Posted 1/3/2016
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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 Seventy-Eight - Divided and United
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Not even forty-eight hours had passed before visitors arrived at Grimmauld Place. First had been Lupin, haggard-looking and grim-faced. Susan and Hannah seemed especially shocked to see their teacher in that state, not having met him much away from Hogwarts. After a short, but happy greeting, he wasted no time.
"You've caused quite a bit of headaches all around, but you're probably used to that by now," Lupin told them with a small smile. "We'll have to talk about what we'll have to do next, of course, as a few things have changed since our planning session. You'll see what I mean later, and not everything is my place to tell, but until then, I'll have to take care of something else." He turned to Susan and Hannah. "I got your letter. Luck seemed to have been on our side that day or I might have run into the Ministry outside your hut. In case she hasn't, though, I want to thank you for looking out for –"
"Sarah," Hannah supplied, "yes."
"Well, it's probably best if I don't waste any more time in talking with her." With a wry smile, he added, "The full moon is always a tiring, I'm afraid."
While Hermione went ahead to warn Sarah and Dudley, who hadn't left her side much the last few days, Harry forced a few biscuits on his old teacher before guiding him up the stairs.
"Any idea what you'll tell her?" he asked with a sidelong look.
"Whatever she wants to know," Lupin replied, shrugging distractedly. "And whatever she needs to know before the next full moon. Which reminds me – if she's still here by then, you'll need some place to put her for those nights."
"A list of what we'll need to look out for might be useful," Harry agreed. "Like, if we build a cage, how far apart should the bars be to keep her inside?"
"I'll make a list later," Lupin promised.
They had reached the door to the make-shift infirmary and heard Hermione say something inside that they couldn't make out.
Harry's knock was answered almost immediately – Hermione slipped out, but let Lupin in.
"She doesn't want people there," Hermione whispered to Harry as she nodded upstairs. "And we'll have to get our notes. We might need them later when we go over the battle plans."
Around two in the afternoon, Moody stomped into the house, scaring Hannah with his sudden appearance and making her lose the game of Exploding Snap. Once she and Susan had left, maybe following Harry's suggestion to head to the training room for some duelling practice, Moody's eye seemed to jump between maybe three locations upstairs. As always, he wasn't the best of company and refused the offered tea.
It didn't take long before Moody spoke up. "Might want to get Lupin now," he grumbled, "Snape has arrived."
Harry took it upon himself to fetch his old teacher in person and maybe get a few moments of private talk with him before the meeting. In the corridor, he walked past a sneering Snape, but didn't stop for a talk.
Once Harry reached the infirmary, he could hear Lupin go over some sort of instructions, but chose to knock right-away. Dudley answered the door, looking pale and grim.
"It seems I'm needed elsewhere for the moment," Lupin chuckled weakly. "If you want, I'll return some other time. I'm guessing it is a bit much to take in at once."
"And these," Sarah asked, waving her hands around her head, "lessons?"
"I'll see what I can do about that," Lupin replied with a nod, "but I already explained it takes very long and is no solution."
"It's better than the alternative?" Sarah said.
"That is true," Lupin admitted. With a bow to Sarah, he left.
"Strange how fate works sometimes," Lupin spoke up on their way to the kitchen. "Here I am, talking to Greyback's last victim. After years and years of waiting for..." He drifted off, pursing his lips. "Greyback brought down by two Muggles wasn't what I had expected, but at least he won't spread the curse any further."
"And have you heard anything from the werewolves?" Harry asked. "Any reaction?"
"That's something to discuss during our meeting, I think," Lupin told him.
"What are these lessons she mentioned?" Harry wondered. "Werewolf-related?"
"Something like that, yes," Lupin admitted. "I don't know whether she'll ever manage it, but yes, werewolf-related. A way to – well, tame might be the wrong way to put it. A way to keep the wolf on a leash for a short while."
Harry stumbled, almost falling down. "I didn't know that was possible!"
"Well, it's not a solution," Lupin said with a tone of desperate longing. "It takes a lot of strength and mental discipline, and all it does is delay the transformation, second by second. It's like keeping your hand in a burning fire. A second might work, maybe two, but you will pull your hand back at some point.
"As you know," Lupin added, straightening up as he latched onto the opportunity to teach, "the transformation takes place during the three nights around the full moon. Also, seeing the moon during those days immediately causes the transformation."
"I remember, yes," Harry agreed, thinking back to his third year.
"Well, not my best moment, I'll admit. But it's obvious there has to be more than that or hiding in some cellar would stop the transformation entirely. If that were the case, all I'd have to do to not transform would be hiding indoors. If it were that simple, the curse wouldn't be that much of a problem to deal with. No, it's the full moon itself that is causing the transformation. Just as the moon is going through it's cycle, so are werewolves. During a new moon, the beast is almost asleep. During the days leading up to the full moon, the beast grows restless, if you will. Hunting, blood, that's what it wants, and it's the human side that is keeping those impulses in check. During a full moon, the beast is generally too strong to keep in check –"
"Transformation," Harry summarised, nodding.
"Pretty much, yes. Now, with mental discipline, it's possible to maintain the dominance of the human mind, second after second, but it takes a lot out of you. I've managed a single, painful, horrible night, and it took me twenty years to get to this point. That's twenty years of gritting my teeth, trying and failing to maintain control during the first night. And as you can guess, after such a night, another one is out of the question. So it took me twenty years to avoid a single night out of three each month – if I get enough rest and strength in the days leading up to it. That's why the Wolfsbane Potion is such a gift. Sure, it doesn't stop the transformation, but it's a safety net."
