Chapter Seven: Code Blue, Copy (And So It Begins)

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"Thirty-two, check. Check in, thirty-two."

"Check, Lucie, copy."

"Status and location, thirty-two." In the former potions classroom in Hogwart's chilly old dungeon, Lucie slumped at her command console, fatigue in every line of her body. Even her voice sounded tired. Severus watched her with concern. She'd been going nearly twenty hours straight with very few breaks.

"Copy. Nearly red, Zone Eighteen -- Indonesia, copy."

"Copy that. How long 'till blue?"

A pause. "Two, maybe three days. Copy."

Lucie slumped a little more, her head resting on one hand, while she spoke into the SkinPhone embedded in her other hand. God, but she was tired. "Copy that, thirty-two. Have them ready to move by zero-eight-hundred."

A silence. "Uh…not sure we can manage that, Lucie…"

"Those who aren't ready, leave behind."

Another silence. Then thirty-two's voice crackled with a new energy. "Copy that, Lucie. We'll ALL be blue by zero-seven-hundred."

Lucie smiled tiredly. "Copy that, thirty-two. I need your word on that." She lowered her voice. "I am counting on you having your squadron blue by zero-eight-hundred."

"We'll be all-go."

Lucie paused, then said, very deliberately, "Thank you, thirty-two. Thank you."

"Copy, ma'am. Thirty-two out."

"Lucie out."

Groaning a little, Lucie stretched back in her chair and tapped a large map on the wall with the tip of her finger. Immediately, a small, glowing red number "32" appeared on the map in the small patch indicating Indonesia.

"How many squadrons are there?", Severus asked.

"Seven hundred, each comprised of two hundred and fifty troops." She smiled slightly at his wide-eyed expression, and indicated the map with her wand. "Of them, nearly six hundred are at Code Blue. The rest -- about one hundred and twenty -- are hovering between Code Yellow and Code Red. God, I could use a good stiff drink right about now." Severus looked at her askance.

"According to your file, you've been having a few too many of those lately."

Lucie flushed, and glared at him. "Oh, shut up," she snapped. "Mind your own damn business. Do I pry into your personal life?"

"You don't have to," Severus said smoothly. "I'm sure Albus tells you everything. He's always made a point to tell me about yours."

"No, he never has mentioned anything about you, Sev, because he knows that I'm not interested."

Touche, thought Snape, with not a little humour. He'd missed sparring with her. "I'm glad to see that you never became sweet," he said. "I would never have liked you sweet."

"Doesn't matter, Sev. Gordie liked me just as I am, and he thought I was sweet enough." To push her point, Lucie favoured Snape with a sickeningly saccharine smile.

"Until you turned into a drunk, that is," Snape shot back acidly. Maybe he didn't miss the verbal fencing matches as much as he'd thought. "Then he dumped you."

"And now you're hoping and praying that I'm desperate enough to fall in to your scrawny arms," she said, grinning. "Fat chance. I could never be that drunk. Or that desperate." Lucie laughed at the sour expression on Snape's face. "Ah, thank you, Severus. I needed a break, and that was just right. You always did know how to distract me from my problems. But admit it, you never could win an argument with me."

"I did once."

"When was that? I don't recall." She smirked at him so annoyingly that he felt absolutely no qualms about getting nasty.

"I never wrote back to you." There. He sat back, smug.

"And then I married another man. End of argument. I win again!"

God, thought Snape. She just does not give up. "Yes, Lucie, you did win. Gordie didn't -- but you did, and that's all that ever seems to count with you."

Lucie yawned, and looked around. "Nice try, Sev. But no, that's not all that's ever counted with me." She swung her chair around to face him. "You used to count with me. You used to count a great deal." She stared directly at him. "And you broke my heart. There. Truth be told, you did win. Just that once. Did that make you happy?"

Severus couldn't seem to find his voice, and the silence stretched out between them. He couldn't look away from those tea-coloured eyes that he had loved so much. Finally, he swallowed, once, twice, and then spoke in a soft voice. "No. That didn't make me happy."

