2/16/04:  Okay, here's the action.  If anyone reading this has any military or similar background, please excuse my feeble attempts at realism, like real doctors who watch ER must do.  There're a lot of players here, so it may get rather confusing (it was confusing to write); I don't think there's much I could do about it though.  Also, there's a bit of light swearing in this chapter, so cover them virgin eyes!

21. The Assault

At one in the morning, on a very cloudy night (courtesy of various spells), Harry watched through wizarding binoculars as three recon teams silently approached the outer walls of the compound.  He desperately wanted to be part of the initial strike force, but that was not to be.  The five Aurors had been split up and each assigned to a different squad in a 'support' role.  While they could have stayed together to form a team of their own, Agent Samson delicately suggested that it would make better sense to have them in an observation role as opposed to a direct combat role, given their special status.  In actuality, Harry knew that Samson didn't quite trust their abilities, and though frustrated, he couldn't blame him.  After all, Samson had never worked with the Aurors before and didn't know what they were capable of; Harry would do the same if he were in Samson's position.

That, of course, was little consolation as he watched the Agents slink across the open field.  Apparition was, predictably, charmed against, so the attack had to be on foot.  He was a bit jealous of Hermione at the moment, knowing that being in the C&C van, she was privy to a more detailed view of the attack, able to see what the team leaders were seeing in order to identify the "evidence" that she was searching for.  As Harry tracked the recon teams' progress, he tugged awkwardly at the body armor he was wearing, unaccustomed to the thick padding.  He hardly wore the uncomfortable armor while on duty, as his natural magics were usually enough to protect him from all but the most powerful spells.  But regulations were regulations, and Agent Samson followed regulations.

In his earpiece, he heard the team leader of Blue Team announce that they had reached the outer wall.  The earpiece was an amazing invention, and Harry marveled at the creativeness of the Americans.  It was essentially an earplug that allowed everyone to speak covertly.  All one had to do was place a finger on the earpiece and mouth the words, and it would be transmitted to everyone else wearing an earpiece.  There was a "general" channel, which everyone could hear, and then there were other channels that only Team Leaders and Commanders could, as well as channels for the individual teams and groups.  Harry, Robert, Tonks, and Hermione had managed to convince Samson to give them the all-access earpieces, with the promise never to speak on the command channels unless necessary.  It was decided that Clarke and Price did not require the higher channels, though a special 'Auror channel' had been included for their use.

"Red Team in place," Harry heard in his ear.

"Where's Green Team?  C'mon Green, let's move it!" came the voice of Samson.

"Green Team approaching the target…almost there…" Harry could almost hear Samson's impatience over the earpiece.   Finally, "Green Team in place."

"All right.  All teams: commence Phase One."

Harry felt a bubble of excitement as the operation began in earnest.  The binoculars were useless now that the Teams were penetrating the outer wall, and Harry hunkered down and listened intently.

"Red Team approaching the first Checkpoint; no sign of opposition."

"Green Team aye."

"Blue Team aye."

The plan was relatively simple: the three recon teams, Red, Green, and Blue, were to create secure entry points into the inner compound for the assault teams.  Once the assault teams and the recon teams had linked up, they would form an assault group and attack the inner compound.  Surveillance showed that the compound was not heavily guarded, and though there were plenty of DAPs inside, most, if not all of them, would be asleep at the late hour; apparently Malvagita was confident in his warding charms and the unplottable nature of the compound.  Samson's plan was for overwhelming force, relying on the element of surprise.  If the main assault force could penetrate the inner compound without being discovered, they should be able to overwhelm any defenders inside easily.  If they were discovered, well, it would be more difficult, but Samson was confident in his men and the size of the assault force.  He had managed to bring in over seventy-five Agents onto the mission; he would have preferred more, but that much movement would undoubtedly raise suspicions.  Six squads of five agents each were specially trained for these types of missions, not including the three recon squads that were presently within the compound.  Three additional squads had been made up of Agents in the Chicago office, and these nine squads would form the main assault force, three to each entry point secured by the recon force.  The remaining available agents were organized into three squads and would form the reserve force, called where needed.  If necessary (and it would require a dire situation), the "headquarters" force that was in the C&C van could be used as a last resort.

