A/N: Thank you to all those that have been reviewing. I'm open to suggestions to the story so please R/R. Thanks to Rivenn for doing the beta work on this chapter.
Disclaimer: I wish I could be as good as JK Rowling but I'm not. This is her stuff and not to mention the influence that this story took from various fanfics.
Chapter 35
The Backlash
Ms. Grant, the director of the orphanages, immediately informed the site directors of what was about to happen to the orphanages. The strike elves were moved to each site for added security during the evacuation. The Patriots took ten-man shifts at the Sanctuary to help care for the orphans and provide security upon their arrival. The goblins moved part of their strike teams to the Sanctuary, Forbidden Forest, and Gringott's to be easily deployed anywhere in England should the need arise. The Order of the Phoenix had all their members on alert and half their members were positioned at Grimmauld Place waiting for the sign to defend Hogsmeade while the others were sent on light patrols in York, London, Manchester, and five were left at the Sanctuary. The Ministry of Magic moved half of their active Auror's into the Ministry building in London while a quarter were sent to patrol in all high wizard populations areas. The rest of the Auror's were on stand by and sent home to rest so the Ministry would have some fresh Auror's should the fighting take a long time.
The evacuation started at six in the morning with Portkey's being delivered by Nightlight to all of the sites. Blaze maintained a watch in the Forbidden Forest near the entrance to the Sanctuary while the Centaurs increased their patrols to the outer areas of the forest so they could notify Harry if danger was heading towards the Sanctuary. The house elves that were sent to help maintain the different orphanages by cooking or cleaning were now busy transporting documents to the Sanctuary and destroying anything that wasn't going to be taken with them. Sunrise and Sunset were given the day off to rest because they were going to participate in the fighting that evening.
By ten o'clock that morning, four hours after the evacuation had started all of the children and most of the staff from the four orphanages was getting settled into their new home. The children took up residence in the bottom two floors in the rooms with the bunk beds. The Patriots were taking care of the children while the staff was getting everything in order. Harry gave Ms. Grant and her top advisors the last office suite that was left in the wizarding floor. The orphanage staff was discussing how to make the transition easier for the children and was setting up activities to keep them pre-occupied. Most of the children were having a fun time wandering the Sanctuary and talking to the house elves, goblins, centaurs that weren't on patrol, and Patriot members who were escorting the kids around the Sanctuary.
The few staff members that were left behind at the various orphanages were there to give the appearance that nothing was out of the ordinary at the orphanages. They were each wearing a portkey necklace that activated once the attack began. After the children were evacuated, with the exception of the Prongs Center, the house elves were given instructions on how to and where to hide the explosives and how to set them to explode. The explosion was designed for the building to implode on itself so none of the buildings around it would be damaged. After all was set, the anxious waiting began.
That evening, the simultaneous attacks began around 8:15. At York, the Death Eaters apparated just across the street from the Moony Center and charged at the building. The group of about ten Death Eaters shot explosion hexes through the windows and at the doors to cause as much damage and as much confusion as possible so they could make their way into the building with little resistance. In all the excitement of breaking into the Moony Center, they failed to notice that there wasn't anybody in the halls or the rooms of the building. The Death Eaters split up and searched the building to find anybody to torture and kill.
The town resistance group showed up, accompanied by a few Auror's who were holding the group from charging into the orphanage and engaging the Death Eaters in battle. One of the Death Eaters blew the roof off of the building and shot the Dark Mark into the sky. When the Death Eaters realized what was happening, they panicked and a few of them tried to apparate away but found that they couldn't. Other's tried to rush out the doors but couldn't due to the hail of spells that were coming from the town resistance group and Auror's. The spells were coming through every door opening and window that was busted open. The Death Eaters had no way of escape and shortly after realizing their fate, explosions could be heard coming from inside as a large cloud of dust shot out from the building. When it was over, there was nothing more than rubble and the moans of injured Death Eaters buried in all the rubble. The town people started to dig through the rubble and Ministry officials either arrested the Death Eaters or sent them to St. Mungos in a secured ward to be cared for then sent to prison with the rest of them.
