Title: Code of the Griffin
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: From a war ravaged future, someone is sent back in time to change the course of the war.
Harry stood in the tunnel with the rest of the team waiting for the game to start. The entire team was dressed in their Quiddich armour, however Harry's had been modified to show the Order of the Griffin patch, a griffin clutching a wand in one claw and an assault rifle in the other, on the left hand shoulder guard and the Potter house crest on the right hand shoulder guard. Fred and George had also modified their left hand shoulder guard to show the Order patch. At Oliver's nod the team walked out on to the field just as the Hufflepuff team walked out the other tunnel. They all gathered around madam Hooch, and Harry noted that Cedric was also wearing the Order patch. This was the final for the Quiddich cup with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor not having faced each other since the first game of the season, before the Order had been formed.
"Alright, I want a good clean match." Madam Hooch said, releasing the Snitch and the Bludgers from the case.
She paused a moment and then she threw the Quaffle up in the air to start the game.
Harry was hovering over the pitch, watching the match and keeping an eye out for the snitch. The game was close, with Gryffindor only slightly in the lead at 90-80 after two hours of play.
The Gryffindor superior offensive skills matching off against the much improved Hufflepuff defence. Just as one of the Hufflepuff Chasers managed to get the Quaffle past Oliver Wood, Harry spotted the Snitch at the other end of the field. Harry took off after the snitch, with Cedric close behind. Cedric had much improved in his role as Seeker thanks to his Order training, yet Harry still had two advantages. One was his slightly better natural abilities. The other was the Weasley Twins. Harry flashed a hand signal at George as he passed, weaving in between two Chasers.
George passed on the plan to Fred through the special, private language the twins had developed. Cedric realised that something was happening but did not know what until the plan went into motion. He was close on Harry's tail when the first Bludger came in from the left. As he dodged it the second Bludger came in from the right, making him swerve again. Neither Bludger connected but they slowed him down enough to allow Harry to catch the Snitch.
Cedric pulled up next to Harry, with Fred and George coming up to hover besides them.
"Nice Pincer on the fly." Cedric said, before heading back to join his team.
Michelle woke early, disturbed by movement from her dorm mate.
"What are you doing up so early, Luna?" she asked.
"PT." Luna replied, doing up the laces of running shoes. "Short one today. Only three miles."
"Do you mind if I come?" Michelle asked. "I used to train with my father. He is a Sergeant in the Regiment."
"If you want." Luna replied, her voice ethereal.
Michelle had roomed with Luna long enough to read her voice and knew that Luna was happy that she had asked to come along. Michelle had been the only person in Ravenclaw who had not been at odds with Luna since day one. After quickly getting dressed in exercise clothes, Michelle followed Luna out to the large grassed area just in front of the main entrance to the castle.
When Luna started running, she started at a medium jog, slowly bringing up the speed to check Michelle's fitness level. Within the first half mile they had both reached the optimum speed for the run. Luna led the run around the lake, both them of them running in silence. On their final lap of the lake, while they were on the far side, the heavens opened and it began to pour. They finished the circuit and re-entered the Castle.
Both were both drenched and breathing heavily, having sprinted the last two hundred meters though the downpour. Suddenly the water drenching the two girls floated off of them, pooled up in a ball and floated out the still open door.
"Thank you, Boss." Luna said, not having looked up at Hermione from her bent over position.
"Miss Waters. How was your run?" Hermione asked.
Hermione was putting away her wand, with Harry standing at one shoulder, and Cedric standing at the other. All three were dressed in formal Order uniforms.
"Fine, Grand Marshall. Permission to grab some chow?" Michelle asked, standing at attention.
"Granted." The officer replied.
Michelle saluted and then went off to the Great Hall, and Hermione turned to Luna.
"Report. How was she?"
"Runs well. Good pacing." Luna said. "Her father is in the military. She has potential to be a decent spotter."
"Carry on. Go grab some chow."
Luna also saluted and turned to the Great Hall.
"She's got a point. None of the rest of us are decent spotters and she may need one." Harry said.
