The chaos and cries of fear and despair filled their ears as Harry and Daphne walked out of their quarters to go for breakfast. They met Luna and Hermione who had the morning Prophet in her hand. The look on her face made both of them wonder what had happened as Hermione handed them the paper which Daphne opened and gasped. Harry looked as well and his eyes opened wide.
The ministry had fallen as Voldemort had attacked it in broad daylight yesterday. The minister of magic was dead along with many more from high ranking ministry officials to other ministry employees. To think that Voldemort will pull such a move was beyond Harry's understanding. He flipped through the pages, finding if there was anything about any of the people he knew of when he stopped and read a smaller article talking about Kingsley.
The man had disappeared and/or was dead after he and a small group of aurors who were with him took a direct attack from Voldemort. Harry went numb and headed back in to write a letter to Sirius seeking more information about yesterday's attack. Once he sent the letter with Sable he and the others headed for the great hall where they saw how much scared and afraid everyone was. Many students were missing which Harry presumed was only because they must've lost someone in their family from yesterday's attack. His blood boiled thinking how easily Voldemort just came and killed so many people like that.
He also noticed the Weaselys were missing too, when he remembered reading Arthur Weasely's name in the list of those who'd been confirmed dead after the attack. In the rush he didn't pay much attention to all of that a minute ago but now that he saw the students in front of him who were crying and those who were not here…it made him shiver with anger. Daphne placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him down.
"How many more?" Harry said looking at her.
"You know that this isn't your fight," Daphne said as Hermione and Luna looked at him.
"Doesn't mean I can't help Draco," Harry said before looking at Luna. "Will you help?" Luna smiled after a moment before nodding. Harry nodded back before looking for Neville whom he found with a few students from Gryffindor.
Harry headed his way before pulling Neville away from them. "What is it?" Neville asked as Luna and others joined them.
"Harry wants to plan an attack on Voldemort," said Luna as Neville looked at him with wide eyes.
"Are you out of your mind?" he said.
"I am not," Harry said. "With you two and Draco we have three divine beasts on our side, each of which has the power that can destroy the remaining two horcruxes. We will join arms with Draco and attack the Riddle Manor where Draco will take down Tom while we will destroy the horcruxes."
"I still don't think that this is a good idea," Neville said.
"Do we have any other choice?" Harry asked. "How long can we allow this madness to happen…these people to die? They don't have the power to stop him but we do! Draco will most certainly need our help even though he won't say it. There's a massive flaw in his strength against Voldemort."
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Selandra became Salazar's familiar when she met him," Harry said. "Because of that even though now that sense of familiarity is no more the magic has bound her to Salazar's lineage which allows Voldemort to control her to some extent." That took everyone by surprise. "Do you know the attacks that happened in Hogwarts fifty years ago? Tom was a student here back then and he used his lineage's power to control Selandra in order to petrify and attempt to kill muggleborns and half-bloods. I know Draco realizes this huge weakness which he has against Voldemort but he won't ask us to help him which is why we need to offer our help to him."
"Do you think Sirius will let you…us do it?" Hermione asked before she looked at Daphne. "Do you think your parents will let you do this, or your grandma will let you do this?" she asked looking at Neville. "I am not saying that we shouldn't help Draco. I am saying is, is it possible to get more people to join us for this fight?"
"We certainly will have to face Voldemort's army if not anything else," Daphne said.
"Leave that to me," Neville said before looking at Harry. "If you are certain about this then I will fight with you along with Griffin. He, too, agrees that such an evil individual shouldn't exist. I will see what I can do to increase our numbers."
"Can I trust you with that?" Harry asked looking at Neville with dead seriousness.
"I'll try not to disappoint you," Neville said.
"Look at us," Daphne said with a little smile, "a couple second year students trying to take the fight to Voldemort. I wonder how many will join us."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Neville said.
"I'm stating the facts," she said. "I don't know how you plan on involving others into this…to help us but it's not going to be easy."
"Just…leave it to me," Neville said before he left the great hall.
