Chapter 7

September first had arrived once again, which meant that the annual sendoff of Hogwarts students was fully underway. Students of various years were frantically waving goodbye to their families as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of King's Cross Station and made its journey toward Hogwarts. Among the train full of students was Charles, with Ron and Hermione sitting across from him in their compartment. To all three of them, this school year took on a special meaning, as it was their seventh and final year at the school. The finality of that realization hit some harder than others, but for Charles, knowing that his school days were nearing their end was an exciting, yet sobering fact. He hoped that this year would not have the same cloud hanging over it as the previous year did. Ever since his brother's breakdown and flight from the castle, there had been a heaviness in the air. Nothing had felt the same since then, nor had Charles himself escaped the event unchanged. Since his recovery from the mauling inflicted upon him courtesy of Harry, he had grown far more mature. He was still very much a joker and a charismatic person, but he had gained a new sense of maturity and a slight sadness about him. People had seen that he had gradually changed over the course of the year. He would look over to the Slytherin table at meals, only to display a brief expression of disappointment before turning back to his conversation with Ron and Hermione. In quidditch matches, he would chase after the snitch, expecting to see Harry closing in behind him, only to see a new seeker wearing the green robes of Slytherin. These little events, combined with a good amount of time spent reflecting on the past had all led him to realize one key fact. He missed his brother. Granted they had been mortal enemies their entire Hogwarts career, their entire lives really. But even then they were still a constant in each other's lives. Now, with that constant removed from his life, he felt a strange sense of loss. It had been a year and there was still no progress on the search for his estranged brother. Neither Dumbledore, the Order, or the Ministry had made any headway on where the young Potter twin might be. According to Dumbledore's source inside Voldemort's inner circle, neither had the Dark Lord who was just, if not more, as aggressively searching for Harry Potter. The lack of results yielded from the ever prolonging search was also taking its toll on the Potter family as well. Lily had been deeply upset by her son's actions and subsequent disappearance for weeks afterward. She had become far more sullen and withdrawn, even her bright, fiery red hair had seemed to lose some of its fire as her demeanor changed. James had said nothing much about his son since his disappearance, nor had his general attitude changed very much. He had seemingly decided to ignore his son's very existence. As much as Charles hoped for a quiet final year at Hogwarts, he had a gut feeling that fate had plans to throw him one big final challenge, a twisted form of a sendoff one could say. What exactly fate had planned for him, he could only guess at. He was brought out of his musings by the sight of Ron and Hermione passionately snogging on the seats across from him. After finally getting together near the end of the previous year, and had been nearly inseparable since. Their relationship seemed to have matured Ron somewhat as he tried to live up to her standards, while Hermione seemed to be a natural fit for each other, once they got past their constant bickering. He chuckled and rolled his eyes, knowing very well that he and Ginny would be doing the exact same thing if she wasn't busy with her prefect duties. After another hour or so of riding the train, they finally arrived at Hogsmeade Station where Hagrid stood on the platform, waiting to give his customary greeting to the new, wide eyed first years. As the rest of the students rode towards the castle on the carriages, they began to notice more and more strange changes to the castle's appearance as they drew closer. Namely, the strange arrangement of bags at the gates of the school grounds, as well as the giant Union Jack flying on a pole over the school in the Great Hall courtyard, with several of what Hermione had identified as sandbag formations scattered around the courtyard. Little had they realized that once they crossed those gates, they had officially stepped onto an active military base.

The Previous Week

Lance Corporal Potter and the entirety of the SMS unit, as well as two-hundred infantry and various other support soldiers, all of whom were magical soldiers drawn from other regular army units, converged on Hogwarts in their transport helicopters, preparing to land on the castle grounds. Harry and his fellow Grims stood up, readied their weapons and gear before stepping off of the chopper as soon as the ramp came down. As they stepped off, more choppers began to land around them, with troops and equipment being unloaded from them. Standing by the landing zone was Dumbledore, flanked by the rest of the Hogwarts staff, looking absolutely awed at the display of muggle technology in action. As the soldiers finished unloading their gear and equipment, the mission's commander, Captain Riley, stepped forward to greet Dumbledore, extending his hand to greet the ancient headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore, I must say it is a pleasure to meet you."

