Well, I'm back. Despite the best attempts of a legion of teachers, I stand on the literary battlefield and extend my greetings to all my brethren. Also to the hanger-ons who read but never write. Oh well, let the battle commence. To Work! To Work!
Disclaimer: Hey. Didn't we go over this last chapter? Get a life.
And Here Their Problems Begin.
Bellatrix sat down and thought about her life. Strange as that sounds for everyone's favorite poster girl for the raving fanatic. Which, in truth, was just her problem. She was dearly devoted to the Dark Lord, she had once believed she loved him. He was so powerful, yet polite and occasionally tender. Yet he was not the Robin Hood like figure he had been those many years ago. He had changed. Gone were the small smiles, the noble destruction of a corrupt system, the martyr. In his place was a monster worthy of every child's darkest nightmares. She no longer feared and respected Lord Voldemort, she just feared him. He no longer had even the warped sense of honor she had adored in him.
There was a time when she had a friend she could confide in. Someone she could trust unreservedly. But he was lost to her, again. Once, she had lost him when he fled the family estate. Twice, when she had told him of her increasing crush on the Dark Lord, she would never forget the disgust on his face. The third and final time came when she herself had ended her cousin's life. But even his death couldn't make the hurt of his betrayal go away.
She couldn't go back. If she continued with Voldemort she would certainly die. Either way, it seemed her life was nearly over. She'd killed dozens for a cause she no longer believed in, for a man she knew now that she didn't love. She didn't believe either in the propaganda stating the Lord wasn't as pure as he said, but not believing in him was almost as great an offense. Her life was over.
Unless… A daring plan flashed across her brain. A very daring plan. One she wouldn't even consider if she wasn't completely against the wall. She sat up and started making plans. It would take time, but she would seek out Harry Potter. If everything went perfectly she just might get a chance at a memorable farewell to Voldemort.
The world had gone mad. After the destruction of the Ministry building, wizarding society was generally falling apart. The surviving Lords had gotten together to elect an interim Minister, but he had thus far proved ineffectual, too busy trying to salvage a government to actually run a country. She'd heard rumors that the fool figurehead had commissioned a new building, underground to prevent more bombings and accessed by one of the elevator devices that were coming into style. She couldn't help but scoff at such a sad attempt to rally support.
On good thing to come of the Ministry bombing was that England's magical community was finally getting involved in the war that had surrounded them for the last year. The enemy had no problems with the judicious application of magical units and they were having the tar beat out of them. Much like the Russians, who were so out of touch with their magical community she doubted a wizard there would know there'd been a revolution. Just days ago she'd gotten a new headache as the Germans unveiled their latest trick, Heinkel bombers with wizards aboard shielding them from harm. There was only one of these for every five regulars, but it took much sustained fire to down them. Fortunately, one wizard at least, had enough of a head to develop a counter-tactic.
"Ah, Minerva. A pleasure to see you again. How has the peace been treating you?" Said the red-haired wizard in the basement of an old house. They'd been using the second-floor room at Berkley Square as a headquarters before, but decided to move after the bombing of the Ministry.
"Much better than the war, Albus. But it seems to have started all over again. I had to skip my Mastery tests as there isn't a testing center anymore. Also, all these green kids are starting to get on my nerves." The last was said with a pointed glare at the young auror in the corner who was gazing at Dumbledore and trying desperately to look professional and keep the star-struck look out of his eye.
"Forgive Alastor, he is young and impatient, I remember a time when you couldn't wait to get out from behind a desk and see some action."
"At least I had the necessary combat-training. I understand the desperate need the Order has for more wands, but aurors are peacekeepers, not soldiers. Incidentally, good work on those enchanted flack shells, The Germans have a few less mages than they did yesterday."
"Good. Good. Now if only we could discover how their U-boats are slipping past our proximity wards. The wards themselves haven't been tampered with, so it can't be curse-breakers. Perhaps Lord Grindelwald has discovered another way to circumvent wards?"
"He certainty doesn't lack for cunning. Until we know how it's done all supply ships from the New World will be endangered."
Then the rookie auror spoke up. "Do the wards only extend to a certain depth? It wouldn't be hard to magically augment a sub's hull to allow it to go below crush-hull. Then they could just slip underneath without setting off the wards."
McGonagall, for all her gruff, couldn't help but be impressed. "It would be possible, and easy. Of course, if that's how it's done we'll have to remove and reset the entire North Atlantic grid. Most of the wards would be useless for the months that would take. Can we take the risk of blinding ourselves to their surface navy?"
"The British Navy have been locating and destroying surface ships for centuries, Minerva. They can afford to do it the old-fashioned way for a bit. Right Now I'm far more concerned about the u-boats. Alastor, could you take Castor and Pollux Prewett and make that your project for the next few months?"
Alastor acknowledged his new mission with a nob and walked quickly from the room. Minerva shook her slowly and wondered if she'd ever been that young.
"And what's my mission, Albus?"
"For now, going home and getting some sleep. You were up late last night and you'll be up late this one. Intel reports Lord Von Bauernauch will be joining the attack tonight. We have a rare opportunity to strike at one of Grindelwald's inner circle, we dare not let it pass."
Some fifty years later, a young man opened one eye to stare at the ceiling. There was no aunt screaming at him to wake, no worries of a future without the man who'd guided him so far. For the moment there was just him and a pale spot on the ceiling. He was content. Of course, such moments are both rare and fleeting. This one was broken by a smart rapping on the window. He let in the owl, paid it, and took the paper. He didn't need to look to know the headline, it was assured by a deal he'd made with the devil. None the less, he glanced at the front page and quickly discovered why so few make those deals. In distant Calcutta, life was interrupted by a young man's scream of rage.
end chapter two.
There you go, another masterpiece chapter. Now let me square some things with my reviewers.
Stealing Peoples Mail; You will find few clichés here. I might have to use one or two as demanded by plot, but I plan for this to be all-original, all-new.
Possum132: And you will have it. I'd skip straight to the action now if I didn't feel obligated to set up a plot. For the first ten chapters or so I'll be two busy rewriting world history and setting stage for the greatest free-for-all ever conceived of.
For the rest of you: Push the button down there and tell me what you think. Love it or hate it, I'm still writing and haven't figured out all the details of what's to come. If I hear a real good idea I just might run with it and put your name in the creds.
I have only just been informed, by my loving sister, that I am crazy. This is a terrible development for the characters in my story as I control their every word, thought, and action. My sister would like me to state that I'm writing this on my own and although we share a penname, she wants nothing to do with the plot I've cooked up. Don't blame her for my insanity, blame her for her own. Thank you, and have a nice day.
