The Unspeakable Tales
Chapter 5 – British Troubles V
"How am I looking?" Harry asked, Gareth pulling away from where he had been inspecting the numerous surgical scars upon his body. He didn't know the full extent of what Gareth had done for him during the procedure to not only save, but accelerate his bodies healing, he just knew it had been incredibly straining upon him physically.
Enough so that even now, his body felt tense at the slightest of movements. It had made going out with Andromeda, Teddy, and Malia a little difficult considering he had to let his body rest on several occasions.
"Well, you will still have scars, the first of many I'm afraid, but that is the line of work you've chosen, and scars come with the job," Gareth said, putting some blood he had taken from Harry during the check-up into a tube. Reaching down, he opened up a draw in the cabinet next to him, presenting a box filled with potions inside. "However, you should be fine. Take these, once a day for the next two weeks. If the muscle tension persists or any other symptoms start showing up, come to me immediately."
"Will do?" Harry said, taking one vial and after popping the top, downed the potion whole.
"I'm serious Harry." Lord Greengrass said firmly. "You are the first to undergo this procedure and we don't know what short- or long-term effects could come about because of this. If anything does happen, you need to come to me immediately. I don't care what Croaker says, it could mean the difference between saving your life or not."
Harry paused at that but eventually nodded his head. "Don't worry, I will do."
It was at that moment that Croaker entered the room. Gareth noticed this and stood up, pushing the box to Harry. "Don't forget, once a day for the next week. Then a check-up." With that final note, Gareth left the room.
"He's pissed at you," Harry noted, pulling on a long-sleeved black compression shirt, closing the lid on the box as he did.
"He's a very emotional man." Croaker replied. "I've said it before on many occasions that his inability to distance himself from people is a weakness. But the man is stubborn and never listens. It's a lesson that you should also remember, not everyone is your friend and not everyone can be saved. Sometimes, you need to kill a few to save the many."
Once again, Harry paused, face becoming conflicted. "I'll; keep it in mind."
"Good." Croaker moved towards the seat. "Now, tell me, did Mr Weasley agree to our terms?"
Harry nodded his head. "He did. He was quite eager to see that his brother's killers were brought to justice. He's working on improving the equipment that I already have, mainly the smoke pellets, he seemed to believe that he could make more effective variants of them."
"Interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can provide us." Croaker murmured. "But you won't be able to wait for them just yet. We've gained some more information on how the Werewolves operate from our contacts in the European Mainland. Those prisoners you found, they're not only unwilling to fight for the cause, but they're not in control either."
"You're saying that not only are the Betas and the Alphas able to access that transformation but now the Omegas and the unwilling ones as well?" Harry questioned. "Why?"
"Cry havoc. And let loose the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men, groaning for burial." Croaker recited leaving Harry incredibly confused as to what he meant by it. "They cannot control the transformation and therefore when accessing it, they are no more savage beasts that follow the whims and will of the Alpha. They don't need to be in control, because by losing control of themselves, it makes that much easier for the Alpha to manipulate them."
"You're saying that those Werewolves that have been ravaging Britain are nothing more than prisoners? Rabid dogs who kill without even knowing what they are doing?" Croaker nodded his head. "Then what do we do?"
"If you ever encounter a Werewolf that is transformed, whether they be in control or not, you eliminate them. But you will be returning to Cornwall, you are presumed dead, and we'll use that to our advantage." Croaker informed. "Infiltrate the base, free the prisoners and then come back to base."
"That's going to be difficult, who's to say that they haven't moved the location? What about their numbers? Scent and sound blocking charms no longer work when they access that transformation. Not to mention that freeing the prisoners without them knowing and then getting those prisoners out will be all but impossible." Harry listed off, pointing out the problems with Croakers plan.
"Then what would you suggest?" Croaker asked.
Harry took a moment in which to carefully consider his options. "Provide me with a squad of Aurors. Use them to act as bait and draw out the Werewolves inside. Considering how close the Aurors would be to the base they will take their main force out, consisting entirely of willing soldiers keeping those unwilling locked in the prisons. Allow me to sneak in when there are fewer Werewolves in the base to deal with. But this all considering they haven't changed locations."
"Oh, they won't have." Croaker intervened. "From the schematics of the base, you outlined, even with the help of magic it would have taken weeks to create a base of that size and stability. Besides, you're the only one that knows the location and as far they are aware, you're dead."
"So, about the Aurors?"
"Already prepared and waiting." Croaker replied, Harry, taking a moment in which to understand what he was saying and when he did, Harry let out a chuckle.
"You're always a step ahead of me."
"It's experience, mister Potter. I have been doing this far longer than you have." Croaker informed him. "Now, I believe I should inform you of exactly, what you're dealing with."
"You've studied the body?"
Croaker nodded his head. "Researchers dissected the body and have pieced together quite a large amount of the puzzle that is the new Werewolf evolution. Well, to call it an evolution is incorrect, evolution is a natural process of life, this is anything but that."
"It's manmade," Harry concluded, Croaker humming in agreement.
"Quite." He replied simply. "Marvellous really, whoever was behind it has an understanding of muggle science and alchemy the likes of which I've seen in only one individual before."
"What can they do? A brief outline would be best, I'm not interested in the science behind it all." This made Croaker frown.
"But the science should interest you, mister Potter, but very well." Croaker replied with a sigh. "Lycanthropy can be transferred not simply by a bite, but also a scratch with a hundred percent effectiveness. They have also found a way to store moonlight, it's what allows them to transform. They store moonlight and then release it throughout their body allowing them to transform. But we believe there needs to be a unique blood transfusion. A Werewolf and Animagus."
"Someone like Malia."
"Yes, a Werewolf capable of being an Animagus is very, very rare. I've only seen it twice before." Croaker informed him. "They no doubt have been taking Werewolf-Animagi, stringing them up and draining them of their blood. Then, they give the blood to their Werewolf soldiers before undergoing the procedure which provides them with the ability to store moonlight."
Croaker rose to his feet, pulling a file from his robe and putting it down on the cabinet, next to the box of potions. "Read the science, mister Potter. You might understand what they're capable of better if you do." And as Croaker began to leave the room, he provided one last tidbit of information. "Oh, and you'll be returning to Cornwall at o-three hundred, so get some rest."