"Why isn't that taught in school?" Hermione piped up, standing close to the kitchen stairs, a book in her hands.
"Ah," Lupin sighed, running a hand through his hair, "in part because the Ministry doesn't want it to be widely known, and for once, I agree. What people would remember is that werewolves can try keeping the beast leashed, but they'd forget the decades of training needed to stop even one out of three transformations. Any werewolf who failed probably didn't try and maybe even enjoys it."
"That's stupid," Hermione argued.
"That's people for you. Tell them the earth is flat and they'll believe it. Tell them Muggleborns are inferior and they'll believe it – in part because those in power want to, yes, but still. People cling to simple explanations as long as it doesn't affect them. Why look into the hows and whys when someone offers you a convenient answer? For example, how certain are you that what you've read in a book is actually the truth?"
"Are you saying the authors lie?" Hermione challenged.
"They might not know everything themselves. Or they chose to give the believable answer instead of the truth. Our education is based on accepting what others tell us since we wouldn't have enough time to check everything ourselves, but that also means it's entirely possible to bend and twist the truth to fit your needs."
"That'd be lying, though," Hermione gave back.
"Muggleborns do tend to perform worse than purebloods," Lupin pointed out. "Not because of inferiority, but because purebloods know how to play the system. They grow up knowing about magic and have easier access to books during the holidays. Or they can focus on potions; the Ministry doesn't check for that. Towards the end of a school year, Muggleborns usually catch up to the point where it's almost unnoticeable, but on average, purebloods do perform slightly better. If those in power were also worse off, you'd see demands to address the issue as soon as possible – power being money in this case. They're not, and that's why Muggleborns having to work harder to catch up year after year is just how it is. Muggleborns simply being inferior is the convenient answer, and questioning that will get you in a lot of trouble."
"That's a pretty cynical view," Harry said, chuckling.
"I've been a werewolf for over thirty years now," Lupin sighed. "How do you think people react to me? Or those like me? Why do you think –"
"Are you done up there?" Moody's growl echoed up.
"Ah, right," Lupin agreed, leading his former students down the stairs. "We should probably head down. Anyway, why do you think Greyback had such an easy time recruiting? He offered an out. He offered the future the rest of society didn't want to work towards. That's why I had such a hard time getting any of the others to listen to me. I talked about patience and understanding; Greyback spoke of revenge for years of mistreatment. I asked for forgiveness; Greyback promised justice. And bloodshed, true, but he did manage to convince many werewolves that had suffered at some point that his way was the right one – the one that would see change for the better."
"But it wouldn't," Ron spoke up from his seat at the table. "It'd have made everything worse."
"For witches, wizards and Muggles? Yes," Lupin replied, smiling weakly. "For those few who would actually gain something, like Greyback and his loyal supporters? No. It would probably have improved the lives of werewolves and maybe other Halfbreeds, as the Ministry likes to call them, but it would have benefited the minority striving towards it at the expense of everyone else."
"Like pureblood money controlling the Ministry?" Hermione challenged.
Lupin chuckled, but didn't argue the point. Instead, he sat down and addressed the room. "Well, since Harry asked, I might as well give my report about the werewolves. In short, Greyback's death has been a shock. With him gone, a couple of the more influential ones want to rise to the top. No one has made a move yet, not with the full moon in the way. It will come down to politics, though, and who can secure the strongest support. Fortunately for us, this squabbling also means You-Know-Who can no longer count on the werewolves as his rabid, beastial supporters."
"We guessed as much already," Harry said. "Still, it's good to hear. Any idea how long it will take for the werewolves to sort it out?"
"Weeks? Months? It's hard to tell," Lupin admitted. "It has been a while since the werewolves had no one to follow. Greyback's words aren't forgotten, but whoever takes his place will need a while to actually grow into it and demand enough respect or fear from witches and wizards to get what Greyback promised. And a leader who cannot deliver on those promises is no worthy leader. For now, the werewolves are no longer part of You-Know-Who's forces."
Harry nodded, taking his place opposite Daphne and next to Ron and an already scribbling Hermione. "Fair enough. Snape? Any news on your front?"
"The Ministry is slowly losing control," the former Headmaster replied. "They lack the forces to actually deal with everything that has come up over the past year. Catching Greyback's killer is the top priority right now –"
"Not happening," Harry interrupted, pushing a stack of notes to the side to make room just in case.
"– which means they are wasting their time," Snape continued with a glare in Harry's direction.
"And what does You-Know-Who think about that?" Hermione spoke up.
"He is still furious, especially considering Greyback's death has lost him the werewolves. The Dark Lord has me continue my search, which means that for the time being, Hogwarts is no longer in our control and neither are the wards of the school."
Harry pursed his lips. "So you're no longer the Headmaster, fine, but could you still open the gates for us?"
"You still want to take the fight to Hogwarts?" Lupin asked.
"Unless you have a better idea, yes," Harry confirmed. "Sure, we probably won't be able to gain complete control before Riddle shows up, but as long as his forces cannot hold the school against us, it should be fine. It would have made things a lot easier if, for the sake of argument, Headmaster Snape could have called the students to the Great Hall and trap Riddle's supporters there, but apart from that, Hogwarts is still my first choice. Any news from Shacklebolt or the rest of the Order?"