He knew that for his team, Gryffindor (the three support teams were code-named after three of the four Hogwarts houses in honor of the Brits), Phase One meant sitting and waiting.  His team was part of the reserve force, with Robert and Tonks on the other two reserve squads.  Clarke and Price, much to their dismay, were in the C&C van.  They protested angrily, but a rather firm word from Harry made them see otherwise.  Their assignment, as dictated by Harry, was to keep Hermione safe.

Harry listened to the progress of the raid on his earpiece.  Red, Green, and Blue Teams had secured the three break points that led into the North, West, and East courtyards, and the main assault force was carefully approaching the compound.  Everything was going according to plan, and therefore, predictably, that's when everything went to hell.  Harry instinctively averted his eyes as a large explosion filled the night sky, illuminating the grounds.  He blinked rapidly as he attempted to regain his eyesight.

"Report!  Report!" came Samson's voice over the earpiece.

After a few tension-filled seconds, an unfamiliar came over the line.  "There's been an explosion!"  Harry sighed in frustration – of course there'd been an explosion!

"Who is this?  Identify yourself."

"This is Red Two.  Red Six is down.  Red Three is down."

"What happened?"

Red Two sounded a bit frantic.  "I…I don't know sir!  Everything was fine; the assault team was coming and all of a sudden-"

Another explosion reverberated through the air as Harry ducked his head.  Harry looked up at the compound to see two fires burning fiercely in the night air.  Chaos seemed to reign over the earpiece as everyone started talking at once.  Harry flinched under the onslaught and switched channels.  The combined channel provided a garble of information; Harry selected the team leader/HQ channel.

A number of confused and harried voices filled that channel as well until Samson took control.  "Alpha Six, Bravo Six, Gamma Six - stop where you are.  Confirm."

"Alpha Six confirm – we have halted progress."

"Gamma Six confirm."

"Alpha Six confirm."

Harry knew that Samson had stopped one of the assault teams from proceeding as planned.  He switched to talk on Auror channel, which had been quiet.  "Hermione!  What the hell is going on?" he mouthed.

"I…I'm not sure.  It looks like two of the assault teams tripped off some type of trap."

"Samson halted the third assault group to prevent another explosion.  He's trying to figure out the extent of the damage," came Price's voice.

Harry growled, feeling utterly useless.  He turned his attention back to the TL channel.  "Omega Six, Epsilon Six, I need a sitrep now!"

Omega and Epsilon were the call signs for two of the assault groups, which combined three assault teams and their recon team. 

"This is Omega Six.  Kappa has been completely incapacitated.  Delta and Lambda report only minor cuts and bruises.  Red is at 50% efficiency."

"This is Epsilon Six.  Assault teams report only minor casualties.  Blue Team reports heavy casualties."

"Okay.  Ravenclaw," – Tonks team – "move up and support Omega.  Omicron Six," – the third assault group – "proceed with extreme caution.  Be on the lookout for defensive measures.  I need - wait one."  After a few seconds, Samson returned.  "Omega Six, Epsilon Six, intelligence reports increased activity within the compound, moving towards your positions.  Estimate five minutes until DAP contact."

"Yes sir."

"Acknowledged."

Harry listened as the two assault groups readied themselves, setting up defensive positions and tending to their wounded.  After what seemed like much less than five minutes, Samson reported,  "Omega, prepare for enemy contact."

"Understood," came the voice of a calm Omega Six.  Seconds later, "Enemy sighted.  Engaging."  Silence reigned for the next few minutes as Harry fidgeted.  He knew that in the C&C van, Samson had a much better view of the fighting through the individual viewing crystals that about 20% of the Agents wore.  But that didn't help Harry.  He switched over to the Omega Assault channel, hoping to get a better idea of what was going on.