00000
That evening an emergency student meeting was called upon by deputy headmistress seeing that Dumbledore was absent. No one knew where he'd gone to but they were thinking that it was probably related to the ministry now finally being under Voldemort's control.
Almost thirty to fifty students were absent from the meeting as it turned out that all of them had lost someone in the attack. The meeting was small and all McGonagall said was to be ready as there was no telling when Hogwarts might end up closing. Students were seen not liking her words as they were all safe inside the castle. Out there was no telling when someone would be attacked, especially now that Voldemort had the ministry under his control.
And as it happened a week later the remnants of the education board decided to close the castle before Voldemort and his followers could acquire control of the boards as well. The wards of the castle were extended beyond the Hogsmead village along with a heavy deployment of aurors for extra security for the students. Aurors were stationed inside the express as well along with the faculty members. The paranoia was palpable as everyone was doing everything they could to provide security for the students so they could return home safely.
The entire eight hour journey from Hogsmead to London was eerie and edgy as students, aurors and faculty alike kept themselves alert of any and all impending attacks. Luckily none came their way as the Hogwarts Express safely reached King's Cross at eight in the night where everyone saw another heavy deployment of aurors on the platform.
Each parent of the student was sent a special pass through owl-post which they had to bring with them when coming to pick their children and without it the aurors weren't allowing anyone to enter the platform. Those who could (mostly fifth year and above), used portkeys and apparition to go home while others went with their parents/guardians.
Sirius came along with Augusta and the Greengrasses in disguise to pick Harry, Susan, Neville and Daphne. Hermione had written home that she will be safe with her friends so her parents had not come to pick her up. Upon Harry's request Barefang had put up wards around the Grangers' residence for extra security for which Hermione was grateful to Harry. Luna had used a portkey to go back to her place. As it turned out her father wasn't home much and travelled around finding materials for their weekly magazine and so he had given Luna a portkey for their house to come and go whenever she needed and if he wasn't home himself to let her in through the wards.
Everyone except Luna gathered at Potter Manor where the Greengrasses and Hermione came to know that Neville's parents were also there. Upon Harry's request Augusta had brought them here seeing as Potter Manor had the best security amongst Harry's group. Its location was off the books and was protected with multiple heavy layers of goblin-magic wards, the strongest. Not to mention to top it all of it was also protected with a fidilius as well.
Barefang had assured Harry that his manor had better wards compared to Hogwarts and almost at par with that of Gringotts. That was enough assurance that Harry needed as he was sure that it would take some time for Voldemort and his followers to breach through the wards, that is, if they ever find the manor in the first place.
Upon Harry and Hermione's request and seeing how grave of a danger they were in the Grangers also moved temporarily in the Potter Manor until the threat was dealt with. They couldn't believe that the magical government had collapsed and while Harry's group also didn't know much about the condition outside Sirius and Augusta had and there were already tens of laws that had made it legal to kill/murder those who weren't of 'pure' magical blood.
This had allowed people who favored blood-based discrimination to go full out on those who were muggleborns or were half-bloods. The aurors nabbed as much as they could but without a proper leadership and lack of ministry-aided facilities they could only do so much.
With no one to stop them and the 'government' on their side the death eaters wreaked havoc everywhere, starting with the aurors and their families. Cases of murders, kidnappings, rape of women and girls became so common that it was the new everyday norm.
No one was safe.
The death eaters hunted down the aurors and those who opposed Voldemort and his ideals in any way whatsoever and by the month's end the death-toll had went beyond ten thousand while the kidnapped over twenty and with all of that the aurors also gave up not because they wanted to but because of the safety of their loved ones. It was understandable but following that people became more afraid. There was no sign of Dumbledore either. The man had disappeared without a trace and everyone was looking for him.
For Harry, things weren't going well either as the place he'd designated as his letter/package dropping point following Voldemort's control over the ministry saw thousands of letters asking if and when he will defeat Voldemort. He didn't know what to do. He had told about his plan to Sirius where they would use the powers of Griffin and Celia to help Draco defeat Voldemort and while Sirius and Augusta eventually agreed Draco was someone Harry found hard to reach.