"Kingsley's relief forces are apparently almost ready for combat. His words, not mine," Moody told them. "Continental Europe is preparing for war. With Wizarding Britain secured, it can't be long until Riddle will want to expand his influence. I heard Russian Aurors are keeping a group of dark wizards from gaining a power base, smashing one stronghold after the other. France? Ready to fight as best as the French can."
"So Shacklebolt is ready, that's good," Harry summarised.
"Does he have a plan on how to bring them back to the Isles?" Hermione asked, leaning forward.
"He does," Moody replied with a hint of irritation in his voice. "An Oliver Wood got him –"
"Wood?" Ron interrupted, startled. "As in, our Oliver Wood?"
"Yes," Moody growled with a glare in Ron's direction that made it clear just how little he liked being interrupted.
"He's abroad," Lupin spoke up. "The Quidditch World Cup is coming up, after all, and even if Wood isn't playing, he's still part of the British delegation. Maybe they want him as a reserve for the next Cup."
"He got Shacklebolt in contact with Viktor Krum," Moody continued.
"Vik – Krum?" Hermione interrupted, drowning out Ron's groan. "How did that happen?"
Nostrils wide and glowering in her direction, Moody spat, "Wood is British. Krum asked after you and offered his help."
"That could be useful," Daphne mused. "I don't know how good Krum is as a duellist, but his word carries some weight."
"So, some Durmstrang students want to fight?" Ron grumbled. "On our side, that is?"
"That'd be –" Harry began, but Hermione cut him off.
"Durmstrang!" she shouted, jumping up from her seat. "Viktor! Of course!"
Harry stared at her, probably as confused as Ron and Daphne looked.
"Viktor went to Durmstrang," Hermione explained.
"We know, we met him –" Harry said, chuckling at her enthusiasm, but broke off as he caught on.
"During the TriWizard Tournament, yes. The Tournament held at Hogwarts, the one –"
"Durmstrang arrived at with that ship of theirs," Harry agreed. "Durmstrang has a ship that can – what, travel underwater?"
"Up the river and into the Black Lake?" Hermione scoffed. "It's probably some kind of elaborate magic. Vi – Krum never said how they did it, but he did say Karkaroff had his students do all the work. There are dozens of Durmstrang students who know how to bring a shipload of people into Magical Britain."
"A shipload of people to Hogwarts," Ron corrected. "A Hogwarts under Dumbledore's control."
Hermione blinked as her mind raced. "Well, bringing Shacklebolt's troops to Hogwarts is better than nothing, I suppose. Assuming, of course, that Vi – Krum doesn't know how to bring it elsewhere."
"Kingsley sent this," Moody said, pulling a white rock out of his pocket, "with instructions to put it in a lake or other sufficiently large body of water."
"So they do know how to send the ship elsewhere," Harry reasoned. "And probably also past whatever protections the Ministry can put in place."
"Unless they were given access to Hogwarts for the TriWizard Tournament," Ron argued.
"Wizards don't like to share their secrets with others," Harry replied. "Can you see Karkaroff explaining to the Ministry how this form of transport works? No, I think Karkaroff knew some kind of back door to slip through."
"So Krum wants to bring Shacklebolt's forces over?" Daphne spoke up at the same time Hermione asked Moody, "Have you figured out what that stone is?"
"It's a marker, apparently," Moody grumbled, "for a network. If there's a marker, the ship can sail."
"So Krum will bring Shacklebolt's forces wherever we put that stone," Harry summarised. "Which means we'll have to figure out where and when we'll want them to appear."
"It has to be some place no one will notice," Daphne added. "I can remember that ship showing up – that would certainly draw attention. We could put up some protections, I guess, assuming we aren't too obvious about it, and we'd have to house Shacklebolt's people somewhere."
"Wouldn't someone notice the ship leaving?" Ron asked, frowning. "Or Krum? People watch him everywhere he goes, especially with the Cup going on."
"Unless he has some friend of his take the ship in his stead, yes, people would notice him leaving," Hermione thought out loud, biting her lip. "Maybe if we plan around his schedule? After the World Cup –"
"I don't think we should wait that long," Harry pointed out. "Krum's absence will be noticed, yes, so we might as well just bring Shacklebolt's forces over just before the actual fight. Let's say, a few hours earlier? That way, they'll arrive just in the nick of time, and it won't matter if people noticed Krum or the ship leaving – by the time the news has spread to Magical Britain, we'll have struck already. Who knows? We might even have won the war."
"But still," Ron spoke up, pulling a face, "can we trust Krum? Can we trust that he hasn't been imperiused or something?" When Hermione threw him a nasty look, he lifted his hands in defence. "Hey, I'm just saying he might not be himself right now. He was imperiused during the Tournament, he might be once more."
Moody nodded wordlessly, and Lupin sighed. "It all comes down to whether we trust Kingsley's judgement and experience. It's true, there are too many people involved to feel at ease about it, but it's a good opportunity for us. Is it too good to be true? I don't know. It might be a trap, but it might also be the opportunity we've been waiting for. I don't know Viktor Krum beyond the stories in the news, and I only had a single year of teaching Oliver Wood –"
"I say we take the opportunity," Harry spoke up. "Do I trust Shacklebolt's judgement? More than some others, at least. He knows what he's doing, and if he walked into a trap already, we're screwed anyway. I know Oliver; he wouldn't willingly sell us out. Krum is also fairly upstanding, not to mention closely watched by his people – a star like him is a likely target for attacks anyway, so there'd have to be some kind of international conspiracy just to get us through him.