Dumbledore shook the Captain's hand and responded in his customary grandfatherly tone.

"The pleasure is mine as well, Captain. I must say your entrance certainly did not disappoint."

"Well Professor, we do not disappoint, we get results. My men have been briefed on the mission and their objectives for the duration of this assignment. Though I must inform you professor, that as of this moment, Hogwarts is now an active military post, by order of the Prime Minister. Until we formally relinquish control of the school, your Ministry no longer holds any authority here. As long as these grounds remain an active military post, you, your staff, and the student population are subject to military law."

At this, Dumbledore frowned deeply, not pleased with having the sovereignty of the magical world, as well as his own personal authority, so directly challenged and casually disregarded.

"Very well Captain, the students are not due to arrive for another week."

"Very well Professor, my men will be using the seventh floor as our main workspace. Nobody, except my men or people I specifically authorize may access this floor. This restriction applies to you and your staff as well."

At this, Dumbledore's face took on a look of pure shock.

"Now you can't simply just restrict the headmaster from accessing parts of the castle, let alone an entire floor!"

Captain Riley's face immediately turned to a cold expression, all pretenses of politeness seemingly now forgotten.

"Let me remind you, Headmaster, that you are now under military law. You are no longer in command here, I am. Which means you WILL obey every order and restriction that either I or my men give you, and you will do so without question! I am the commander of this post and per the Prime Minister's instructions, my word is law. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Dumbledore was taken aback by the man's booming voice, and took a brief moment to collect his thoughts before responding.

"I.. I understand Captain."

Captain Riley eyed him for a moment before nodding his head and turning towards the frenzy of soldiers rushing about the grounds, performing their tasks. He walked into the chaos, issuing out orders to various groups of soldiers. The other professors stood there with their jaws hanging low, even Snape seemed utterly dumbfounded at what he had just witnessed. Nobody, absolutely nobody, had ever dared to challenge Dumbledore's authority. Let alone shout down at him like a small child that had been caught stealing candy from a store. Dumbledore rubbed the temples of his forehead gingerly, trying to figure out a way to appease the muggle commander, or at least make him see a more compromising approach to the situation. It was at this moment that he noticed a rather large group of soldiers standing together, seemingly discussing something amongst themselves. Dumbledore observed that like the other soldiers, they wore dark green camouflage uniforms, strapped in several places with various muggle weapons. However, there was one aspect of their appearance that really caught his attention. Their black berets. These must be the infamous Grims that the Prime Minister had spoken of. His theory was proven correct when he observed a pin in the shape of a Grim placed on each of their berets. Dumbledore turned towards the professors and gestured for them to follow him as he approached the group.

"Pardon my intrusion gentlemen, but I just came to introduce my…"

Before Dumbledore could finish his statement, he heard a strangely familiar voice call to him from among the collection of black berets.

"We know who the fuck you are."

A young man emerged from the group, his bright emerald green eyes staring directly into Dumbledore's, not only staring into his soul, but cutting through it. Dumbledore observed the man for a moment, his shock growing more and more prevalent in his mind and on his face as he took in the sight before him. Here stood Harry Potter, the boy who had eluded all detection from the magical world for a year, alive and well, and apparently in the service of the muggle army.

"You look like you've seen a ghost Headmaster. Well, a ghost people never expected to come back from the grave."

Harry's face maintained a neutral expression, though his voice was laced with a tone of dark amusement. Dumbledore finally managed to force out a reply.

"Harry? How is this possible?

"You will address me as Lance Corporal! I earned this rank, I will be shown the proper respect afforded to it!" Harry yelled, further startling the aged Headmaster, who only managed a meek nod at the younger man.

Harry scowled before gesturing towards the Grims and motioning with his head to move out. As they walked away, several Grims gave the professors hard looks, with one even spitting a sizable glob of saliva on Dumbledore's shoes as he passed by. Dumbloedore watched their backs as they walked away, less than charmed by the Grims' "unpleasant" demeanor.