"I'll think on it." Hermione said. "At least it is good to see her with a friend outside the Order."
Minister Cornelius Fudge looked up at the Auror across the desk from him.
"Is this some kind of joke?" The Minister said, staring at the report.
"No Sir." The Auror replied. "We set up the discrete surveillance during the break when Sirius Black was still a fugitive. We managed to get that report on the incident."
"Are you trying to tell me that a bunch of third, fourth and fifth year students defeated twenty fully trained Wizards?"
"We recovered some of the bodies. At least five of them were verified Death Eaters. Two served short stints in Azkaban and the other three claimed the Imperious defence."
"Leave me." Fudge said.
The Auror turned and left. Fudge sat there, trying to imagine the scope of the change that this represented. This was all he needed, on top of the Black situation. Steps would have to be taken.
The rattle of gunfire echoed across the practice range. The line of men in BDU's were firing at targets with a series of lights in their chests.
"Smyth, McDougall. What are you doing?" an officer snapped at the men.
"Suppressing fire on the incoming squad, Major." Smyth replied.
"Sergeant. Remind Smyth and McDougall of the orders on concentrating fire." The Major ordered before continuing his tour of the training ground, leaving behind the Non-Com doing what they do best… yelling at troopers.
As he was finishing his tour a Sergeant came out of one of the barracks, notice the Major and made a b-line for him.
"Major. Permission to speak to you, Sir." The Sergeant said.
"My office." The Major said, leading the way.
When they reached the Major's office the Sergeant closed the door and, at the Major's gesture, sat on the chair facing the desk.
"Sir. I was thinking about these new drills. Do we have any idea how a nitrogen charge* will go up against their defensive capabilities?" the sergeant asked.
"There have been some discussions on that point. Nothing definitive has come from it." The Major said cautiously.
"Sir. Have the physics of it been discussed?"
"We don't really understand the physics of it." The Major replied, shaking his head.
"Sir, my wife went to the Scottish Boarding School. My daughter is there right now. As I understand it, from what my wife told me, their defences are based on a frequency oscillation." The Sergeant said.
The Major paused, considering the implications of both the frequency oscillation and the Sergeant's family revelation.
"I expect a full report on what you know from your wife, Sergeant Waters." The Major said. "But let's leave out exactly how you know it."
"Yes sir. Give my regards to your family." Waters said with a knowing smile.
The figure strode into the chamber, the dark red of his cloak taking on an even more disturbing tone from the scattered candles that lit the room.
"Everything is ready, just as you require Master." The servant said, bowing at the figure's side.
The figure waved a wrinkled old hand at the servant who quickly took his position at the far end of the room. Along that wall were three tiny cells, each holding a single prisoner. In one was the huddled form of a woman, her robes torn and dirty and her broken wand on the floor in front of the cell. The second held a man in combat fatigues, firmly tied up with ropes and dried blood running down his face. The third held a small female child, around the age of six who was weeping in the corner.
The figure moved to the centre of the room where a large circle awaited, lined by three rings of runes. He knelt slowly in the centre of the large circle, facing both the cells and a second, smaller circle that was linked to the main one by a line of runes. The man began to chant, softly at first but gradually growing quicker and lauder. After several minutes a noticeable red glow began to emanate from the runes.
When the runes were glowing brightly, the Master no longer needing to chant to keep the spell active, the servant moved to the first cell, opening the door and dragging the huddling witch out. With great care not to scuff the chalk lines, or allow any part of his body to enter the circle, the servant put the Witch into the smaller circle. The instant her feet touched the ground inside, her whole body went ridged and a scream was ripped from her throat. Before the servant's eyes, her body began to rapidly age and then disintegrated into dust.
Inside the large circle, the Master watched the back of his hands. The wrinkles smoothed over and the hands firmed up. The few liver spots faded.
"Voldermort was a fool." The Master said, his voice deep and rich. "Bring the next one."
In the following few minutes the Soldier and the Child followed the Witch into the smaller circle, both dying with blood curdling screams.
TBC…
* The Nitrogen Charge is the SAS signature weapon, using liquid nitrogen to freeze anything it touches.