Chapter Seven - At Starting In
The next several days passed in a flurry of activity at Hogwarts, everyone on the staff preparing for the return of the students. Those who were a part of the Order of the Phoenix found themselves concentrating more on that than the attacks. No one had been killed in the last battle, which they had decided to go to because of the warning delivered to Dumbledore, though it had looked like they were losing at the time. None could figure just when the tide had turned in their favour, or what happened to change it at all. The Order's leader and the few others that were near a certain building were hesitant to mention the burned symbol of a crossed sword and wand on the wooden wall of the dwelling. It was finally brought up at a meeting of the Order, nearly a week after its appearance.
". . . and then this burned image was on the wall. It was the same as the one on the parchment," related Ron, gesturing toward a file which contained the few warnings the Order had received.
"Are we sure it's this Praesidium you spoke of, Albus?" Minerva questioned from next to the headmaster, shifting in her seat to look at him.
Albus sighed. "I believe so, Minerva. According to the several associates who told me of them, this is the symbol found where they have been. One of the reasons they were dubbed 'a defense', apparently."
"Do we have any idea if they are a threat?" asked Arthur Weasley, his hand covering his wife's, who looked apprehensively toward Dumbledore.
"No, we do not." Albus ran a hand down his beard, gazing at the room at large. "But I have reason to believe they are not, at least to the general public. There have never been reports of them harming innocents in any way."
"That is no guarantee, headmaster," Severus Snape quietly stated. "I'm sure you recall that even Voldemort was surreptitious in his assaults in the beginning."
No one in the room shuddered, not any longer, but the mood did grow darker. The lack of information was not making any of them rest easily. It wasn't just the Praesidium that made them nervous, but the continuing threat of dark forces that kept increasing. As inept as it was, even the Ministry was taking action more assertively than usual.
The headmaster nodded. "Yes, but this group has not been clandestine in the least. Just yesterday, fifteen corpses of former Death Eaters were dropped at the Ministry entrance. This symbol was cut into their skin." Albus lifted the edge of the paper upon which it was drawn.
Murmuring broke out among the members, a general outcry that was vaguely indistinct, however the meaning was clear. What was going on? Not knowing how to answer, Dumbledore took his time quieting the room. Finally he raised his hand as the noise level rose angrily.
"Now, now. I know that this is disturbing, but I am afraid it is all we have to go on. We have already seen that this group is brutal, we've seen the bodies of the dark wizards they have fought. This is singularly more extreme, but it appears that they are fighting our enemies."
"You can not think that makes them our friends, Albus!" Hermione exclaimed. "The results of those battles between them and the dark wizards were little more than slaughters on their part!"
Albus turned his blue gaze, with its twinkle absent, toward his young professor. "I recall that the reports indicated that the Praesidium were typically of smaller numbers and that the fights were fierce on both sides, indicating that it couldn't have been quite that." He raised a hand to forestall her argument. "Now, I am not saying that they are vindicated in their rather . . . excessive techniques, but that they may not necessarily be evil, even if they prefer to kill than capture. As for their being allies of ours, that is unlikely in the extreme. And I have word from the Minister that he is announcing his declaration that the Praesidium are outlaws later this day. It will most likely be in the papers come morning."
Hermione's lips thinned, but she nodded and grew quiet. The meeting broke up quickly after that, the various members going on missions or returning to their everyday duties. The professors of Hogwarts flooed back to the school, making their way to the Great Hall for lunch. As they sat at the long table, which occupied the middle of the room during the summer, the others of the staff greeted them. If anyone noticed their rather somber and distracted attitudes, they didn't comment.
As the food appeared on the table, the Hall's doors opened, and Harry strode in. The staff immediately quieted, staring with expressions that ranged from concealed amusement to clearly shown disdain as he walked in, his magenta cloak swirling behind him. As he took his place between McGonagall and Hermione, several people blinked against the bright colour of his matching shirt. Across from him, Draco Malfoy closed his eyes looking vaguely ill, and next to him, Malfoy's godfather's sneer could have frozen fire. Harry appeared not to notice and just smiled winsomely. Snape abruptly made to leave in disgust, but the headmaster's hand appeared on his arm, halting him. Jerking his arm away, Severus nonetheless remained seated, and turned to the newest professor.
"And here I thought you had died or some such pleasant thing, as you haven't joined us for meals," Severus scathed, affecting a brutal smile. "But of course, you must inflict your infernal and despicable presence upon the Hall, effectively dispelling all of my greatest hopes."
Several snickers were hidden behind goblets as Harry turned his attention fully on the Potions master.
"Then I suppose I really must apologize, Professor Snape," replied Harry, looking truly repentant. "I am sorry that you have nothing besides me to place in your highest desires."
Many coughs sounded from the formerly laughing members of the faculty as they choked on their drinks. Malfoy's mouth gaped for a moment, until a movement from beside him had him snapping it shut. Turning his head, Draco saw Severus' eyes flash fire. Before Snape could speak, Harry went on.
"That really is truly sad," he sighed, his expression seeming introspective. "I always figured that you had many more important things, and that you thought of me as little as possible. I couldn't imagine thinking of someone you disliked that much." Harry shook his head sorrowfully, clearly unnoticing of Snape's fury which was now radiating from his still form.
Harry reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice, bringing it up towards his lips. Just before he took a drink, he felt the cup heat under his palm. The juice suddenly began boiling and as it was now too hot to hold, Harry threw the cup down, pushing away from the table as it spilled.
