The walk back to the Gryffindor dorm was quiet. Harry walked between Helena and Gary, well aware that whatever Helena had said, and whatever Gary's plans were, that if they decided to kill each other here and now, Voldemort wouldn't have to lift a finger to complete the procephy.
The notion that he was sandwiched between a pair of homicidal killers did nothing to improve his mood. Far too much had been thrown at him tonight and his head hurt.
Once they reached the Gryffindor dorms, Helena increased her speed and headed up the stairs to the girl's dorm without so much as a backwards glance.
Harry stopped at the foot of the stairs. "Gary," he said quietly.
Gary stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"
"In the forest, when you saved me, Luna and Ginny . . . did you go there to save all of us, or just Luna?"
Gary looked at him for the longest time, his face a blank mask. "Goodnight, Harry." Then he turned away and went up the stairs to the boys dorm, leaving Harry alone.
The next week flew by. Now that he was free, Harry, using Ron and Hermione as a guide, could easily pick out who was under the Sues' influence, and who wasn't. The ones under the control of the Sues were generally wearing improper clothes, and had a slightly glassy look in their eyes.
He found it surprising that the only Hufflepuffs under their spell were the seventh year prefects. Helena told him that it was because Hufflepuff was believed to be the school's dumping ground for those who just didn't fit in the other houses, in other words, "a waste of space". That was why they only had one Sue. She also told him that the only reason Febreeze was the Hufflepuff Sue was because she'd irritated Meghan and Febreeze was far more interested in keeping Hermione occupied then watching the Hufflepuffs.
A plan began to form in Harry's mind.
The next Monday in Herbology, Harry made sure he was across the table from Susan Bones. Susan was a dark-haired Hufflepuff whose aunt worked at the Ministry of Magic. More importantly, both Susan and Hannah Abbot had been one of the students Harry had coached through Defense against the Dark Arts the previous year.
So now, as they worked on a Spiorchid plant, Harry let her see the D.A. coin. The one he'd marked with a nine p.m. in bright red ink and underneath it, "U & H.A.". Her eyes widened slightly, and then she focused all her attention on the plant.
And so, at nine that night, Harry, Helena, and Gary waited in the Room of Requirement.
"Do you really think she understood?" Helena asked. "The Hufflepuffs were never noted for their brains."
"They're also effectively invisible," Harry pointed out. "You said it yourself. None of you were concerned with Hufflepuff and Febreeze is there only as a punishment. Besides, we can't take on all of you. We need more people."
Helena nodded, Harry's plan made sense. She saw some flaws with the idea of recruiting the Hufflepuffs, but all she really knew about them was what History had said. She looked over at Harry. "It's my fault, really. I was the one who planned out how to invade Hogwarts. I didn't even factor in the Hufflepuffs as opposition."
"Opposition to what?" Susan demanded as she and Hannah entered the room. Both girls had their wands out and looked ready to use them for any reason whatsoever.
"Hello, Hannah, Susan," Harry said. "Thanks for coming."
"I wouldn't have if your eyes weren't clear," Susan replied. "What is going on, Harry? Maude and Jason are acting strangely and all the rules seem to have been tossed out the window."
Harry looked at Helena, who took a deep breath. "I am a Sue," Helena began. "An artificial life-form created to serve as the perfect spy . . ."
It took over an hour to tell the entire story and Harry wasn't sure if Hannah and Susan believed any of it. But they did listen, and that was the important thing.
"So why did you ask to meet us?" Hannah asked.
"When the invasion plans were made," Helena said, "Hufflepuff was written off as a non-threat."
Susan's eyes flashed. "Were we now?" she asked in a dangerous voice. "Not a threat, huh?"
"And I thought the same thing," Harry confessed. "Until I realized that-"
"What? Because you're desperate? No where else to turn, except for 'lowly Hufflepuff'? I thought better of you, Potter, I really did."
Hannah thumped her fellow Hufflepuff on the arm. "Don't you get it, Susan? We're effectively invisible. They don't pay any attention to us. Which means -"
"Which means if we hit them, they won't be expecting it," Susan nodded. "You're assuming an awful lot though. How do we know that this plan really has us written off and for that matter, how do we know that we can trust that thing?" She pointed at Helena.
"I know the plans don't feature Hufflepuff because I made them," Helena said and visibly winced as they glared at her. "I only had historical records to go by. As for your other concern, you can't. But Harry trusts Gary, and Gary is watching me very closely."
Susan's eyes narrowed and she looked at Gary for a moment. "You were sent here to kill them, why aren't you killing?"
