Harry Potter and the Magnificent Seven

Chapter 24: Voldemort's New Allies, Raid on Muggle London, and Rainbow Joins the Fight

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Lord Voldemort sat on his throne in his secret headquarters in the mountains. The door to the throne room opened and Lucius Malfoy, dressed in Deatheater garb, came in. Walking up to the throne, he knelt before his master.

"My lord, they are here." Malfoy said.

"Excellent." Voldemort hissed. "Show them in." Malfoy nodded, then looked like he wanted to say something. "What is it, Lucius?"

"My Lord, I do not question your plans, but why have you asked for these muggles to be brought here?" he asked. Voldemort smiled.

"Because Lucius, these muggles are among the most despicable there are and a pariahs in their world. They are extremely vicious. I can use their talents. At least, that is, until I have taken over the world. Now show them in." Malfoy turned and hurried out of the room. A moment later he led a group of forty muggles into the room. They were an assort lot, some dressed in rather expensive clothes, others in street clothes.

"Greetings, my friends." Voldemort said.

"Why have you brought us here?" one of the men demanded. "Who are you!"

"I am Lord Voldemort, muggle." Voldemort responded. "And you need to learn some manners. CRUCIO!" The man fell to the ground, screaming and convulsing in pain. The others gasped and paled in fear. After a few moments, Voldemort broke the curse.

"What are you?" another of the men whispered in amazement.

"I am a wizard, muggle." Voldemort respond, "And as to why I have brought you all here, I have proposition I would like to discuss with you." Voldemort continued for several minutes, explaining who he was, conveniently leaving out his hatred of muggles, and plans for world domination. He then laid out what he wanted from them, as well as what they would gain by working for him. These enticements were all lies of course; as he had no intention of letting any of them live once he had taken over the world. Having just seen what Voldemort was capable of doing, they really had no choice. After a few moments, they agreed.

*****

Harrry awoke with a start, sweating. He had a dream where he saw Voldemort's meeting with the muggle terrorists. It was a complete surprise. Voldemort had always had such a great hatred for muggles that Harry never suspected that Voldemort would even think of allying himself with muggles of any sort.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, waking up next to him. Harry told her about the dream.

"You better message Dumbledore." Ginny said. Harry got out of bed and walked over to the desk. He picked up his message parchment and began writing. A few minutes later, he put the parchment down and returned to bed. Ginny snuggled close to him. "Well, Mr. Potter, since you woke me up, what should we ever do?" Harry grinned.

"I can think of a few things." He said.

******

Albus Dumbledore was working late in his office when Harry's message reached him. As he read the message, he arched an eyebrow. It was very interesting news, and most disturbing. Up until now, Voldemort's biggest weakness was his inability to put aside his prejudices and hatred. Now it appeared he was doing so, if even on only a limited scale.

Dumbledore immediately sent for the Head of the Auror Division to inform him of this new development. Once he was done with the Head of the Auror Division, Dumbledore contacted the members of the Order for a meeting. Twenty minutes later, the entire Order was assembled at Hogwarts.

"Albus, what's wrong?" Molly Weasley asked. "Why have you called a meeting so late?"

"I have just received a very disturbing report from Harry." He said. Dumbledore went on to explain the content of the message. Gasps were heard around the table.

"Voldemort is allying himself with muggles?" Bill Weasley asked incredulously.

"Yes." Dumbledore replied. "And not just any muggles. From Harry's description, they would appear to be leaders of some of the most vicious criminal and terrorist elements in the muggle world."

"But what good does being allied with them due Voldemort?" Shacklebolt asked. "After all, they are muggles. What can they do?"

"Don't underestimate the amount of trouble they can cause." Arthur said. "After all, we know that Harry and the others have used muggle weapons rather successfully against Voldemort's troops. And they could weaken the muggle law enforcement agencies, allowing Voldemort a much more free reign."

"Arthur is correct." Dumbledore said. "We must not underestimate them."

*****

Two weeks later, Harry was beginning to wonder what Voldemort and his new allies were planning. There had been no new attacks in the last two weeks and that worried him. Despite intensive investigation by the Ministry, the Order and Harry's own intelligence networks, no new information had been developed. The only thing they could do was sit and wait. In the meantime, the Marauders continued exercising their skills, both in their training complex and in the field with Rainbow.

One upside to the quiet was the Harry and Ginny were able to spend more quality time together. Several times during the past two weeks they, along with Hermione and Ron, had gone into Muggle London, visiting some of the hot spots of the city. Their favorite place was a club called the Blue Rose.