She regarded him with a sympathetic expression. "Me, neither." They gazed at each other for a long moment, then Lucie said, with the air of someone trying to change the topic, "This room brings back memories. God, the amount of times Slughorn gave me detention in this damned classroom. Remember? There was me, Margherita, oh, a whole whack of us girls from 'Claw, always getting detention for something or other. I swear Slughorn had enough pickled rats' brains to supply a hundred schools. He just didn't like us because we were smarter than those Slytherin dullards." Lucie laughed again, as Snape's jaw dropped. "We used to have a great time, though…old Sluggy didn't mind how much we talked. We used to sit and talk and pickle those damned brains for hours. To this day I won't eat anything that's been pickled, because it all looks like rat brains to me. It was a pretty good time, though. I always liked old Sluggy." She gave Snape a sly grin. "I heard his successor was a real jerk."

Snape sighed, exasperated, and glared at her. "Burnt-out drunk."

"Overgrown bat!"

"Overfed harpy!"

"Anorexic vampire!"

"Hag!"

"Troll!"

They glared at each other for a moment longer, mouths twitching. Finally neither could hold back any longer, and they both burst out laughing. "That made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I've missed you, Lucie," Snape said, still chuckling.

"Yeah," she said, turning her attention back to the map. "I've missed you, too. It's your own fault, though."

"Oh, for…will you just give it a rest, already!"

Still smiling, Lucie returned to work.

Severus did not pursue the matter of Lucie's drinking further. Her problems were her own, and if she chose to seek help for them, he'd be only too happy to help her -- but she had to want to help herself first.

I sound like a therapist, he thought, amused. Smirking a little, he looked back at the map, as she tapped it again with one slim finger.

"You've become quite proficient at wandless magic. It's a very difficult thing to master," he observed, hoping to put them back on a more civil ground.

"Thanks. It's necessary in my field." She smiled, but did not look at him as she listened to the phone in her hand. After a moment, she tapped another number to blue.

"Do you still have a wand?" He remembered the one that she had used at Hogwart's -- a beautifully carved and polished piece of mahogany, with the heartstring of a Hungarian Horntail at its core. It had been surprisingly delicate and ornate, considering the solid earthiness of its owner. Yet, as he had gotten to know her better, Severus had come to realize that Lucie's wand was, in fact, completely appropriate for her. Particularly the dragon heartstring core. If anyone had any dragonish-ness about her, it was Lucie.

"I still have my old one, yes," she said, looking up at him briefly before returning her attention to the board. "But it's packed away somewhere. I never use it -- wandless magic needs to be practised every day, or you lose the ability. For those of us in the CMLE, depending on a wand is something that can become a fatal disadvantage in a real big hurry, Sev."

"True," he admitted. He could manage the basics in wandless magic, but he was nowhere near as skilled as she was. Falling silent, he watched her for a few moments, watched her speaking into her SkinPhone and tapping the map occasionally.

Soon enough, there were little blue numbers appearing all over the map. Lucie, along with Harry and Ron, had been going non-stop, setting up the command consoles and co-ordinating training and organization efforts all over the globe. It was a rather awesome thing to watch.

"And Code Blue means…"

"Fully trained, fully outfitted, and raring to go. Code White means untrained and un-outfitted. Code Yellow means untrained, but outfitted with the DarkScan Wands, SkinPhones, Emergency Apparation Beacons, Nullification Nodules, and Personal Shield Suits. Code Red indicates that the troops have been outfitted and are in the process of being trained in both how to use their equipment, the command protocols that we will be using for this operation, as well as anything else that they will need to know."

She leaned backwards again and looked up at Severus. "We've also got a special unit set up just for Azkaban Prison -- they're comprised of four squadrons to secure the location, and one entire squadron of Apparating Paramedics." Her lips thinned. "We don't know what to expect in there."

Severus sat down in a nearby chair, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "What are Nullification Nodules?"

Lucie grinned. "Let's just say that the Weasleys are going to need a new house to hold all the Orders of Merlin that they're going to receive. What a family! Must be something in the water." She shook her head, still smiling. Across the room, Ron grinned and gave her the thumbs-up. "Fred and George, along with old Mad Eye, have devised these small, ultra-portable detention units." She reached into a pocket and pulled out a small, blue plastic pellet. "You've apprehended your bad guy; you either stun or petrify said bad guy; then, you tap this pellet and say "Nullificator!" Lucie drew her wand and demonstrated. The blue pellet expanded into a body-sized blue bag. "This wraps around the petrified or stunned bad guy, immobilizing them and sending them into an artificially-induced deep sleep for up to three days. The small pump here --" She indicated the small blue knot on the top end of the bag, "keeps a good airflow. Because the victim is stunned, they can survive without food or water for three days, as there are very few metabolic functions operating when they are stunned."