"I'm waiting," Gary replied.
"For?"
"Remember the Welcome Feast?" Gary said. "Hogwarts is going to be sealed off for twenty-four hours after the holidays while they get rid of the excess magic. Nothing gets in . . ."
Susan's sudden smile was cold and vicious. "And nothing gets out."
"We'll take care of Febreeze," Hannah promised.
"Just the two of you?" Harry asked.
"Oh, no," Susan assured him.
"Laura Madley will be helping," Hannah said. "Leave it to us."
They got up to go and then Hannah looked at Helena. "Celestia Welkin and Bellamina Anderson, are they Sues too?" Helena nodded. "Good. They're ours as well."
"Why do you want them?" Harry asked and then flinched at the expression on Hannah's face.
"You're better off not knowing," Susan advised in a sick voice. "I wish to God I didn't."
"What did they do?" Harry said to Helena when Hannah and Susan were gone.
"They're right," Helena said, "you don't want to know."
A Hufflepuff was defined by their sense of loyalty and work ethic. They were practical sorts, rarely given to flights of fancy or day dreaming. If there was work that needed doing, they did it, because there was no point in complaining about it.
But they were also, in their own way, just as conniving, sneaky and clever as any Slytherin.
Among the current roster of Hufflepuffs, there was none more conniving, sneaky and clever than Laura Madley. Like most Hufflepuffs, Laura was a Muggleborn, lean and slender with short, pixie like hair and almond shaped, upswept eyes. She came from the edges of London's east end, the daughter of a carpenter and a waitress.
But the mind of Laura Madley, oh, what a mind she had! Hers was an ancient intellect, one that worked in strange and mysterious ways. More gnarled then the roots of the most ancient trees, and sinious as any serpent. There were no straight paths in Laura Madley's thinking, oh no. Her thoughts traveled obliquely, approaching problems from the oddest angles.
Hannah had known Laura since they were both children and even she couldn't explain how Laura did things. At best, she could only say that Laura seemed to already have all the answers, she just worked backwards until she found a question that matched. What she was doing in Hufflepuff was anyone's guess. With her mind, she belonged in Ravenclaw. Perhaps, though Hannah would never admit it, not even to herself, Laura should have been a Slytherin.
But she wasn't. So, when the Hufflepuff common room was almost deserted, Hannah and Susan approached the isolated corner where Laura was engaged in writing some sort of essay and told her what they'd learned.
It took them almost an hour and in all that time, Laura's spoke only once. "That's interesting . . . that's very interesting," was all she said when told where the Sues had come from. But she said nothing more until the end of the tale, when she picked up her quill and twirled it in her fingers.
Twisty, twisty, the mind of Laura Madley.
Her silence was lengthy. Stretching over minutes. Only her fingers moved, sending that quill spinning between her thumb and forefinger, never speeding, up, never slowing down, simply spinning.
Suddenly, she spoke. "Susan, do you know how to get into the kitchen?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Then I'll go to bed."
With that, Laura gathered her things and went to the dorm.
"I thought she was supposed to help us," Susan complained.
Hannah shrugged. "She didn't say she wouldn't," she pointed out. "Laura's funny like that. Give her a chance."
Hogsmede was a treat given only to third year students and above. It was a town about a mile or so from the school, and the only all wizard town in the area.
Gary, Helena and Harry went together. It was strange for Harry, because he'd normally would have gone with Ron and Hermione. But this time, Ron was going with Sakura Snape and she seemed to be determined to spend whatever Galleons he had and Ron was doing her bidding with a smile on his face. Hermione was with Febreeze and he'd seen Hermione dragging her into a book shop and Febreeze didn't look happy about it. It had given Harry some hope. No matter how powerful the Sues were, it didn't seem as though they could change a person completely.
"It's still there," Gary said as they wandered the streets of Hogsmede. "Looks different compared to now."
"What is?" Harry asked.
Gary waved a hand at the town. "Hogsmede. It's still around . . . where I come from."
"Well Hogsmede wasn't his target when he came here," Helena said as she pointed up at Hogwarts, plainly visible from the town. "Voldemort is a racist and a purist. His tactics were to bludgeon a town or city using Trolls, Goblins and Giants and then mop up any survivors with his Death Eaters, who would quietly murder most of their non-human allies at that point. Then he would shake his fist and blame his 'cowardly' enemies for those murders, sending non-humans into fits of rage as well as recruit more, who were desperate to avenge the murders."
Harry could only shake his head, sickened by actions that had yet to take place.