With Croaker gone, Harry looked to the file and let out a sigh. Picking it up, he sat down upon his bed and opened it up. He doubted he'd get much rest and he knew from experience that he could last up five days without rest before his body began to shut down.
'Looks like I'm in for a long night.'
Stood, arms crossed over his chest, Harry looked through the forest and to the cabin. He could barely make it out through the trees, but it was there, and he could make out the sight of five guards waiting outside.
'It seems that despite believing me dead, my finding of their base has put them on edge.' Harry noted internally, his lips twitching up in pride at the thought. The sting of defeat was still strong, but he liked the knowledge that he seemed to have shook them enough to increase the number of guards outside.
"Dragon." Pausing in what he was doing, Harry turned to look back where he found a group of Aurors stood, they having Apparated outside the defensive Wards of the Werewolf base moments ago. They had since spent their time preparing themselves for what was to come next. "My men and I need a debrief."
Harry rose a brow. "Haven't you already received one?" He questioned and the Auror Captain shook his head which made Harry frown.
"We were told that our commanding officer, an Unspeakable Agent codenamed, Dragon would be there to greet us on the other side and provide us with a debrief." By the tone in the Auror Captains voice, he too didn't seem pleased by this. Harry shared the sentiment, surely it would have been better to inform them before going in.
'Unless that was the point.' Harry theorised. 'The less information they know the more likely they are to not retreat. But I don't agree with that.'
Stepping forward, Harry looked around at the men and women gathered. A total of nearly two dozen, far more than a normal Auror squadron, but considering the task they would be carrying out, it made sense. And each of them were looking at him and silently demanding an answer.
"Well, I guess I'll start with what we've learned about our enemies."
"We know enough." One man spoke. "Enough that we don't need an Unspeakable to fill us in. We've been out there on the frontlines and fought these things. All you've done is see them from a lab, so you don't need to tell us anything we don't already know."
Harry chuckled lightly, attracting more than a few glares, but the Auror Captain seemed to stare them down, stopping a confrontation from breaking out. "Okay, why don't you tell me what you know?" Harry shot back, recognising that he wasn't trusted nor liked by them. To them, he was just a researcher, a scientist who was far away from the frontlines.
"They can transform into Werewolves without a full moon, and they can infect people with scratches, not just bites." A relatively small, but attractive young woman sharply explained.
Once again, Naruto rose a brow in questioning. "That's it?" He asked. "That's all you know. Have none of you read the report on what's actually happening to the Werewolves and why they're evolving so rapidly?"
By the looks the Aurors gave to one another, that wasn't the case at all. "What more's there to know? That's the basics of it all, isn't it?"
"Well for one, you're right about them being able to transfer the Lycanthropy virus with just a scratch, but the transference has always been unstable. You either turned or you died, well now that's no longer the case. Whether it be a scratch or a bite, you always turn into a Werewolf, no if ands or buts." Harry started, and his explanation earned a few worried looks and Harry couldn't stop himself from getting a little dig in. "Didn't know everything, did you?"
Yet his words didn't receive any glares.
"And the evolution of the Werewolves isn't natural, its manmade, produced and a result of experimentation with knowledge leagues beyond anything we've seen. The Werewolves have a benefactor that has allowed them to store moonlight within themselves and use that to access a partial transformation at will. As for a full transformation, that can be triggered in one of two ways. The first is under a full moon as always. The second is a theory, but we hypothesise that an Alpha may be capable of triggering them to access a full transformation like they have been."
Seeing the Aurors were fully in line, their little bout of arrogance quelled by the truth of what was happening with the Werewolves, the Auror Captain turned to him. "So, what's our objectives?"
"Out there, under the cabin, is the Werewolf base." Harry pointed, all the Aurors squinting to see the cabin in the far distance. "A wide array of rooms, tunnels. It's a large catacomb expanding for miles and is their main base of operations. We're looking at a force numbering over three hundred in total. One thing I should clarify first is their hierarchy."
"At the top, is the Alpha, a man named Peter Hale." Harry continued. "He's the fastest, the strongest and the most dangerous of them all. Below them is the Betas, they're the elites. Over two hundred and all battle hardened from their brief campaign in Scandinavia. They have battle experience and are in full control of themselves when transforming, given access to Wolfsbane Potion beforehand."
This is when Harry paused, unsure whether he should tell them of the next aspect. It would make them less likely to hesitate should they encounter them. But he also understood that withholding information like this could be damaging later on down the line.
"You've all lost people to the Werewolves." The sudden shift in topic caught the Aurors off-guard. "You're all willing to risk your lives for a chance for revenge, but I want you to understand, something. The Betas are in control, the Omegas on the other hand are not. Before the Werewolves began their assault, dozens of Muggles went missing every week. They were turned and brought here, held prisoner until they eventually gave in."
By the frowns that appeared on the faces of the Aurors, they knew what was about to come next. "When I found their base, infiltrated it and discovered the prisoners, many had refused to join. The Omegas are not only made up of the newly turned, but also those that refuse to join the cause. Therefore, they are denied Wolfsbane Potions are forcibly transformed and you know what happens when a Werewolf doesn't take Wolfsbane Potion."
"Pack mentality." One Auror spoke up, earning a number of nods.
"Exactly, they're slaves effectively." Harry said. "But that shouldn't affect you at all. I imagine when you assault the base, the only ones who will be used in its defence are the Betas. They'll be the ones capable of reacting quickest. I also doubt that the first dozen or so will be able to access their transformations. If you're lucky, none of them will, it just depends upon how much Wolfsbane Potion they have stockpiled."
"So that's our mission, an assault?"
"Shouldn't we have brought more men for that?"
Harry shook his head. "No, you're acting as a diversion, drawing them away while I sneak inside." He spoke. "I'll try to locate their stockpile of Wolfsbane Potion first, take that out, should make your jobs easier. But I don't know the make-up of the two hundred Betas. Could be all Wizards, all Muggles, or a mix of the two. Either way, except both magic and muggle weapons."