In Manchester, the defense of the orphanage did not go as planned. The Death Eaters apparated further away from the Lily Center then expected. The group was composed of ten Death Eaters. They apparated about one block down the street from the orphanage but in the middle of a small wizarding gathering. Fighting broke out between Death Eaters and the town folks. The town people were quickly assisted by the Manchester Defense Group and Ministry Auror's who were patrolling the city. The Death Eaters were outnumbered and knew they couldn't win but couldn't return to their master without fulfilling their mission so the Death Eaters slowly dueled their way towards the orphanage. By the time they made it to the front lawn of the orphanage, half of the members of their group had already fallen and were being taken into custody. A few of the Death Eaters took this opportunity and shot fire spells at the Lily Center in an attempt to burn the building down. The Death Eaters were disappointed that they didn't hear any screams and tried to make their escape anyway they could think of but since they were so close to the orphanage, they inadvertently walked into the anti-apparition wards. The Death Eaters quickly surrendered when the odds became ten to one. After the Death Eaters were in custody and being led away, the Lily Center exploded due to the fire making it to the explosives and the building imploded on itself. A few Death Eaters did manage to get away when the cloud of dust was covering everybody.
The fight in London at the Padfoot Center was also taking a different turn than planned. The Death Eaters apparated in front of the orphanage building and started firing sealing charms on all the doors and windows to the facility. After sealing the building, they set the building on fire while one of the Death Eaters shot the Dark Mark into the sky above the facility. The Death Eaters were celebrating and none of them seemed to notice that nobody, especially ministry Auror's, didn't show up to stop the celebration. In reality, the London Resistance Group and Auror's were slowly making their way around the Death Eaters. As soon as the Padfoot Center exploded on the inside and the cloud of dust raced through the streets, the resistance group and Auror's fired spells at random into the unsuspecting Death Eaters. The only thing the Death Eaters could see were brief streaks of light flying around. When the cloud of dust disappeared, ¾ of the Death Eaters were on the ground unconscious or nursing some kind of wound. The Death Eaters that were left standing started to fight but went down quickly as the Auror's charged the Death Eaters while the resistance gave the Auror's cover fire. In the end, none of the Death Eaters escaped and were all either in ministry holding cells at the Ministry of Magic or in St. Mungos with the rest of their captured comrades either injured or dead.
Hogsmeade was a complete disaster for the Death Eaters. Unlike the other three cities, the Auror's and Order members were waiting to enter in a fight. Auror's and Order members were divided into small groups of five with two groups of ten. The two groups of ten were waiting across the street from the Prongs Center hidden under invisibility cloaks and disillusionment charms. The groups of five were patrolling the surrounding streets and starting at 6 o'clock that night, they were urging residents to stay away. The town defense group aided Auror's in their effort to keep the residents away and setup watch on the edge of town just in case the Death Eaters were going to launch a counter attack.
The Death Eaters showed up about the same time the other three cities were being attacked. They apparated on the street just in front of the Prongs Center and started to make their way towards the orphanage when twenty Auror's and Order members popped out from under invisibility cloaks and removed the disillusionment charms. The Order was firing volley after volley of stunning spells while the Auror's moved closer and apprehended the Death Eaters. All of the Death Eaters were captured in less than five minutes with no casualties to the light side. After the attack was over, the Order waited half an hour then left for Grimmauld Place for debriefing. The Auror's waited for two hours after the attack and half the Auror's left while the rest took shifts guarding the town.
During the attacks, Harry, Kayla, and Ginny, moved to the Sanctuary to receive updates as events were happening and to be ready to aid any group should the need arise. At about 9 o'clock that night, all of the attacks were thwarted and Harry called a meeting to receive casualty reports. The centaurs, goblins, house elves, and Patriots did not sustain any damage because they did not participate in the actual defenses. The Order sustained no casualties but the Ministry had six wounded but all were expected to make a full recovery in a few days. The six wounded came from Manchester where the Death Eaters apparated to the wrong site. All in all, the defense was considered a success and the Ministry had already started interrogating the Death Eaters.
Voldemort was not pleased with the results and took it out on his Death Eaters. The inner circle who planned the simultaneous attacks and those who managed to escape capture were tortured that night for failure. Voldemort knew that there must have been a spy in his group somewhere but also knew that he could trust Malfoy and Lestrange. Malfoy and Lestrange were the principle people who planned the attacks and the announcement to the rest of the Death eater ranks about the plans wasn't done until ten minutes prior to the attack.