"I'll take the stone with me to Hogwarts and throw it in the Black Lake. That's an army to offer us support we'll be stretched thin, and from Hogwarts, they can travel all across Magical Britain in a heartbeat. Plus, they're all familiar with the location, meaning we won't have to give them a detailed briefing beforehand."
"What do you mean, stretched thin?" Lupin asked, leaning forward in his seat. "You'll have –"
"Only as many as available after all other tasks are taken care of," Harry interrupted. "We need some of us to keep the Ministry's forces away from Riddle. Enough people so the Ministry will have little choice but to take the bait, but also not enough of a threat that the Ministry workers will have reason to go all-out. Someone has to take charge there and organize the distraction, and I'm thinking of you, Lupin."
Moody took a step forward, but Harry immediately turned to him and added, "I haven't forgotten you or Tonks, don't worry, but I have something else for you in mind. I'm thinking we should follow the Muggle's example. They give each soldier objectives for the task at hand. For example, Lupin –"
"The Order knows how that works," Lupin spoke up. "Dumbledore did something similar during the last war. He knew how all fit together, but some of the mission didn't make much sense on their own."
"It's also standard procedure for Aurors," Moody put in.
"So you're familiar with it," Harry acknowledged. "We might have to work on the exact wording to avoid misunderstandings –"
"I'm on it," she told Harry, already searching for spare parchment and ink among the notes strewn across the table.
"Thanks," he directed at her before turning to the room. "We'll need a team at Hogwarts. Objectives: Keep the Death Eaters out of the castle. Fortify the castle. Subdue the Death Eaters in the castle and assist in the defence of Hogwarts. Another team causes a distraction. But I also have something in mind for you, Moody, and you, Snape, that will prevent you taking charge of either of the former teams. Jobs that require your talents, so to speak."
Moody narrowed his natural eye. "You are spreading our forces awfully thin, Potter. Four teams? We don't have that many people with us."
"You don't even know what I want you to do. Let me explain," Harry said, nodding with a small smile. "Our plan hinges on keeping the Ministry and the Death Eaters separated and tied up with their respective jobs – to keep them from organising so that we're always one step ahead. Organisation needs communication, which is what I want to disrupt as well. Witches and wizards have means to amplify their voices, true, but communication over large distances?"
"The Floo network," Lupin spoke up. "And owls, enchanted parchment –"
"Spreading a message that way takes time," Harry pointed out, "or is tied to a location in the case of the Floo. Sure, there are means of creating a network. The Marauders created a set of four mirrors that were linked, but that's not infallible and actually quite complicated. Does the Ministry have something like that?"
"The top brass has some trinkets like that," Moody mused, "but not everyone's got one of those. And there's a limit to how many can be linked without everyone interrupting everyone else."
"Right. The human factor does limit the possibilities. So, messages generally trickle down with one telling another, but that takes valuable time. However, the Magical World has mass communication, even if it's not used as such."
He flicked his hand at the counter, and the newspaper flew to his hand. This casual display of wandless, nonverbal magic caused raised eyebrows from all three guests. He threw the summoned paper on the table. On the front was a picture of a shifty-looking Dudley.
"The Daily Prophet is one way of getting news out. It works, but it takes time to print and get it to the people. The radio doesn't. One word said on air could ruin our entire plan, which is why someone should step in and put a stop to that."
Lupin barely kept himself from falling of his chair.
"The WWN suddenly stopping its program will undoubtedly draw attention to us," Snape replied in a tone that might have been accompanied with an eye roll from anyone else. "A media blackout is a sure-fire way of drawing attention."
"It could function as the distraction we're looking for," Lupin said, looking like he started to see the potential, even if he didn't seem to be happy about the proposal.
"I'd rather not have them report about what is going on," Harry explained. "They might call out our distraction or call in reinforcements; however, I didn't say silencing the WWN. I want it so that everything seems normal."
"You want them to report our news, I take it?" Moody interrupted.
"Eventually, yes. That's the plan. That's also why I want you on that job. You and Tonks, that is," Harry continued. "You are the best we have at covert operations. Get in, take over silently, continue regular business. Do you think you could do that?"
"Not sure," Moody gave back, but his tone had become thoughtful. "Our enemies did something similar when they took over, but they simply placed their spies in the right spot and struck when the time was right. There's a good chance stealing the WWN away will fail."
"If it does, you'll just keep them from doing regular business as long as you can," Harry explained. "Worst case scenario, you'll fail, but serve as another distraction. Best case scenario, the most reliable form of mass communication falls into our hands without anyone noticing it."
"I'd need more than just Tonks, though," Moody told them. "And people with a bit of brains and talent."
"And what do you have in mind for me that will keep me from doing my duty and defending the school?" Snape asked, eyes narrowed.
"I'm assuming you can still enter and leave Riddle's headquarters?" Harry asked.
Anger replaced by an emotionless mask, Snape nodded curtly, but didn't elaborate.
"Excellent," Harry told him. "To make a long story short, I want you to hunt down Nagini. Unless, of course, she has been dealt with at the time." To the room, he added, "Dumbledore had reason to believe she keeps Riddle alive – that is, as long as she is alive, Riddle cannot truly die."
