CHAPTER 5- Nemesis
September 9th, 1996
MALFOY MANOR- 0000H
The cold, wooden floors of Malfoy Manor did no favours for the emotional constitutions of Voldemort's Inner Circle. They sat along both sides of the long table, waiting for the Dark Lord to make his appearance. Not everyone was looking forward to report recent developments to their Master; it seemed that he had become greatly agitated due to a lack of significant progress against the wretched half-blood and his childish friends.
Being blood purists, they believed that their way was the right way for the Wizarding World to prosper. The fact that the Dark Lord had been employing Muggle mercenaries did not sit well with most of them. The Lestranges, especially, were itching to have a go at them. Surprisingly, the Mercenary Commander was unmoved by their threats. This may have been due to the protection promised by the Dark Lord over these Muggles. In that case, they would bide their time before they can finally have some fun with them.
As the members of the Inner Circle wait in anticipation, the grand doors behind them opened to welcome Voldemort's pet snake, the brutal-looking Mercenary Commander and finally, Lord Voldemort himself.
The members on the table rose in unison and bowed. Bellatrix let out a pleasured moan at His arrival, much to the amusement of her husband, Rabastan.
The Mercenary Commander and his aide were met by undisguised glares of disgust. He was not supposed to be a part of this meeting. It was as if he was a bothersome fly during Thanksgiving Roast.
The Dark Lord sat on the High Chair, his snake Nagini coiling over his shoulders, hissing and speaking to him in the snake-tongue. He gave all his followers and sneer and spoke,
"Sit."
They all sat in their chairs, a sense of foreboding over the coming minutes. The Mercenary and his aide, a woman by the name of Helen, remained standing just to Voldemort's right; they were both stone-faced and alert. The sneers and leers aimed at them from the Inner Circle barely made them flinch.
The Dark Lord gave out a hoarse laugh at their antics and spoke again,
"Oh, don't mind them; they're just making sure you behave. This is a meeting for the big boys and girls, huhehehe."
Bellatrix gave out a high-pitched cackle at this remark. Voldemort then reverted to his stone-faced expression and began the meeting.
"We are all aware, of the filth invading our shores. The accursed Minister has allowed these uncultured swine to occupy our lands, mingle with our peoples, and imprint themselves on our way of life! YAXLEY! Did they receive our message?" asked Voldemort.
Yaxley, the blonde-haired Death Eater, replied in a cool, confident manner.
"Yes, My lord. They got it all right. We heard that the muggles were in a state of panic, started getting tetchy around magical folk. Serves them right is all I can say."
The rest of the Inner Circle chuckled at this turn of events. Voldemort too gave a laugh. He turned to the Mercenary and spoke of the fates of those kidnapped soldiers.
"Oh splendid. You should have heard them squeal. Tell me, are they all that easy to subdue? If it were true I would've asked for it to be done sooner! Such filthy mongrels, muggles are. So simple. So naïve. So ignorant. Not that I consider you so, no! I feel as if you are of slightly higher calibre than the swine we slaughtered!" He laughed at his own joke and the rest of the table gave out raucous laughter.
The Mercenary was not fazed by his remarks. He had seen what they had done to those men. He saw how those soldiers fought their hardest in resisting their tortures. It was a waste, he thought. But fortunes aren't made out of sentiment. He noticed that Helen thought the same. The goal was to finish this contract and leave for good; if he had to kill some squaddies off, so be it.
Once the laughter died down, Voldemort stood from his chair and began to announce his strategy.
"Our spy at Hogwarts has confirmed that significant Muggle forces have now built their bases around the Castle grounds and have made plans to create a rather intricate series of defensive lines around the Forbidden Forest and in the Castle Interior. He has informed me that Ministry lapdogs and more Muggle filth will be brought into Scotland in the coming weeks. So I ask you, Bellatrix; have you spoken to the Child yet?"
Bellatrix' eyes widened at this before she shook herself slightly.