"After the first War, Dumbledore had made an alliance with the Dwarves and Gnomes of the mountains around Hogwarts," Helena continued. "Dwarves are some of the best close-quarter fighters in the world, and Gnomes are natural born Artificers." An Artificer, Harry knew, was someone who made magical devices. "When Voldemort killed you, Harry, Dumbledore and the gnomes began to turn Hogsmede into a Death Trap for the Dark while the Dwarves began to evacuate the town into their vast mountain halls and fortresses and take up residence in their place. The idea was to throw the Dark off balance by meeting them with Dwarven axe fighters backed by wizards. Up until then, you see, fighting the Dark meant using witches and wizards in line combat, hence Voldemort using the bludgeon of the Dark Creatures."
Harry frowned, trying to puzzle his way through the tale. "So . . . he used Voldemort's tactics against him?"
Helena nodded. "Exactly. But beyond that, he wanted to use Hogsmede itself as a weapon. He brought in Alchemists who worked with the gnomes to turn every street, every house, into a trap."
"So did it work?" Harry asked.
Helena shook her head and pointed at one of the larger streets. "Hogsmede was originally just two streets, one north to south, one east to west. The fountain in the town square marks the intersection of the ley lines and the mana pool that both Hogsmede and Hogwarts draw on."
"Ley lines? Mana pool?" Harry repeated.
"Advanced Magic," Helena said and smiled ruefully. "High level Arithmancy, sorry. Simply put, magic is energy and there's places where it just . . . gets together." She pursed her lips in thought. "When magical blood is spilled, it's soaked into the ground. If enough blood is spilled in one place, it forms a pocket of magical energy called a mana pool. Ley lines are based on the same principal, though they form whenever there's a lot of magical energy. Like a place where wizards gather."
"You mean like Hogwarts."
"Or Diagon Alley," Helena agreed. "Or the Ministry, St. Mungos, and so on. Normally, a witch or wizard draws on their own powers, but when near a ley line or a mana pool, they can draw on it as well. And that, Harry, is why they're sealing off Hogwarts just after the holidays. All that ambient magical energy floating around the castle is going to be discharged into the mana pool so it doesn't form a ley line. Otherwise, Hogwarts won't be Unplottable anymore. Three Ley Lines in close proximity to each other will be like a homing beacon.." She shuddered. "In any case, when Voldemort came to Hogsmede, he lost most of his forces before he realized that the entire town was rigged as a death trap."
"What did he do?"
"Detonated the Mana Pool. That much unleashed magical energy destroyed the minds of every living thing in Hogsmede. Including Albus Dumbledore and his second in command; Ron Weasley. But it didn't negate the traps. It took Voldemort's forces another three years to disarm the town-"
Harry turned away. "Stop," he whispered. "Just . . . I can't hear anymore. Please stop." Helena nodded and fell silent. "It's not fair!" Harry cried, sinking to his knees. "I never asked for this. If I had known, I'd never have become a wizard. Never left with Hagrid."
"And then Voldemort would have gained the Philosopher's Stone, Sirius Black would have died in Azkaban, you never would have met Ron or Hermione and we wouldn't be having this conversation." Helena snapped. "Like it or not, Harry, this is the hand you were dealt. What are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know," Harry said.
"Harry . . ." Helena moved to stand next to him and hesitatingly laid a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, I can't apologize enough for what I've done, but I can try to make amends. You can't bring back your parents, but you can make sure their sacrifice-"
"Was not in vain?" Harry snarled. "Do you know how many times I've heard that since Voldemort returned? 'It's not your fault, Harry.' 'You survived to bring Cedric back. You're a hero.' Damnit! He died because of me! Because I said we should both take the trophy. Because of me. He was the champion. I'm no champion. I'm not even a hero. I'm Harry. Just . . . Harry . . . because of me . . . he's dead."
"You're an idiot, Potter."
Harry spun. Susan, Hannah, and Laura stood nearby and Susan was glaring at him. "What?"
"You heard me. You're an idiot! Do you even remember the Hat's song our first year? 'You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and brave and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil.' Cedric was the greatest Hufflepuff to come through the school in years, Potter. We don't give a damn about glory, Potter, Cedric entered the tournament because he felt it was the right thing to do for Hogwarts. He did it because it was a job that needed doing."
"Cedric would have done the same thing even if he knew he would die," Hannah said. "Ever hear the phrase, "If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well'? That was Cedric to a T. He would never blame you. Hell, do you know what he was planning to do with the thousand galleons? Give it to St. Mungos. For charity. Because that's the sort of person he was. Knowing all that, do you still think he died for nothing?"