"And that reason being?" Moody questioned with a guarded expression.
"A very strong bond between master and pet to the point where I could follow Riddle into her mind shortly before Christmas two years ago. That and extensive research over decades. Also, Riddle is shrewd from time to time. Taking steps to prevent his death? Yeah, I can see that. He tried it in my first year, for example. Well, he tried gaining a body, that is, but –"
"And once the snake is dead," Snape asked, "I am free to join whichever group I want?"
"There's a chance Riddle might bring Nagini with him to Hogwarts, but I don't want to bet on that. So when he goes to meet me, you'll enter his stronghold and kill the snake. Unless, of course, you did it before our attack? You could leave a message from me, telling Riddle to come to Hogwarts and meet me in battle or something. He'd try getting revenge, but I'm not sure whether that's such a good idea. He might instead search for the spy in his ranks."
Snape's lip curled, but he didn't argue the point.
"Luckily enough, with Shacklebolt bringing his forces directly to Hogwarts – "
"It won't work," Lupin sighed.
Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Without Kingsley's forces, and missing at least two of our strongest duellists, I don't know how long we can distract the Ministry. Maybe half an hour, but there are too many risks involved to say for sure. Harry, we simply don't have the numbers to split ourselves three-ways. Alastor, I'm guessing you'll take some of your old friends with you?"
"And some of Tonks'," the Auror confirmed.
"So recruit some more," Harry told them. "There have to be some you haven't talked to yet. Some that are no longer on the fence and instead ready to fight back."
Lupin exchanged a quick glance with Moody and Snape. "There aren't any, Harry," Lupin told him. "We managed to gather up some people, true, but the Ministry hasn't been idle either. We already told you, they've locked up everyone who might be swayed to our side."
"Surely they haven't found everyone –" Ron tried, but Lupin shook his head.
"Everyone? No, but enough that no one dares talking to us. They started with the likeliest candidates – strong sense of justice, reasonably skilled with a wand – and interrogated them, sometimes using Veritaserum, sometimes only keeping up appearances. We're lucky some of our spies are just too clever for the Ministry, but far too many weren't. So while the Ministry broke about half-a-dozen laws and did whatever they wanted to throw people into prison, we had to be careful. We had to throw out our bait and hope someone would bite, so to speak. Sure, we got some, but the Ministry was simply a lot more effective at finding those potential allies of ours. They were rounded up before we had the chance to ease into the subject."
"Still, they can't have gotten everyone," Hermione argued.
"Fear," Lupin sighed. "Fear is keeping the rest in line. One day, your old friend is dragged off and thrown into prison. When will they come for you? If you don't toe the line, it could be tomorrow. It could be in the middle of the night or during work. Maybe they'll drag you out of your bed or your favourite restaurant. It's the choice between a safe life of keeping your eyes down in fear or prison, possibly torture for daring to think about resisting. Fear paralyses. Fear isolates. Fear works. It keeps people from taking the first step and listening to us. And all of the above is assuming you don't just vanish one day."
Harry glanced around. Ron only shrugged in response. Hermione's eyes flew across the table, and Harry assumed she tried to work out possible solutions in her mind. Daphne chewed her lip, perhaps thinking about her father in Azkaban.
"If we had been known what we do know," Moody added, "then we'd have an army at our hands. Now, this army's dead or in Azkaban."
"Dead?" Ron echoed, seemingly unwilling to accept the news.
"Some, yes, if they'd have been too bothersome to keep around. The prison is bursting at the seams right now, even with thieves and Muggle-killers getting off with fines," Lupin continued. "At least the Dementors aren't there any more –"
"The prisoners," Daphne said, pale, but with a sense of urgency in her voice, "have you heard anything about them?"
Moody cleared his throat. "The food has never been that good, and even without the Dementors, it's still a cold, dank hole. And the guards they recruited weren't chosen for their brains. Crooks and sociopaths jumped at the opportunity to torment and torture the prisoners, anything to get a taste of power – assuming their friends and families don't bribe the guards. If the prisoners worth something, it's rumoured to be bearable, that is, there's money to be made if they don't die."
"Florean Fortescue tried setting up a fund for bribes," Lupin added. "They dragged him away for that. We don't know where to, but he's now in St. Mungo's, possibly for life."
"So it's follow the orders or be doomed," Hermione summarised with a glare at the table.
Harry had only half-listened. "They've flung everyone who might act up into Azkaban?" he asked.
"Yes, Potter," Snape sneered. "Azkaban or executions. Haven't you – ?"
"So," Harry interrupted as an idea took form in his mind, "the Ministry identified everyone who had a spark of fighting spirit and a sense of justice, gathered up this army of recruits and put them all in one place? A prison that was stripped of the Dementors, one of its best defences?"
He glanced at Hermione's rapidly paling face, to Ron gaping at him, to Daphne who seemed to be lost for words, and finally to his guests, staring at a frowning Moody. Their eyes met, and the corner of Moody's mouth twitched. He seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Harry – if the Ministry had already done all the work for the resistance, why shouldn't they pick up the gift-wrapped army waiting for them?
"Okay," Harry announced, "new plan. Step one, we'll free the prisoners of Azkaban –"
"Are you out of your mind?" Ron shouted. "Azkaban? The most secure prison in the world?"
