Posted 1/14/2015
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This is a work of fiction, based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. Neither do I claim ownership nor do I intend to.
Chapter Sixty-Two - Cuffe's Courage
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A strange mixture of worry and relief was in the air ever since Harry and Hermione had returned from their excursion. The relief was the result of their safe return, of course. Even though they hadn't really revealed much about their plan or the hours away, their tired, but relaxed faces had told enough. However, it hadn't taken long for them to realize things were once again out of their hands – they couldn't control the consequences, they had no influence on the public's opinion, and they had little to go on to make an educated guess at what was happening in the magical world. The Wireless had said silent for the most part about the most recent attack, only giving a very brief report before moving on to mindless chatter about the latest scandal of professional Quidditch.
Judging by his rather loud complaints, Ron had found the time trying to keep an eye on Daphne rather tiring. From what he had revealed, she hadn't done anything anyone could reasonably construe as dubious, which seemed to annoy Ron. In the end, he had to concede that Daphne probably hadn't done anything nefarious.
Daphne had kept to her room. Harry's best guess was that she distanced herself from the other inhabitants of Grimmauld Place to resist the temptation to either ask about the last strike or to criticize Harry and Hermione for going through with it.
Even Harry had to admit their killing spree had been a departure from their usual modus operandi and goals. Instead of going after significant members and key players of their opposition, they had partly chosen sycophants and easy targets. It had been a bit of an elephant in the room whenever Harry and Hermione had been in the same room over the last day – while she had been willing to go along with it and had helped plan and organize the attack, going on the actual killing spree seemed to be something she couldn't quite out behind her so easily.
On the second day after the attack, Harry had just poured himself a cup of tea to go with his bread for breakfast when Ron stormed in, waving a newspaper.
"You gotta see this," he announced, still not quite back to his normal self. "It's in there, of course."
Hermione glanced nervously to the paper her friend flung on the table in front of her. Part of Harry wondered why Ron still handed the paper to Hermione first, but pushed the thought out of his mind, instead watching her pick up the Daily Prophet.
"Was quite tricky to get it," he explained to Harry with a jab of his finger at the paper. "All of Wizarding Britain's in uproar over the matter. They're demanding something be done about you."
"Is their outcry for action louder than the one in sixth year when it was a call against Riddle?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "And it was him doing the killing?"
Ron pursed his lips, but he was spared; Hermione sent Harry a reproachful glance. "That doesn't sound like something you should go for – do you want to be more infamous and hated than a megalomaniac and hypocritical blood purist? It's one thing scaring the Death Eaters and the weak-willed followers until they back off, but making the general populace hate you as well..."
"They'd hate the one responsible for those attacks, not me personally," Harry told her, waving her off.
"Doesn't make it any better," she argued over the top of the paper. "Possibly even worse, actually, since it'd mean you'd get away with it."
"And you want me to pay for it?" Harry wondered. "Want me incarcerated?"
"No, but without a punishment to keep you in line... Doesn't matter. Ron's right, you should read it," she threw the paper to Harry.
The story filled most of the first page, with photos of the victims accompanying it. Harry couldn't help but wonder whether the magical community was so used to violations of privacy that they didn't see anything wrong with announcing people's death or publishing photos on the front page. Part of him was just glad he wasn't the only one who had it happening to them.
Mad Wizards Strike Again, the headline read. There wasn't really much in terms of actual article on the front page, though, and barely enough to qualify as a teaser for the proper story making up what seemed like a considerable chunk of the issue.
A second teaser showed a shifty-looking Thicknesse, asking, How safe are we?
It went on to detail some of the more outrageous issues of the last months, from numerous attacks on Ministry workers to an upsetting lack of success at keeping even their own safe and alive. The Daily Prophet even went so far as to suggest a staffing change to address the problem. A small part of Harry had to grudgingly admire the gall of the Daily Prophet and their backers to reveal as much; even if they avoided details, it was a risk to make the incompetence of the Ministry to glaringly obvious.
Tapping the newspaper, Harry chuckled. "Five Galleons that Cuffe will be out of a job before the week is over. You know, if he'd had that much courage to go against the Ministry from the start, we might not have ended up where we are."
"Not a bet I'd take," Ron sighed, "but that's not why I'd wanted to show you the article. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you – I saw Tonks. She wouldn't have recognized me, of course," he gestured to his face and the nose that was still off-centre.
"How was she?" Harry asked, quickly glancing to his friend.
"She seemed fine, from what I could tell," Ron replied with a shrug. "Tired, kind of. Oh, and there was this... err, I think it had been a tea shop or something. My Mum once took me there. Dreadful place. Anyway, it's no longer there. Boarded up and some notices stuck to it. I didn't stay around, not with so many people, but..."
"Yeah?" Harry pressed.
"Well, it looked off. Like it hadn't been trashed, but closed down. You know, it kind of reminded me of the Educational Decrees, like it had been something official or something. It reeked of the Ministry. Magical Britain just isn't the same any more."
"'Will the Ministry find a solution?'" Harry quoted. "'Will they be able to put a stop to the crime series right in their middle? Is it the work of an insider as some have hypothesized? Only time will tell.' Well, when all of this is over, I'll have to make sure to shake the hand of Cuffe, I guess."
"If he'll be alive by that point, you mean," Ron spoke up.
"Obviously. Still, I like the article. Them questioning the Ministry means people start questioning the power the Ministry has in general. It means they do see the Ministry's control is not absolute. Destroying the faith in them; good, good."