"We're acting as the diversion." The Auror who had first being confrontational to Harry spoke. "But what about you. I get that you're targeting the Wolfsbane Potion first and I'm thankful for that." He gave a respectful nod to accentuate his point, one Harry returned. "But is that it?"
"No, my primary objective is to free the Omegas. They're innocent in this and at least this way, we can lower their numbers." There were nods given in understanding.
"And what of the Alpha?"
"If the opportunity presents itself, kill him. But your primary objective is to stay alive as long as possible until I give the signal for a retreat. You all have Emergency Portkeys, yes?" There were affirmatives all around. "Good, then don't do anything stupid. If you can, take the shot, but don't risk the sake of the mission on it."
The Auror Captain stepped forwards. "Don't worry, son." He spoke. "We'll do our part, just make sure you do yours."
"I will." Harry then pulled out a small device from his back pocket, handing it to the Auror Captain. "This is a nifty little piece of technology, designed by our researchers. There's a Ward Stone over there, place this on it and it'll reverse the Wards back on those inside."
"Meaning any defensive Wards that would keep people out, will turn back on those inside." The Auror Captain chuckled, many of the others smirking as well. "How effective are we talking?"
"Not sure, its untested in a combat scenario such as this." Harry had already handed one over to George to see what improvements he could make to the device. So far however, it was limited to trial runs and hadn't been tested properly. "But it should be enough to severely injure, if not kill those outside. I don't know about those inside."
"Well, we'll get it done."
Throwing the ball in the air, Derek lazily caught it again as he laid back in bed. He'd been stuck inside for a long time; Peter had kept him on guard duty whenever he went out to attack Magical Britain. Derek wasn't overly bothered by this. He didn't like being kept locked up, but he certainly didn't mind.
It was Peter's idea to join up with Fenrir Greyback after meeting the guy. Derek hadn't agreed nor liked it, but he hadn't been able to get a say in the matter. Peter was too powerful and Fenrir even more so, and Derek, well he was a survivor and for now, the smartest thing to do was to play along. But he had no intentions of waiting forever, he'd break out on his own eventually, he just needed to bide his time.
'I'll kill you eventually, Peter. I won't let you live forever after what you did to Laura.' As he caught the ball again, Derek clenched his fist in anger, remembering the image of seeing his dead sister, mutilated and torn apart.
He hadn't known straight away but overtime he had begun to piece the pieces together.
After the death of the Hale family, only he, Laura and Peter had been alive. Derek had known that Peter wasn't happy about Laura being the Alpha, but he had never thought that he would kill Laura out of greed. But overtime, Peter got confident and cocky, cracks started to appear in his story till he eventually all but admitted it.
Derek had played along, pretending he hadn't pieced together the truth. But he always had revenge on his mind, and he'd get it eventually. It was why he allowed that Wizard to live and told Peter that he was dead.
It was then the base was rocked, breaking Derek from his train of thought as he sat upright, dust falling from the ceiling. Then, outside he heard rapid movement, shouts and screams of surprise followed by orders. 'We're under attack?' He realised. 'That Wizard, he survived!' And as that thought came to him, he let out a smirk.
Rising out of his bed and opening the door to his room, he grabbed hold of a random grunt, pulling him to one side. "How many are there?"
"Dunno, about two dozen or so according to the scents people have been picking up." Letting the man go, Derek remained where he was with a frown on his face. All the Betas were rushing down the tunnel, eager smirk on their face, all had been recalled back to base after recent troubles on the frontlines. Britain had been fighting back harder than initially expected and it had caused a few problems and required a few changes to the initial plan.
Peter from what Derek had been informed, had been ordered to by the higher ups in the Pack to pull back all troops to the main base besides an ensuring enough to keep the frontlines stable. The British had remained where they were, unmoving and suspecting a trap, which was working more in their favour.
If the British pushed, they'd be able to retake all land north of Cornwall with very little resistance. 'So why have they come with so few? What's their objective?' And as Derek thought on it further, he eventually heard a cry of frustration further down the empty corridor, he suddenly realising that he was the only one left, all the other Betas having rushed up.
Heading down, Derek eventually found himself looking down a corridor filled with dead bodies. 'All the others are up on the surface; these must have been ordered to collect the Wolfsbane Potion.' It was then he saw fire peeking out of the supply room where the Potions had been stored. Derek paused, looking on in curiosity expecting to see someone come out at some point, but no one did.
Reaching within himself, Derek drew on the power and his eyes flashed blue. He couldn't pick up anything, no sight of heat or scent, whatever the figure was clad under kept them completely hidden as Peter had said. But one thing the Wizard didn't understand, was how to cover up his tracks. He could pick up the impressions made in the ground, unnoticeable to the naked eye, but no so to him when using his powers.
And so, he followed, making sure not to make a sound.
As he had expected, the Wizard was heading towards the prison cells. 'No doubt to free the Omegas, smart. But that means those up above are just distractions.' And as he deduced this, Derek felt his smirk return. 'And Peter fell for it.'
Coming to a stop at the corner, Derek looked around the corner to find the Wizard had taken off his cloak and was opening the cells, speaking to those kept inside. Slowly, as to not cause the Wizard to attack outright, he stepped out, hands raised in the universal sign of surrender.
"I'm not here to fight." Derek said, the Wizard spinning round, wand pointed at him and Derek stopped where he was. His eyes picked up the prisoners scuttling back into their cells, those that were already out, freezing in fear. Peter had taught them well, made them absolutely terrified.
"Revert." The Wizard ordered firmly.
Nodding his head, Derek let go of his partial transformation and reverting back to his normal form. "Look, you're moving quick, left a trail of bodies behind you which means you need speed. I can give you that."
"How?"
"Down the tunnel, there'll be a small hatch, big enough for you to crouch down and fit through. It's used as a little pathway for people to sneak out and visit the town when they're not supposed to. Not many know about it." Derek had used it a fair few times himself and only a handful of people knew about it.
"And I'm meant to believe you? Could be a trap?"
Derek nodded his head. "Could be." He repeated. "But you want to get out of here without being seen and to do it safely. I'm sure you've realised that the base has its own set of Wards separate to those above. You won't be able to Portkey out of here like you probably initially planned, that pathway is the only way to get you out of the base without going up top."