"So basically," she continued, "You've apprehended your bad guys, but still have more bad guys to take on. Or something else to do. Whatever. This immobilises them for safe transport, and gets them out of the way. This will free up our troops to keep going, rather than have to deal with each bad guy as they come across them." She folded up the bag and tossed it into the waste receptacle, and looked over at Severus. "They're not re-usable. But those things will save a lot of lives."

Snape couldn't help himself; he laughed. "Those damned twins! And to think, how many times did I lecture them to pay attention and stop wasting their time?"

Lucie grinned, then her SkinPhone vibrated. "Lucie here," she said, becoming all business at once.

"Four-eighty checking in, Lucie. Zone sixty-seven -- Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Code Blue."

"Copy that, four-eighty, and thank you, old buddy. Pass that along to your team, they busted their tails getting to Blue, and I know it. I appreciate it."

"Copy that, Lucie. Who are you calling old? Four-eighty out."

"Lucie out." Laughing, she tapped the red "480" on the map, and it turned blue. "Remember my friend and potions-detention-mate Margherita? She's in charge of 480. That was her."

"The gorgeous one from 'Claw, yes, I remember. You still keep in touch?"

"Oh yeah, all the time. She's in CMLE in Toronto. Captain." Lucie paused, then frowned slightly. "You thought she was gorgeous?"

"Everyone did," Snape said, smirking, ignoring Lucie's irritated frown. He was watching the activity at the other consoles. "Jealous?"

"You wish."

At the minor consoles on either sides of the room, Ron Weasley had tapped three more numbers to blue, and Harry had upgraded several from yellow to red, as well as a few to blue. Whatever changes that they made to their consoles immediately appeared on Lucie's console, which was the master console. Severus watched in silence for a few more moments.

"You're a natural leader, Luce."

She shook her head. "But not the gorgeous one." Shecurled her lipat him, and he grined widely. "It all comes down to an age-old concept, Sev. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Let them know what's expected of them, and give them steady feedback. No one likes to feel ignored or unappreciated. People work harder when they know they're being expected to."

"Voldemort uses much of the same methods that you do. However, his feedback is a bit more painful, if you don't come up to scratch."

"Say what one will about him, he's a great leader. He's done wonders with a completely different type of employee. Albus thinks he's brilliant. Too bad he's also a complete ass." Lucie shrugged, then added, "I've got to get back to work."

"How about a lunch break?"

"Too much to do." At this, both Ron and Harry swivelled around to look at her.

"Lucie, you go for lunch, then I will, then Harry will. We'll cover you," said Ron, leaning away from the map for a moment.

Lucie looked over at Ron Weasley. "No, I'm fine. You go to lunch, and…"

"We're not going until you've gone," said Harry, firmly.

"Insubordination," she replied, mildly, but she was already getting out of her chair. She knew when not to argue.

"So Crucio us," said Ron, grinning.

"Yeah," she snorted. "Yeah, I'll get right on that." Lucie laid a hand briefly on Ron's shoulder as she passed by him on her way to the door, and made eye contact with both of them. "Fine, then. I'll grab a half-hour lunch, and then you two can each take a break. You can decide for yourselves who goes when."

"Copy that, Lucie," said Harry cheekily. Beside him, Ron gave her the thumbs-up, and said, "Code Blue."

"Smart alecs," she muttered, as she and Severus made their way for the Great Hall.

"Indeed, try having them as students. See this?" He pointed at a streak of silver in his dark hair. "I call this one "Potter". And see these?" He indicated several more strands of silver. "Ron Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, oh, and this one is Ginny Weasley. Worst of the lot. Sweet on the outside, devil on the inside. Red-headed menaces to mental stability."

Lucie dissolved into giggles. "Oh, you're impossible. I like the grey. It looks great on you. Makes you look more distinguished, and less like an overgrown bat."

Snape slanted her an ironic, amused glance as they took their seats. Instantly several food-filled dishes appeared in front of them. "I'm starving," Lucie said, pullling a bowl of pasta towards her. "Oh look, there's Hagrid!"