"Until we need it ourselves," Hermione reminded him. "Unless you've changed your mind and want to do away with the Ministry?"
"Nah," Harry laughed. "They may be a bunch of idiots who couldn't catch a cold if their life depended on it, but they do have experience keeping the society running. The Floo Network, the Examination Committee... Wouldn't want to have to deal with that. Can you imagine the chaos it would cause if we had to organize anything of that magnitude? Even Riddle knew not to do away with them – people don't like change. As long as the public services work, food is still sold, and the paper is delivered each day, it's easy to not mind the oppression."
"Unless someone the know is affected by it," Hermione pointed out.
"Well, yes, obviously," Harry replied with a shrug. "But then, I have a feeling the witches and wizards of Magical Britain are used to being told what to think. So tell them their loved ones were secretly trying to stage an uprising and people will buy it."
"We are not," Ron argued, glaring at his friend. "We can think for ourselves just fine."
"Most of Magical Britain bought into both the crap about the Boy-Who-Lived and the Chosen One based on nothing but rumours," Harry said, only to continue in a careless tone, "Maybe it's more appropriate to say they like being told something's not their responsibility - that someone else will take care of it. The Great and Powerful Harry Potter, the Chosen One, will deal with the forces of evil, for example, so the good little sheep can continue with their comfy lives." He skimmed the article about the attacks, conscious of his friends' eyes on him. When he had finished, he chuckled once more. "This is great," he told them. "Maybe I should frame it or something, hang it in my room. Has to be a first – an article about me I actually like for once."
"You're depicted as a murderer that has to be stopped. I don't see what's so funny about that. Or great," Hermione ground out with Ron nodding in agreement. "You're the villain in that story."
Still chuckling, Harry put the newspaper down. "They call it the work of mad wizards. That's the story they put out, that's the interpretation they've come up with. Don't you see? They call me mad. Me, mad."
"You are, from their point of view," Hermione told him hesitantly, sharing an uneasy look with Ron. "From their limited knowledge..."
"Hehe, mad, eh?" Harry continued, shaking his head. "No, I'm a genius, aren't I? Or rather, aren't we?" Harry laughed, running a hand through his hair. "This is brilliant," he announced. "They're convinced it's madness driving me. Mad, eh? Oh, maybe I'll show them mad. Would be a nice change of pace, at least."
"So, what will you do, then?" Ron asked with worry evident in his voice. "I mean, if they do figure out it's you –"
"Then there'll be little to be done about it," Harry waved him off. "but now that the seedling of doubt is planted, now that the idea is there that it's indeed madness behind it, it'll seem like a reasonable explanation for whatever I do. After all, if it's the work of mad wizards – or witches, for that matter – I doubt anyone would expect the Boy-Who-Lived and Chosen One behind it. I'd be playing two different parts, in a way – the Chosen One at day, fighting for justice wherever I go, and a mad wizard, striking fear in the hearts of our enemies."
"Well," Hermione mused, "assuming you can play the part convincingly and drop the act when it's necessary, you wouldn't be the first suspect, that's true. Of course, presenting yourself as an upstanding citizen, for example, by distancing yourself from these acts of cruelty might be a good idea. And helping justice along would help as well. If Harry Potter is seen as a fighter for justice... you know, not killing anyone in his way..."
"And taking prisoners rather than killing, you mean?" Harry guessed, seeing her blush a bit. "Right. You've made your point. I'll keep it in mind. Any ideas for the Snatchers so far?"
"Wait," Ron interrupted. "Snatchers?"
"Harry's plan," Hermione explained. "He wants to set a trap and take out quite a few of them. You know how they are sent wherever Riddle's chosen name is said?"
"So you'd call them some place?" Ron asked, slowly nodding.
"I can't let such an opportunity go to waste, can I? Not when they're so kind to show up whenever they're called. No, I should teach them a lesson about trying to control our speech. And honestly, it's about as simple as it could be. I'd just need some way to deal with whoever is sent. Since I'd have as much time as I want to set the trap..."
"'Take out a few of them'?" Ron repeated, looking slightly worried.
"Well," Hermione replied, "he originally planned to kill them all. I suggested considering other options, possibly some that would not require killing however many would walk into the trap. The way Harry plans to do it, it'd be somewhere between a fight and a straight-up execution of potential prisoners of war. Since Harry would have the time to prepare... Well, why not consider non-lethal means?"
Ron frowned. "How do you want to capture them? I mean, it's not like they'd simply give up or anything, and we don't really have an army to take them on." He blinked before shrugging, "Well, technically, we might have enough wands to deal with a bunch of Snatchers if we asked around, but –"
"Snakes," Harry told him. "I'll conjure an army of poisonous snakes, disillusion them and command them to bite whoever answers my summons. As long as I don't let anyone escape before the poison takes effect –"
"Right," Hermione added, "and I pointed out that even if Harry killed the Snatchers, he couldn't leave the bodies lying around or the puncture marks from the bites would clue in any investigator."
Ron bit his lip in thought. "Any idea what to do with a bunch of prisoners? We've already got our hands full keeping things going around here."
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes, guessing what Ron had meant. "Hermione suggested feeding them sleeping potions and putting them in some bag or extended closet."
"It'd be half an hour at most each day," she explained, before adding with a frown, "But there's something else we talked about that day. Harry, do you remember? I asked about your plans for the war."