"Why?"
"Same reason I didn't let Peter know you were still alive after you fell of the cliff. For my own reasons."
As the last man disappeared with a pop, it left both Harry and Derek stood across from one another, silently judging the other. Never taking his eyes off the man in front of him, Harry rose his wand and fired sparks in the air, the signal that alerted the Aurors that they could retreat.
"Why?" Harry asked simply.
"I told you, personal reasons," Derek replied and Harry scoffed.
"I'm gonna need a little more than personal reasons. It's not every day you find someone in a position such as yours, willing to switch sides. And if they do, it's always for sentimental reasons." Derek frowned, realising that Harry wouldn't stop pressuring him for answers. "So, I'll ask again, why did you help me?"
Releasing a frustrated breath of air, Derek ran one hand through his hair. "Peter killed my sister to become an Alpha." He answered, Harry, remaining silent. "And I have a very strong suspicion, that he helped the Hunters that killed my family. So, you can understand why I want him dead. And I'm willing to help those that share a similar goal, you are one of those people."
"I see." Harry nodded his head, raising his wand. "If you don't mind, I'd like if you didn't resist." Suddenly a rush of memories passed him by, and Harry focused, attempting to wade his way through them to the most important ones.
Eventually, he found what he was looking for and withdrew from Derek's mind, both stumbling apart, breathing heavily. Taking a deep calming breath, Harry pocketed his wand and extended a hand to Derek who cautiously looked at it, unsure of what to make of the gesture.
"I can offer you the chance to do more damage to your uncle. I operate under a certain modus operandi that I think will suit you quite well if you want revenge." Harry explained. "I work for an organisation that currently has autonomy in dealing with threats to Britain. At this moment in time, you still are a threat, and we must do what we can to eliminate those threats. Your knowledge and also your skills would be quite useful to us."
"You want to recruit me?"
"I do, but whether my boss would agree is another matter. But I suspect that he has a good understanding of the situation we're in and what it's like in the field with no backup. Relying on Aurors is not a preferred tactic and the more recruits we have, the better it would be for us in the long run."
"I see," Derek said, both turning when they picked up the sound of movement down in the base, the Werewolves no doubt having returned to base after the Aurors retreated. They'd no doubt find the bodies and then the Omegas have gone very soon.
"Do you accept?"
Staring at the hatch a little more, Derek eventually nodded his head. Taking Harry's offered hand and the pair disappeared with a loud pop.
"What do you think?" Harry asked, standing beside Croaker, reaching up to pull down his mask. Both men stood, watching as Derek was led down the corridor by a pair of Unspeakable Researchers.
"You're certain of what you found in his memories?" Croaker returned.
Harry nodded his head. "Yes, I'm certain. Peter Hale has all but admitted to killing Laura Hale to him. And the suspicion that Peter helped kill the Hale family is quite strong. I doubt he will be a spy unless he's so completely deprived of any love for his family which I doubt." Harry replied.
"Nonetheless, he'll be under a probationary period and heavy watch till he is being certified by myself." Croaker explained, before turning to Harry, patting him on the shoulder. "But other than that, good job, masterfully done. Now, follow me."
As Croaker made his way down the corridor, Harry followed. "As you are aware, you are our only Field Agent, that is unacceptable in my view, especially considering what we need to do in the future. Those Aurors I had personally requested for the mission, not only because they've lost family members in the Werewolf attacks, but because they had skill."
"You've considered them as possible Field Agents." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact and Croaker nodded his head.
"Yes, I have." He replied, a smirk coming on his face. "I just had to be sure that they had the will to do what was necessary."
"Then the whole reason you denied to give them a brief, was for what reason? A test for them?"
"Yes, and for you as well." Croaker responded, turning to Harry as they paused before a door. "You see, mister Potter, you were given the codename Dragon because, at their absolute peak, Dragons are one of the most powerful and destructive beings alive. That is what you symbolise. Fear, strength, awe, terror, chaos, destruction. That is what you will become, but you can't do it alone. No man can grasp the moon, not alone and you are no different. I intend to make you the figurehead, the face of the Unspeakable Field Agent Department. You will be the Field Commander of all our operatives with authority second only to myself."
Harry felt his lips turn downwards at the thought of the power and responsibilities he was being given. As a lone agent, he'd made many mistakes in his short career, this being the biggest success so far, and to suddenly learn he was being given more authority and responsibility was quite an overwhelming thought to be sure.
"The lack of debriefing was to see how much information you would be willing to provide them. To know if you knew when to withhold and when to provide information." Croaker continued. "You, for example, judged it quite well. I would have kept the information about the Omegas secret, but you presented it in a way that it changed nothing about the way the Aurors would fight."
Harry nodded his head. "How many survived?"
"Four survived, not as many as I would have hoped, but enough that I am still quite pleased." Croaker then opened the door and Harry stepped in behind the man into what seemed to be a balcony room that overlooked a large chamber below. As soon as he stepped inside, sounds of movements, of clanking metal of spells whizzing across the area reached his ears. "But they will not be the only ones."
Coming to a stop before the glass window, Harry looked down to see three people clad in black performing various tasks down below. One was a large set man, bulky and looking quite strong as he blocked and parried the spinning armies of the dummy. The other skinny and small as he worked under the careful viewing of Adrian as he went through various katas. The final one was a woman with quite the eye-catching, curvaceous figure that moved around, firing spells at the dummies across from her.
"Who are they?"
"These three caught my attention first." Croaker said simply. "They lost the most in the Werewolf attacks. The first, Bear." He indicated to the large man. "A Wizard who pursued a career as a boxer in the Muggle world, though that failed when his entire family were killed, torn to shreds by the Werewolves before his very eyes. Not magically powerful or knowledgeable, but in terms of hand-to-hand combat, well, it speaks for itself."
Harry couldn't help but agree, Bear was parrying and dodging those arms with ease that not even he had, and he'd been doing it for weeks on end. "The second, Eagle, neither physically nor magically gifted, but he's quite well-known in Knockturn Alley for his information gathering skills. He built an entire network of spies and informants and I believe he would suit us quite well in the future."