Snape looked up to see Hagrid, accompanied by Draco Malfoy and Simon Nigel-Nickerson, sliding into seats at their table.

"Lucie," Nigel-Nickerson said in his rough voice. "Flitwick's got the rest of the supplies you needed, and he's having them Apparated to the rest of the squadrons as we speak."

"Oh, good," she said around a mouthful of food. She swallowed, and continued. "We're getting up to speed. Drop by after lunch and I'll update you."

"Sure thing. Severus? How's it going?" Simon pulled a plate of hot rolls towards him. Around them, there were people scattered here and there, having lunch. Because of the varied activity going on in the castle, there were no set meal times anymore -- when the kitchen elves saw someone new come in, whatever food was prepared was Apparated onto their table.

"Excellent. Hagrid and I have put together a list of 'hot spots', and we've sent preliminary scouts out."

"Good. Get that list to Lucie, to help with deployment --"

"Yeah, have your people contact mine. We'll do lunch." Lucie said, heaping her plate with a second helping of pasta. Severus bit back a grin. There was never any competing with her for appetite. It was refreshing, though, he thought, remembering some of the girls he had dated over the years. No "lettuce leaf and a glass of water" for her. He, himself, was only halfway through his salad.

"Draco, how you doing?" Lucie asked, smiling at the young man. He slowly smiled back.

"Fine, thank you." He took a small bite of chicken. "Busy, but that's all right."

"Bet you are," she continued, cheerfully. "Hang in, bud. How's your mum and dad?"

"The same." He sighed, and shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Have faith," Lucie said, squeezing Draco's hand over the table. He squeezed back, briefly, and gave her a small smile; then, he returned to his food.

He continued to watch her thoughtfully, though, while he ate his lunch. Around them, the conversation continued. One thing caught Lucie's attention, and she dragged her fascinated gaze from the enchanted ceiling, which was overcast and laden with heavy, dark-bottomed clouds. Damn, she thought. Looks like rain.

"What do you mean, the Stadium's not expanded yet? I need that done!" She glowered into her dessert.

"It's not a priority, Lucie…" Nigel-Nickerson began, but she cut him off.

"Yes, it is."

"What do you want to use it for?"

"Well, Simon, duh! What do you think? We'll challenge Voldemort to a game of Quidditch… Oh, never mind. Let's get our ducks all in a row first; then, we'll discuss it. But it is a priority. I need it done by oh-eight-hundred."

"Belay the attitude, Degrace. And you're asking rather a lot," Simon snapped. She put down her fork and glared at him.

"Yes, I am. I need you to get this done for me, Simon. That's why I asked. I'm too busy getting nearly two hundred thousand troops ready for action. I need your help, Simon. Can you do this for me?"

The silence stretched between them. Finally, Simon sighed. "Yes. If it's important to you -- then, yes." He shook his head, amused. "I think I just got Lucie'd."

"Thank you." Lucie held his eye for a second longer, then grabbed another slice of caramel cheesecake. "I've got to get back, Harry and Ron are waiting for me." She swallowed the last bite without chewing, slapped Severus playfully on the back, causing him to choke on the sip of tea that he had just taken, and she bounded out of her chair. Draco hurried to walk with her.

"Uh, Lucie?"

"Yes, Draco?" Smiling at him as she strode along, she waved a quick hello to Albus and Kingsley at another table. "What can I do for you?" She reached up and used the back of her hand to wipe cheesecake crumbs from her mouth. Draco stared at her in horrified fascination.

"I need to talk to you."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"No, not here." He looked around, furtively. "In private."

"Oh." Lucie paused and looked up at him. "All right. When?"

"Can I come to your room tonight? Say about midnight?" His blue eyes bored into hers.

"Uh…sure."

"Thanks. It's a date." With a small smirk, he turned and headed back to rejoin Hagrid. Lucie watched him go, feeling a bit awkward.

Yikes! She thought, anxiously. What was that all about?

xxx

Around ten p.m., they all gathered in the potions classroom that housed Lucie's command console, somewhat more or less refreshed. Lucie had managed to sneak in a half-hour catnap, and had sent Harry and Ron for a couple of hours rest earlier that evening. They had returned about an hour ago, still with dark shadows under their eyes but looking a bit more alert. "Alright, then," said Simon as they arranged themselves in classroom chairs around a table that Severus had transfigured out of several desks. He sat next to Albus and Arthur. "Let's have a report, shall we?"