"And I said we'd talk about it after we were done with the latest attack," Harry finished. "Yeah, I did say that, didn't I?"
"Well," Hermione smiled, "you did, yes. So," she bit her lip, "I don't want to force your hand or anything, but..."
"I promised," Harry finished the thought, sighing. "Well, let's see what we can come up with then, shall we? Maybe some rough outline? Some key points?"
This seemed to cheer up both Hermione and Ron.
"Oh," Ron spoke up, "about time, I'd say."
"Right," Hermione said, "let's make a list of everything that needs to be done, all right?" She waved her wand and within moments, a piece of parchment lay in front of her. Then she pulled a Muggle pen from within her robes.
"What needs to be done?" Harry wondered. "Well, Riddle has to die. It's the only way I can see to deal with him and the threat he is to the world. As long as he lives, people will flock to him." When his friends didn't disagree, he added, "And Nagini will have to die as well, of course. We don't know whether she is a Horcrux, but we shouldn't take any risks about that. Of course, actually killing her will be a bit tricky in and of itself, but... Anyway."
Hermione wrote both items down.
"What do we do about the Death Eaters?" Ron asked.
"They're too invested in Riddle's campaign to back out," Harry replied. "Some were given a second chance the last time, but that didn't work out that well, did it? So they'll fight, and we'll have to take them down. They're trained to fight as an army, and they're been trained not to feel pity or compassion. With them, it's kill or be killed, so taking them prisoners is very low on my priority list. Unless you can convince me otherwise –"
"Err," Hermione began, giving him a pained smile, "I doubt I can. I can't expect miracles."
"We can't do that on our own, can we?" Ron wondered, looking around. "So we'll need some help for that."
"Harry thinks the people of Magical Britain will fight back the moment Riddle and his followers are pushed back," Hermione offered. "You know, that once the tides turn, the average witch or wizard will want revenge and justice. I'm not quite sure about it, but..."
"Seems like a gamble," Ron mused. "Or not something we should depend on. Would be nice, of course."
"We'd also need to push the Death Eaters back for that to happen," Hermione reminded them.
"Well, I'm trying to prove the Death Eaters and the willing helpers aren't invincible," Harry began, but Ron waved him off.
"Yeah, you've told us already. We know. Still, it's not really the same, is it? But back to topic, we shouldn't plan around everything going our way. If the people do indeed fight back, awesome, but what if they don't?"
"Then they don't," Harry replied with a shrug. "Then we'd have to do it without their help."
"Then we'd need someone else to help us," Hermione argued. "We'd need fighters of our own. An army we can reasonably expect to come to our aid. The Order will of course come to our aid, but that probably won't be enough."
"Recruiting fighters," Ron agreed. "Right. And if they're meant to fight on our side and follow our plan, we'd need some means to tell them what to do, right?"
Harry watched Hermione adding the recruitment of troops to her list. It reminded him of Dumbledore's Army. "The coins," he spoke up, "from the DA. Think you could improve them, Hermione? So that we could use them for communications?"
She pursed her lips. "It shouldn't be impossible, no. But it might be far simpler to create a network of parchments. You know, whatever we write on ours then appears on all of the others. That way, we could give detailed orders any time and any place. I'll look into it, but yes, that's something we should do."
"The Death Eaters," Ron said. "Do we have to fight them? I mean, do we have to meet them in battle? Or couldn't you... Well, do your thing, come up with something to deal with them beforehand? One at a time shouldn't be impossible for you, right?"
"Would make things easier, I guess," Harry mused. "I guess I could hunt them down one by one. It would be a blow to their morale and fighting power, I guess. But then, they're not my main concern right now. I could reduce their numbers, true, but Riddle's not an idiot. Do you think he'll charge into battle if he's missing about half of his Death Eaters already? Or would he try to regroup, recruit new forces? I think he would. Like I said, he's not an idiot, and charging into a fair fight or going into one with inferior numbers? No, I think he'd avoid any open confrontation he could see coming. If he's losing too many Death Eaters, no one will get close enough to him to deal the killing blow. If I make him go into hiding once more, if I force him on the defensive, the war might take forever. I need him to come and fight us."
"About that," Ron said hesitantly. "How do you plan to do that, exactly? Any idea about that? I mean, he's in power now, but it's not like he's strolling down Diagon Alley or anything."
"Well, I guess not," Harry laughed. "But he does show his face from time to time, just not in public. He likes to watch his powerful enemies fall, for one. He likes to finish important opponents. He did come to kill me instead of sending one of his followers to bring me to him. He did kill a number of powerful witches and wizards himself. But I guess it's true that he orders his followers to do his bidding instead of going himself. He keeps back."
"Which leads to the issue of how to actually get close enough to kill him," Hermione finished. "Remember anything useful?" She looked at Harry.
"Not particularly, no," he admitted. "Just what we already know. Riddle doesn't show his face all that often, and now probably even less than ever. To defeat him, I'd either have to go to him, he'd have to come to me, or we'd have to meet somewhere. So if he's indeed hiding in one of his strongholds," Harry said, nodding slowly, "and from what I know, that's exactly what he'd do, then it's either getting him to come out or storming in."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Storming in seems like a really bad idea, you know? I doubt we'd have the strength to force our way inside."
"And even if we had enough wands to fight however many he'd have with him, we'd charge into whatever traps they could have prepared for us," Hermione brought up.