"And the woman?"
"A Veela, quite a powerful one as well. Magically gifted and quite knowledgeable in Charms, Wards and Enchantments. She lost her husband and her unborn child in a recent Werewolf attack. So, I think my reasons for hiring her are quite self-explanatory." Croaker finished.
"They are," Harry muttered. "With myself, those three, Derek and the four Aurors, that brings are total numbers to nine Field Agents. What will the structure be like from that point?"
"You will be the overall Field Commander; the highest authority and I will trust you to make the decisions to see the completion of a mission." Croaker spoke, neither man turning away from the training of the individuals below. "Eagle will be a separate operative, I would rather he not be involved in combat unless necessary. His main goal is to be an overseer of information gathering and extraction. Not a combat operative. As for this moment in time, all operatives will be operating under the same squadron, your squadron. However, in the future, other squads will be formed."
"That's a lot of pressure, are you sure I'm ready."
Croaker turned to him. "Are you doubting yourself?" Harry didn't respond, remaining quiet. "Quite frankly, mister Potter, I don't like giving you such a burden so soon, you're not ready. But you see, you're the only one that's closest to being qualified. And considering the situation at hand, we don't have the time nor the luxury to wait for someone to be ready to take command."
Sighing, Harry ran one hand through his hair, turning to look down at the chamber below.
"We should be doing something!" One man angrily exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the wooden table, glaring around at the men and women who simply stared back dismissively.
"So, you keep saying, Gregori." An aged, white-haired witch muttered. "But surely, the threat posed by the Werewolves takes priority in this situation?"
Gregori scoffed angrily. "You're a fool, Ancient Mai." He snapped. "Croaker is a dangerous man, one not to be underestimated and I've understood why we've done nothing in the past few decades because he hasn't had the resources to do anything except hide away in his shadows. But now, that's no longer the case."
"You're sounding like a broken record." Ebenezar McCoy replied tiredly. "You've never even met Croaker, you're just a young upstart who was given the position after Croaker was removed from this council."
"And why was that exactly?" Gregori posed, turning to Ebenezar with a frown on his face. "I may not have met the man, but I know enough. Croaker is a man with ambition far beyond his ability. But he made up for that by surrounding himself with skilled individuals, the formation of the Unspeakable Field Agents. I know that you were scared of what he could become should he remain in the shadows, so you offered him a position on this council to keep him on a leash and the moment he lost his agents, you let him go. That was your first mistake."
"Harry Potter is weak." Ebenezar shot back. "The boy struggles against Betas, he's far from a serious threat and Croaker, like you've said, is a man with ambition that far outstrips his ability. But he makes up for that with intelligence and he knows better than to go to war with the council."
"You're still blind and that's your second mistake. You're ignoring the fact that's right in front of you." Gregori insisted. "Harry Potter is an Archmagus, a talent that comes about every millennium. Every time in history when an Archmagus comes about, huge waves ripple across the world. The political landscape changing and we, as the council are forced to adapt and ensure that no power becomes too strong, and that magic remains a secret to the Muggle world."
That in itself was a fact everyone sat around this roundtable was well-aware of. Magicals were often classified in one of five ways, Wizards/Witches, Warlocks, Mages, Sorcerers and Archmagus. They were given such titles to represent the type of being they were. An average witch or wizard was referred to as such, there was nothing special about them, they were just average.
Above them, were the Warlocks, a classification of wizard or witch that represented a once every generational prodigy. There was the type of people that stood out amongst their peers for being above average. But even they paled in comparison to those above them.
The next was the Mages, a prodigy that would only come about once every decade. Then there were the Sorcerers who were a prodigy that came about every century. And finally, the Archmagus, a prodigy that came about every millennium. Archmagus' were often the pride of their nation, but also a source of great fear and terror amongst the people of the Magical world. These were individuals that could, without even trying, change the way people viewed magic, revolutionise it and create wondrous things never thought possible. And more often than not, change the very foundation of the world.
There wasn't a single Archmagus in history that hadn't changed the world in some way shape or form. It was their duty as the White Council to not only ensure that no power in the Magical world became too great and to also ensure that the Statue of Secrecy held.
Archmagus' were a threat to that mission, and there were numerous times in the council's history in which they had attempted to stop one, only for it to fail with disastrous consequences. As a result of this, the council had changed how they dealt with individuals classified as Archmagus' and that was to simply deal with the aftermath of their actions.
However, the past century had produced four Archmagus', it was rare to find two being born in the same century, but they had been faced with twice that number. Gellert Grindelwald, arguably the weakest of the four, but perhaps the most politically savvy and charismatic. He had managed to lead a war against all of Europe and nearly succeeded until Dumbledore had intervened.
In the aftermath, all of western and most of eastern Europe had undergone massive political reformations.
Albus Dumbledore himself was the most powerful of the four produced. He had fought against two of the four Archmagus', defeating one and dying at the hands of the servant of another. But not before changing Magical Britain by driving out the Vampire Court holdings in Britain and killing three Denarians. He had even been a contender to become the new Merlin but had refused, instead of allowing the current Merlin to take his place.
Then there had been Tom Riddle, a man who led a campaign of terror and brutality across Britain, inviting Pureblood families from all across Europe that had been squeezed for all they were worth by the new regimes that gripped their countries. Britain had been pushed backwards, becoming more feudal in its society and that had only ended when the last and final Archmagus, Harry Potter defeated Tom Riddle.
"We are very much aware of what Archmagus' are capable of, we don't need reminding of that fact." Ancient Mai said. "But the Werewolves pose a bigger threat to the Magical World. They have been pushing rapidly into Russia, the rival Warlords not unifying together and instead of continuing to distrust one another. Western Europe has been pushed back into western Germany and Scandinavia have been pushed completely out of Denmark."
"The fact is Gregori, as correct as you are." Gregori turned to look at the French wizard, Aleron La Fortier. "The Werewolves do pose the biggest threat, I am not denying that Croaker having Harry Potter under his control isn't a worrying thought, and I think it's something we should all take note of. But the Werewolves are evolving rapidly, our attention and resources should be directed towards containing their movements and allowing the Wizarding world to finishing them off."
