Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter.
Chapter 19
The world was completely silent, as if it had ended in the night. The sun was still resolutely below the horizon as two dark figures appeared from around a corner to an empty and silhouetted street, brittle leaves and wayward sticks crunching underneath their boots as they made for a large open space situated at the far end of a cul-de-sac.
"What about my Glamour Charm, sir?" whispered a boy with short, sandy brown hair and black eyes in around his twenties through the chill of the morning, the swift action of moving legs providing what little warmth it could to stave off the cold.
The other older individual leaned backwards slightly and critically inspected his companion through the murkiness while they moved, noting the speaker's body, facial structure, eyes and other features screamed average and quickly forgettable.
"The Polyjuice alone is fine... for now," the aged wizard decided.
Ariana nodded, patting the inside of her dark robes just one more time to make sure the flask of Polyjuice Potion was safely secured in her pocket. Her thoughts were then disrupted as a wizened hand fell on her shoulder, causing her to halt.
"We're here. Read this, quickly," Albus murmured without an explanation, unceremoniously shoving a small piece of paper in front of her face.
Ariana squinted in the dimness but was able to faintly make out the words that were written on it, "You are… cordially welcome to the House of McKinnon?" she read out loud with some hesitation.
She gave a small jump in shock as a large and imposing house suddenly shimmered into existence, replacing a small field of grass which was previously in its place. She calmed her heart down as she gazed upon the shadowy edifice, noting that some of the windows were illuminated from the inside – signalling that they were not the first to arrive.
Ah yes – the Fidelius Charm, just like for Grimmauld Place then.
The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows upon rows of skeletal trees crowned in dark crimson, swaying gently to the chilly autumn wind. At its threshold stood a delicate marble fountain, where the soft gurgling of the clear water melodically resonated in the surrounding silence.
With a satisfied nod at the outcome, Albus slipped the piece of paper back into his pocket and looked around surreptitiously one final time before opening the front gate to let them in the grounds.
Upon entering through the main doors, Ariana noted with a pleasant hum that the interior was rather welcoming and aesthetic, a stark difference from the dismal and sombre tone that her previous headquarters in her past life held.
The antechamber fed to a wide circular room that branched off into multiple doorways as spotless armoires stood by their doorframes, acting akin to sentries. The floor was lined with warm cedar wood while the ceiling boasted a large and florid chandelier. With an elegant set of stairs that was accompanied by a glossy balustrade, the room was truly a magnificent sight.
"Lo and behold, he finally arrives," a voice dramatically called out from the top of the stairs.
Albus gave an amused snort as a young man leisurely hopped down the stairs, two and three steps at a time – never once stumbling – until he came to the landed on the safety of flat ground in front of the new arrivals. Ariana knew instantly which family he belonged to.
"Hello Fabian," Albus warmly greeted as they shook hands, "All is well I hope?"
"Everything's good on my side," the red haired individual amiably replied as he nodded. Getting the pleasantries out of the way, they both then traded information, one concerning administration, while the other regarding the wellbeing of a rather vivacious sister which went by the name of Molly Prewett.
As the two of them conversed, Ariana suddenly shivered as she felt a small pulse of unseen magic caress her skin, causing her to whip her head in the direction it came from. Pausing temporarily to ascertain that she would be missing nothing important in Albus and Fabian's discussion, she then curiously meandered in the direction of the magic's genesis, slipping away without either of the two noticing her departure.
As she tip-toed down the decorated hallway, she felt the same wave of magic once more, this time however, slowly enveloping her form entirely in a loving embrace. The intensity of each pulse grew more pronounced with every step. Before long, her feet subconsciously led her to a stop in front of a large and imposing door, one that was coloured midnight black with gilded doorframes.
Why does this magic feel so… familiar?
Her hand reached out slowly and clutched the handle tentatively, turning it and warily peeking through the crack in the doorway. Affirming that the room was currently unoccupied after scanning its dark recesses, she opened the door fully and entered, paying no heed to the fact that she left the door open behind her.