Snape stood, and said, smoothly, "All information has been communicated to Lucie's team in regards to suspected locations of Death Eater activity. As well, all available information has been communicated in regards to Azkaban Prison, and the suspected location of Voldemort. However," He paused, and his face looked troubled. "Voldemort shows signs of still being in the location where he was when…when Remus and I blew our cover and …ah… were…ah…"

"We know, Severus," said Albus quietly.

"Yes, well." Severus cleared his throat, and continued. "My concern is -- why? Why has he not moved base? He knows that we know…"

Simon and Lucie exchanged startled glances; then, almost as one, they sat back with looks of deep concern on their faces. Lucie frowned speculatively.

"Proceed. Status, Luce?" Simon said. She spoke up.

"Yes, everything is a go. We've got one hundred percent Code Blue status, across the board."

Every head swivelled towards her, and Simon actually clapped his hands. "Brilliant, Luce! How'd you manage that?"

"Waved a big stick, Simon."

"Well done, girl. Well, well done."

She grinned. "It was a team effort. Harry and Ron are to be commended for their hard work. And I do believe that Harry cashed in on his name a bit." She winked at Harry, and he blushed a little.

"Excuse me?" Arthur stared at her, and she laughed.

"Imagine you're a squadron leader, and you've got Harry Potter asking you to step it up to Code Blue! Who are you to argue with the Chosen Boy Who Lived, or whatever it is they call him?"

Everyone laughed for a moment. "Brilliant," repeated Simon. "All right, then. We are all Code Blue, it appears. Everyone is outfitted, everyone is briefed, everyone is in place. The medical situation has been arranged. Minerva and the Aurors are a go, Filius has everything here under control, Severus and Hagrid have all the information we need at our wandtips…oh, and Lucie darling, your Stadium is renovated as per your specifications. You'd better be appreciative, too -- I had to call in Albus to give me a hand with that. Big job, that was, m'dear."

"Ah, bless you Simon, you're a good man. A good man, you are. Oh, and you are too, Albus." She grinned tiredly at the two men.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Simon grinned back. "Now, we need to discuss…"

Lucie held up a hand. "May I offer my recommendations?"

"Well…uh, yes. Certainly. Go ahead, Luce. Don't let me stop you from interrupting," Simon said drily. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Thank you." Lucie stood, and began to speak. "Tomorrow morning at oh-eight-hundred, I wish to use the AllCall feature to summon each and every member of Team Phoenix…all one hundred and seventy-some thousand of them -- to the Stadium, formerly the Quidditch World Cup British Stadium. Albus, you, Arthur, Simon, myself and Severus will address the troops. Harry, you too. Then I suggest we launch the offensive from there."

The room went completely silent, and they all stared at her.

Severus was the first to break the silence. "Lucie…are you mad? We were planning on launching an offensive early next week…"

"Yes, that's what I made sure the Daily Prophet got wind of." She smiled.

"But…"

"Severus, those troops are ready to go NOW. Voldemort's not expecting such a quick attack. The time is ripe. Everyone's worked hard to get ready, and we're not letting them stew on their own nervousness. It's now or never."

"Well, that makes sense, I guess," said Hagrid. "An' Voldemort won't have time to move his base, an' all…"

At this, Lucie looked at Simon, who had said nothing so far. At his nod, she said, "But he already has moved his base, hasn't he?"

"Our surveillance shows--," Snape began, but Simon held up a hand.

"It shows us what he wants us to see," Simon interrupted. "Use your inner gut, Severus. Your instincts are good, very good. You, yourself thought it was odd that he hadn't moved. He's moved, all right. But I'll bet you sickles to sandwiches that he's left decoys to fool us. Smart guy, that Voldemort."

"For an overconfident, petty, two-bit, ass-brained dictator --" Lucie added, but Simon silenced her with a glare.

Severus bit his lip, thinking. "Possible," he said at last. "It's possible…"

Simon spoke up again. "But where has he moved to? That's the question…Or where is he planning to move to." Simon folded his arms. "Severus? You know him better than anyone in this room. What do you think?"

Severus shook his head, thinking furiously.

"Where would Voldemort feel the safest?", asked Simon.

"At the center of his Death Eaters." Lupin spoke. "That's how he prefers to operate."