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW HE DIED?" Harry screamed. "I do. I was right there. Voldemort just looked at us and then said. 'Kill the spare'. Just like that and Cedric was gone. Don't you understand? We mean nothing to him. As far as he's concerned, we're just ants. pathetic little bugs here to be stepped on, and yet somehow, I'm supposed to stop him?"
"Every problem has a solution," Laura said. "You keep focusing on the problem instead of the solution."
Harry stared at her. "Just like that, you propose to solve Voldemort? Like he's some sort of Arithamantcy problem?"
"Defeating Voldemort is work, work is details and details is where the solution is," Laura was unmoved. "Of course, if you rather desecrate Gryffindor with cowardice and self-pity, go right ahead."
"I'm not a coward," Harry said, rising to his feet.
"Good."Laura produced a small stack of papers and passed them out. "Here are your assignments."
The weeks passed quickly and mid terms came and went. Hermione, despite the fact that she was firmly under Febreeze's control, still managed to nag Harry into actually studying for his exams.
On top of all that, Laura kept them busy. One night, Gary might have been sent into Hogsmede or Raven's Roost, or sent to steal something from somewhere in the school. On Hogsmede trips, they would be given lists and money. Where she was getting the money was unclear and Harry had elected not to ask, reasoning that what he didn't know, he couldn't get in trouble for.
"Why do we need all this, anyway?" Susan complained as she and Harry left one of the shops. Both were loaded down with bags of various items. Gary and Helena had been sent overland to the nearest Muggle city with a list of their own. Harry had no idea what was on it, but it was shorter then the one they'd been given.
"Dunno," Hannah said. "I doubt even Laura knows why she needs them." She crossed their purchases off the list.
"What?" Harry said.
Hannah shrugged. "What I mean is, she's got a plan going, but she doesn't quite know what it is yet."
"We'd better find out soon," Susan grumbled. "Binns wants three rolls on the origins of trolls and their relation to the giants. That takes time."
The night of the end of term feast, Laura called a meeting in the Room of Requirement. When Harry arrived, he was startled to see Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Professor Baron.
Snape's eyes were clear and he only glanced at Harry, shame in his eyes, and then looked away. Harry knew why and felt equally sick. But he could still taste Snape's skin and feel it in his hands. He closed his eyes and willed the memories away.
"I asked Professor Snape here," Dumbledore said, "because he's been just as violated as the rest of us and he may have some insights. He's agreed to go back under afterwards, so there is no chance of Sakura finding out the truth."
Harry laid out the Marauder's Map on the table and touched it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he recited, and watched as Hogwarts appeared.
"So you were lying, Potter," Snape sneered. "I should have known."
"Not now, Severus," Dumbledore said. "Miss Madley, I'm told you have a plan."
"The expulsion of Magical Energy around Hogwarts will take place during the start of term feast. The process starts at six o clock in the evening and takes twenty-four hours." Laura tapped the forest on the map. "The field extends some two kilometers into the Forbidden Forest, well past the Thestrals' range. It also will cover the lake, and the road to Hogsmede. However . . ." she tapped the secret passages. "It may or may not cover these. From what Helena tells me, the only two the Sues know of is the one from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, and this one here, which leads to Honeydukes."
"If the others are as unstable as I think," Helena said, "They'll make for either the forest or the road to Hogsmede if they want to flee. Except for Celestia Welkin. She can apparate within Hogwarts."
"Lying is not acceptable, creature," Snape said softly. "Apparation is impossible within Hogwarts."
"It is right now," Baron said. "Didn't the Headmaster tell you, Severus? We're from the future."
"You will address me as Professor Snape, Miss Granger," Snape said.
"We happen to be colleagues, Severus," Baron shot back. "You stopped being my teacher the day Professor Dumbledore presented us with our diplomas. As such, I can call you Severus if I damn well want to."
Snape's nostrils flared and his face turned white with fury.
"Settle down. Both of you," Dumbledore said. "Severus, you must remember that Nessia is an adult and you needed to treat her as such. And Nessia, you and Severus may be colleagues, but while here at Hogwarts. you will treat him and everyone else with professional courtesy and respect."
"Yes, Headmaster," they chorused, glaring at each other.
"Continue, Nessia," Dumbledore said.
"In total, there were three 'batches', if you will, of Sues," Baron said. "One hundred per batch, each divided into ten sets. Batch two, set nine developed some sort of mutation that allowed them to violate certain rules of magic. These abilities varied, but most could apparate past Apparition wards. The mutations never popped up again."