"So it's either getting him to come to us," Harry agreed, "but that would mean letting him and his followers storm a stronghold of our own, or arranging to meet him some place. And just like we're not itching to charge into one of his, he'll probably send his followers instead of joining the charge himself. He might show his face once the defenders are defeated to gloat to the survivors, but..."
"Right, so that's out," Ron said. "Which leaves us with arranging to meet him somewhere."
"Somewhere he'd feel safe enough to join the fight from the start," Harry added. "We don't want him only showing up after the fight is over, we want him to come when we still have the strength to take him down."
"Him and whatever forces he'd have with him," Ron reminded his friends.
"I doubt he'd accept a formal challenge or something," Hermione spoke up, pursing her lips.
"He might," Harry argued. "But maybe we won't have to do anything like that. For him show his face, he'll have to believe he has the upper hand when in reality, we have something up our sleeves."
"A deception," Hermione mused, "that Riddle will be guaranteed to fall for." She sighed, shaking her head. "We can't things be easy for once?"
"We don't have to come up with something right now," Harry reminded his friends. "It's just something we'll have to think about eventually. So, write it down." He watched Hermione for a moment as she added the item to their list.
"We'll have to deal with his Death Eaters, though," Ron pointed out.
"Well, some I might hunt down, but not all of them," Harry repeated. "Which leaves us with however are left afterwards."
"And we can't count on You-Know-Who only bringing his Death Eaters," Ron said, "so they're bound to be some Ministry people mixed in as well."
"Right," Hermione agreed with a nod. "So we'll have to recruit some followers of our own, find some means of communication so we can coordinate. We'll have to be ready to take down however many fighters Riddle will bring or send into battle. Harry, You'll look into taking out a few of the Death Eaters beforehand."
"Ideally spread out over a few weeks or months," Harry mused. "It might look suspicious if Death Eaters suddenly started dying like flies. It might warn Riddle that something's about to happen. Better to establish it as part of the everyday life. To give Riddle a false sense of safety? And then there's killing Nagini and You-Know-Who," Harry added. "The latter very likely in the first and last real confrontation with him. Once he knows he has a match out there, once he knows we're ready for him, it'll be a lot harder to catch him off-guard."
"So the first time you match blows with him will have to count," Hermione summarized. "That sounds about right."
"Otherwise, we might have to conquer one stronghold after another," Harry added with a lop-sided smile. "It's either one big blow or a long war of wearing them down."
"And Nagini?" Ron asked.
"Well, our best bet is getting Snape involved, isn't it?" Harry said with a shrug. "He can tell us where she'll be. Then again, getting him to tell us where to find her seems needlessly complicated. Maybe we should just tell him to kill her the first chance he gets."
Hermione frowned. "Ignoring for a moment that he might be more valuable as a spy, and having him kill the snake, why should he do that? It' not like he'd blindly follow your orders, so unless he thinks it's necessary, I doubt he'd put his life and the success of mission on the line just to kill Nagini." Biting her lip, she added, "And now that I think about it, how do we get the Order and our fighters – people like Moody who have more experience than you... No, more than they think you have. How do we get them to follow your plan? Why should they accept your leadership?" She looked to Harry.
It was Ron who answered. "Dumbledore's orders?"
"Dumbledore's dead, Ron," Hermione reminded him. "So unless we can make them believe Dumbledore planned months ahead –"
"I wouldn't be surprised if people would actually accept that," Harry chuckled. "Guess I'd have to convince them to believe in me." Then he scratched his chin in thought. "What to tell Snape about Nagini... Not the truth, I think. Not the whole truth, at least, but something to make him accept she's a problem. She's a dangerous beast, for one."
"You can say that again," Ron interrupted with a glare at the table, obviously thinking about the run-in his father had had with the snake.
"Still, I don't think it will matter much to Professor Snape," Hermione pointed out. "I wouldn't do it if I were in his place, that much I know without a doubt."
Harry smiled. "He might have done it if Dumbledore had asked him, but Snape would be the last to believe that I'm still acting on Dumbledore's orders."
"Not true," Ron disagreed. "Dumbledore could have told you that the snake had to die some time. Something about her being to dangerous to let her live."
"Nagini's still just a snake, though," Hermione sighed. "True, Professor Dumbledore might have told Harry to see to it that she died, but... I don't know. Would Professor Snape believe that? Or would he check with Professor Dumbledore's portrait? And Professor Snape might feel affronted that Harry had been told instead of him."
"She's evil," Harry spoke up, drawing the attention of his friends to him. "Dumbledore was pretty sure Riddle had done something to her to make her special; the spy mission to the Ministry proves a disturbing amount of control over her. He might have done some magic to increase her intelligence. Dumbledore believed it prudent to see her killed to make sure whatever Riddle did to Nagini would be undone."
"It sounds rather flimsy," Hermione argued. "We'll have to work on it, I think."
"She can be sent on spy missions and is completely loyal to Riddle?" Harry suggested.
"Still not enough," Hermione sighed. "She's a bit too big to not be noticed. If she were smaller –"
"Pocket-sized," Harry added, smiling to himself as he imagined the possibilities.
"Right, but she isn't," Hermione continued. "She doesn't seem to be a big enough risk to justify her death as anything but an afterthought."
"Add it to the list?" Harry said, shrugging. "Maybe we'll have an idea later."
"Right. So what else do we have to do to prepare for the war?" Ron asked.