Harry was currently sitting in the base cafeteria, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversation with John. Harry and he had become quite good friends in the time that the Marauders were at the base, and often spent hours discussing their combat experiences, as well as other topics. Currently they were discussing John's offer to train the Marauders as parachutists.

"I'm intrigued." Harry said. "But I just don't see how it will help us. I mean, I can't honestly see it coming in handy against Voldemort." John was about to reply when his beeper went off. Looking at the message, he jumped up out of his seat.

"I'm sorry Harry, I'm going to have to go." He said hurriedly, and then left.

*****

Eight-year-old Ashley Walden was scared. She had come to the East London Mall with her parents on a shopping trip and somehow managed to get separated from them. She looked around frantically, but could not find them. Finally her eyes spotted a policeman standing outside a store a few doors down. She hurried over.

"Can you help me?" she asked. The policeman smiled at the girl.

"Of course." He replied. "What can I do to help?" Ashley began to answer when there were several screams followed by the sound of gunfire. "Get down!" the policeman yelled, pushing the little girl to the ground, then followed his own advice. Looking up, he saw about a dozen men armed with automatic weapons firing into the crowded mall. He glanced around wildly, trying to figure out how the hell they had gotten there. It was like they appeared out of nowhere. Several loud popping noises caused him to turn around. He gasped as he saw eight black-cloaked figures standing there. One of them spotted him and the little girl and lifted his wand.

"Crucio!" the figure yelled.

*****

Twenty minutes later, the entire Rainbow team was on scene at the East London Mall. London police had created a cordon around the mall. All attempts to contact whoever had attack the mall had failed. Intelligence gathered from the few civilians who managed to escape indicated that the attacking for was large and well armed. Worse, they appeared to have no compunction about killing. John conferred with the rest of Rainbow, as well as the senior police officials on scene. All agreed that while it would be preferable to wait and develop a methodical plan, there wasn't much time. Finally it was decided that Rainbow would have to storm the mall.

John divided his force into four groups, each made up of two teams of ten. Each group would enter from a different side of the mall, sweeping inward. Members of Scotland Yard's Tactical Response Force, a small group of police trained along the SWAT model, would provide backup.

Ten minutes later, John moved with the rest of Team-1 and Team-2 towards the mall. He was slightly surprised that they had not as of yet taken any fire. Moving quickly, the made their way to the assigned entry point. Moving in pairs, they entered the building. Once inside, John's eyes widened. There was significant damage to this part of the mall; bullet holes and spent shell casings were everywhere. So were the bodies of dozens of people. But there was no sign of the attackers. Slowly and carefully, they began moving further inside, their weapons sweeping in every direction. Then John's radio crackled to life.

"This is Team 5, we're under heavy attack! We need backup-" a voice began before cutting out. John pressed the button on his radio.

"Team-5, this is Six. What's your status?" he said. "Come in Team-5." He was greeted with static. Turning to Chavez, he said, "Let's get moving Ding."

*****

Meanwhile, back at Rainbow's base, Harry decided to take a trip to the workout room. He found that working out allowed him to clear his mind and think more clearly about things. He was in the middle of his routine when Ginny's voice came over the link.

"Harry! Get back to the Situation Room. We've got trouble." She said. Five minutes later Harry walked into the Situation Room to find the rest of the Marauders already gathered and in their gear.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Approximately thirty minutes ago there was a terrorist attack on the East London Mall." Ginny explained. "A large force of terrorists took control of the facility."

"So that's where John went." Harry said. Ginny nodded.

"Ten minutes ago Rainbow apparently stormed the mall. Things seemed to be going ok, and then contact was lost with them. Around the same time, our magical detectors started going off. A large group of Deatheaters were involved in an attack in East London." Ginny said, letting the implication set in.

"Shit." Harry replied. "Okay, let's go." He moved over to his locker and quickly put on his gear. Then they disapparted.

*****

The Marauders apparated inside the East London Mall, not far from where John and Teams 1 and 2 had entered. Harry's stomach dropped as he saw the bodies of the innocent people who had so far been killed. They could hear the sounds of battle at the far end of the mall. Glancing at each other, the Marauders immediately spread out into their normal formation and began making their way towards the sounds. They had gone only a few feet with several muggles armed with automatic weapons popped up and began firing. Cursing, Harry dived to the ground, taking cover. He then began to return fire, utilizing his MP-9 as well as several stunning spells. Around him, the rest of the Maruaders were doing the same.