Voldemort called for Bellatrix and Malfoy Sr. to return to ask them about a spy. The two Death Eaters had just left after taking another round of torture and neither of them was looking forward to returning to their master that night but knew that the consequences would be worse if they did not show up. The two came limping in, kneeled at their master's feet, kissed the hem of his robe, and Bellatrix asked "Master, you summoned us?"
Voldemort angrily said "Who else did you tell about the planned attack today?"
Bellatrix replied "No one master. Malfoy and I only talked about the plans when we were here at headquarters. We did not dare speak of it outside of this building."
Malfoy added on "Yes master, we did not speak of it to anyone at all. The only time we spoke of it were with you and in secured rooms where we added our own secrecy charms before we spoke."
Voldemort said "Well, if what you are saying is true then one of you is a spy. There is no other way to explain the rumors that those kids were evacuated long before the attacks not to mention the Order and Auror's seemed to be waiting for all of this to happen."
Malfoy replied "Master, I'm not sure how they found out. We only met when there were hardly anyone left in the building."
Bellatrix looked up and noticed a house elf scurrying about in the background pretending that it was cleaning. She found that odd because from her understanding most of the house elves have abandoned their posts if they were in service to a Death eater. Bellatrix said "My Lord, there have been rumors that an alliance has been formed between goblins, centaurs, and house elves in an effort to gain political equality. What if they sided with the Ministry and Order? We have seen many laws regulating magical creatures being repealed lately."
Voldemort replied "Bella, are you saying that the house elves have betrayed us?"
Bella nodded while saying "Yes, master."
Voldemort mentally summoned all of the house elves that were in the compound to appear before him. There were five house elves that appeared and unknown to Voldemort, four of them have changed allegiances to Harry and the fifth one was so corrupt that all he thought about was torture and was close to insanity.
Voldemort asked the House Elves "You are bound to tell the truth by the codes that bind house elves to acknowledge your master when asked. Who is your master?"
The four house elves that sided with Harry were proud when they all said "Master Harry Potter is our Master."
Voldemort pulled out his wand and Bellatrix and Malfoy followed suit by pulling out their wands. The three of them proceeded to torture the four house elves for hours. After about five hours of torture the four tortured elves were barely twitching as they lay barely conscious in front of Voldemort and his reassembled Death Eaters. Each Death eater proceeded to take turns torturing the elves both physically and with magic. At the end of the torture session, the four house elves were unconscious with blood dripping from their bodies. They were suspended in the air hanging upside down by their feet.
After dismissing his Death Eaters for the night, Voldemort turned to Bellatrix and said "Tomorrow morning, take the house elves and cut of their heads. After doing that, take their bodies and hang one in the streets in front of where the orphanages used to stand. Place the heads on a pole and stick the poles in the ground just in front of the bodies and leave the Dark Mark so Potter, the Ministry, and the Order know who did this."
The next morning there was outrage and questions being asked at why there were decapitated house elves across England. Word spread quickly but didn't reach Hogwarts quick enough. The Ministry received word first and was starting their investigation. The Ministry and the Order did not know that the house elves were Harry's spies. That morning when Harry, Ginny, and Kayla arrived at the beginning of breakfast, Harry received a message by his watch that an urgent message was about to be delivered to him by a Hogwarts house elf.
A house elf showed up shortly afterwards with a letter. After delivering the message the house elf disappeared. Harry opened the letter and along with Ginny and Kayla they read.
Harry Potter,
Our spies at Voldemort's compound have been discovered, tortured, and executed. Their bodies are hanging at the site of the orphanages. They have also been decapitated. What is your response?
Houseman
Ginny and Kayla gasped when they read about the bodies hanging at the orphanages while Harry let out a sigh as his anger was building while sorrow was also setting into him. When they were done reading, Ginny asked "What are we going to do about this?"
Harry replied "We have to respond. Our friends were brutally attacked but I'll see what the house elves want to do first because it was their own that was killed." Harry sent a message to the Alliance for a meeting to be held at the Sanctuary. He also sent a message to the Patriots to be prepared for a mission.
Most of the Patriots were just waking up and were startled by their watch while they were getting ready or were waking up due to the heat being delivered by the watches. The group was alarmed and knew that if Harry called for everybody to be on guard then it had to be serious especially if it is during this time of day. The members got dressed quickly and rushed down to the Chamber of Secrets where Kayla was waiting for the team to assemble and brief them as they made their way to the Sanctuary.
Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley also received the messages in their watches. They received their watches shortly after being allowed to attend meetings. The Order and Ministry were instructed to be at the Sanctuary about two hours after the rest were to assemble. Harry didn't want the Order and Ministry to know anything sensitive yet.
About half an hour after Harry sent out the messages, the voting members were assembled. Harry asked to no one in particular "What happened last night?"
With steel in his voice, Houseman responded, "Our spies to Voldemort were discovered and were executed either last night or this morning. They reported in last night while Voldemort was torturing his followers. When they reported in they said that everything was going to plan and that was the last time we heard from them."
Ronan asked "Do we know what Voldemort did to the four elves?"
Houseman nodded and said "Our elves retrieved our fallen brothers this morning when they were discovered. So far, the four of them were subject to long and intensive torture both physical and magical. They really had no way of escaping because it looked like they were magically bound so they couldn't run away."
With sorrow in his voice, Harry said "I'm sorry for our fallen friends. I ask for a moment of silence to reflect and honor them."
Everybody stood up and bowed their heads in the moment of silence. After the silence, everybody sat back down and Harry asked Houseman "Since the dead were all house elves, what would you like to do in response to the murders."
Houseman replied "Those house elves, Blink, Fade, Brie, and Feeno, were all bound to you Harry Potter. It is a crime to attack and kill another person's house elf. Voldemort and his followers killed four of your house elves. It is up to you to decide."
Harry said "I understand that they were bound to me and I see them as the most loyal of friends. The last time somebody close to me was killed I tried to torture the person responsible but that did not work out the way I wanted and in a way I'm glad that I did not torture her even though I hate her. I am fated to have to kill or be killed before I die but I am not bound to torture. What would you all recommend?"
The group was talking strategy up until the Order and the Ministry showed up. After everybody took their seats, Harry asked the Order and Ministry "Are you aware of Voldemort's retaliation to the ambush that was setup at the orphanages?"
Dumbledore nodded and said "Harry, the Order was briefed on what the Ministry knows of the situation. About all that we know is four house elves were executed and left at the orphanages as either a warning or response to the Death Eaters failed attempts yesterday."
Harry turned to Mr. Weasley and asked "Minister Weasley, what is the Ministry's response to the executions of Blink, Fade, Brie, and Feeno?"
Mr. Weasley responded "There is not much the Ministry can do about this. We don't know the individuals responsible and the only clue that was left behind that let us know that the Death Eaters did what they did was the Dark Mark. Even if we caught the perpetrators, there's nothing we could do unless the house elves' master decided to pursue the matter."
With conviction, Harry said "I do wish to pursue this matter, they were bound to me. They died helping me. They died as my friends."
Mr. Weasley sympathetically said "We will do everything that we can to ensure justice is served."
Dumbledore asked "Harry is there something that you're not telling us?"
Harry turned to Dumbledore and said "At this time, the Ministry and the Order already have all the information that you all need. The rest of the information will be held in secrecy for now."
Order and Ministry representatives wanted to voice their objection to Harry's answer but Harry silenced them by raising his hands and quickly turned to Mr. Weasley and said "Minister, the Alliance formally asks that the Ministry of Magic pass legislation for the execution of all confirmed Death Eaters after a fair trial and revealing the dark mark on their arm."
Dumbledore objected "You can't be serious Harry. Let justice be done by sending the Death Eaters to Azkaban for the rest of their lives. It is a worse punishment to live a life in Azkaban then to die a quick death."
Ginny stood up, took Harry's hand in hers, and spoke for Harry. She said "Professor, the last two times we sent Death Eaters to Azkaban they managed to break out to serve Voldemort. The escaped Death Eaters managed to kill and torture more people. It is better to give them an execution and put them and us out of our misery instead of trying to inflict punishment only to have them escape again." She turned to her dad and said "No offense dad but the Ministry has proven time and time again that it can not stop those who are determined enough from escaping from Azkaban. Let the Death Eaters die, for it is better for society."
