Chapter Two

'Kilo, Delta. First years are moving into the castle. Repeat. First years are moving into the castle.'

'Roger that Delta. Move into position and we'll join you soon enough.'

'Copy that, Delta out.'

Inside the Great Hall students and teachers were sitting at their respective tables while awaiting the arrival of the first years. Sitting in a group at the Gryffindor table Harry, Ron and Hermione were all chatting idly about something or another occasionally chatting with their other friends who they hadn't seen since the end of their last year. During one of the pauses in conversation Hermione noticed that she no longer felt as though she were being watched. Probably just nerves thought Hermione, that's all. Looking upwards to the staff table where all the teachers sat Hermione wondered where Hagrid was. But before she could think too much on it she detected movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking up towards the bewitched ceiling Hermione watched as a group of stars disappeared and then reappeared a second later, as though something had moved in front of them. Hermione was thinking on this when the doors of the Great Hall were opened and a line of frightened looking students were lead into the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool and the sorting hat. Hermione tossed the subject of the stars to the back of her mind and focused on the sorting ceremony that was about to begin.

Hovering stealthily above the Gryffindor tower two Blackhawks were dropping soldiers off onto the roof of the tower. Once on the roof the soldiers would quietly set up rappelling devices that would allow them to move behind the windows without risking the fall, and it also allowed them to attach small quantities of explosives onto the windows for the coming operation. Once the explosives were on the windows the soldiers attached to the rappelling gear would be pulled back up to just above the window frame and wait there until the signal to enter was given.

'Kilo, troops are on the deck moving into holding pattern.'

'Roger that Delta. From what I'm told they should be on their way up to us in a few minutes.'

'Roger that Kilo. We'll provide cover for the extract.'

'Copy that Delta, Kilo out.'

The soldiers waited on the roof or just over the edge of the roof dangling on ropes. There was no sound except the occasional cough, rustling of cloth, or the rushing of the blowing wind. Minutes passed agonizingly slow before the first sounds of people moving began to creep their way through the stone walls and glass windows. Gangly shadows pressed themselves up against the windows, and the noise grew steadily louder. A dull thump signaled that the portrait hole to the common room had just been closed. A few seconds later a flare shot out of the Dark Forest, followed by two more. 'Go, go, go!'

Plopping down on her bed in the girls dormitory and just lay there. Sitting back up Hermione grabbed a book that was lying closest to her. On a closer inspection Hermione had grabbed "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5" opening up to the page where she had been reading last (somewhere near the back of the book) and continued.

Inside the common room people were warming their hands by the fire, Fred and George were pinning something up on one of the notice boards. A few people were making idle chat, when suddenly a red and gold haze shone through the windows and everything got very still and quiet.

Hermione suddenly became uneasy, she marked the spot where she had last read and closed the book. Placing the book down on the bed she looked up to see two red, and one gold star fall past the window. The noise from the common room suddenly died down, and the air became still. The only sounds that could be heard was the crackling of the fire, and a high-pitched zipping sound.

'Go, go, go!'

Three beeps resounded in response as the explosive charges placed on the window were activated. The common room suddenly became a battlefield. Glass and bits of stone rained throughout the room. The boy's dormitory windows exploded also, anyone who had been asleep was now awake and screaming at the top of their lungs. Soldiers flew out of what used to be windows yelling orders to the students at the top of their lungs.

'-Get down!'

'-Everybody down-'

'-On the floor!'

'—Get the feth down!'

In the boy's dormitory those who sought refuge in their beds were being forcefully removed from them. With all the boys extracted from their beds they were marched out of their dormitory and into the common room.

Inside the girl's dormitory Hermione heard, and felt the explosions. Rising quickly from the bed Hermione was half way to the door when Dobby appeared in front of the doorway.

"Dobby!" Hermione exclaimed, "How long have you been in here, and what are you wearing?"

"Dobby has been ordered to tell miss, not to fight back and go with them. No harm will come. Now Dobby must go."

"No! Dobby wait! Fight who?"

"Dobby can not say," with that Dobby disappeared, leaving Hermione bewildered. Before Hermione could begin to move the windows were kicked inward and three soldiers came through the window into the dormitory.

'Miss Granger?' One of the soldiers asked.

"Yes? Who are you, what are you doing here?"

'Miss Granger please come with us.'

"Why? What's going on?"

'It's not safe to discuss it here, everything will be explained if you come with us.'

Hermione was tempted to scream for help, but the words that Dobby had said still rang in her mind.

'Don't worry we'll get you back in time for your classes, and incase we don't special arrangements have already been made.'

Feeling as though there really was no choice Hermione muttered the words, "Okay."

'Kilo this is Foxtrot.'

'Foxtrot this is Kilo go ahead.'

'Kilo, Hotel Golf is secure and ready for extract.'

'Roger that Foxtrot, well done.'

Turning to face the open windows one of the soldiers withdrew an overly large barreled pistol, loaded it then fired it into the night sky. A large red star burned brightly as it arced through the sky. Seconds later the rapid whirring of propellers could be heard. A soft metal clang came from just outside the window. The soldiers motioned for Hermione to come to the window. Moving slowly towards the window she wondered what was going to happen and what she was supposed to do when she got to the window. As she drew closer she detected the faint outline of a ladder. Following the ladder with her eyes she gasped when she saw the Blackhawk. Looking back at the ladder she began to wonder about the safeness of the ladder, but her thoughts were interrupted when a voice called out, 'Just grab a hold and we'll reel it back in!'

Taking the voice's advice she grabbed the ladder with every ounce of strength she could muster. Stifling a scream when the ladder jolted upwards and shuddered as it was reeled back into the helicopter. Keeping her eyes shut as the ladder rose from the window. After what seemed like an eternity she felt hands grasp her hands and a voice cry out, 'Gotcha.'

Feeling the metal floor beneath her she opened her eyes to see Hogwarts speeding away.