"My Lord, he says that the passageways are still in need of repair and strengthening tests. Do not worry my lord, within the next six months, we shall-"
The Dark lord threw a goblet a Bellatrix and screamed and snarled at her. He was growing impatient and he did not want to hear delays.
"SO LONG AS THAT WIZENED FOOL LIVES, THE BOY AND HIS FRIENDS WILL BE PROTECTED! I DO NOT WANT HIM STAYING ANY LONGER THAN HE HAS TO! I WANT HIM DEAD! SWIIINE!"
The rest of Voldemort's Inner Circle were sufficiently cowed by his sudden outburst. Voldemort turned to the Mercenaries, expecting them to be in awe of his power. Instead, he was met by masks of stoicism; they barely broke a sweat.
He gave a slight sneer towards them; he approached the aide and spoke to her in a silky manner.
"What do you think, muggle? How should we proceed with our plans? My dear Bella, has failed me yet again."
"My Lord, I-"
"SILENCE, YOU BITCH!" He snarled at Bellatrix, who was now whimpering in shame.
The aide looked at Voldemort in the eye, or eye slits, and cleared her throat.
"A more sophisticated approach would be to lure the Headmaster away from the Castle's vicinity and expose Hogwarts even further. "
She pulled out their strategic battle plan; the Mercenary Commander stayed by her side. The Commander then began to relay the plan to Voldemort.
"If killing Dumbledore would prove to be extremely difficult and if you wish for no more delays, then luring him away from the main battleground while our combined forces launch the offensive against the Castle. Our preparations would take no more than four months and would require less luck, less reliance on an emotional child, less delay and a higher degree of certainty. My men can begin in rehearsal operations together with your followers. Should you wish to proceed with this plan, we can remove Dumbledore from the battleground and expose him to superior firepower and numbers, thereby leaving Hogwarts for the taking." The Commander finished.
Voldemort looked over their plans. He had no problem with taking the Castle. Killing all the children along with the Boy and his friends would be an icing on the cake. He gave the most sinister of smiles.
Yes, this plan could work. He hated to be forced to wait. Now all he needs is to figure out how to lure the Headmaster away from the Castle.
Gryffindor Sixth Year Boys Dorm-0500H
Harry was thrashing in his sleep, muttering something about plans and Dumbledore. He was sweating profusely, trying to ward off the nightmares by moving around helplessly. Then, as if he was being sucked into a vortex: flashes of Imperiused soldiers, vengeful vampires, carnivorous werewolves, countless Inferi and vicious giants overlapping each other into one heinous collage of blood and violence. The screams and jeers of sadistic monsters overwhelmed his thoughts and a vision of Hogwarts in flames appeared. His friends' corpses left swaying in the wind, Ginny's red mane shimmering against her cold and pale skin-
"HARRY! WAKE UP!"
"AAAAHH!" Harry woke up drenched in sweat. He was panting heavily, and his throat was pained. The scar on his forehead was throbbing and he even tasted a bit of blood.
"W-wa-water. Please." He begged whoever was in front of him.
"All right. Ron-"
"I got him Nev. Merlin's sake Harry you're sweating like mad!" Ron exclaimed.
He was so busy fussing over Harry that he did not notice Seamus and Dean approaching Harry's bed. They were shocked at Harry's appearance.
It was Dean who spoke up first.
"Ron, Seamus and I can take him to Madam Pomfrey." He offered. He, like Seamus, paled at seeing Harry in a state.
Harry gave them a slight shake of the head.
"I'll be all right. Please—"
"Like hell you're all right!" said Ron, frustrated at Harry's stubbornness. He left him to grab his glasses from the dresser. He gave them to Harry, who grunted in thanks.
Before Harry could retort, Neville arrived with a glass of water.
"Here you go. Drink the whole thing." He ordered.
Harry drank it greedily. "Thanks, Nev."
Neville gave him a small smile, but roved his eyes over his face, worried.