Present Day

Charles and the rest of the students made their way into the Great Hall and took their seats at their house tables, proceeding to watch the sorting ceremony, cheering on the newest members of their respective houses as the Sorting Hat sorted them all one by one. Once the ceremony had ended and the applause for the last of the newly sorted first years subsided, Dumbledore rose and took his place at his podium to give his yearly welcome speech. Although it was noticed that his smile seemed slightly forced.

"Welcome, welcome to you all! Now I know you are all eagerly awaiting the moment you can dig into our delicious fest. However, there are some matters to attend to before we can indulge. Firstly, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic may be performed in the corridors, and that the list of prohibited items has once again been updated. You can view the new list posted outside of Mr. Filch's office. Also, until further notice, the seventh floor is strictly out of bounds to all students, including prefects and both the head boy and girl. This is on account of our guests that we shall be playing host to for the foreseeable future. I'm sure you have noticed that several modifications have been made to the grounds. Due to recent events surrounding the attacks perpetrated by the Dark Lord and his followers, an agreement has been reached between the Ministry of Magic and the muggle government to increase the security of Hogwarts. It is for this reason that Hogwarts is playing host to a detachment of muggle soldiers sent here to guard us and the school from the dark threats we are currently facing.'

It was at this point that the Great Hall erupted in a state of thunderous confusion. Many students from the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables yelled in confusion at either Dumbledore or each other. The Slytherin table stared murderously at either the other houses, or at Dumbledore, their displeasure at this news no secret as they were looking downright mutinous. After several minutes, Dumbledore had finally managed to reign in the crowd of students, bringing the hall to silence once more.

"While I understand your confusion on the matter, remember that these men are here to protect us. Now, please join me in welcoming the soldiers of Her Majesty's Special Magic Service!"

Just then, the large wooden doors to the great Hall burst open and the eighty Grims marched in, their polished black boots slamming in synch on the stone floor as they marched, causing a gunshot sounding echo to bounce off the walls as the main formation split of and several smaller formations spread out to different positions all over the hall. They marched in perfect time with each other, they're left arms swinging as they shouldered their SA80 rifles with their right. They were also loaded down with various sidearms and grenades. Several of the student's eyes widened as the Grims marched past, some with fear, others with excitement of curiosity. The Muggleborns especially looked thrilled, relieved at the sight of protection from home. The Purebloods, mainly Slytherins, sneered at the soldiers, not regarding them with any seriousness, but with disgust. However, one thing that unnerved Muggleborn and Pureblood alike was the symbol of the Grim prominently displayed on the soldier's black berets. Captain Riley stepped forward, followed by a group of Grims, stopping directly in front of Dumbledore's podium. Captain Riley gently, but firmly, pushed Dumbledore aside as he stepped behind the podium. As he did so, the Grims reached their positions in the hall, where they continued to mark time march, never once falling out of rhythm with each other. Captain Riley observed the formations for a moment before standing at attention and calling out in a commanding voice.

"Platoon, halt!" At this, the Grims simultaneously halted their march two counts after the command had been given, the last stomp of their boots reverberating through the hall.

"Center face!" The Grims on each side of the hall turned towards the house table immediately closest to them, with the Grims on the right side of the hall facing left, while the Grims on the left side of the hall faced right. The Grims in the center aisle of the Great Hall turned to face the house table that was closest to them.

"Port arms!" The Grims moved from attention to port arms, grasping the end of the rifle with their right hand and the heat guard over the muzzle with the left. They stood facing the students of their respective tables with cold, emotionless faces. Unnerving several students.

"My name is Captain Riley, I am the commander of all military forces at Hogwarts, and as such, am now the highest authority at this school. Until further notice, this school and its grounds are an active military post, subject to military law. A strict curfew of twenty one hundred hours, or nine in the evening, will take effect each and every night. Any unauthorized persons found on the grounds after that time will be immediately arrested and detained for questioning. If you attempt to harm or otherwise interfere with the duties of my soldiers, you will be shot! You will not speak to my soldiers at any time unless in an emergency. They do not want to be your friend, and trust me when I say that you don't want to anger these soldiers in particular. You will also be subject to searches of your person, living quarters, and belongings at any time without notice. If you resist, you will be shot! Make no mistake children, your lives belong to the Army now."

The students all exchanged nervous murmurs before the Captain shouted for them to be silent.