All those present looked towards the Merlin, Arthur Langtry who had remained silent throughout this entire ordeal. And for a moment the man said nothing before his eyes looked directly at Gregori.
"Our attention shall be focused upon the Werewolves, Harry Potter and Croaker are not to be touched. That is my ruling." With that said, Arthur rose to his feet and walked from the room, effectively calling an end to the meeting and frustrated with this event, Gregori stormed out soon after.
Angrily, Gregori slammed the door to his office behind him and moved towards his desk, collapsing into his seat and rubbing both hands through his hair frustratedly. Gaining a position on the White Council had not been easy and that was for many reasons and in fact, most of the Wizarding world was unaware of its existence.
But Gregori had known about it and he was only a relatively new member of its roster. Much like Ebenezar had said, he only got the position because Croaker was removed from his seat. Gregori was afraid that if Croaker grew to be a dangerous figure like he had been, then the council would once again invite him to join them once more. And in doing so, they'd no doubt remove one of them from the council to open up room for him.
Gregori wasn't blind or arrogant, he was very much aware that it would be he who would be removed from the council and that was something he couldn't allow. 'I need to kill Harry Potter, without him, Croaker is nothing.'
It was then that door to his office and he looked up to find two men entering inside, Aleron LaFortier and Simon Pietrovich. "What do you two want?" He snapped out angrily, glaring at the French wizard who had spoken against him. Even though the man had agreed with him that Harry and Croaker were a threat, the fact the man hadn't taken his side was a sore spot for him.
"We share your opinion on the issue of Croaker and Potter." The Russian wizard, Simon Pietrovich stated, his accent thick and strong. "And we would both like to offer you aid in dealing with them."
"Why not say so sooner."
"Because Arthur has his eyes on making Potter his successor. As a Sorcerer, Arthur has certainly become one of the most powerful wizards alive, surpassing even Riddle and Dumbledore. But everyone knows that if they had been able to access the resources and knowledge Arthur had they would be many times more powerful. Arthur knows that and he wants to secure the council's power by having an Archmagus become the next Merlin. Now imagine what Croaker do with the Merlin himself, working for him." Aleron posed.
Simon nodded his head in agreement. "Arguing against that would have only put us all in danger and I do not fancy my chances against the Merlin. He did not gain that title simply because Dumbledore refused it. No, the man has proved himself time and time again that he is deserving of the title. Going against him would be suicide."
Gregori frowned at that but seemed to recognise the sense in what they were telling him. Even so, he didn't have to like it.
"So, what exactly? You came here to simply tell me you agreed with me?"
"We came to tell you that we would like to propose an alliance," Aleron said. "We all have our resources outside of the council and while they certainly would have been helpful and made it easier, we can do this without the resources of the council. So, if we combine our efforts, we can eliminate not just Croaker, but Potter as well. I would rather not have an Archmagus run-around unchecked, especially not if he's caught the eye of Arthur."
Gregori leaned back in his chair, looking at the two men across from him in curiosity. "So, an alliance?"
"A triumvirate." Simon corrected earning nods from the other two men.
Sliding along the ground, Harry ducked under the hole in the side of the building and quickly pushed himself onto his feet and rushed through the room. Behind him, the wall burst open as two Betas gave chase, both of them fully transformed despite it being midday.
Firing an exploding curse behind him, Harry leapt forwards, curling his body into a ball as he slammed into the door. His weight and momentum proved too much, and the door was ripped off its frail hinges. Falling to the ground Harry quickly rolled to his feet only to get tackled from his right.
He could feel jaws clamping around his shoulder but a quick rupturing curse to the eye caused the Werewolf to release him. More and more spells fired out of his wand in quick succession, cutting down two more Werewolves before he was forced to summon up the earth beneath his feet to enshroud him in a protective dome. It didn't last long, which Harry had expected and quickly transfigured the earth to burst out into spikes that pierced through the hides of the Werewolves.
Standing up from his kneeling position, Harry looked around, watching as the trio of Werewolves still alive turned tail and ran. Without even a moment's hesitation, Harry spun on his heel and disappeared with a pop, appearing a few yards in front of the retreating Werewolves. His wand already in motion and glowing, he fired a powerful cutting spell that cut through all three of them.
Slowly lowering his wand, Harry looked around at the barren village. Things had been hectic over the past few days following the prison break at the Werewolf base. After that, Aurors had reported the base being abandoned, there had been a mad rush to try and find out where they had gone to and for a while, there had been a hope that they had left Britain. But that had turned out not to be the case when by pure happenstance, they had come across a small group of a dozen Werewolves hiding out in Wales.
It turned out, the Werewolves had split their forces into much smaller cells and were scattered all across Britain. Harry had already taken out three cells, but it was taking time to locate said cells which was the most worrying part.
Luckily, they were safe in the fact that the Werewolves had to keep their numbers down otherwise they risked revealing their location. 'Even so, this would be much easier if I had a team to help me hunt them down.' He thought to himself, eventually activating his Portkey and disappearing from the scene.
Sitting calmly at his desk, Croaker continued to work through his paperwork at a steady pace. With the recent additions to the roster of Field Agents, there was a lot more work required for him. Not only did he have to ensure they had the top-of-the-line equipment, but he also had to prepare for when they did enter the field.
Ingredients had to be prepared for potions.
Medical equipment prepared.
On top of all that, he needed to ensure that he was in good standing with Kingsley Shacklebolt to make sure that he could continue to operate with autonomy. That was the most important thing to Croaker at this moment in time. There were certain things that he knew would be required of his agents in the future that Kingsley may not agree with.
When that time came, Croaker wanted to be able to move quickly and easily without having to argue his stance and explain his decisions every time he did something morally questionable. That was not the way he wanted to work in the future which required him to continue to prove to Kingsley that giving him autonomy was the best decision to make and to do that, it required results.
Hearing a knock at the door, Croaker didn't even hesitate and answered with, "come in." As soon as he did, the door opened and in stepped Harry, codenamed Dragon. Croaker paused momentarily, eyes drawn to the numerous scratches and even dents in the armour worn by the newly crowned, Field Commander of the Unspeakable Field Agents.