It was obviously a storage room, one where neatly stacked crates, sealed boxes, dustless receptacles and magically protected chests lay side by side with each other against the walls of the room in congruity. There was only one item however, that called to Ariana's senses, one which – she could tell – took residence within a particularly nondescript box in the far end of the room.
She easily and nimbly leapt, ducked, and weaved past the miscellaneous objects in the room to reach her goal, much more confident in the movement of her new body as its stature was almost identical to when she was Harry.
Upon reaching the small box that lay on a wooden table, she noted with small surprise that there was were neither magical enchantments nor physical locks present to deter pilferers. A heightened sense of curiosity nipped at the corners her mind as she slowly raised the detachable lid to reveal what lay within in. The pulses of magic vanished into nothingness as she placed the lid next to the open box.
She finally gazed upon a small trinket that lay innocently on a soft velvet cushion and inhaled sharply, instantly recognizing what it was. Just as she was about to reach for it, an overwhelmingly familiar voice caused her to freeze.
"You know, in certain societies, it isn't polite for a guest to wander around as he pleases," a gruff voice called out from behind her back.
Ariana retracted her hand quickly and whirled around to face the speaker that was standing in the doorway, her heart lightening as she gazed upon arguably one of the most powerful Aurors that the Ministry could boast of in the future.
"You have two eyes," she blankly responded after a brief period of silence, unnerved at how different a young Alastor Moody looked without his assortment of scars on his face, his ever-spinning biomagical eye, and his clawed, wooden leg.
"You're quite observant, laddie," Moody deadpanned back in the same tone.
Oh yeah, I forgot that I'm now a guy again.
This is confusing…
Ariana sheepishly ruffled the short hair on the back of her head and quickly sorted her thoughts out. "Sorry about that, I just wanted to explore the house before we got down to business," she lied smoothly.
Moody harrumphed at her response and narrowed his eye to look at the contents on top of the wooden table near her, easily discerning what lay on its surface, even from a distance.
"Ah, I see you've found the prized McKinnon Time-Turner," he rumbled loudly as he crossed his arms, his dark and formal robes moving in accordance to the action, "A bloody shame that its broken though," he continued with an annoyed sigh.
Ariana's mind grew calculating as she assessed this version of the Mad-Eye Moody, briefly dismissing what he had just said and her mind came to a few conclusions.
Moody is nowhere near as suspicious as I expected him to be. Maybe he turned out that way after the First War?
Her eyes then widened as her mind caught up to the present and realized what the older wizard had just said.
Wait, did he just say that…
"It's broken?" she echoed in confusion.
"Aye," Moody replied in a gravelly voice. It seemed that no matter how he spoke, there was always an intrinsic gutturalness that lacquered his words. "It had greatly and faithfully aided us for some the Order's missions in the past," he added, "Nevermore, it seems."
Ariana shook her head in dubiousness, "You're wrong, it's still functional," she strongly protested, turning around and carefully picking up the delicate artifact in one controlled motion.
As soon as her fingers touched the curiously shaped curio, the sand within the small hourglass that was encased by two silver bands, slowly began to move of their own accord. The golden grains within picked up speed as it swirled and crashed against the glass confines in undulating ripples, rivalling the untameable swells of a tempestuous sea.
Ariana cried out in an alarm as the Time-Turner seemingly activated, the rings slowly rotating and spinning as life was breathed into the object once more.
"Well, I'll be damned… the ruddy thing is working again," Moody muttered in surprise as his brow furrowed in confusion.
Noticing that the younger man was still visibly panicking, he called out loudly, "Don't fret now, that's just how it normally acts. It's quite the feisty little bugger."
Ariana slowly calmed down when she ascertained that the device wasn't going to whisk to some unknown time period against her will… as a certain Time-Turner already did once before. She lifted it up by an attached strap to give it a closer look, the ever-shifting sands almost hypnotizing her and causing her mind to wander into the most dangerous of thoughts.