"Train and get ready? Think of something to get Riddle out of his hiding place," Harry counted on his fingers.
"We should probably also ask the Order to shape up and give them something to trust your leadership," Hermione reminded them. "Maybe start with some smaller missions to show you do know what you're doing? Or maybe earn the respect of some of the more influential members? Oh, and finding out what the Death Eaters and Riddle are making of the situation. You'll probably have to stay in contact with Professor Snape for that."
Nodding, Harry sighed. "Seems like I'll need to have a chat with him in the foreseeable future anyway. And here I thought I had nothing to look forward to."
Dinner was almost finished when the main door closed above. Granger and Weasley jumped to their feet with Harry lagging slightly behind, but they relaxed slightly hearing a slow Thump, Thump moving through the hallway. Daphne too recognized the sound and wondered about the strange timing. Had the grizzled Auror watched them and waited for the right moment to come in? She doubted he minded manners that much.
Someone came down the stairs, and the voice of Alastor Moody announced the visitor. "Good for you three, being careful there. I'm coming in, so don't curse me on sight."
He did enter the room, looking as she remembered him from their last meeting. "Ask your questions then," he told them, glowering.
"Whom did you compare me to the last time we spoke to each other?" Harry asked, frowning.
Professor Moody pursed his lips. "Not that good of one, but fine. Black and your father."
"It's him," Harry told his friends with a nod. They looked at him questioningly, and Daphne realized they didn't know about the talk on the forest road in mid-August. Somehow, that raised her spirits. So she was one of possibly three people to know about that?
"My turn," Professor Moody spoke up. "What was Dumbledore's reason for sending me that night?"
"None," Harry answered immediately. "You decided to watch over me, not Dumbledore."
"He thought you'd waste your time guarding Harry," Daphne added, watching as the other teens retook their seats.
"Greengrass," the retired Auror said to her. "Heard about that one," he pointed at her face. "Nasty business, but you're lucky, I guess. Or maybe not." He tapped his own artificial eye which was whirling around wildly.
"I prefer mine," she told him, ignoring Weasley's suppressed chuckle.
"Suit yourself," Moody replied with a shrug, turning towards Harry. "So you got a bit impatient, is that it? Thought you could do something useful in this war?"
"I'm not quite sure..." Harry began, only to be waved off by the Auror.
"Don't toy with me, I can see that arm of yours. Nott's work, eh?"
"Well, Nott's, yes," Harry told him with a shrug. "To be fair, that visit didn't work out quite as I had planned. I had to improvise."
Professor Moody grunted. "That much was a given, Potter. So it was you behind those other assassinations, then? From the way she's tensing, I'm guessing Granger had hand in that as well?" It was true, Daphne noticed – Granger had indeed tensed the moment the ex-Auror had spoken of Harry's attacks.
"A bit of work on the theoretical side," Harry replied before anyone else could speak up. "Double-checking the plans for hidden miscalculations. Lending a hand here or there, mostly to make sure I didn't make any obvious mistakes."
"And I'm guessing Lupin already knows? That's why he's off lately, then," Professor Moody asked, his magical eye whirring around to watch each of them in turn.
"Can't say whether he's been off lately," Harry admitted from his seat next to Daphne, "he doesn't come over that much. But he does know, yes. He wasn't really happy about it, no."
"Can't say I am," Professor Moody growled. "I spent most of my life hunting murderers and criminals, Potter."
"So you think it's wrong, then?" Harry asked.
An uncomfortable silence settled while Professor Moody seemed to wait for something. After a while, he relaxed a bit. "I said I'm not happy about it, Potter. Remember what I told you back in August? About Black and your father?"
"Vividly," Harry said with a hint of displeasure on his face.
"Neither would have resorted to murder to advance their goals. However, we're at war right now. It may come down to them or us before long, and the fewer of them there will be, the better. Macnair had to be dealt with sooner or later, of course – you saved us the hassle of taking him down. One less skilled fighter if it ever comes to an actual battle."
"That was part of the reason for it, yes," Harry admitted. "Lowering their numbers and giving them something to worry about – something to occupy their time. Also, making the Ministry wonder how I did it."
"You have the Ministry wondering all right," Professor Moody replied with something of a grim smile. "It's a disgrace to see them made a fool of by a teenager. If I were still working there, you'd already be on your way to Azkaban. You might think you're clever, but you do make mistakes."
"You aren't working there any more, though," Harry told the old Auror. "Which is good, I guess, since I wouldn't want to have to go against you if I could help it."
"Save you breath," Professor Moody grunted. "It's war. I've avoided killing if I could help it. Sometimes, I could; sometimes, I couldn't. Your methods work; that's what matters right now, not worrying about the morality of your actions. See to it you know when to stop." Turning to Hermione, he added, "And you see to it he remembers."
"Don't worry," Harry chuckled. "She's already trying to keep me focused and grounded."
"I can see what Albus meant," Professor Moody said, straightening a bit. "I talked to him back in July. I could see where he was heading; I'm not blind. I tried to make him see reason, but he said you would be fine and wouldn't need much help. Fine indeed. Was that what you were doing up there in his office? Doesn't seem like something he'd have a hand in. Also not like the work of a teenager, though."