"Were you one of those?" Hannah asked Helena.
Helena shook her head. "Batch one, set four. My designation is Analyzer Class, Unit number forty-two."
"Which brings me to another point," Baron said. "The Sues are divided into four classes. Command, Analyzer, Assassin, and Courier."
"There's only twenty of us here," Helena said. "Kalia and Meghan are Command units. Kat Schimdt and and Tawnnee Vern are Assassins. I'm an Analyzer, the rest are Couriers. There are three more Analyzers and five Commands at the Ministry, two Assassins at Gringotts, and several more couriers scattered around the Magical world. Professor Dumbledore has a list."
"Kalia?" Snape frowned. "She's never come into my class."
"All I know is that Kalia entered deep cover and left Meghan in charge," Helena said, and leaned on the table. "Presumably, she's passing orders to Meghan."
"Then we'll have to take Meghan alive. If she's the only one who knows who Kalia is hiding inside, we'll have to force her to tell us the truth." Baron glanced at Gary who simply shrugged.
"As for fighting them," Helena said. "A Sue is very hard to kill so long as they are in a host. With our ability to manipulate body and mind alike, only a Sporc is any match for a Sue in combat and unlike the rest of us, Assassins and Command units are made for combat"
"Therefore," Laura said, "Our primary task is to give Gary and Helena a clear path to Kat and Tawnee," Laura said. "Once he's engaged them, we keep the others off his back. Helena says that an Elec Curse is the best weapon against them."
"We're going to shock them to death?" Susan asked.
Laura shook her head. "When all is said and done, the human body can only take so much electricity. Even a Sue possessed human has limits. Once the bodies fail, the Sue will have to abandon it. They'll be easy pickings once they're out."
"Once Tawnee and Kat are dead," Helena said, "Gary and I will go after Meghan. We take her alive and force her to tell us who Kalia is." She took a deep breath. "After that, The Order of the Phoenix will deal with those of us still left and I will surrender to the Aurors for my crimes." She smiled wryly. "I expect I'll spend the rest of my existence in a jar somewhere in the Ministry and occasionally be poked and prodded by various members of the Department of Mysteries. I'm almost looking forward to it."
"Any questions?" Professor Baron asked. No one said anything.
"Then I suggest you all be on your way to bed," Professor Dumbledore said. "Enjoy the Holiday. Harry, Helena, Gary, a word before you go."
"Yes, Headmaster?" Harry asked, when everyone else had left.
"Harry, I've spoken to Mrs. Weasley. She refuses to allow Helena at the Burrow and so you will be holidaying at Grimwauld Place."
Harry shuddered. Grimwauld Place was Sirius' house. He hadn't been there since Sirius died. "Professor Dumbledore, I-"
"No, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Miss Granger will be spending the holidays with her parents. Ron Weasley will be returning home and too many questions will be raised if you elect to stay here. You have to go. I know it's painful for you, but Grimwauld Place is yours. You will have to return there, later, if not now." He looked at Helena. "Ms Potter, for all the goodwill you have shown us, you must be aware that you are not fully trusted."
"No, Sir," Helena said. "If you were that foolish, you wouldn't be Headmaster."
A small smile of amusement tugged at the corners of Dumbledore's mouth. "Then you are also aware that as helpful as you have been, it will not save you if you betray us to your former comrades. Mister Stuart will be watching you closely, Miss Potter. Do not give him a reason to act against you."
"Yes, Sir," Helena replied.
"Mister Stuart, your vigilance must be absolute. Good Luck."
Emily woke up in a dark room. Where was she? This wasn't her room. She looked over as she heard a gasp and saw two girls wrestling on a nearby bed. No, not wrestling, they were- was that Hermione?
Blackness fell.
Author's Notes:
You know, I'd honestly thought I'd uploaded this. I've been plugging away on chapter 8 here and there, and meanwhile this has just been sitting around on my hard drive.
So yeah.
I've also been tinkering with the other chapters, if you will, trying to make this a bit more canon compliant then it was at first, as when I'd started this fic in the first place, Book 5 had only been out for a few months. I haven't uploaded any of the edits, but what I may do is repost this over on Ao3 once everything is finished. Same username there as I have here.
Also, this fic is ten years old and I now feel old.
Anyways, so yes. Here's chapter 7, Chapter 8 is probably 3/4 done, and then after that, we get started on the Sue killing, and I know you're all waiting for that. I promise messiness. You've earned it.