I wonder… how easy would it be, if I could just go back all the way back in time and prevent Voldemort from ever being born?
So absorbed was she of her thoughts, that she had failed to notice that Moody had appeared by her side to also inspect the gyrating artifact. She managed to suppress a rather feminine squeak that she was so used to emitting from the brief shock as his face suddenly came into view.
"That dreamy look on your face suggests that you fancy some time travel of your own. A word of caution – stay far away from that perilous path," Moody warned in a low voice, all traces of humour absent from his voice, "Live to fight another day on your own terms I always say… not on something as whimsical as time."
Ariana gave a large sigh as she lowered the Time-Turner and placed it back into its rightful abode, remembering that the gruff wizard could also be sagacious when he wanted to be. "You're right, I guess it's always appropriate to have constant vigilance," she half-smirked, cheekily remembering the precept that was basically the source of his paranoia in the future.
Moody narrowed his eyes and studied the other wizard, "Constant vigilance," he slowly repeated as something akin to an epiphany struck him. "A most elegant expression indeed," he muttered to himself, "I'll be sure to remember that one."
As the other wizard was musing, Ariana realized that although she knew who the other person was, he had no idea who she was.
"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm-"
"Hold that thought," Moody interrupted as his hand jumped to a something that was vibrating in his side pocket, "The meeting is starting now. We'll get properly acquainted there."
He then took a step back and gave her a once over as he rubbed his chin with his hand.
"From what I see lad, it looks like you've got a good head on you. Let's hope we can put that to good use," he said, looking strangely energized for some reason. He then turned to leave and walked across the room, and after noticing that was the younger wizard was still stationary, he gave an amused snort as he raised one brow.
"Well, are you waiting for a written invitation?"
Ariana realized with a start that her hand was still subconsciously glued to the Time-Turner and quickly wrenched her hand away, grabbing the cover and placing it over the top to seal the box once more before turning to follow Moody out.
What she couldn't see under the lid however, was that as soon as her fingers left the powerful artifact, the sands of time slowly stopped moving, grinding to a halt as it deactivated once more, useless and unresponsive to the touch any wizard or witch alive in the world… save one.
"… and now we will discuss the more important developments," Albus announced to a motley group of people that were sitting around a circular table in front of him, his confident face showing no signs of weariness although he had been standing and talking nonstop for the past two hours.
Ariana, in all honestly, had been zoning out as her Headmaster talked, the eclectic topic of raw logistics was too exhausting for her young body, albeit taking the form of a young adult, to cope with this early in the morning.
Albus, you… you never warned me about this. She thought with a childish whine, naively thinking that magical strength and carefully thought out skirmishes were the only things the Order of the Phoenix dealt with.
This sort of stuff is so different from the Order in the future, where the only thing we did was prepare ourselves to fight and survive.
Instead of that we have… planned liquidation? Implementation of a Laissez-faire system? Trade liberalization?
Ugh… I should really have read more books on these sorts of things.
As her boredom peaked, she quietly scanned the room for what was the fifth time since the meeting had started, looking at each individual and searing their features into her mind.
Okay, so going from left to right, we have Sturgis Podmore, Marlene McKinnon, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Alastor Moody, and one more hooded wizard who which Albus hasn't introduced yet.
Hold on… this current list – pre-James and his ilk – seems a bit short. Where is Professor McGonagall? Albus also told me once that his brother was in the Order too... and there are other seats that are empty as well…
She sat there humming and hawing about the situation and almost as if Albus had been reading her mind, broke her out of her thoughts as he changed the topic.
"Unfortunately, the others can't with us today because I've stationed them to oversee Hogwarts and the Ministry in my absence," Albus informed, finally sitting down on a cushioned wooden chair as he felt his age finally catch up to him, the strain in his legs a testament to that, "It is unwise for all of us to disappear at such short notice as too many suspicions will be aroused."
