends started trying to transform in a year or so. He also planned to inform Professor McGonagall of the kids' efforts once school started, so she could oversee them whenever possible, or just be available for advice both for the kids and the adults. He also planned to swear her to secrecy when he told her, to prevent Dumbledore from finding out.
Animagi meditations weren't the only thing on the schedule, either. As planned, the kids were given an accelerated, concentrated course in offensive and defensive magic, so they'd have a chance in hell of surviving if they got separated from their parents in the middle of a firefight. They were careful to keep it to the kids' power levels, but any and every useable spell in the three families' repertoires got introduced.
(_)(_)(_)
Unfortunately, the Alliance weren't the only ones kicking things into a higher gear. Dumbledore tried no less than six times to meet with one, both, or all three men over the summer. All three of them gave him the cold shoulder. Dumbledore then sent some of his stooges as emissaries. These, the Alliance had to handle more gently than they did Dumbledore, as they didn't want to alienate them. All three men did their best to attempt to plant the seed of doubt in their visitors' minds. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do any good.
And on the less pleasant side of the equation, attacks on Muggles nearly tripled in the wake of the announced Alliance. Worse, Septimus received word from several of his further-flung relatives that people of 'questionable character' had been seen about, gathering in groups and muttering who-knew-what. It was a clear indication that Voldemort was trying to extend his reach beyond the UK proper. Septimus immediately charged his family to gather what allies they could, and prepare for either an attack at their locations, or to be needed elsewhere when the 'questionable sorts' relocated. They couldn't risk Voldemort either building a base of operations outside the UK proper, or bringing in an enormous army of foreigners with no one in the UK the wiser, or prepared to defend against such a thing.
Septimus also shared that news with Arcturus, Harfang, and Charlus. All three got in contact with foreign allies, and relatives in the case of Longbottom and Black. Arcturus was careful to only contact those he could trust to come down on the side of the good guys, and not Voldemort's. Those allies and relatives were told to liaise with any Weasleys in their vicinity.
By the time the new school year rolled around, the Alliance was as ready as it could be given the situation. They just had to wait to see how events would fall out.