He wasn't able to deliver any letter to Draco and with no idea where he lived Harry had no way to contact him. People were dying and he was nowhere to be seen. Even his occasional attacks on death eaters had stopped making Harry and others wonder what had happened.
And so after many tries and requests from the kids the adults (Sirius, Augusta and the Greengrass) agreed to take some action. It made sense that they couldn't just sit around doing nothing. If Draco wasn't taking a step against Voldemort then at least all they could do was take down a few death eaters.
And so after some heavy planning it was decided that they will secretly raid and attack small groups of death eaters. Sirius involved some of the aurors as well who still wanted to fight but couldn't because their partners/colleagues had accepted defeat and so with everyone included, they had about twenty or so people in their small group.
The Grangers didn't allow Hermione to be involved into all of this and despite her trying to make them understand she couldn't in the end. Harry tried to make Hermione understand why her parents didn't want her involved and that it was okay for her to not be a part of this. Above everything else Harry wanted his friends to be safe. Besides, he had legally taken the Grangers under his house's protection.
Daphne's case was a little different. While her parents didn't want her to get involved they knew she wouldn't listen. Also, she had the skills to take down grown up witches and wizards and besides, she will be fighting from behind the lines just like Harry and Neville. Susan, too, wasn't allowed to participate upon Sirius' decision. She didn't put up much effort trying to make him understand that she should fight alongside her friends as she wasn't like Harry, Neville or Daphne. She understood that someone less skilled on the field could become hindrance to their own team and here it would mean dying if one missed their shot or didn't pay much attention to the problem in the front.
Once it was decided that who all will be going a plan of action was formed and with that Harry and the rest were ready to take the fight to the death eaters and Voldemort's army.
00000
"People are looking for you out there." Dumbledore looked up as Grindelwald appeared in front of him. "Shouldn't you be setting an example like you always do? Or are you scared?"
"Tom is not my problem and you know that as well," Dumbledore said looking at Ariana. "I have decided not to meddle into the matter."
"Because it doesn't concern your precious boy Harry?" Grindelwald asked as Dumbledore looked at him with surprise.
"You know?" he asked.
"I know everything, old friend," Grindelwald said, "along with who is prophesied to take down Tom."
"And what do you know of the First One?" Dumbledore asked getting a surprised look from Grindelwald. "Understanding from your looks you don't know what it is."
"I know what it is," Grindelwald said. "I want to know what it says. Do you know what it says?"
"I don't," Dumbledore said, "but I do know that it will take place in the next fifty years or less because I have seen the orb and the time to fulfill its prophecy…is near. What I mean to ask is, are you and your master ready to face it?"
Grindelwald looked at Dumbledore before smiling. "I guess time will tell," he said before looking at Ariana. "If you touch her I will obliterate your very existence."
Dumbledore stood there as Grindelwald disappeared from in front of him. He sighed as he looked at his sister. "If only you could know that his love for you is only because of what is inside you and not who you are." He then paused and looked at her for the next few minutes without saying anything. "I wonder if it's a lie around the creature that is inside you…about who can control it. You are like a sitting treasure for anyone who understands the true value of what is inside you. Pity that that treasure doesn't want to come out."
00000
Harry breathed hard as he destroyed all the training dummies. He had regained control of his magic completely and Daphne's help had him improve his agility and moves on the field but one thing he couldn't get off of his mind was why he had seen the face of that woman in the Yayu's memories. A guess told him that that woman was probably Gaanieda, Merlin's sister and the one who looked after the Yayu. If he went along with what the divine beasts of Luna and Draco had told him it was that Gaanieda was as much responsible behind the defeat of the divine beasts by the hands of the Yayu as much as Merlin was. That made Harry wonder why the Yayu was thinking about Gaanieda and not Merlin. It could be that it was as Harry had barely accessed its memories but the question remained – why did he find Gaanieda in the Yayu's surface memory.