Hermione stood up and accusingly said "Who are we to choose who lives and dies? I wanted to object to killing the Death Eaters that invaded the orphanages but I held my tongue because they were attacking children. Ever since our meeting a few weeks ago, I have been thinking about what gave us the right to sign another person's death warrant. We can not execute somebody for joining an organization. What if they didn't kill or torture anybody? What if they were forced to join? What if they were repentant like Professor Snape?"
Ginny replied "The voting members have discussed this already. Each captured Death eater will have a few memories extracted from them and presented at their trial no matter if it is prejudicial against them or us. We will extract the memory where they chose to be a Death eater, the moment that they took the dark mark, five of their most incriminating memories like during Death eater missions or personal matters, and their latest memory if they are truly repentant or not."
Hermione responded "Even if they are guilty of everything. We still shouldn't be the ones playing God. Let the Death Eaters suffer a fate worse than death."
The debate between executing and imprisoning the Death Eaters continued on for another hour. The Alliance was divided with the voting members agreeing to follow what Harry was going to decide and the non voting members who were against the death penalty. The debate was starting to go back in a circle so Harry called for order and said "I ask that the Ministry continue to pass the execution law but it will be up to the Ministry to determine if the guilty will be sentenced to death or not. If the centaurs, goblins, or house elves catch a wizard that has wronged them then they have the right to prosecute them as they see fit."
Mr. Weasley said "It is a good plan to keep our options open. I will propose the law and it will be up to the Wizengamot to decide if the law passes or not. I personally do not believe in the death penalty so I will not endorse the law."
Harry nodded and said "I understand Minister. I just hope that you will feel the same way in the event that your family is attacked. I truly hope that that will never happen but during times of war there's no telling what will happen. During times of war, we also don't have the luxury to follow the clear cut rules set during times of peace."
Mr. Weasley responded "I also hope that I will not have to face that decision."
There was a moment of silence as everyone contemplated about their family and friends and hoping that they would never have to face that decision. Dumbledore asked "Harry, what are you going to do in response to the execution of the house elves?"
Harry thought about it for a moment and looked over at the goblins to say "I want all the assets of confirmed Death Eaters held at Gringott's frozen. The families of these groups will not be able to go to their vaults and will not be able to withdraw funds from their vaults."
Alpha responded "If we are to do that then we can almost guarantee an attack on the bank."
Harry nodded and said "I agree. After the Death Eaters find out that their bank accounts have been singled out to be frozen then we can almost count on an attack. An attack will probably be on the bank but there may be other simultaneous attacks during that time to cause confusion and divide our forces to increase their odds of winning. We also don't know what type of force they will use to come at us."
Ronan said "I agree. We may be able to hold off an attack on Hogwarts should that occur and aid in the defense of Hogsmeade but centaurs are not trained to fight in a crowded urban environment like Diagon Alley so we will not be able to help you there. We require more room to fight then Diagon Alley can provide."
Houseman said "The strike elves can mobilize about three battalions of 20 elves each to help in the defense and take rotating shifts to guard Gringott's. That will leave three battalions here to protect the Sanctuary but that leaves Potter Mansion unprotected."
Alpha said "Thank you Houseman. The strike elves and the goblins strike teams should be enough. We have fifty fighting goblins on standby at any moment at Gringott's. We can also call up the reserves of approximately one hundred more should it be necessary. Half of the reserves are already planned to move into the Sanctuary tonight so that will give added protection here. I would like to keep the rest of the goblins from fighting and well rested should a long battle occur."
Harry nodded and said "The three battalions of strike elves will move to rotation duty at Gringott's for security. When the attack occurs, the centaurs will be mobilized to pull closer to Hogwarts castle to help protect it from a diversionary attack. The defense of the Sanctuary will be left to the strike elves, house elves, and goblins positioned here. Half of the Patriots will be moved here to support those that are living here and aid the wounded. The other half of the Patriots will be sent to patrol the castle. Kayla will be left as commander of the Patriots at Hogwarts. Ginny will be the commander at the Sanctuary and I will go to Gringott's to help defend the bank."
Ginny angrily said "Harry, I'm not leaving you to go fight at Gringott's alone. I will be going with you."
Harry turned to Ginny and said "I understand where you're coming from Ginny but the Patriots and the Sanctuary will need a person to lead in its defense and to take care of the wounded. I promise that I will not do anything stupid and get back to you as quickly as possible."
Ginny was about to say something but Dumbledore interrupted them by saying "I also object to you entering a battle and the Order would also like to offer its forces to help defend Gringott's."