This was news to Daphne. She hadn't known about Harry spending much time with the deceased headmaster. There had been rumours about Dumbledore 'doing something with Potter', of course. Malfoy had complained about Dumbledore's preferential treatment of Harry for years, but with his usual performance in school, there had been little evidence to support that claim. Then again, Harry had improved a lot after last year's Valentine's Day, so maybe Dumbledore had indeed given Harry some kind of special training. At least it would explain why Harry had been able to find Dumbledore so quickly after the attack on her back in February. And it would explain Harry's combat skills; after all, how many teenagers could take on a group of adults at once? Had the old headmaster taught Harry something valuable for the war? Had he guided Harry, maybe even advised him to hold back in school in order to not give away his true capabilities? Daphne had wondered about Harry's sudden improvements during the second half of their sixth year. It sounded like the long-term plans someone like Dumbledore might come up with.
"Not really. Going after Riddle's minions was more of a spur of the moment for me," Harry explained. "Keeping the Ministry busy, giving the Death Eaters something to worry about, hopefully making some people reconsider joining in the first place. Dumbledore wouldn't have agreed to anything similar, much less prepared me for it, but right now, slowing Riddle's forces down seems like a decent idea."
"True," Professor Moody chuckled. "Albus greatly disliked deadly force, even in combat. I avoided it when possible, but we're at war and don't have the upper hand right now. There's a reason we try to keep out of sight most of the time – why we act behind the scenes."
"Don't confront your enemy until you're ready?" Harry guessed.
"Something like that, yes," Professor Moody agreed. "We do not have an army to match theirs, and recruiting is a bit tricky now, not when it might seem like a lost cause. It's a dangerous game you're playing, Potter, but for now, it has given some people hope. It's a start, but nothing more."
"Our side hasn't lost yet, has it?" Granger spoke up, glancing around nervously, almost as if she expected attackers to jump out of the walls at any moment.
"No," the old Auror told her. "No, but we also haven't won anything in a while. We have to stay out of sight now. We do have some experience with it, but so do our enemies. They know how to spot conspiracies and they know enough about operating in the shadows that we have to be careful. One wrong step might lead to maybe a dozen of our supporters or spies getting caught. We had to regroup. We're now working in considerably smaller cells. Sure, I know some names, but I don't really know where most are most of the time."
"And how does that work?" Granger asked. "What if some emergency required immediate action or some larger force? Or," she added with a quick glance to Harry, "what if you want to strike back? Go on the offence for once?"
"An emergency? Like the attack on the Weasley twins?" Professor Moody guessed. "Nothing to be done about something like that. People will have to make do with what they have. Some manage, some don't. That's the price we have to pay. Better than risk getting others in trouble. We do have some means of communication and coordination, though, just not quite as fast as before. And even if you did give some people hope, you also gave us some headache with those attacks of yours."
"What do you mean?" Harry wondered. "Any operation I put at risk?"
"In a way, yes," Professor Moody grumbled. "You gave the Ministry reason to do something about us. Macnair? Szarka? Yeah, that was quite clever. It put them on edge, but they couldn't risk starting a thorough investigation for fear of digging up something they shouldn't know in the first place. They did as much digging as necessary to look as if they were doing their work. Nott, however? I don't know about that one. It was sloppy, most agree on that. The Ministry suspects a seasoned fighter, which is good for you, but bad for people like me. I'm a prime suspect."
"You wouldn't kill, though," Harry pointed out. "Even the Ministry should know as much."
"But I might have tried taking Nott prisoner," Professor Moody replied as his artificial eye whirled around in search of any danger. "So now I have to tiptoe around, thanks to you. And it might not have been such a good idea to go after Nott in the first place. While a Death Eater, he did have his friends all over the place. You forced the Ministry to act. Yeah, Thicknesse said they had everything under control, but we both know they'll be more determined than ever to catch you now. That attack also convinced the Ministry they are fighting a group of witches and wizards, not a single person. They are coming down on the resistance now, starting with known or suspected members."
Weasley groaned.
"Then there's your little killing spree," Professor Moody continued. "I know better than to ask how you did it, but as impressive as it was, it was also a challenge for the Ministry."
"They challenged me, not the other way around," Harry claimed with a roll of his eyes.
"It served as further proof that a group of wizards is behind it," the ex-Auror added.
"Yeah, we read the Daily Prophet," Harry said with a careless wave of his hand. This had Daphne perk up – she hadn't seen any article Harry could refer to with his statement. "Calling me mad... Tcheh. Really? Well, I'm not complaining; I've been called insane before when the Ministry didn't like me. And I've been called worse. The Boy-Who-Lived. The Chosen One. Like I'm the only one who can do anything."
"They interrogated Nymphadora yesterday," the old Auror said with a curt nod in acknowledgement of Harry's statement. "She has access to the Ministry and is known to be less than enthusiastic about the new rule, so she might have had something to do with it."
"She seemed a bit stressed when I saw her earlier," Weasley spoke up.
Professor Moody's glance made him squirm in his seat.
"Other than that, we'll manage," the ex-Auror said in a tone that made it clear the topic was closed.
Harry cleared his throat. "So, now that you know what I'm up to, what are you going to do? I won't lie, having you on the team would be very useful, but –"
"There's enough to be done for everyone. I should ask you how you did it in the name of safety," Professor Moody mused, "but I'm probably better off not knowing. I could send Molly your way, or perhaps Nymphadora. Both of them would likely shout until all of your ears are ringing. But that wouldn't help any. And your assassinations do work in our favour, even if they're a dangerous gamble. Just make sure you're not making any more mistakes."
"We already told him as much," Granger spoke up. "I really don't want to have to patch him up every few days."