Harry palmed his forehead, it wasn't throbbing painfully like before. He remembered wanting to have a glimpse of what Voldemort was planning. He got a glimpse, all right; and it was pretty bad. His eyes widened as he recalled the vision and he suddenly sat up to stand.
His dorm mates were alarmed at this sudden movement and were quick to push him back on his bed. Ron glared at him.
"You calm down and tell us what's wrong. You're in no shape to go off doing what you're doing!" he all but shouted at him.
"I need to speak to Dumbledore! Voldemort's (his friends flinched at the name) planning something big and it involves Hogwarts! Please, I need to see him." He begged Ron.
His dorm mates were all wide-eyed at his revelation. Harry had seen a vision on a future attack on Hogwarts. This wasn't good. They were wondering why Hogwarts was suddenly teeming with Aurors, Hitwizards and Muggles these past few days and it was driving some of the professors barmy. Now they know the reason: Voldemort will attack soon and it was more likely to come this term. It all dawned on them that the time for childish things was over and done with. This was the real deal.
Neville and Ron remembered the last time Harry was assaulted with a vision from Voldemort. They didn't voice this out loud, but it had gotten them seriously hurt and Sirius killed. Now though, they weren't exactly sure of what to make of this. But if what Harry said was true, then Dumbledore had to be warned. But for now, they needed to bring Harry to the Hospital Wing.
Ron took a deep breath and spoke evenly.
"We're taking you up to the hospital wing-OI!" He shouted as Harry attempted to interrupt. He then continued.
"Right, we're bringing you down to Madam Pomfrey and went you've cooled off some, we'll tell Dumbledore to see you. Please let us help you, Harry." Ron practically begged Harry.
Harry wanted to say something else, but was stopped by the concerned looks his friends were giving him. He let go a huge sigh and nodded.
"All right, I'll n-need some help up."
They all exhaled and smiled amusedly at each other.
"What are we going to do with you, Harry." Said Neville with a humorous lilt.
HOSPITAL WING- 0930H
Harry was lying down, drinking several potions to ease the pain in his head and throat.
"Mr Potter. I would normally advise you to stay here for the rest of the day, but seeing as you are a stubborn one, I will let you leave for your classes after you drink all of these potions. Understood?" the matron raised her brow at Harry.
He grimaced when he looked at the various potions.
"Yes madam Pomfrey." His voice still raspy and hoarse.
She softened at this and nodded. "Very well. You can go to your classes. Drink all of those potions, Mr Potter." She said to him as she went to her office.
Harry groaned after finishing the last bottle of potions and left the Hospital Wing a few minutes after. He wondered if Ron told Dumbledore to see him regarding his dreams.
"Hello Harry." greeted the wizened headmaster.
Harry turned to see Dumbledore walking along the hallway.
"Professor. I wanted to speak to you about the visions I had." Harry replied hoarsely.
The headmaster pondered for a moment what he had said. He then asked Harry what the visions were.
As Harry recounted the horrible flashes of various creatures and of a burning Hogwarts, the Headmaster felt a cold chill as he listened to Harry. This was in line with recent intelligence obtained by Severus. The Dark Lord was planning a major offensive in four to six months. They needed to find these soul anchors or else all will be lost.
He looked at Harry, who was now sporting a concerned expression.
"Professor?"
The headmaster did not reply. Instead, he held Harry's shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes.
"It is time we up the ante of our efforts. Whatever the Dark lord is planning, it cannot be allowed to come to fruition. I shall meet with the Muggle commanders and the Ministry leadership on what must be done to further protect this school. I understand the burden you carry, but you must not fail and most especially, do not forget your task of obtaining Slughorn's memory. The fate of our world rests on its contents. Do you understand?" he finished with an air of calm urgency.
Harry gulped, his throat still burning, and nodded.
They parted ways and after a few minutes, Harry walked back to the dorms to grab his robes and schoolbooks. Hopefully Professor Flitwick won't dock too many points for his tardiness.