Hermione gasped from next to him, but the liquid ceased to come near her, instead making a narrow path off the table and shooting towards Harry. Just as the steaming missile made to hit him, he raised his hand, but didn't manage a blocking spell before it abruptly froze, fell, and shattered against the edge of the table. Harry quickly glanced up to see the headmaster lowering a hand and turning a severe glare upon the smirking Potions master.
Severus sharply pushed back his chair, the sound of it against the floor echoing in the silent room. His expression gave no leave to address him, and the rest of the staff remained quiet as he stalked toward the doors, only to be pulled up short as they swung open and a harassed wizard ran in.
The individual looked quite nervous as he jogged past Snape towards the headmaster, his eyes darting over the other occupants of the room. Murmurs sounded down the staff as they tried to identify him, but the most they could guess was that he was from the Ministry, by his uniform. His robes were singed with soot, indicating he had just flooed in, possibly through the public grate adjacent to the Front Hall.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, Azkaban Prison is being attacked!" The young man stopped before Albus, panting slightly. "The Minister requests the Order's presence immediately!"
The drama between Snape and Harry was completely forgotten as Dumbledore stood up quickly, gesturing to those of the Order. He glanced briefly at Harry, who was now brushing off his robes the ice chips. As the emerald gaze drew up to his, Albus realized he'd not get help from that quarter, and the headmaster turned away. The other Order members quickly followed him out of the Great Hall, the distressed Ministry worker trailing after them.
After a moment, the hall again filled with noise as the remaining staff started talking about what had happened. Many looked disconcerted, worried about what was occurring. Reaching for a plate of meat, Malfoy merely looked bored. He glanced at Harry as he refilled his plate.
"Surprised you aren't going with them, Potter," Draco said in a would-be amicable voice. "I would have thought you'd run right to it, if you could add to your fame."
Harry straightened the front of his cloak and looked to the blonde, with an eyebrow raised. "Why in the world would I do that? It would be dangerous. And not to mention, disheveling," he stated, pushing the hair that had escaped from its band away from his face.
Malfoy blinked, raising his own eyebrow. "You are kidding."
"Of course not!" Harry exclaimed, again pushing at his hair as it fell forward. He let out a long suffering sigh. "Darn it all. If you would excuse me, I must put myself back together." Glancing down, he added, "And I would do with a change of clothes. Everyone." He tipped his hat to the collected group.
As he swept from the hall, he heard Malfoy say in an odd tone, "Are we sure that is Potter? What's he done for the past eight years to turn him into a fop?"
Harry didn't bother listening to the reply the Slytherin might have received, instead increasing the speed of his strides as the Hall's doors shut behind him. Once he reached his chambers, he burst through the door and went into his bedroom at a run. The rooms were now fully furnished and at his wave, a drawer in a nightstand opened and a small pendant flew to his hand. With a quick word, a hook seemed to grab him behind his navel and he left his rooms behind as the portkey activated.
Landing solidly on his feet near the base of a mountain, Harry quickly moved to what looked nothing more than a rock wall and placed his hand upon it. A glow suffused through the rock and a hazy outline of an entrance appeared, and he quickly stepped into it. The familiar walls of the passageway lit as the torches came on, and a sentry intercepted him. Harry nodded to the Elf, one of a secret species which were distant cousins of house-elves but nothing like them, and the tall male nodded back as he moved back into position.
Harry swiftly made his way down the passage, taking out his wand and sending a bright red glow before him. By the time he reached the meeting hall, the members of his group had been summoned into the room. As he walked to the front, pulling the band from his hair and letting it swing over his shoulders, he caught Carnifex's worried eye. As though to undermine any concern, the Vampyr smirked and gestured to Harry's robes in sarcastic approval. Harry shook his head and turned to the others of the Praesidium. His expression hardened.
"There is an attack taking place on Azkaban. At this moment. The Order has just been summoned by Fudge." He held a hand up as a couple of his associates made to speak. "I am not interested right now on why we didn't find this out beforehand, but we need to move. We can not have those collected in that Prison out to join with the enemy."
"You think that the old Death Eaters would still be sane after eight years there, and able to join them?" called out one of the few witches in the hall.
"I don't want to find out, Artemis. They have more than enough in the way of advantages, we can't allow more," Harry answered, waving his wand towards the door. As a trunk flew in, he flicked his hand to open it. "Now we must hurry. I want most of you to come with me. No humans, though." He didn't want to risk it, with the Dementors in the prison. Why the Ministry ever allowed them back, I'll never know, he thought, as he pulled out his weaponry from the trunk.
Turning his wand towards himself, he transfigured his robes into a tight black shirt and trousers. "Carnifex, with me. The rest of you, pair off. You know the drill- don't leave anyone behind, kill the enemies, no one else. Well, the prisoners don't matter. No feeding, though." Harry turned a hard gaze on the various Vampyrs and select others that might have had the urge. "We will meet on the south end of the island, and strike from all sides."
Glancing at Carnifex, who moved over to him, Harry attached a sheathed sword to his hip, his wand to an arm holster, and a dagger to his boot. The others in the room also suited up, and once they had, Harry nodded as he swung a dark cloak over his shoulders, and pulled the hood up. Harry muttered a quick charm to keep the hood in place to conceal his face, and his comrades quickly did the same.
"Vadere," Harry told them, and with that, apparated out.
A/N: Thank you to all my readers. Hope you've enjoyed so far, and hope you like what's coming!
Best Regards and Pleasure Reading,
-Zenn
Vadere (Latin) - means to go violently, hastily.