He then clapped his hands loudly, "Enough of that then, it's time for strategic updates," he continued. As if he had said a magic phrase, everyone sat up straighter and leaned forwards, clearly not wanting to miss a single word that was going to be discussed.
"Firstly, Alastor deserves a pat on the back for completing the Auror training in what was record time, thus becoming one of the youngest Aurors in the Ministry of Magic's history. With his mastery over multiple branches of magic, I was hardly surprised when I saw the results," Albus reported as he beamed with visible pride, causing the said wizard to flush slightly from the praise.
"Finally," Elphias Doge yelled loudly, causing the other members to jump slightly and look at him in slight annoyance.
"Sorry," he apologized unabashedly, "It's just that I finally don't need to sneak around the Auror's department anymore. Everyone there is too paranoid and uncooperative for my liking," Elphias grumbled with a roll of his eyes as he leaned back in his chair in slight relief.
After allowing everyone to take a slight break to congratulate the new Auror, Albus then cleared his throat to garner everyone's attention once again, his sky blue eyes twinkling with hidden excitement as he gestured to the silent, hooded man that sat to his right as a cue to begin speaking.
The mysterious man clasped his hands together, placing them on the wooden table as he leaned forward and began speaking, "Strict magic oaths forbid me to reveal myself to anyone, so I will forgo any sort of introductions," he tersely started.
The rest of the members, bar Albus, looked at each other in uncertainty from the bizarre greeting before muttering amongst themselves in slight confusion. The speaker then calmly raised an arm to quieten them down once more, knowing that this was an expected reaction. After it was silent again, he continued.
"There is a sound reason for this. I can say this much at least, I'm…" he motioned to his strange attire, "…an Unspeakable."
This time however, audible gasps resonated throughout the room from the proclamation.
"So this means… we'll now have an operative inside the Auror's Office as well as the Department of Mysteries?" Marlene McKinnon slowly enunciated as realization dawned upon her, and turned towards Albus with shining eyes, "Has Christmas arrived early?" she breathed.
Albus gave a small chuckle as he felt everyone's spirits rise, his eyes twinkling even brighter as he knew the best part was yet to come.
The shrouded man's deep voice easily smothered the others as he stated his second, and decidedly more nefarious position, "I also serve the new Dark Lord, Voldemort," he said loudly in an almost nonchalantly manner, giving a casual twirl of his wrist.
Time seemed to freeze in the room as each person processed the sentence differently, each mind circulating a profusion of thoughts through their brains as they registered what he said.
Ariana's heart missed a beat.
No, NO… this is all wrong. The Order never had someone who was behind enemy lines until Snape arrived. Who is this person?
Moody, the ever level-headed wizard, was the first to break the silence, "So Mr Unspeakable, what is the chance of success of you walking up to Voldemort, catching him off guard, and blasting him into oblivion?" he asked coolly, fully trusting in Albus' decision to invite this man to their headquarters.
The man gave an amused snort at the practical question, "I have exactly a zero per cent chance of succeeding," he said with absolute certainty, "Voldemort is either mad or does not fear death… and he is not the former, I assure you."
Gideon Prewett then spoke up for the first time that morning with a calculating glint in his eye, "How did you become one of these so-called Death Eaters?"
The Unspeakable shrugged, "I was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the Dark Lord via a careful selection process, led by the one and only Lucius Malfoy," he revealed.
Gideon tightened his lips before speaking, "And how… were you selected?"
"Let's see… there a couple of factors. Firstly, I'm in an influential position of power. Secondly, I'm a Pure-blood," the man listed after a thoughtful hum, using his fingers for emphasis. "Oh – and lastly, I abhor Muggle-borns."
The occupants around the table erupted into a cacophonic and righteous fury from the last statement, deafening the speaker until he had enough and made a slashing motion in the air, nonverbally silencing everyone – as well as showing his prowess in the magical arts.