"They're scattered, tho', aren't they?" said Hagrid.

"Yes." Severus's eyes were unfocused, and he pursed his lips in concentration. "Yes, they are. That is most unusual for him." He frowned.

"Seems to me, then, that he's afraid of being alone, and the fact that his cronies are all over the place is rather ominous, wouldn't you say?" Lucie chewed her thumbnail, a gesture that Snape remembered well from years past. She was in her deepest state of concentration.

"Wait," said Albus, suddenly. Severus looked up at him with instant, complete understanding. "No, not alone. He's not afraid of that. He's afraid of death." He paused, looking at everyone in the room. "Voldemort's greatest fear is death."

Lucie looked at Albus, her eyes fiery, and she jumped up and began to pace in agitation. "Really. Huh. Albus…remember when I was a kid, and I used to go up to the top of the north tower and stand at the very edge?"

"Yes, but…"

"Because my greatest fear was heights! I was terrified of heights! And to conquer that fear, I faced that fear! I had to expose myself to my greatest fear and render myself completely vulnerable to it! What if Voldemort has done the same thing?"

"He wouldn't kill himself," said Severus, frowning.

"No. But maybe he's going to expose himself to the thing he fears most! Death! Think of it. If he can conquer his greatest fear, then he will think that he is invincible." She swung around to face Simon. "Death…the greatest mystery of them all…the one thing that he cannot know, without having experienced it…"

Simon yelped. "Mystery! You're right! The Department of Mysteries! The Veil!"

The atmosphere in the small room suddenly became charged, electric. Simon looked at Lucie. "Contact the squadron on duty at the Veil."

Without another word, Lucie held her hand up to her face and whispered, "Ninety-Nine. Squadron Ninety-Nine. Come in."

They waited in deafening silence. She became aware of Harry watching her, his gaze hard, and she remembered. Ginny Weasley -- Harry's girlfriend -- was in Squadron Ninety-Nine. They were due back tomorrow morning, to be replaced with Squadron Seventeen.

"Ninety-nine. Come in, Ninety-Nine. Anyone from Squadron Ninety-Nine. Respond, please."

Simon looked down at the floor, knowing sorrow on his face.

"Ninety-Nine. Anyone from Ninety-Nine. Respond."

"My daughter is serving in Ninety-nine," whispered Arthur Weasley. His face was ashen. "Ginny is there." He looked at Albus, pleading. "Not another one…I can't take it if…if…" He covered his face with his hands, and Albus placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. Harry sat perfectly still, just staring at Lucie.

After a moment, Simon closed his eyes briefly. He then looked up at the map, where all squadron numbers glowed blue. The glowing golden dot that represented the stadium shone like a star in the gloom. He took a deep breath, and turned back to face the room.

"And so it begins," he said, softly. His lined, unshaven face was sorrowful.

"Now?", whispered Albus, as he rose to stand beside him. He looked from Simon, to Lucie, to Severus. They all looked tired, exhausted…but they all burned with some kind of an inner light...the light of warriors ready for battle, he thought.

"Yes," Albus said to Simon. "Yes. You're right. Now is the time." He sighed. "And may God have mercy on our souls." He paused, then added, "And on the souls of Ninety-Nine." Beside him, Arthur bit back a sob. Ron stood with his hands on his father's shoulders. Harry still had not moved. But Simon and Lucie saw, in Harry's vivid green eyes, the hard look that they had seen in many young officer's eyes over the years. Officers who had a score to settle.

Well, thought Lucie, watching Harry. If anyone ever had a score to settle, it was Potter.

That dumbass Voldemort, she thought. He has no idea what's coming his way. But one thing's for certain. He's earned it. He's sure as hell earned it.

Lucie looked to Simon, who nodded. She nodded back, then held her hand up to her mouth, and spoke in a firm, clear voice. If her hand shook a little, no one except Snape noticed.

"AllCall: All squadrons, report to Shining Star immediately. Repeat. This is Lucie Degrace. All squadrons, mobilize and report to Shining Star immediately. Code Blue to Green. I repeat: Code Blue to Green. Respond."

On the large world map beside them, each small blue number began to turn green, as one by one, each squadron reported receipt of the message and compliance. All, that was, except for Squadron Ninety-Nine, stationed at the Department of Mysteries.