September 13th, 1996
PHASE LINE YELLOW, FORBIDDEN FOREST- 1330H
One thing about magic combined with Anglo-American military engineers: they sure get work done fast.
Military engineers from both the United States and Britain have been working 24/7 alongside Ministry professionals in order to establish the so-called 'Hogwarts Defence Line.' It was to cover one end of the Forbidden Forest to the other, with Phase Line Yellow being the first and outermost defensive line. Phase Line Red was designated as a free-fire zone for artillery and aerial assets. Hence, no ground forces were to be assigned there. These fortifications were built with the lumber of the Forbidden Forest and cement from German industries. A significant chunk of Muggle military personnel were to have three-month rotations on this defensive line. In just five days, they managed to establish three miles of defensive trenches. With some assistance from the Ministry of Magic, they managed to cordon off certain areas where the Forest's creatures could enter since construction efforts have damaged parts of the ecosystem. It was a miracle that they were even allowed to build here.
Private Simmons, who had been assigned to Hogwarts Castle since the first week of his deployment, was certainly missing the Castle interior's cool temperatures but was still bothered by some of its inhabitants, particularly the Lovegood girl and her calm and perceptive exterior. He was somewhat disturbed at how friendly she was with him, like she'd known him all these years. She was undoubtedly at least five years younger so he had no idea how he could even relate to her. They never saw each other since that night and he often wondered if she still remembered him. Anyways, he hoped that her friends would watch out for her. He tended to have a soft spot for people in need. It must have been why he joined in the first place. He spent a few more minutes thinking about how his unit got here. Oh, that's right: they were the first Muggles to patrol the Hogwarts Interior, they got to be the first to occupy the Line.
His unit was among the first occupants of the defensive line. He was assigned at the M60 Gunner position inside a wooden bunker. The rest of his unit was scattered in other bunkers operating assorted small-arms and crew-served weapons. At peak operating capacity, The Line is to have an estimated 125 bunkers with American and British light machine guns, SAWs and riflemen forming the primary defence. Each team was in charge of fortifying the kill zone in front of them; in short, they laced the ground with barbed wire, trip wires, Claymore mines, wooden pikes and even some cans acting as warning signals for anyone or anything crawling towards the kill zone. These bunkers were connected through one, long trench, which encompassed the whole defensive line. The second line of defence was occupied by artillery and mortar crews with AS-90 self-propelled guns, M198 155 mm Howitzers and 81mm mortars.
In almost two weeks, Muggle military units have managed to create a foothold in Wizarding Britain and with more troops being brought in, the entire Hogwarts Defence Line was expected to become fully operational by December. An estimated 1,200 personnel were needed to operate these fortifications. Much to the chagrin of the Ministry, Muggle leaders wanted it to be occupied by mostly Muggle forces. As a compromise, the Ministry and Muggle governments decided on allowing half of the expected population to be magical personnel. These required a massive recruitment drive all over the country's wizarding communities. They called in volunteers for the Auror Corps and Hitwizards and due to having declared a relatively lower grade requirement and shorter training regimen for the Hitwizards (the Aurors refused), many fresh Hogwarts graduates were now up for recruitment and were being deployed throughout the country and Hogwarts School. Their numbers swelled but this was the downside: low-quality fighters. The defence of Hogwarts needed more men, and with increasing reluctance from the Minister in allowing more Muggles into their world, he needed to balance the playing field with a sufficient number of magical personnel which ultimately lowered fighting effectiveness.
In just a few days, these concerns became glaringly obvious as Simmons saw several experienced Aurors berating a newly-arrived Hitwizard for not knowing how to cast an allegedly simple spell. He shook his head at this and continued to scan his surroundings. Soldiers, Marines and even some magical folk were working on the Line; it was an extremely humid day, especially under thick forest cover.
'God it's hotter than Hell in here' he griped silently as he wiped the sweat off his brow. He hoped that they brought enough water to last the whole day as the logistics personnel warned of possible shortages in the next few weeks.