"Let me be very clear on something," he began coldly, "I have no love for Muggle-borns and their ilk, but Voldemort is an entity that must be stopped. His ideal world is one that thrives on an autocratic system which will ultimately bring the Wizarding World to its knees, Pure-blood or not."
"This is where my offer for a partnership stands. If however, you choose to oust me, then I will then find my own way to stop Voldemort regardless."
There was something off about this particular individual to Ariana, the way he spoke, his manner, his… magic. It was unnerving familiar as she knew she has come across it before, her thoughts subconsciously causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. She began to cross out Death Eaters off in her head against the one sitting across to her.
"Take your hood off," she suddenly barked as her mind made an inkling of a connection, easily untangling the silencing magic around her throat, her loud command gathering the attention of the room on her.
The Unspeakable gave a start of surprise at her ability to speak but quickly regained his composure as he shook his head while cancelling the silencing ward he cast, "There is no point-"
"Now."
Looking at Albus for reaffirmation, and after receiving a nod to comply, the concealed man slowly folded back his strangely patterned hood to reveal a face with charcoal black eyes, a pointed jaw, and wild hair that stuck out in every direction.
"Very few people know my fac-"
"Augustus Rookwood, of the Inner Circle," Ariana snarled as her eidetic memory kicked in, jumping to her feet and brandishing her wand at him in hostility, memories her skirmish at the Department of Mysteries in her fifth year as plain as day in her mind.
Augustus widened his eyes in shock temporarily, but instead of panicking or reaching for his own wand, threw his head back and laughed gaily, "Thank you, whoever you are," he said with a maddened and elated grin, "Since you revealed my true identity, the binding magic can no longer confine my words when I speak with those present in this room."
Albus felt magic ominously stirring as Ariana refused to back down from her position. Noting that the room was visibly darkening from the coalescence of wrathful magic, he immediately jumped into action.
"Stand down," Albus barked, nonverbally and forcefully summoning her wand to his hand his when he saw an unnatural rage in her eyes, almost as if a serpent was rising up within them.
The sound of his voice seemed to break Ariana out of whatever she was doing as she blinked twice owlishly when her wand left her hand, looking around in slight confusion as the room slowly brightened to its original state.
Realizing that everyone was staring at her, she noisily cleared her throat as she pressed one hand to the temple of her head, not looking at Augustus as she continued speaking as if nothing had happened, "Your left arm… does it have the Dark Mark yet?"
Augustus' muscles tensed as his face immediately omitted all signs of glee he was previously displaying, "How do you know about that," he lowly intoned, finally realizing that he was dealing with someone who was extremely well-informed.
"The mark," Ariana responded emotionlessly as she ignored his question, her burning eyes piercing his as they gazed through fingers that were still rubbing her strangely aching forehead, "Show it."
Augustus looked extremely unwilling at first, but then gave a sigh as he rolled up his left sleeve to display his inner forearm to initially display perfectly pristine skin. After murmuring an unintelligible incantation under his breath, an image began to slowly form on his arm; the colour of poisonous black staining his arm as it insidiously swirled and morphed, finally taking shape into a symbol the young witch knew all too well.
Satisfied that the tattoo the genuine from the disgustingly magic it was emitting, Ariana sat back down with a heavy sigh as her mind moved with terrifying speed.
What could possibly cause this man's path to deviate from being a devout and high-ranking Death Eater?
History is changing so quickly…
Albus was right all along; our actions are truly akin to a pebble dropped into the middle of a very still lake.
It took her a mere second to reorganize her thoughts as she dipped her head slightly towards Augustus, "My apologies, Unspeakable Rookwood, I was acting rashly and I hope you can put that behind us," she said in a composed manner, slightly confused herself as to why she acted so belligerently.
"No harm done," the rough-looking wizard said solemnly, acknowledging the sincere apology, "And please, call me Augustus… as with everyone," he added as he looked at the silent observers in the room.
"That request can be easily granted, Augustus," Albus unsmiling started, "However, in regards to your offer of cooperation…" he stopped as he looked around the room and gazed into the eyes of each person before turning back with a warm smile, "…we would like to formally welcome you to the Order of the Phoenix."