"Supposedly," Harry pointed out. "Riddle freed his servants, didn't he? And we know at least two prisoners managed to escape. Well, if we want to win this, we might as well have big dreams."
"But," Daphne spoke up, "how do you plan to do that? I mean, freeing the prisoners, I'm all for that, the sooner the better, but Azkaban is the most secure prison in the world. Weasley is right, that's –"
"Not as impossible as you might think," Harry interrupted. "The Dementors are gone, for one."
"Azkaban had more than just Dementors," Ron said. "What, just because they're gone, you think we can just walk in and out anytime we want? There are bound to be all kinds of wards and protections that we'd have to get past."
"And even if we did," Lupin added, "we don't know what we'll find. The prisoners could be in no state to leave, for example. Even those whose loved ones get them preferential treatment might be too weak to walk. Some people get a thrill out of seeing just how far they can push the boundaries. And even then, they're in Ministry hands."
"That hasn't stopped us before," Harry argued. "We got Sarah out all right, didn't we?"
"She wasn't in prison," Ron reminded Harry. "And all you had to do was get past the anti-Apparition wards, not out of the maze-like prison complex swarming with guards. They'd know we're there. Or do you plan to break it open like You-Know-Who did?"
"Well, there have to be other ways," Harry mused. "Even Azkaban has to have a weakness. I refuse to believe they managed to close all loopholes. The guards have to come and go, for one."
"The protective wards reach out miles into the sea," Moody told them. "I don't know where they end exactly, but for what you propose, we'd need a ship to get to the island. Even then, we wouldn't be able to get everyone out –"
"Unless we find some way to leave directly from the island, yes," Harry said with a shrug.
"What, Portkeys?" Ron laughed. "Apparition?"
"If it were that simple, the prison could have never stopped the truly desperate," Lupin sighed. "Unfortunately, you can't apparate or disapparate anywhere around the island."
Harry snorted, and Ron smirked. At Lupin's curious glance, Harry explained, "Sorry, it's just that you sounded a bit like Hermione there."
"'You can't apparate at Hogwarts, it's in Hogwarts: A History,'" Ron added, chuckling. "Ah, to be that young again."
"A good book," Lupin admitted with a weak smile of his own.
"You can," Hermione said, staring off into the distance and looking absolutely shocked. Turning around with a sudden fire that sent her hair flying, she faced Harry with a quickly growing grin.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"You can apparate at Hogwarts. Well, not you personally, unless the Headmaster lowers the wards preventing it, but house-elves can all the time," Hermione said.
Snape rolled his eyes. "Miss Granger, Hogwarts is a school. Azkaban is a prison. If it were as simple as asking a house-elf to take you out of there –"
"Why not?" Harry cut in. "Elves have a kind of magic unlike ours. They can do things we can't, yet wizards and witches think little of them. It wouldn't be the first time that they can do something they're not supposed to do. They weasel around their orders. Just think of Kreacher interpreting them how he wanted. Magic is a lot about finding and exploiting loopholes, and with wizards and witches so focused on themselves –"
"Kreacher!" Daphne shouted with a sense of urgency in her voice, looking ready to jump from her seat.
The elf appeared in front of her with the crack of apparition. "Mistress called for Kreacher?"
"Kreacher, could you –?" Daphne began, radiating nervousness with more than a hint of desperate hope. "Could you go to Azkaban?"
The elf took a step back, maybe startled by every pair of eyes locked on him. "Mistress is asking Kreacher – ?"
Harry jumped in. "Kreacher, do you know of any protection that could keep a house-elf from entering Azkaban? You remember what Azkaban is, of course?"
The old elf shivered, but nodded. "Kreacher knows. The bad Master went there. Mistress Bella went there. House-elves cannot go everywhere. If a house-elf doesn't hear his master's call, he cannot go there."
"Well, is there anything that could stop a house-elf from going some place they are told to go?" Harry insisted.
Kreacher tilted his head, making Harry think he might fall over if he wasn't careful. "House-elves go wherever they are called or sent," he answered. "But house-elves cannot hear their master's call from Azkaban."
"The Ministry is much the same," Moody added. "No summoning house-elves, we have means to stop that."
"But common magic cannot stop a house-elf, can it? Anti-apparition wards?" Daphne asked the elf.
Kreacher frowned. "Elves can stop elves," he told them. "Kreacher does not allow other elves to come here. No proper house-elf would allow that."
"And other than that?" Harry continued.
Kreacher shivered once more. "The – the Dark Ones," he whispered fearfully, glancing around.
"The Dementors?" Hermione spoke up with a gleam of hope in her eyes. "They're gone from Azkaban."
"Kreacher," Harry said, standing up tall, "answer me. Are you able to enter Azkaban unnoticed and take someone with you, and how long would that roughly take?"
Kreacher narrowed his eyes. "No one is supposed to leave there. The Dark Ones wouldn't allow it – before." He pursed his lips. "Kreacher would need less than half a minute to do as Master ordered. Not easy, Kreacher thinks. Not easy to weave through."
Stunned silence followed.
"We can break out the prisoners," Ron whispered. "We can – Why has no one tried that before?"
"The Dark Ones?" Harry reminded him. "Maybe that's why they were put there in the first place – to stop house-elves from leaving the place. If it's a choice between house-elves or Dementors as guards – Besides, we already know what wizards think of house-elves. They probably never considered they'd have to take actual steps to prevent anyone trying something so simple. Well, other than placing the Dementors there, I mean, which would keep any elf from leaving even if they managed to get in. Remember when Kreacher ran into them during a shopping trip?"