"Where's Red Two?!  Can anyone see anyone from Red Team?"

"This is Delta Three.  Red Team is being pinned down by – shit! – I can't see Red Team!  They've…Red Team is down, repeat Red Team is down!"

"Delta Six, get your guys over to cover Red Team!"

"Yes sir!"

"Ravenclaw, where are you?"

"We're almost there…ETA two minutes!"

"Get your asses in gear, we might not be here in two minutes!"

"Settle down Potter!" Harry looked up, surprised to see he had half-risen from the ground.  "We stay put until ordered otherwise," hissed Agent Davis, the salty commander of Gryffindor.  Harry returned to his prone position on the ground, suitably chagrined at his impulsive movement.

"This is Epsilon Six," came a voice over the general channel.  "We are engaging the enemy now."  Harry turned back to the HQ channel.

"Understood," said Samson. "Omicron Six, report!"

"This is Omicron Six.  We're…we're having trouble bypassing the defensive measures."

"Can you do it?  How long?"

"We can do it Sir…estimate ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Harry could hear the tension (and anger) in Samson's voice.  After a brief period of silence (Harry assumed Samson was consulting the rest of the HQ staff), Samson order Omicron group to continue with utmost haste.

"Omega Six, report!"

"Omega Six, we have been pushed back to checkpoint…C.  Ravenclaw has linked-up, and we have stabilized our position, but we are being pinned down by enemy fire."

"Can you drive forward?"

"Not without additional support."

"Maintain your position Omega group.  Epsilon Six, report!"

"Epsilon Six, we are engaging the enemy and advancing."

"Gryffindor Six, Hufflepuff Six, move forward and join Epsilon group.  I need a breakthrough!"

Harry felt a fluttering sensation in his chest.  "Gryffindor, follow me!" Agent Davis yelled over their earpieces as the five Agents and one Auror scrambled to their feet and began running towards the compound.  Harry switched his earpiece to only accept the Gryffindor and the Auror channels, so as to stay focused on his part of the mission.  Up ahead, Harry could see the sprinting figures of Hufflepuff team heading towards the breech in the outer wall made by Blue Team.  The last member of Hufflepuff disappeared through the breech just as Harry's team reached the wall.  After a quick check by Gryffindor Two, the team poured through the opening and rushed to link up with the Epsilon Group.

The acrid smell of smoke filled the air as Harry entered the compound grounds, and the sounds of spells and incantations could be clearly heard ahead.  "All right Gryffindors," Davis ordered over the earpieces, "follow me and stick together."  Davis led them down through the open grounds and past a few burning structures that had been 'dealt with' by the recon team.  They continued on and passed a large crater (evidently where the explosion had occurred), running at a crouch, until they reached the large courtyard.  Harry knew from intelligence schematics that they had to reach the doorway on the other side in order to penetrate the inner compound.   The trick was to eliminate the opposition that protected the single entrance point.

Harry ducked a wayward spell as he joined the rest of Gryffindor team behind what looked like the remains of a fallen pillar.  "Our job is to take out the wizards above," Davis ordered, pointing above them.  Harry peered over the debris as the team began firing spells back at the enemy, and he saw several wizards firing down upon them from a balcony, dressed in an assortment of colors.  At first, Harry was taken aback, accustomed to finding dark wizards wearing only black.  But then he realized that many of these particular dark wizards were still in their pajamas, roused out of bed by the explosions.   The combination of protective shields and age-old ducking made these wizards difficult targets, but at the very least the Gryffindor team could keep them occupied.  Harry felt a brief flash of elation as one of his stunners broke through a shield and struck down one of the wizards, but was quickly brought back to reality by a near miss from a retaliatory spell.