Augustus gave an audible sigh of relief from his approval into the secretive clique, as he realized that he would have some of the most powerful wizards and witches by his side in a conflict he had planned to originally tackle alone.
"It takes a lot of courage to stand up to the Dark Lord. More so, to act as a spy," Albus continued solemnly, "If you ever require aid, you shall have it," he promised.
After around an hour or so of the new member taking multiple Unbreakable Vows, testing his Occulumency shield to the limit, and becoming acquainted with the rest of the Order, the group regrouped in the meeting room at Albus' request as the sun rose higher in the sky.
"Albus, I know we're saving the world and stuff, but can we do so with a full stomach?" Fabian groaned loudly, clutching his belly as it sporadically gave out a noise so disturbing that it was practically indistinguishable from the mating call of a fully grown troll.
"Quit your whining, lad," Moody barked, "In my final year of Auror training, I had to survive for four days with nothing to eat but giant mutated spiders in the heart of the Congo Rain Forest."
"Anything but spiders," Fabian said as she shuddered in discomfort when the topic of arachnids was brought up, "Also, can you please stop calling me 'lad'? You're only a few years older than me…"
"It's good enough," Moody growled.
Ariana hid a smile behind her hand as she tried her hardest to suppress a giggle. Now that's the Mad-Eye Moody I know.
Marlene raised an eyebrow in amusement at the interaction before turning towards her leader, "So, there are more strategic updates? You've certainly been keeping busy, Albus."
Albus' face fell as he silently nodded.
Realizing something more serious at hand, all jollity within the group disappeared as they fell silent and focused their attention on the revered wizard.
"Elphias, have any of your contacts within the Ministry recently disappeared?" Albus began with a strangely tired look on his face.
"I was actually planning to bring this up with you later, Albus." Elphias replied with a worried frown, "Caradoc Dearborn, my informant in the Department of Magical Property, hasn't been responding to my summons since yesterday morning."
Ariana's eyes were downcast when she took over the conversation, "Did Caradoc ever wear robes that were dark grey, with two black stripes running down the right shoulder?" she said in a hollow voice.
Elphias' frown deepened as he turned towards the young man that was addressing him, "Well, yes. All employees in his department are required to wear that to work."
"Did… did he also have a pendant with a picture of a woman and a young girl in his breast pocket?"
Elphias' mouth opened and shut a few times before deciding to speak, "Yes… but how did you know? Are you friends with Caradoc as well?"
Albus gave a sorrowful sigh as he saw the tiny nod from Ariana, and ran a hand over his face before speaking, "My dear friend," he quietly started, "Mr Dearborn was murdered yesterday at the very hands of Lord Voldemort."
Elphias immediately froze, his face turning deathly pale as blood drained from his face in horror. A range of emotions swept violently across his face as he gripped the sides of his chair in an unrelenting grip, the fibres under his skin writhing in accordance to his emotions. It took a full minute for the light to be restored into his deadened eyes.
"He… he would often tell me stories about his family," he murmured in a quavering voice. "Even though I was always disguised, he would constantly try to invite me over for lunch, but I would always decline... just in-case I was followed or something." He covered his eyes with a trembling hand, "It's my fault for being so careless."
Augustus stood up with a tight look on his face, "You assumed that your ally was untouchable because he was a Pure-blood. Recently however, the Dark Lord's directives have changed," he spat in disgust, the news of the death of another Pure-blood deepening his hatred for his Master.
Elphias' face grew dark as turned to Albus, "How did you come by this knowledge?"
Ariana met her Headmaster's eyes for a brief second, and knew it was time to tell only half-truths, as the raw knowledge would be far too dangerous for anyone else to know. The duo had discussed this in great detail and knew that Voldemort was an unparalleled master in Legilimency. If anyone was to get captured and the knowledge of Horcruxes was torn from their mind, every last pillar of their hard work would crumble down into nothingness.