"Lance Corporal Potter, post!"

Harry fell out of his formation and slung his rifle over his shoulder, quickly making his way to the Captain and stopping in front of him. He stood at attention and rendered a crisp salute.

"Lance Corporal Potter reporting as ordered sir!"

The students looked on in complete shock at what they were seeing. None more so than Charles, though the Slytherins looked ready to drop from the silent heart attacks they were all having.

"Lance Corporal, seal off the doors and carry out the shakedown."

"Yes sir!" Harry saluted the Captain once more before doing an about face and looked out over the hall.

"Platoon! Commence the shakedown!"

At once, the Grims got to work. Two Grims sealed off the doors to the hall and stood guard while the rest of the Grims checked the arms of every student in search of the dark mark. Several students were violently pulled from their seats and dragged to the wall, forced to their knees at gunpoint with their feet crossed and hands on their head. Their wands were also confiscated and taken away. Perhaps most surprisingly, the number of Death Eaters being rounded up was not exclusively from Slytherin. There were several from Ravenclaw, a dozen or so from Gryffindor, and even a modest handful from Hufflepuff. Dumbledore stood next to Captain Riley, looking absolutely horrified at what was transpiring right before his eyes. "What is the meaning of this! They're children!"

"Wrong Professor, they are enemy personnel conducting acts of espionage and sabotage within your own school. They will be interrogated and summarily executed."

"Executed! I simply will not allow you to do that Captain! They have rights! There is good in them! They can be redeemed! All they need is the proper guidance"

"The only guidance they will be receiving is the directions to hell! Get this through your head Dumbledore, they are the enemy! We kill the enemy! Period! Every bastard we find with the mark is going to die." Dumbledore took a step back, not able to believe what he was hearing. He suddenly remembered the words of the Prime Minister. "These are not men prone to mercy." Dumbledore recounted to himself in a horrified daze. He was taken out of his stupor by a series of shouting voices coming from the Slytherin table. Four Slytherins had been found with the Dark Mark, but before their wands could be confiscated, the four Death Eaters drew them and aimed at the closest group of Grims, led by Harry. This resulted in every rifle in the hall being pointed right at their heads, Harry and the Grims behind him were screaming at the Death Eaters to drop their wands immediately. One of the Death Eaters glared at Harry and moved to cast a spell, causing the other three to mimic his actions. Before any of them could finish their spells, the sounds of several rifles firing all at once filled the air, the four Death Eaters jerked around violently as bullets tore through their bodies. Blood flew everywhere, coating the Slytherin table and the surrounding walls, as well as several nearby students. The mangled corpses fell to the ground, devoid of any life before they even hit the cold stone. Harry glared at the rest of the Slytherin table.

"This table, put your head and hands on the table now! Before I FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU!"

The Slytherins quickly complied and laid their heads upon the bloodsoaked table, placing their hands spread out on the table. Harry turned to a couple Grims standing next to him.

"Take their corpses and throw those stupid fuckers off the bridge."

The two Grims complied and got to work moving the bodies out of the hall.

Charles and the rest of the students watched in terror as they watched the once mild mannered Harry Potter mow down four people and hold an entire house hostage. After subduing the Slytherins, Harry and the rest of the Grims corralled the captured Death Eaters out of the hall and towards the seventh floor. As he walked past the Gryffindor table, he glared at Charles, not bothering to stop walking as he exited the hall. Hermione leaned over to a trembling Charles and wrapped a comforting arm around him.

"Are you alright?"

"Did.. did you see what he just did… how could he just do that so easily? That's not in his character…"

"Charles, you don't understand the muggle military. They train people to be ruthless, especially special forces units."

"Special forces?"

"The most elite units of the military. My father was in the SAS, I know what special forces look like and Harry carries himself exactly like special forces."

"How did he get involved with the muggle army though? None of this makes sense."

"That's something he'd have to tell you, but he's a very different person than the one you knew before."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Dumbledore stood beside the podium, feeling as if he was going to be sick at any second. He had just witnessed Harry Potter cut down four children without even a moment's hesitation. In front of the entire school, no less! While he was wondering how things could've gone so terribly wrong, Charles sunk his face into his hands, trying to find some way to break this to his parents.