Harry was relieved that Dumbledore was interrupting Ginny but knew that he would have to talk to her later. Harry said "I ask that the Order and Auror's hold back to first defend the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungos. The responsibility of defending all diversionary Death eater attacks will lie with the Order and Auror's. For me to enter battle, that is my responsibility and will help my friends in their fight. There's nothing you can do to prevent me from going there so you might as well not try."
There was more bickering about whether Harry should be at the defense of Gringott's or not. The Alliance members broke up into smaller groups and discussed the matter as more and more magical beings started to voice their opinions. Ginny and Harry broke away from everybody and sat as far away from everybody as possible and talked about it.
Ginny took Harry's hand and said "Love, I don't want you going into that fight especially without me there with you. We should be doing this together and not divided."
Harry nodded and said "I agree that we should be together but there is nobody that I trust more than you to watch over this place. It will be a while before we can let the orphans return to the orphanages especially since three of them need to be rebuilt. You are also great with healing and would be of great help here to help the wounded. I want to stand here with you also when the attacks occur but I can not order others to fight and stand back to do nothing."
Ginny looked pleadingly when she said "You can be here to help the wounded. I only know as much as I do about healing because of you."
Harry asked "What would it take for you to allow me to help the goblins?"
Ginny said "I don't want you going there in the first place but I understand your conviction to help your friends and allies. The only way for me to let you go is if you let me come with you."
Harry shook his head and said "I can't lead you into danger Gin."
Ginny replied "Just like I can't let you go into danger either. It's either the both of us go or neither of us go. If I have to, I'll tie you down and keep you locked up until the fight is over before I let you go."
Harry smiled, gave Ginny a kiss, and said "I love you Ginny and I might like that whole tying up bit but I need to go there and help. Please understand."
Ginny sighed "You can go only if I go and you know that I'll follow you anyway so you might as well plan on me being there."
Harry sighed as he thought about it for a second. He knew that Ginny would use her portkey to get to him just like he would to get to her. In the end, Harry relented and agreed that Ginny could come along which left Kayla in charge of the Sanctuary. The Alliance members calmed down as Harry called for Order and the new plans were discussed in details with much objections coming from the Ministry and the Order for being left out and putting so many students in danger. In the end, Harry got his way, the Order and the Ministry felt a little put out, and the plans were put into motion immediately once the meeting let out. Now, all the groups were playing a waiting game of wondering what Voldemort will do and when he will attack.
A/N: I just wanted to thank the reviewers and now to address some of your concerns or comments. Well, as you all know Ginny and Harry went through a bonding ceremony where they exchanged knowledge and created a stronger bond between them. As of right now, Ginny is not as strong as Harry though she knows everything that Harry knows because Harry's raw magic ability is still greater than Ginny's. As for the whole revenge for Hermione and Ron poisoning Harry: I'm not sure if Harry will seek revenge because the after affects was inadvertent and Harry now can kind of understand why they did it. Though I might have them do something that will be equivalent to revenge but that is not planned in the story as of now. I will add though that Dumbledore is not done with his job as a manipulator especially if the Death Penalty is going to be handed out by the Alliance. Thanks to those that offered to be my betas and I will keep you in mind but probably won't be necessary cause the story is winding down right now. I also wanted to make it clear that my message to my betas in the last chapter was not because I was displeased with them but I just wanted to check with them that's all because I send them chapters in large chunks so I usually go for extended periods of time without hearing from them and I haven't sent them the next set yet so I just wanted to check.
Here is something to keep in mind though for this story which I should have stated before just in case I didn't. Hogwarts has been going through years with no reliable professor in Defense Against the Dark Arts for years before and while Harry was at Hogwarts with the exception of Remus and the fake Moody but that was only two years. Added with it all the meddling from the Board of Governors and Ministry of Magic in the years Harry have been at Hogwarts, it has been difficult for the students to maintain a stable learning environment. That is why Hogwarts is not performing like other magical schools. Also keep in mind that is part of the reason why Kayla seems so much better than the other students at Hogwarts. Add that with her own desire to learn and help Harry over the years and being the best student coming from her magical school in the states, it makes her seem like a super power but she really is not. Hogwarts has just fallen a little behind ever since Harry started that's all.