As he put back his wand in the holster he turned around hearing someone enter the basement. It was Sirius and from behind him emerged Draco.
Harry stopped whatever he was doing as he walked towards them, his eyes on Draco.
"I heard what you all are planning," Draco said looking at Harry. "Are you certain that going against him in the fight won't end up in some of you being dead?"
"Let us worry about that," Harry said. "Where were you all these days?"
"Scanning the surrounding areas of the Riddle manor," Draco said. "The place has been turned into fortress if not more, especially after we infiltrated to rescue Snape. There's no way we can enter without causing everyone in Voldemort's army to know about our presence this time and yes…all of his armies are positioned in and around the manor guarding him with their very lives. How many men do you have?"
"About a hundred or so…give or take," Sirius said, not sounding enthusiastic even though their numbers had increased from twenty. They all knew that their number was far small compared to Voldemort's army but they had to do with what they've got as there was no other choice.
"You lot wouldn't even make past the forest around the manor," Draco said. "Unless you've got something large or powerful enough to make everyone on your side invisible they will notice you from miles away."
"So you're saying that we do nothing and let Voldemort rampage?" Harry asked.
"Yes…that is, if you care about the lives of everyone who've joined or will join you in this fight," Draco said.
"Everyone who's joined us has done so knowing that they are putting their very lives at risk," Sirius said.
"And I don't blame them for that but what can you do to assure their safety?" Draco asked. "On the field if you're facing an enemy then it becomes difficult for you to focus if you've got your comrades who are being targeted by the enemy soldiers."
"There's no way we can do this on ourselves, if that's what you're referring to," Sirius said.
"So tell me, Harry," Draco said ignoring Sirius, "what will you do? Will you be trying to stop Voldemort's army or be distracted by the fact that your friends will be under constant attack and that you and they will also have to watch each other's backs?"
"They can take care of themselves," Harry said. "Besides, we will be fighting the enemy from behind the lines."
"And what about those who won't?" Draco asked. "In a fight…in a battle on the field a plan barely works. You don't know that because you've got no experience of such a thing. Sirius here can tell you all about it…about how many of their plans actually worked the last time Voldemort came into power."
Harry looked at Sirius who didn't say anything. Harry didn't say anything either for a whole minute or so until he took a long breath and then looked at Draco. "You know, if you wanted to tell me that you wouldn't need our help…you could've said so directly," he said.
"I am not saying that," Draco said. "All I am saying is we don't have to fight his entire army. All we need to do is take out Voldemort and then rest will disperse and can be nabbed later on. You have to accept the fact that you cannot face his army no matter how many men you have. If you still think that you can then you'll be wasting unnecessary lives of many innocent people. On the field everything changes. Many question their decision to fight, many lose their confidence and many retreat or get killed because of nervousness and fear from seeing the enemy in front of them."
"We have people who've fought before," Harry said.
"And how many do you have like them?" Draco asked. "I guess only a handful because those who fought him last time, most of them are dead, old and those who are still in acceptable shape isn't in enough numbers to actually make a difference. You need to drop this. Think about others whom you're pushing into this madness that you are trying to stop. They will die. You will die and no change will be made."
"So then what do you suggest?" Harry asked, his anger rising.
"Let's go with the first part of your plan," Draco said. "By keeping our number as small as possible we will have better coordination on the field and better control on our own situation. Let's just use the beasts and only a handful of people – Sirius, Mathias and a few aurors. All we need to do is make a way in. Either Luna or Neville can destroy the horcruxes with their divine beasts' power while I face Voldemort."
"With that small number how do we infiltrate?" Sirius asked. "You just said that Voldemort has turned his manor into a fortress."
"I guess we'll have to distract them." Draco said.
00000
Grindelwald heard the knock and opened the door. He smiled looking at Fenrir who stood outside his house looking at him. "Have you made a decision?" he asked.
"I have," Fenrir said.
Grindelwald smiled as he stepped aside to let the alpha in.
00000
Thanks for reading…