That was shocking as he was wearing Dragon-Scale Armour, very durable and very tough armour. It possessed a very high magical resistance and required dozens of exploding curses simply to put a few scratches on it. To find that Werewolves were managing to damage it in such a way was truly shocking.
"I see that it wasn't easy." Harry looked down at his shoulder, wincing slightly when he moved his arm slightly. The adrenaline in his body was beginning to wear off and his dislocated shoulder was beginning to throb, but he ignored it. "Your report?"
"Twelve confirmed kills, the cell annihilated," Harry stated simply, Croaker nodding his head.
Placing another piece of paper to one side after signing it off. "Very well, get yourself checked out." Croaker dismissed, but Harry didn't leave straight away something he picked up on and looked to him questioningly. "Do you have a question?"
"Yes, when are our recruits' field ready?"
Croaker leaned back into his chair, looking across to Harry. "In a few days, Bear, Valkyrie, Dog and Eagle will be a field ready. However, the Aurors are still undergoing medical evaluations and are in the beginning stages of basic training so they will be longer."
Nodding his head, Harry turned on his heel and left.
"And you've been feeling no pain nor any symptoms of any kind?" Gareth asked, stepping back from where he had been helping to put Harry's dislocated shoulder into place.
Harry shook his head. "None at this point in time."
"Nonetheless, I will still need you to keep me up to date on any changes if there are any. It was an experimental procedure, and we don't know the side effects." Gareth stressed. "However, besides the dislocated shoulder, I have noticed an increase in Lycanthropy in your veins."
"Is that a good thing?" Harry asked concernedly.
"Well, it's not changing anything. Instead of spreading out across your body and changing it, the Lycanthropy is instead congesting in a singular area." He indicated to Harry's eye where the claws marks were held. "But I'm not sure, you are, as I'm sure I and Croaker have already explained, an unnatural phenomenon. The mix of Basilisk Venom and Phoenix Tears is a dangerous combination, one that shouldn't exist together, let alone in a human body."
"But here I am," Harry noted, rising to his feet and putting a shirt on.
"Here you are." Gareth agreed with a nod of his head. "From what I've seen, it's not expanding very far throughout your body like it would for any other Wizard or Witch. So I see this as you possessing a pseudo-form of immunity. But it still exists in your system and I believe that you might see some changes, mainly in the vision of your left eye."
"But other than that, no problems?"
Gareth sighed, giving a little shrug of his shoulders. "I honestly couldn't tell you."
"Alright, cheers for that anyway," Harry said and upon taking the Potions provided to him by Gareth made his way out of the medical centre and down the corridor towards his room. Pushing open the door, he lowered himself onto the uncomfortable bed and let his eyes close.
Rest was what he needed most right now.
He was tired, in pain and he was glad the day was over with. Fighting battles like that never got easier and were always tiring upon him physically, mentally and magically. As much as he had trained to operate on minimum rest and maximum exhaustion, having rests were still the best way to ensure he operated at his best.
As he had learned the hard way, working with minimum sleep was always a dangerous task to perform.
Seeing the last customer out of the shop, Angelina closed the door and locked it, the charms above the door activating and the sign outside that flashed saying, "Closed." It had been a long day, much like it always was, but she was more than willing to work hard in order to keep this shop running. Fred was a part of his shop and she didn't want to see it crumble to the ground, much like many.
She knew that George got help from family members, even Percy when he was free, all contributing to help keep the shop running smoothly through busy days. It was honestly amazing to watch a family come together to help preserve the memory of Fred.
Now they were preparing to mourn another death.
Angelina truly felt sorry for the family, especially George who she knew to be still reeling from the death of his twin. She wanted to do more, but Angelina knew that simply helping with the shop was all she could do at this point in time. Though on the bright side, there had been a few things taking George's attention recently, so it kept him busy.
Hearing the door open, Angelina spun around, shocked that someone had gotten past the locking charm so easily. She was met by a tall man, short black hair bright green eyes. It was a face that despite slightly sharper and lacking glasses, was one she recognised.
"Harry?" She questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Angelina. I came to speak to George, he said he was in." Harry said and before Angelina could answer, George, poked his head out from the back.
"Don't worry about it, Angelina, I'll take it from here." He called. "Harry, I've got your order so come into the back."
As soon as he said it, George disappeared, and Harry rose a brow. "He seems more eccentric than usual is that a recent thing?" Angelina released a sigh and nodded his head.
"Ever since Bill died, at times I've caught him referring to himself as Fred. I think the stress is getting to him." Angelia responded and Harry frowned, shaking his head. He knew that stress was a problem that could affect people mentally, Harry wasn't blind to the changes within himself, but this sounded like it bordering on a serious psychological break.
"Fucking hell." Harry then turned to Angelina and gave her a small nod. "Well, I'll see what I can do to help, I'll cover the cost for a Mind Healer if it's needed. But for now, just keep an eye on him and let me know."
"Don't have to tell me that." She muttered as he walked into the back, closing the door behind him only to find the little backroom warehouse empty.
"George?" Suddenly the young man in question jumped up, looking fully dishevelled and a little bewildered. "You alright?"
George nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah I'm good."
Moving towards the counter, Harry looked around the warehouse. A few House Elves were popping around, using their magic to help get a production process working. 'This place has really come far.' He noted, wondering if this was the only sight that George had that produced his product.
Harry knew from the reports given to him by George – as was expected for someone who had invested so much into a company – that the shop was producing a large amount of income. And while this room had been magically expanded and with the help of the House Elves in overseeing the production line, there were limits to magical expansion.
"So, do you have my order?" George smirked, dropping down and pulling out a small wooden box, turning it to face Harry and pulling back the lid showing rows of small, circular pellets.
"This was very fun to work on." George eagerly stated. "I mean, I was full of inspiration when making this. I mean improving the smoke pellets was easy, I just added a few runes into the shell that not only made the smoke thicker and harder to see through. Channelling a little magic into the runes and you'll be able to see through it. That was pretty simple to make."
George ignored those and instead pulled out a larger pellet that had a light green sheen to it. "These are my masterpieces. Inside is gunpowder, Floo Powder and flakes of silver giving it that extra little effect against Magical Creatures."