Their number would remain forever blue.

The console room was strangely silent, although they could hear all round them the sounds of the castle coming to life, and Simon pulled the keyring out of his pocket that shone with a bright, golden glow. He held it out, and one by one, they crowded around it. They waited until Albus finished speaking to Minerva on his SkinPhone. And then, as if on an unspoken signal, they all touched the glowing metal object, and felt the sickening pull of the portkey, as it transported them to the Stadium.

xxx

It was a fantastic scene.

Severus Snape stood in the top box at the newly-enlarged Quidditch World Cup Stadium, staring down at a sight that he could never have imagined. It was utterly fantastic, it was glorious--it was completely terrifying. One hundred and seventy-seven thousand witches and wizards, from all corners of the globe, all come together to fight as Team Phoenix. To put an end to the Terrorist Voldemort forever.

He gulped, and felt a tear spill down his cheek. He was, in a word, overwhelmed. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and glanced at the others in the box with him, to see if they were as moved as he by this incredible sight.

"Team Phoenix," said Albus, stepping forward and raising his arms, with his voice magically amplified. The thousands upon thousands of troops cheered madly. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Acting Minister For Magic of Britain." The cheers grew louder. Arthur Weasley stepped forward, and spoke into his wand.

"Arthur Weasley, Deputy Minister of Magic!"

"Simon Nigel-Nickerson, Commander-In-Chief of Team Phoenix!" The cheers grew even louder.

"Lucie Degrace, Co-Commander of Team Phoenix!" The cheering grew even louder still.

Severus realized that Lucie was looking at him. She gave him an encouraging nod, and, trembling, he stepped forward and raised his arm. "Severus Snape, Co-Commander of Team Phoenix!", he yelled, astonished as the cheering reached a deafening level.

Then, looking slightly dazed, but determined, Harry stepped forward, and spoke, firmly, into his wand. "Harry Potter." His face was steady and resolute. There was no trace of grief on his young face, but Snape knew that it was there, and his heart went out to the young man. He's had to endure so much, Snape thought, sadly. The poor kid. It's not right.

The troops brought their cheers to a new level, and the energy in the stadium was almost palpable. Simon leaned over and yelled to Lucie, "Give 'em a Lucie Pep Talk, girl!"

She nodded, and stepped back into the spotlight. She held up her hands, until the crowd quieted down some, and then she spoke.

"Team Phoenix…we salute you! Each and every one of you are heroes. You have come, to answer the call in the darkest hour, and we are proud and honoured to stand with you!" The cheers reached a deafening level again, and Lucie continued, yelling, "We are Team Phoenix! We have come from all over the world, to join forces and to restore freedom to our brothers and sisters here in Britain! We have come to prevent the spread of evil and tyranny! We are Team Phoenix, and together…WE…WILL…WIN! Such an army can NOT be defeated!"

The Stadium actually shook from the noise and the stamping of feet. Lucie paused for a moment, and smiled over at Severus, her eyes oddly bright. He reached over and squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, and he gave her an encouraging smile. He knew that she could not hear him, but he mouthed the words, "I love you", and was gratified to see the shocked look on her face. For a long moment, they simply gazed at one another, and he smiled gently at her. Then, on her other side, Simon took her free hand, and, as though on an unspoken signal, they all raised their hands together. The crowd roared its approval.

"Team Phoenix," Simon yelled, his voice hoarse from hours of tactical co-ordinating for the last two days. "We stand united! We stand as one!" He chuckled, and looked at Lucie, who winked. "Now how's about we go kick some Voldemort Ass, and send him straight to hell, where he belongs!"

There was laughter and cheering from the crowd, and, in a sight even more awesome than before, all over the Stadium, thousands upon thousands of troops linked hands and raised them up. The top box was silent, and overwhelmed. Severus looked back at Lucie, still holding her hand up. There were tears pouring down her cheeks.

With his free hand, he reached over and wiped them away. After a moment, she smiled and wiped away his own tears. They could just hear Simon, his voice no longer amplified, over the crowd.

"Hey, you two!"

"Yes, Simon?" Lucie said, not taking her eyes off Severus.

"Knock it off. Get a room. Everyone can see you, you know."

Lucie burst out laughing, and leaned against Severus, who also burst out laughing. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her, and they forgot about everything else.