"And let's be honest," Hermione added, running a hand through her hair, "maybe one in ten-thousand would be crazy enough to even think of house-elves, and actually own one. And that's assuming they care enough about elves to know their magic doesn't follow our rules. And since any elf found in Azkaban can be interrogated and their master or mistress likewise thrown in prison –"
"A break-out," Daphne mumbled, staring at the table. The prospect had her regain a lot of colour, and her eyes shimmered from unspilled tears of happiness.
"Well," Moody told them after clearing his throat, "if that works, it would be an enormous gain for us – assuming we can get them into shape in time. We don't know how well they are, for one. Even if they join us, an army of starved and beaten wrecks won't help us much."
Snape shifted in his place, and everyone looked at him. "If given enough time to prepare, it is certainly possible to speed up the recovery of anyone we do get out. When the Dark Lord freed his followers two years ago, they were in terrible shape, but recovered quickly despite years of exposure to Dementors. With proper care, it might take less than a week, but I doubt we would have that much time in the current political climate."
Daphne was still staring at the table; Harry suspected she hadn't listened closely and was instead imagining her reunion with her father.
Snape pursed his lips. "There are potions that offer short-term strength, but they're not meant for any more than a few hours. They force the body to burn through any reserves left, and once those are used up, the drinker will be even worse off. Either way, potions would get the prisoners on their feet reasonably fast, assuming one does not mind the possible implications. We are left with the choice between the costs of a slow recovery and the risks of a fast, temporary solution. Arming them is another matter, though."
"We'd need wands," Moody added with a nod. "Not everyone can just flick their hands and get what they want."
"We've got wands," Hermione spoke up.
"About thirty of them," Ron agreed with a grin. "If you don't mind hand-me-downs?"
Lupin pinched the bridge of his nose. "All right. Thirty wands. I hadn't thought about – Fine, but that's not nearly enough."
"It's a start," Harry reasoned. "And I'm sure if we need to, we can find more. There have to be some crooks who'd do anything for some easy gold, right? Fletcher isn't what you'd call an upstanding citizen, but he knows a business opportunity when he sees one."
"We'd still have to explain why we'd need dozens of wands," Lupin argued. "Yes, it's still better than nothing."
"So," Ron spoke up, "let's say we do it. Who do we get out?"
"Everyone," Daphne answered almost at once with more force than strictly necessary in her voice. "If what you said is true," she told Moody and Lupin, "then everyone there is equally deserving of rescue."
"We don't know whether they'd join us," Moody pointed out, but he seemed to consider the break-out.
"He's got a point there," Ron agreed, frowning. "We're talking about, what, two-hundred people? Three-hundred?"
"After what they'll likely had to endure, I'd be surprised if more than a hundred joined us," Lupin agreed. "Only counting the political prisoners, we're looking at maybe five or six-hundred."
"Six-hundred people," Ron sighed. "That's a lot, once you exclude those that left the country."
"Well," Harry told them, "we'll have to get them out eventually, but it's true – getting everyone out might be a bit much. We could try a priority list with those we're fairly certain will join us at the top. That way, the first escapees can help keep order during the break-out. Handing out potions, directing people, that kind of tasks."
Hermione nodded. "That sounds reasonable, assuming we can manage in whatever time frame we're expecting. Taking Kreacher's statement of thirty seconds each," she checked to see the elf nodding, "we're looking at about five hours of continuous travelling. If he manages it in twenty seconds for each trip, we could cut it down to a bit less than three-and-a-half. That also means twenty seconds to process each prisoner. Three hours of prisoners vanishing without the Ministry noticing anything?"
"So we'll get more elves," Ron spoke up. "It's not like we have to rely on Kreacher alone."
"We have one," Daphne said. "I don't know whether Carrie'd help out, but –"
"And Dobby," Ron interrupted, turning to Harry. "You know he'd do whatever you asked him to. He might even bring Winky along."
"Four elves?" Hermione mused. "Not perfect, but workable. Let's assume the thirty seconds estimate, we'd be looking at an hour fifteen. Still too much, but better than nothing. Even if we get a mere third out, that'd still be a massive blow to the Ministry and You-Know-Who."
"We'd have to make sure the plan actually works," Lupin put in, but from his expression, his mind was already working on solutions or possible elves to borrow.
"So, how soon can we be ready?" Daphne urged.
It caused everyone else to fall silent and exchange uneasy looks.
Scratching his cheek, Harry looked at her. "As close to our actual counter-attack as possible," he told her with a sad smile, seeing only disbelief in her eyes. "Sorry, but as much as I'd like to get the people out of there, we really shouldn't do it right-away."
"But – !"
"Maybe the night before would work," Harry mused. "Maybe."
Daphne jumped to her feet. "They're hostages! You can't really want to just leave them there! And think, if we free them, we'll take one more bargaining chip away from the Dark Lord. One more problem to keep the Ministry distracted!"
"I don't want to, no," Harry told her, pulling a face.
"These people – how can you expect them to fight for you when you don't lift a finger to help them now?" Daphne argued, staring straight at Harry.
"It's less about wanting to let them there," Harry replied, motioning her to sit down. "I like the alternative even less. I know what you are thinking," he said, raising his voice to stop another outburst, "but we do have to think about the message we'd send."