'Good thing it'll start snowing in a few months.' He thought to himself as he drank more water.
He was just rubbing his eyes when an explosion to his one 'o clock caught his attention. It came from where the Aurors were talking to that Hitwizard.
"HOLY SHIT!" a soldier shouted.
"EXPLOSION! 50 meters to our front!" exclaimed another.
"MEDIC! GET A BLOODY MEDIC OVER HERE!"
"AAAAAHHHHH HELP ME! I'M BURNIN' UP!"
Simmons and his battle buddy were on high alert. They were surprised at the suddenness of it all. For them, this would be their first piece of action during this deployment and already it wasn't looking good.
He turned to his comrade, who was shaking slightly, but covering his sector.
He tapped him on his left shoulder and gave him a shaky smile.
"We're good. Just watch your sector." He told the soldier.
The soldier nodded and they both waited in baited breath as medics and healers rushed to help the wounded.
Almost immediately, another explosion was heard, this time from farther west of their position.
Radios started squawking all over them.
"2- Bravo, this is 2- Charlie, you got eyes on?!"
"2- Charlie, this is 2- Bravo. They blew up the ammo dump! I say again, they blew up the ammo dump!"
"White Castle, this Sabre 2, we've got multiple casualties due west of 2- Bravo's location, requesting immediate MEDEVAC for two critically wounded. Over."
It was chaos on the net as commanders and Aurors were trying to figure out the situation. The Aurors managed to send off what looked like wisps of air. It was probably some magical doo-hicky that Simmons did not understand. What he did understand though, was that multiple units were reporting twin explosions along the Line. This did not bode well.
The radios squawked again. This time, the transmissions gave little relief.
"Sabre 2, this is White Castle. Stand-by for MEDEVAC. ETA on your location, 15 mikes. Over."
"White Castle, this is Sabre 2. Copy your last. But these guys aren't gonna make it in 5. Over."
"Sabre 2, understood. Do what you can, we're sending MEDEVAC ASAP just hold on. Over."
"Copy, White Castle. Out."
PHASE LINE YELLOW- Ammunitions dump, Sabre 2's location
"You're gonna be all right, Hollis. Stay with us. Stay with us!" the medic desperately told the dying soldier as he frantically tended to his wounds.
Another wounded soldier's screams pierced the air as a second medic struggled to stop the blood flow.
"WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THAT MEDEVAC?"
"White Castle, this is Sabre 2, requesting status on MEDEVAC. Over."
*static
"Sabre 2, this is White Castle, MEDEVAC is on the way. ETA 10 mikes. Over."
"White Castle, copy your last. Over."
"They're still 10 mikes out, LT."
"GODDAMN IT!" the lieutenant growled as he tried to maintain pressure on the soldier's wounds.
None of this was supposed to happen. His platoon managed to secure the perimeter. Nothing came through. He wondered who the hell managed to blow up the ammo dump.
Just as they felt that all hope was lost, a mediwitch and healer approached the soldiers.
"LET US THROUGH! WE CAN TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. PLEASE, MOVE OVER, SOLDIER!" ordered the healer.
The soldiers made way for the healers, who managed to magically stabilize the patients. The Muggle medics informed them of their statuses and as quick as they came, the magical healers took the wounded away.
One of the magical liaisons approached the lieutenant.
"They've taken them to St. Mungo's, the main hospital for Wizarding Britain. They'll be fine." He told them assuredly.
The still-shaken lieutenant nodded after a few seconds. He silently thanked all the deities of the world for this miracle.
As the liaison left, the lieutenant turned to his medics.
"You did all right, guys. You gave them enough time to save their lives."
The medics nodded morosely. The platoon's RTO however, approached the lieutenant with the radio's handset.
"LT, what about the MEDEVAC?"
The lieutenant turned to face him and chuckled. He was going to have to tell them what happened.
Author's Note: I felt like uploading another chapter a day after the recent one. Hehe.