Professor Moody looked at her for a moment – long enough that Daphne would have felt incredibly uncomfortable – before turning back to Harry. "You can't continue like that, though. It's just a question of time until you'll slip up again."
"We've started thinking about the long-term plans for the war, yes," Harry agreed much to Daphne's surprise. "Right now, we're working under the assumption of a first and final confrontation with Riddle, ideally by having him come to us rather than the other way around. After the first, he won't underestimate us any more, making it almost impossible with our limited resources to take him down. So a first and final battle it is for the moment. For that, we'll likely need some help. Capable fighters, ideally."
"If there is a battle, I'll be there," Professor Moody grunted. "As will the rest of us."
"It would be nice if you could spread the word so people brush up on their combat skills," Harry said with a quick glance to Granger. "Just so when the time has come, they'll be a help instead of a hindrance."
"This isn't the first war I've fought," Professor Moody growled with a narrowed eye.
"What about the rest of the wizarding world?" Granger spoke up, looking nervous. "Are there any news?"
"Not much to tell you," Professor Moody replied. "You can read a lot in the papers. Of course, it's all a bunch of lies, but there isn't a lot to tell you apart from that. Most people try looking the other way instead of standing up. I already said recruiting's difficult right now. People don't want to take risks." He turned to Daphne. "Oddly enough, Mr. Greengrass was arrested."
"We heard, yes," Weasley told him with a glance in Daphne's direction, but whether it had been pity or doubt in his eyes, she wasn't sure. Shifting in his seat, Harry leaned over slightly to put his hand on hers.
"You did, eh?" Professor Moody said, looking at each of them in turn. His magical eye had also jumped for a fraction of a second to Harry's hand on hers. Daphne resisted the urge to pull hers back, but felt her face heat up slightly. "Wasn't in the papers," the old Auror added after a moment.
"Have you heard anything about him?" Daphne asked, trying to keep her voice steady while she focused on what truly mattered the most to her at the moment. "For example, how is he doing?"
"Last I heard," Professor Moody began, "he was alive, but imprisoned. We were surprised to see him carted off in the first place – he had no connection to us. I don't know more about him, though. Asking about his well-being or him in general isn't that good for his health right now. He was probably arrested based on little more than hearsay, in which case he should be treated better than most."
"Or they might try to lure me out of hiding," Daphne pointed out, "isn't that right? That he's a hostage? Assuming, of course, that they believe I'm still alive, which they shouldn't have any proof of."
The Auror gave what might have been meant as a smile, perhaps even to ease her worries, but it was more twisted than anything. "That's a good guess," he replied, "but since they haven't announced his arrest, they'd have to hope for the rumour to reach you. Not everything's about you, Greengrass." Not bothering with the stifled snort from Weasley, he continued, "They're just getting paranoid. Tyrants tend to see enemies wherever they look once they've dealt with the real threats to their power. If it were about you," the retired Auror told her, "they'd have gone for your weakness and hurt him – nothing quite like love to –"
"If you do find out something," Harry interrupted, sending Professor Moody a warning look, "please send word. But from what we heard," he continued, addressing Daphne more than the rest of them, "he probably just lacked the proper pureblood pride or held back on supporting the new regime. That's why I agree with Moody – he's probably treated better than most. And it's also likely he was really just arrested out of fear he might one day take a stand against them. And I do think they're right to fear him and those like your father. Those who do find the courage to disagree."
Harry sent Daphne a smile of his own – a reassuring one that filled her with the kind of bubbly happiness and warmth Harry often caused in her as of late.
"So," Granger asked with a slightly raised voice, her voice like a splash of fresh water to Daphne, "the people are too scared to act, then?"
"Not surprising, is it?" the ex-Auror growled. "As long as they aren't in any immediate danger, they prefer looking the other way. Sure, they may not like the new rule, but as long as they're still alive... Most look away, that is. As Potter said, some aren't quite as willing look away any more. Not when they might be next to get a visit. All the Ministry and Riddle are doing is feeding the fire until the cauldron'll boil over."
"So they're lashing out at everyone based on their fears?" Harry asked, a small smile forming on his lips as he sent both of his friends a quick glance. Perhaps it had been a coincidence, but his hand had also gently brushed over Daphne's for a moment. "That won't make them very popular, will it?"
"Probably not, no," Professor Moody agreed, narrowing his healthy eye in suspicion. His artificial eye rolled around, passing Harry's hand on Daphne's once more. He had figured it out, she guessed, but hadn't mentioned it yet, making her feel uncomfortable.
"Apart from that," the retired Auror continued, "Dementors are herded towards Muggle settlements – sometimes small villages, sometimes towns – so they don't starve. Or they were, in any case. We were running up and down the country to stop these renegade Dementors, as the Ministry calls them. Of course, in the Ministry's official words, those Muggles are terrible losses of human lives, very unfortunate, but what to do? But the attacks stopped around New Year's. That was a mess for the Ministry to clean up. Some Dementors were feasting in a small town, the Muggles cowering like they usually do. But one of the Muggles fought back. Made them visible by pelting the whole lot of them with cooking supplies. That worked, unfortunately. It snowballed from there, reports went on the Muggle news. Nasty business cleaning that up."
"There was a report about an attack in the Daily Prophet," Harry said. "although I don't think it had any details."
"There are always reports in the Daily Prophet," Professor Moody grunted. "Just not the truth. It's the Muggle news that really caused trouble."