After casting a quick shielding spell, Harry noticed several gargoyles adorning the balcony.  Remembering a trick of Dumbledore's, Harry focused his magic and flicked his wand at four of the stone statues, the limit of his ability to enchant large objects.  Instantly the four statues flickered into life and flapped their wings, alighting from their stony perches.   As one, the gargoyles took to the air and swept around, heading for the wizards on the balcony.  Harry heard a few cries of surprise as the gargoyles swooped down on the wizards, spells bouncing off their stone hides.  With the combined forces of stone gargoyles attacking from above and Gryffindor team attacking from below, the defenders on the balcony were quickly defeated, several being pushed from the balcony by the gargoyles.  Harry then directed the statues towards the other defenders as Davis ordered the Gryffindor team to another position.

After seven minute of furious fighting (it seemed much longer than that), the courtyard was secure, and Samson had his breakthrough.  Davis told them to hold tight while the rest of Epsilon group made cautious forays into the compound.  Harry briefly listened in on the HQ channel during the brief respite, learning that Omega team was still holding fast, with a few members of the HQ team joining them in support and to evacuate the wounded, and that Omicron group had been re-routed to join Epsilon group since they had not made much headway through the defensive traps.  Two minutes later, the fresh and unscathed agents of Omicron group arrived at the courtyard, and once again Gryffindor team was delegated to a support position, ordered to wait in the courtyard until needed.  Harry found Robert sitting on the ground, nursing a minor leg wound.

"You all right old man?" Harry asked, trying to sound light but unable to push the concern out of his voice.

Robert growled, but it was a growl with a smile.  "Yeah, fine.  This old body doesn't work as well as it used to.  Nice enchanting, by the way."

Harry shrugged modestly.  "It was nothing.  Anyways, how-"

"Potter, Roberts, come in!"

Harry put his hand to the earpiece, setting it to the Auror channel.  "This is Potter.  Erm, what's going on Price?" Harry said, trying and failing to think of the correct way to respond.

"Er,"  Price sounded very nervous.

"Spit it out Price!" Robert barked.

"Okay, now, don't go flying off the handle or anything, but Clarke and I were drafted by Samson to help Omega group with the wounded…"

"And?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Well, when we got back to the C&C van, Dr. Granger was missing."

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A/N: Just so no one's left hanging, Hermione wasn't kidnapped or anything - she just ran off to join the fray.  This just seemed like a good place to end the chapter.  There's one last chapter with a little epilogue ahead.

Thank you to everyone for reviewing! 

Ides of March: Hi there!  Stop reviewing and get back to Subservience!  Just kidding!  Anyways, about Harry being OOC:  I see Harry as being a very cynical and sarcastic guy (and a little bitter).  I found him rather hysterical in OotP, even from the very beginning:

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.

"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this." (OotP American Version, pg 14)

And then there was the comment about Voldemort sticking out of the back of Quirrel's head.  But I digress.  Anyways, I agree that he hates being kept in the dark, but only about important things.  To Harry (in my story), hearing about the "what if's" and "maybe's" aren't important to him.  He doesn't care about all the deep background stuff because the cynical side of him hates wasting time listening about things that may or may not be true.  He wants to do something and take action, not just sit around and listen.  Just like in OotP: just because Harry's being a bit more assertive doesn't mean that he paid any more attention that usual in History of Magic, Divination, Astronomy, etc.

I'm not sure what bothered you about the wizarding system of law…I actually never got into the whole post-arrest part (except for Tway's interview) or any courtroom scenes, but I surmise, based on the rest of the wizarding world, that the European wizarding system of law would be rather antiquated, more of a "guilty until proven innocent" mentality.  I tried to portray America as more liberal, since if a bunch of Muggleborns, feeling stigmatized, fled to the new World, I'd see them as more accepting of and learning from the Muggles.

Akuma-sama: hey, I've put my email up on the profile page.  I think I read in your profile that you block emails, so here you go.  And, of course, anyone else is welcome to write me nice happy emails.