"It would give people hope!" Daphne argued. "You," she added, pointing at Lupin, "you said people were held back by fear! Well, fight it! Give people hope; give them their loved ones back!"
"And the Ministry would know making prisoners doesn't work," Moody put in. "The moment the Ministry, and by extension You-Know-Who know that, they'll probably stop trying to."
"That's what I'm worried about," Harry finished with a nod at the grizzled, former Auror. "Freeing the ones they have now means risking anyone unfortunate enough to draw their suspicion in the future. Right now, they're killing those they deem worthless. After the break-out, they'll go straight for the kill. And we can't hide everyone."
"He's right," Hermione agreed with pursed lips. "If we break them out now –"
"It's not perfect, I'll admit," Harry said, sighing at seeing Daphne searching desperately for some solution. "And if even fifty of them join us, we should have enough to fight every battle we go into. We'll have enough for the distraction," he nodded at Lupin, who looked unhappy, but determined, "with Shacklebolt's forces coming directly to Hogwarts, we'll have enough to secure the castle," Harry addressed an equally worried Snape, "we'll have enough to put up a fight for the WWN," Moody nodded in agreement, "and we'll have dealt a painful blow to the Ministry's morale."
"With the prison break, that's five battles to be fought," Hermione reminded him.
"Well, we could use the break-out as a distraction," Harry reasoned. "I doubt the Ministry will be eager to report it straight-away. Lupin –"
"It might work," the former professor agreed reluctantly, "but I don't want the escapees as bait for the Ministry. We want to give them the choice to fight, not force them to."
"So," Harry addressed the room, "I guess we'll do a small trial run to see whether Kreacher can get in and out of Azkaban. From there, we'll time the break-out either the night before or roughly at the same time as our strike on Hogwarts."
"I'll take out the WWN," Moody added.
"Snape, you'll check the hide-outs," Harry continued to his old teacher, "while Lupin causes a distraction and Shacklebolt and I meet up to defend Hogwarts."
"Taking over the Wireless, fighting the Ministry head-on, the biggest Prison break in the history of Wizarding Britain," Lupin sighed. "I never thought I'd be part of any of that." He chuckled. "Sirius would have loved this, though."
Snape sent Harry a glare, almost as if he wanted to accuse Harry of having secretly made his plans to honour his dead godfather. "Let us hope, then, that Potter can actually deliver on his promises and take on both the Dark Lord and his followers with nothing but Shacklebolt's lot. Do you think they'll back you up? Do you think they'll stand and fight the Dark Lord's most trusted?"
"Snape," Harry said, smiling slightly. "I do deliver. We have weeks left to perfect the Portkeys and set the trap. Hermione and I have made admirable progress; we're close to a break-through."
"Cheer up, Snape," Ron laughed, "You-Know-Who's most trusted are no match for the united forces of Wizarding Britain. Shacklebolt brings the Muggleborns; you'll bring the Order. And I already know what we'll call the prison break-out – the House-Elf Liberation Front."
I had planned for a simpler final battle, but when inspiration struck and I realized I really should include Azkaban for sheer audacity. The Light Side planning the biggest break-out in history? And going after the WWN to disrupt the flow of information? It just made too much sense to not do it, especially once I realized it led up to a coup d'etat. Also, there were too many golden opportunities to link back to canon – Hogwarts: A History and the Liberation Front just begged to be used. So for this time, just another boring planning session.
For those who are curious, Kreacher mentioned the Dark Ones' influence in chapter fifty-one, saying, "Kreacher couldn't think to leave with so many around".
.
Just to nip it in the bud:
Rowling stated that, according to her imagination, Hogwarts would have about 1,000 students and Wizarding Britain 4,000 citizens (so the seven years of Hogwarts would amount to a fourth of the average witch or wizard's life of 28 years; considering the many people above that age, I'm guessing magical parents are really bad to cause a sufficient child mortality). Harry's year had 40 students.
The Making-Ofs depict a newspaper reporting a life expectancy of 137.75 years. Some fans suggest something like a hundred years.
1,000 / 7 * 137.75 is slightly less than 20,000 at the absolute upper end.
40 * 137.75 is 5,510 witches and wizards. It would mean 280 students at Hogwarts.
The World Cup in book 4 had a team of 500 working for a year to prepare the stadium.
Let's assume Harry's year was only half of an average year, so 11,020 magicals in Britain (assuming 137.75 life expectancy), of which a twentieth had been working on the stadium. That's a lot, but not impossibly so. It might have been a slight exaggeration in the book, for example.
A good number seems to be around 10,000 to 15,000 magicals. How many are Muggleborns (many of whom are either in hiding or abroad)? Let's say roughly a fourth to a third, leading to 7,500 or 11,250 (three fourths) or 6,667 to 10,000 (two thirds).
I went with about a tenth of the population as political prisoners of some sort, leading to 700 to 1,000 prisoners – enough to spread fear, but not enough to disable society. Mind you, I'm still assuming 137.75 years life expectancy: Old Dumbledore lived to the ripe age of 115.
The point is, due to the relatively smaller size of the magical community, it's quite likely we're looking at 1,000 political prisoners at the upper end and as low as 500. Since I consider 137.75 a bit high of a life expectancy if Dumbledore is Old with a mere 115, I decided on the 500-600 range after Death Eater killing sprees and Muggleborns fleeing the country.