Movement to his left drew his attention and he spotted two Deatheaters making their way towards them. He watches as they took position next to the muggle terrorists. Dodging a exploding hex, Harry fired a slashing curse at one of them, which caught the Deatheater in the chest, sending him to the grounds screaming. Within minutes the Marauders had taken out their attackers and began making their way further into the mall.

At several points along the way they were engaged by small groups of muggle terrorists and Deatheaters, clearly waiting for rescue forces that may have been sent in to aid Rainbow. Harry's heart sank as they discovered the bodies of several black-clad Rainbow troopers. Finally the group made its way towards the central are of the mall. The sight that greeted them was horrible. The Rainbow troopers were surrounded on all sides by a large number of Deatheaters and terrorists. From the bodies strewn around it was clear that Rainbow was inflicting damage on the enemy. Several bodies of Deatheaters appeared to have gunshot wounds; this, along with a small wound on Neville's leg clearly indicated that muggle bullets could go through normal magical shields. Signaling the others, Harry rushed forward into the melee.

*****

John cursed as another of his men went down. He was still unsure of exactly what the hell was happening, but he was sure that he and his men had become involved in the magical war that Harry and the others had long told him about. What he couldn't figure out was why these Deatheaters were working with muggle terrorists. However, there was no time for such thoughts now. Rainbow was in dire straights. They were surrounded and half his men were either dead or wounded, and they were running short of ammunition. Unless help arrived soon, they would be wiped out.

"At least we're taking some of the bastards with us." He thought as he fired a three round burst and watched another bad guy fall.

"John! Look, three o'clock!" Ding shouted. John turned and broke into a grin. Seven black-clad figures were moving towards the battle, blasting terrorist and Deatheater alike in their path. It could only be the Marauders.

*****

"Slasio!" Harry shouted, sending a slashing curse into a Deatheater not five feet in front of him. He and the Marauders were fighting their way through the enemy to reach Rainbow. A sharp sting told Harry he'd been hit in his right arm. Drawing is .45 from with his left; he fired three shots at the muggle who had fired at him. He glanced at his arm; it was only a minor wound. Taking cover behind a large concrete flowerpot, he saw he was only feet from John Clark. Glancing around, he made a run for John's position.

"Miss us?" he asked grinning as he slid onto the ground by John. Off to their left, Harry watched as Hermione and Ron dropped several more of the enemy with well aimed exploding hexes.

"Are you kidding?" John asked, grinning. "I didn't think Ginny would kill me I'd kiss you." The arrival of the Marauders soon turned the tide of the battle. The members of Rainbow were filled with renewed energy and began decimating the terrorists, while the Marauders concentrated on the Deatheaters.

*****

Ten minutes later, the battle was over. The few terrorists who surrendered were now being guarded by Rainbow troopers. Large amounts of police and medical teams had begun entering the mall and that was cause for concern, at least from Harry's perspective. Obviously the police and medical personnel would have to be oblivated, along with any civilian survivors they might find. But he didn't want Rainbow included. Taking his message parchment out he quickly scribbled a note to Dumbledore. Minutes later, large numbers of Aurors and Oblivators began apparating in, accompanied by Dumbledore.

"Harry." Dumbledore said as he approached.

"Minister." Harry acknowledged. "Sir, we need to take care of all these people. But I don't want any of the commandos oblivated; not yet. I need to talk to you first about something." Dumbledore looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Agreed." Dumbledore said, motioning the Ministry personnel. Harry ran over to John.

"John, get your people together and go over by the rest of my team. Whatever you do, don't interfer with Ministry personnel." Harry said. John looked around and watched as several people had their memories modified. He paled slightly, and then nodded. Harry walked back over to Dumbledore and pulled him over to a corner.

"Minister, I think its time you found out where we've been hiding out." Harry said, going on to explain their relationship with Rainbow. Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly as he heard the story, particularly the information the Moody had known all along. "I don't want them obliviated."

"Harry, you know as I know we have no choice." Dumbledore replied. "Perhaps we can leave Mr. Clark and Mr. Chavez alone, but the others-"

"No." Harry said forcefully. "Let me put it another way. They will NOT be touched. I need them."

"What are you talking about?" Dumbledore asked. Harry went on to explain an idea that had been forming in his mind since he learned of Voldemort's alliance with the terrorists. Once again Dumbledore was surprised. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, if Rainbow agrees, I will approve it." Harry called over to John. A moment later he had walked over to where Harry and Dumbledore were standing.

"John, I'd like to introduce you to Albus Dumbledore, the Minister of Magic." Harry said. "Minister, this is John Clark, leader of Rainbow." John and Dumbledore shook hands.