"Why, though?" Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow as she covertly withdrew her hand from under Harry's. "Why would it ever be published, I mean? I thought the Ministry had people to prevent just that stationed in the Muggle news outlets. To filter those reports out?"
"Aye," Moody nodded, chuckling. "They had. Muggleborns and Squibs. Well, with the current government, those left, so not enough people kept an eye on the Muggle side. Like I said, nasty business. The Ministry was lucky they could contain it at all. They're still trying to round up those Muggles from that town's square. Most were caught right then, but some seem to have slipped through their fingers. And believe me, the Ministry's very angry about that, partly because it means the story's still out there. In a way, luck was on our side in that matter – since it put the Statute of Secrecy at risk, the Ministry had to act in order to be seen doing something. The ICW wasn't amused."
"And why haven't they gotten themselves involved by now?" Weasley fumed. "All those years Dumbledore worked with them, yet now they aren't doing anything to put a stop to it?"
"They're trying to contain the disease, I'm guessing," Harry said, frowning as he glanced at Professor Moody. "If securing the world peace means sacrificing the British Isles, then so be it."
"They're keeping a close eye on the borders," the ex-Auror confirmed. "There are rumours about some discontent showing up here or there, but so far, no action has been taken on their part. And keep in mind, Great Britain isn't the only place on earth with supporters of pureblood supremacy. There are people all over the world who are displeased with the influx of Muggleborns. Some of the European countries are preparing to defend themselves, true, but an invasion of Great Britain? And we're talking about politicians here. Everything they do takes forever, and they'll mostly think about their own interests. Whoever has the most gold or influence will also have the ears of the ICW. I wouldn't expect any real help anytime soon."
"Still," Ron grumbled, "they're equally at risk of losing power. Containing a disease? As if it'd stop at Great Britain. No, it'll spread before long."
"They're politicians," Professor Moody replied with a shrug. "Of course they're more concerned with their own well-being. Right now, the traditionalists and Riddle hold the power. Fighting against oppression? That's a risk, and we all know that's not something that goes well with politicians and their comfy chairs."
"What about others abroad?" Harry asked. "Bill said something about building up a network on the continent."
Professor Moody narrowed his healthy eye once more. After a long moment of silence, he grunted. "He got that right. Last I heard, Kingsley tried training some of the refugees as fighters. We'll see whether it'll lead to anything, but I don't expect much from them. They'd be up against people who don't care about casualties – against the scum of the magical world who won't fight fair. Kingsley might teach those refugees a thing or two, but they won't know a real fight until they've lived through one."
"Well," Harry said, nodding, "it's still better than nothing. We could use an army, and I trust Kingsley to know what he's doing. Granted, a bunch of experienced fighters would be better, but beggars can't be choosers. Any wand fighting for us is welcome, right?"
They kept silent for a moment before Professor Moody cleared his throat. "There was a stronghold of ours up in Stirling, but it was raided a week ago. Diggle was there. We found his hat on the threshold."
"And him?" Harry asked.
"Well, him too. In the kitchen area and on the ceiling. Still, it could be worse. Some of those from Stirling are missing, captured most likely, but fortunately, Diggle was the leader there and the only one who should know anything of importance. Since he's dead, there shouldn't be anything useful the Death Eaters can get out of the prisoners."
"Unless Diggle let something slip before he died," Harry reminded the ex-Auror.
"We hope he didn't," Professor Moody agreed. "Oh, and something that might interest you. According to our sources, Pettigrew is still around. I heard a rumour that he's either trying to gain some favour or is being punished by his master. With Death Eaters, it can be a bit difficult to tell those two apart."
"Have you got any news from Hogwarts?" Daphne threw in. "Has Professor Snape told you anything?"
The ex-Auror frowned. "I know he came here," he replied after a while, "but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it."
"It's done and in the past," Harry interrupted. "It's his secret. A big one, I agree, but if he chose to trust Daphne with it, then it's his choice, I think."
Professor Moody grunted, but didn't comment on it any further. His artificial eye jumped from Harry to Daphne and back within a second. "Snape has been tight-lipped about that, but from what I can tell, things aren't going much better, but also not particularly worse. The students are now being educated on proper etiquette when dealing with Muggleborns and other beasts. Riddle's words, even if they come from Snape," he added with a grim smile. "Draco Malfoy has been quiet for the most part, but his work is done now. Those that will join You-Know-Who have already gotten the idea. Malfoy can reap the benefits now, from coasting by in school thanks to his master's influence on about half of the staff to ruling over the student body. Some tried putting up a fight. That young Bones girl? Always knew Amelia's niece would have it in her. But she's gone now, so they've fallen in line or keeping their heads down."
"Yes," Granger spoke up, "Mrs. Weasley told us about her. She hasn't been found?"
"Not that we know of," Professor Moody said. "It doesn't matter where she is, only that she isn't at Hogwarts anymore. An army without a leader is just a rabble at best and a flock of sheep at worst. In this case, it means your friends at Hogwarts have been under constant scrutiny. We'll see how long they'll manage.
"Can't really say I know the other girl," the ex-Auror grunted, scratching his chin, "nor have I talked much with the Bones girl."
"They're both all right," Weasley spoke up. "They'll know what to do. And they have the heart in the right place."
"Well," Professor Moody grumbled, "if she's anything like Amelia was, then it won't be the last we hear of her."
And that's the last of the pre-written chapters.