"Floo Powder?" He questioned, unsure as to why he chose that of all things.
"Yes, you see Floo Powder is actually from what is effectively a magical crystal that's ground down. It also happens to hold a large amount of magic within it that when gathering kinetic energy releases it outwards. In a Floo Network, it releases the stored energy into the runes surrounding the fireplace. That's how Floo Networks work. So, following the same train of thought if you throw this…"
"It'll explode?"
"Exactly. In your hand is the first Magical Grenade, isn't it great?!"
"Yes, yes it is." Harry muttered as he moved forwards, closing the lid on the box once George put the pellet back in. "How much does the Unspeakable Department owe you for these?"
"Considering the materials and minerals that went into creating this and the fact I created five boxes of them, that will be about five hundred galleons, each." Harry hummed, it wasn't cheap, but it wasn't expensive either.
Nodding his head, Harry took the box, placing it in a magically expanded bag while four more boxes appeared on the table before him. "An agent will be arriving in a few days with the necessary payment. Just keep an eye out for that."
Looking across at the four figures stood across from him, Harry leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Their outfits were similar, all clad in full black clothing with a mask pulled up over the lower halves of their faces. But whereas they were clad in just black clothing, Harry was clad in his Dragon Scale armour, the various dents and cuts repaired though there were still marks to show that the battles had not been easy.
"Congratulations on passing the basic training, my codename is Dragon, your superior and Field Commander of Unspeakable Field Agents. My authority is the second-highest in the entire organisation with only Croaker surpassing me. But in the field, whatever order I give, is one you follow first and foremost, am I clear?"
"Yes sir." Was the unanimous response.
Harry then reached behind him, holding a folded pile of clothes and presenting them to the man he knew was Derek. "Your codename will be Dog." There was a momentary twitch, from the man and Harry felt his lips twitch up. He hadn't chosen the codename, Croaker had but it was certainly amusing to him.
Harry then went round to the others.
"Bear…Valkyrie…Eagle." He listed each one individually before stopping "Before we get any further, Eagle. I'm aware you're being made a special operative, our intelligence officer, correct."
"That's correct. I've already been getting into contact with informants and those who owe me favours as Croaker requested." Eagle explained.
"That's all well and good, but you're still being a Field Operative at this moment." The countenance of Eagle showed his displeasure at this news. "I will be your personal guard during this time, you're too important to let die but at the same time, we are too short on numbers to let you stand on the side-lines. I expect your full cooperation, am I understand."
Eagle didn't answer straight away but it was begrudgingly. "Yes."
"Good." Harry then pulled out the five boxes containing the pellets George had made. "In these contain two types of standard-issue weapons for Field Agents. There are instructions inside composed by myself, read and familiarise yourself with them."
It was something Harry had done as soon as he retrieved them from George. Creating a detailed report as to what situations to use them and when not to, one thing he had identified was that the smoke pellets could be used at any Agents decision based on the situation around them. Partly because they were easily replicable, but one thing he had made sure to stress in the notes was that prior warning and signals would need to be given to nearby agents.
However, while smoke pellets could be used at the discretion of any agent, the Magical Grenades as Croaker had termed them could only be used in two situations. The first and most common, was if Harry gave the signal himself or if the situation was dire enough that it required a Magical Grenade.
"Get some rest, we move out tomorrow." Harry dismissed them, watching the four new Field Agents funnel out of the room. He didn't know how well they would handle an actual battle, especially considering they had less training than he did. But that didn't matter to him, his job was to make sure they came back alive because, at the end of the day, they could learn from their mistakes just like he did. Yet you needed to be alive in order to do so.
So, another chapter done and with it, new players are beginning to appear on the board. As you may already know, the White Council are from Dresden Files. Not only that, but we're getting more recruits to join the Unspeakable Field Agents so Harry won't be alone anymore. But before we get to the questions, I think I should clarify something about the classification of Wizards so it goes a little like this:
Wizards/Witches - Average Magic users.
Warlocks – A prodigy that comes about every generation.
Mages – A prodigy that comes about every decade.
Sorcerers – A prodigy that comes about every century.
Archmagus' - A prodigy that comes about every millennia.
Now, this is the basic information surrounding the classification of magic users, but there is some more to come that will be revealed at a later date. But at the same time, I think I should clarify something further. As I said, Dumbledore was an Archmagus whereas Arthur Langtry, the current Merlin is a sorcerer. However, Arthur is stronger than Dumbledore.
This is because he not only had more resources, but due to a saying, "hard works beat talent, when talent doesn't work hard." Dumbledore had far more talent than Arthur Langtry, but didn't work as hard which meant that he never reached similar heights. This is something you should bear in mind; the classification of a magic user is simply to give you an idea of what potential they have. But it is very possible for a Wizard/Witch to surpass an Archmagus if they worked hard enough. So, hopefully that clears up any confusion on that matter and any possible confusion in the future.
The classification of a Magic user is an inclination of potential, not actual power.
So, as we know, there has been a few new characters being introduced, however, if they have made a comic book appearance then I'll simply post the link to where you can find it. But if they haven't then I'll be casting actors for them, so here we are:
Harry Potter – Sebastian Stan.
Kingsley Shacklebolt – Idris Elba.
Croaker – Ian McShane.
Andromeda Tonks – Sigourney Weaver.
Adrian – Tommy Flanagan.
Gareth Greengrass – Matthew Mcfayden.
Derek Hale – Tyler Hoechlin.
Malia – Shelley Hennig.
Peter Hale – Ian Bohen.
Gregori Cristos – Hank Azaria.
Ebenezar McCoy – Scott Wilson.
Ancient Mai – Wai Ching Ho.
Aleron LaFortier – Vincent Cassel.
Arthur Langtry – Pierce Brosnan.
Simon Pietrovich – Oleg Taktarov.
Anyway, let us get onto the questions:
Pato HM: Pretty much yeah, though he'll be a background character who won't make huge amounts of appearances. Nonetheless, he'll be one of the main weapons designers and gadget makers for the Unspeakable Field Agents.
loki98065: Yes, in fact, I think a lot of people will already be able to guess where she is at this moment in time.