"Minister, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Moody and the Marauders of course." John said.

"John, we have a bit of a problem." Harry said. "Standard procedure for the Ministry is to obliviate the memory of anyone who witnesses magic. Obviously this includes any surviving civilians, the police, and medical teams. It would also include Rainbow." John tensed slightly. He glanced over to his men. His face betrayed his feelings. "Relax, John. I've talked to the Minister and gotten him to agree to leave Rainbow alone…for now."

"For now?" John asked.

"Yes, Mr. Clark." Dumbledore said. "A permanent decision will be made based on your reaction a proposal Harry has brought to my attention." John looked at Harry.

"John, it's clear by now that Voldemort is allied with muggles. And I think it's highly likely that this is on the beginning. You're probably going to end up in a few more situations like today." Harry said. "So I'd like to propose that we formally join forces." Harry went on to more fully explain his idea. A number of experienced Order and Auror members would be assigned to Rainbow and divided up among the various teams. They would be trained in muggle combat. By doing so, it would eliminate the need to replace the troops lost in the battle today, provide Rainbow with more magical support than just the Marauders would be able to provide, and keep the Rainbow teams about the same size that its operational doctrine called for. The Marauders would also "officially" be assigned to Rainbow, though in reality they would continue to have the same autonomy they had been enjoying. Harry and John would jointly command the organization.

"I'd have to run it by the rest of my people." John said. "After all, Rainbow is a volunteer outfit. But I think they would go for it."

"Unfortunately we're going to have to move your people to a more secure location." Harry said. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to stay where we are. Problem is, I don't know where else would be secure enough, except Hogwarts. And I'd prefer not to go there, since it would be hard to keep our identities secret for long."

"Perhaps I can solve that problem." Dumbledore spoke up. "I have a friend in the British Defense Ministry. During the Cold War, a number of secret bunkers were built in England to allow the government to survive in the event of a nuclear war. Even to this day, only a few outside the upper levels of the government know where they are. I think, between the muggle security measures that are already in place at these sites, along with magical protections, one of these complexes might be just what you need."

*****

An hour later, John, Ding, the Marauders and Dumbledore were standing at the front of Rainbow's Briefing Room. Those members of Rainbow not seriously wounded from the battle were seated in front of them, talking amongst themselves, trying to make sense of the events of the last two hours.

"Alright people, settle down." John said, finally speaking. "I'm sure you're all wondering what the hell happened this afternoon. That's why I've called this meeting." He nodded to Harry and the Marauders, still disguised as the Rainbow troopers everyone knew them on. They stepped forward and let the disguise drop. Gasps arose from most of the Rainbow members. John went on to explain about the existence of magic, the identities of the Marauders, and the war currently going on in the wizarding world.

"Sir, is this for real?" asked one of them, still not quite believing what he heard. Harry and the others were prepared for this skepticism. Harry and Ginny stepped forward, drawing their wands. They took up traditional dueling positions and began to duel. Spells flew back and forth for several minutes, both of the Marauders allowing several of them to hit in order to demonstrate what happens. Finally the duel ended. Silence filled the room. Finally, another of the Rainbow personnel, who Harry recognized as Lieutenant Samantha O'Neill, spoke up.

"Why are you telling us this sir?" she asked. John went on to explain Harry's proposal. "But if they can do all that, and this Voldemort is so powerful, why do they want our help?" Harry stepped forward to answer.

"Simple. True we can do many things that you cannot. But we are not invincible. Bullets can hurt us, as is evident by the number of Deatheaters you were able to kill today. Voldemort has temporarily set aside his hatred of muggles and allied himself with the worse of your race. As you can see from the events of today, this is deadly combination. Our resources are small and used to primarily dealing with wizards; in order to beat Voldemort and his allies, we must expand our base of supporters as well. Finally, because if Voldemort wins and beats the Ministry, no one will be safe."

*****

Harry paced back and forth. He, Dumbledore, and the rest of the Marauders were in John's office, having left the briefing room twenty minutes earlier to allow Rainbow to freely discuss matters and their decision to Harry's proposal.

"Calm down mate, you're starting to make me nervous." Ron said.

"Yeah, Harry. It's not going to make anything go faster." George said. Harry sighed and stopped. He knew they were right. A moment later the door opened and John entered.

"They've made a decision." He said. Dumbledore and the Marauders followed him out of the office and back to the briefing room. The members of Rainbow stood silently. Finally John spoke up.

"You've got yourself a deal." He said. The room then erupted into cheers.