Ariana realized that this was her cue and stood up with a silent sigh, planting herself next to Albus at the head of the table as she waited for him to introduce her.
"My apologies to everyone, for keeping the new members a mystery right until the very end," Albus began "But the answer to your question Elphias," he continued as he motioned, "Has to do with this young man beside me."
"Everyone, please welcome… Harold."
A short silence stained the air as Ariana gathered up her thoughts and hardened her will. She opened her mouth once her mind was clear.
"I will not draw this out, as there is much work to be done today," Ariana started unsmilingly, subconsciously shifting back into her role as a leader as she began pacing back and forth, "Please refrain from all questions until I finish."
"Voldemort is a wizard that has performed forbidden rituals and ancient rites for decades in order to augment and strengthen his body. There was one flaw in his plan however, his mind," she emphasized. "Using a method that I will not disclose, I can rarely and successfully… infiltrate his mind in order to see his innermost thoughts."
"For example, Augustus," she addressed as whirled to face the Unspeakable, "Voldemort has told you that there would be a surprise attack on Diagon Alley in two days' time did he not?" Before the said man could respond, she cut him off, "He actually intends to use your group as bait to draw out the Order, while he and some others head for Azkaban."
Albus' voice lightly skimmed the surface on her mind as he turned and made eye contact with her. You haven't told me about this.
I had another vision last night. Ariana thought with an apologetic shrug. It slipped my mind until now, sorry.
Moody's face turned extremely calculating as he rubbed his chin, "Azkaban," he growled, "Many a powerful wizard has tried to siege that fortress, only to fail miserably. What could he possibly hope to achieve?"
"His targets are not the prisoners, Alastor," Ariana replied as she shook her head slowly, "He is after something much darker and sinister. They are beings of torment and nightmare, of frigid death and sorrow… the Dementors themselves."
Wait… She suddenly thought, tapping her lower lip with a finger as she adopted a troubled countenance.
Did Voldemort even recruit Dementors at all during the First War?
First dragons, now this…
The advantage that Albus and I are holding onto so tightly… is slowly but surely slipping away day by day as we deviate away from the annals of history.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" Moody loudly barked as he thumped the table, his rough voice easily drowning out all other trivial noises, "We have work to do."
The rest of the day then quickly melted away into nightfall as the re-energized powerhouse of witches and wizards planned out their next strategic moves under the dim candlelight, not knowing for the entire world that their future actions would soon tear at the very fabric of creation itself, ever so slightly.
2 days later
"Al, time is running short," Ariana whispered urgently, her mouth inches away from the older wizard ear as she cupped her mouth, a second precaution in case her silencing ward was somehow broken, "How close are you to finding the whereabouts of all the Horcruxes?"
The light tapping of shoes upon cobblestone echoed through the alley and danced melodically off the walls as the aroma of freshly served sea bass wafted out from a nearby café. The midday sun shone down in narrow shafts in the quaint alleyway while the heady scent of flowers slowly drifted down from nearby window boxes to two seated figures.
"I'm getting closer," Albus murmured back in quiet confidence, "His diary was the easiest to track down. A relatively simple hunt in the bowels of the Malfoy Manor proved fruitful. Thank Merlin that my prior knowledge I obtained as a guest at the manor proved useful. It's a complete maze in that ghastly place."
Albus grimaced and spouted an uncomfortable look before continuing, "I did get seen by someone however, as the perfusion of magic that diluted the entirety of his basement and surrounding rooms deadened most of my senses."
He pulled at the collar of his robe as he gave an awkward cough, "I had to err… subdue him and wipe his memory before quickly absconding," he told, looking slightly embarrassed at being caught.
Ariana's eyes widened as she realized who he was talking about and bit her fingernails in nervousness, "I truly hope Voldemort doesn't notice the missing gap in Lucius Malfoy's mind before we strike," she muttered with a worried look on her face.
"We'll deal with it when the time comes; there is nothing we can do now," Albus spoke in a hushed tone, "Now, I must leave you," he continued in a louder voice as he stood up in finality, dusting some stray leaves off his billowy black robes, "You remember the plan?"
Ariana nodded tensely, "I'll assist in taking care of the Death Eaters that appear in Diagon Alley. Since we don't know where exactly they'll be attacking, I'll wait for the sign from another member of the Order – which are spread out all round this area – before launching our counter-attack. While this is happening, you will be ambushing Voldemort at Azkaban."
Albus nodded with satisfaction at the Glamoured and Polyjuiced girl, and adorned a half smile at the sight of a small pout, "I know you want to confront Tom yourself, but it is not yet time. Please stay safe… Ariana," he murmured under his breath before quickly turning on the spot and Disapparating. The sound that was left behind from the spell resembled a crack of thunder and was safely muted by the still active silencing ward.
With a lazy flick of her wand, Ariana's invisible barrier dissipated into nothingness. She smiled dreamily as she gazed at the tiny interwoven magical runes that were disentangling themselves at her command in the air, the intricacy and precision of the dark green, translucent threads slipping out of existence filling her with a sliver of satisfaction.
Her half-lidded eyes then widened in shock as two figures lunged out of the shadows, clamping onto each of her shoulders in a tight hold as they placed her at an interposition between each body.
"Hey Harold-"
"-what sort of secrets-"
"-do you have-"
"-with dear old Albus?"
Ariana turned her head left and right at the grinning red-haired speakers multiple times before giving a fond bark of laughter at the familiar tradition that had succeeded generation after generation it seemed.
"Fabian, Gideon," she greeted gaily, nodding at them respectively even though they were both under the disguise of a Glamour Charm. Incredibly witty with an air of innocence to them, the Prewett brothers were extremely hard to dislike.
Fabian pulled at away with a raised eyebrow, "Such high spirits before the fight? Did Albus give you one of his famous pep talks?" he chattered excitedly as his eyes lit up.
"No, no. It's nothing like that," she replied with a casual and dismissive wave of her hand, "I was just thinking of something in the past."
Hmm… do I call it the past or future I wonder?
"Anyway," she continued as she detached herself from the siblings and picked up a specially designed robe that had Albus' signature Notice-Me-Not charms entwined in the sartorial lacework, "The Death Eaters should arrive in around thirty minutes or so. Let's get ready."
After gathering up vials of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, backup Portkeys and other important items out of a brown trunk, they closed it with a loud bang as they sent it back to their headquarters with a wave of a wand.
"Good luck," she said with a wolfish grin on her face, "And remember, leave none alive."
Gideon nodded solemnly, "You too Harol-… wait what?"
Ariana tiled her head in slight confusion at their alarmed faces, "What?"
"You said… leave none alive."
"Make sure they're all captured I mean," she quickly recovered, biting her tongue in anger at the unconscious statement.
Nodding slowly in uncertainty, they gave her one final glance before Disapparating away, leaving her alone in the now silent alley.
An unnatural gust of cold wind gusted through the alleyway, causing her to shudder as they licked and caressed her skin seductively, causing and outbreak of goose bumps on her arms. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and began pacing around in nervous anticipation.
As each minute passed, her pacing increased with speed until it finally crescendoed into almost a run. Stopping to catch her breath as she realized what she was doing, she then leaned heavily against the wall and let out a troubled sigh.
What in Merlin's name is causing me to act like this?
Time quickly evaporated as she ruminated away, only to be jolted out of her mind as the faint sound of a panic-filled scream followed by an explosion reached her ears. Simultaneously, a magically imbued coin, the Order's way of communicating, vibrated thrice in her pocket.
An ugly snarl appeared on her face as she tightened her grip on her yew wand and prepared to Apparate –a vital spell that Albus had taught her a while back. Her heart was pounding hard against her ribcage as she managed to steady her breath, steeling her will as a red veil draped over her eyes.
They're here.
