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.
Hermione watched the Order members going through the class drills for the day. Today these drills were not weapons related, or tactical planning. Today it was French. Marie St Clair from Second Squad, was helping with the lesson. Marie was born and had lived in France until age 10, when her family moved to England due to her Muggle father's work.
Hermione had grown up with trips France so she had naturally learnt French. There were two magical methods to communicate in another language. The first was a simple translation program which used a master phrase book to translate languages directly as the person spoke and was spoken to. The second method, which was the one the Order was using, imparted a basic understanding of the language with a broad vocabulary. It still required practice, but you could learn an entire language in a matter of days. So the Order was practicing their French under Marie's supervision.
Two days ago she had bought Harry dinner as a thank you. Hermione found him incredibly cute when he was embarrassed. In the end, due to his embarrassment, they ended up having take-out Chinese back at his apartment and watched some movies. All in all it was a typical evening of teenage friends.
At first glance the group of seven seemed like a typical hiking trip of a Father, his four children and two of the children's friends. On second glance, to the trained eye, it looked more like it actually was. A military group escorting two civilians. Arthur Weasley was out front, leading the way, with George providing escort, the younger Weasley's hands seeming to itch for his combat shotgun. The rest of the team was slightly behind in a diamond formation with Ginny in the middle. Harry was on point, much to Ginny's delight as she watched his ass the entire time, with Hermione and Ron in flanking positions and Fred brining up the rear.
When the group reached the top of the hill another man was waiting. Arthur called out a greeting to Amos Diggory as they approached. When they were a few feet away, Cedric dropped out of a tree, flashing a quick hand signal that the area was clear.
"Diggory." Hermione greeted.
"Granger." Cedric replied with a nod, before taking up his position flanking his father, who was walking next to Arthur.
They soon arrived at the point of departure and the portkey pulled them away to the Quiddich World Cup.
"I hate Quantum Tunnelling without a proper shell." Hermione said softly when they landed.
Only Harry heard her and he gave a slight smile. No one else would have understood anyway.
With a sigh, Hermione rose into the pail darkness, awoken from her sleep by the pain in her back and the fading memory of a dream of fire, death and pain. The smell of burning flesh, hot metal and burning trees filled her senses for a few seconds. She slowly rose from the bed, making sure not to wake Ginny who was sleeping next to her. She padded out of the small bedroom section of the tent that contained Ginny and her bed. She walked out into the living room area of the tent and sat down on the couch.
"Can't sleep?" Harry asked, emerging from the kitchen with a glass of milk.
"Bad dream. You?" she replied.
"Don't know really. Excited about the game tomorrow, bit of an odd dream I guess." Harry said, joining her on the couch. "So what was your bad dream about?"
"Death." Hermione replied. "It was a crash of a Drop Ship. We were invading one of the planets in the Magellan Cluster when my Drop Ship was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Fifty-six troops and crew. Twelve died in the impact, another six burned to death. Only seven of us made it out after a two week trek through hostile forest. Four of them were killed in the subsequent assault on main fortress of that world."
"Shit. That's a bad dream." Harry said, getting a nod from Hermione. "And the other two?"
"One was Jenny Weasley. The other eventually became the head of the Order's Elite Scout and Sniper division, the Slytherins. His name was James Malfoy."
Harry put his hand around Hermione's shoulder, in an innocent gesture of comfort not one of intimacy. Hermione put her head into the crook of neck and simply revelled in the closeness.
The servant approached the Master on his throne. It was not a dark, foreboding thing that Voldermort would use, rather it was a regal marble throne.
"All is in readiness, my Master." The servant said, "Our troops are in position, ready to go at your command."
"Very good. Wish them good luck for me." The no longer old Master replied.
Ron, Harry and the Twins were celebrating in the aftermath of the World Cup match. They had been treated to a spectacular show from the Potter House Executive Box. The match had still ended with Ireland winning yet Victor Krum catching the Snitch, yet the score was more that a little different than Hermione remembered from last time.
When the commotion started outside, only one of the six inside the tent mistook it for the celebration of the Irish.
"Emergency kits!" Hermione snapped, sending everyone except Ginny running for their backpacks.
"Master!" the Servant called, rushing back into the throne room. "The Death Eater's have launched an attack before we could make our move."
"Begin the operation. Target the Death Eaters first." The Master ordered.
"All Troops." The Servant said into a radio handset. "Operation Market Garden is a go. Repeat Market Garden is a go. Sweep for pests before ploughing the fields."
Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Hermione were finishing their prep when Arthur Weasley burst into the tent. They had all transfigured their clothes into combat fatigues, and pulled their combat harnesses, weapons, radios and camouflage paint out of their emergency bags. Ron was helping Fred with the box feed of his M249 SAW. George was securing spare drums of shotgun shells to their special holders on his belt. Harry and Hermione were applying camouflage paint onto each other's faces.
"Are they Death Eaters and how many?" Hermione asked Arthur as he entered.
Arthur was stunned for a moment as he saw three of his children and his youngest Son's two best friends so utterly different from when he had left. Before he could recover the unmistakable sound, to the Order members at least, of gunfire erupted from outside, but not near the tent.
"All Griffins report. Who had contact?" Hermione ordered into the radio.
"Sergeant Diggory here. Negative Contact. I'm Seven Hundred Meters due West of stadium gate 7, South-West corner. Gunfire to the North of my Position."
"PFC Bones here. Negative Contact. Have met up with PFC Longbottom, and Private's Marks, Watson and Jones. North of Stadium. Fight seems to be South West of us."
"Sergeant Miller. West-North-West sector. Had eyes on twelve Death Eaters forty seconds ago but lost contact. Have Corporal Smith and Privates Skinner, St Clair, McDonald, Kerry and Radcliff. We are not engaged. Repeat we are not engaged. Another force is here with guns."
"PFC Lovegood. Setting up overwatch with Private Waters on second level of stadium."
"Corporal Hussey. Located just South-East of Sergeant Diggory's location with Private's Li and Carter. We just saw a force of troops moving North-West. Mixed group armed with Wands and Assault Rifles. Well drilled. Defiantly not Death Eaters."
Hermione waited a few seconds for anyone else to call in.
"Grand Marshall. Due West of Stadium. With Corporal Potter, and all Three PFC Weasley's. Corporal Hussey, move to meet up with Sergeant Diggory. Bones…."
Whatever Hermione was about to say next was cut off by a series of explosions.
"Luna, report."
"Explosions to the North-North-West and West. Looks to be the Apperation and Portkey sites."
"Bastards." George muttered.
"OK. Listen up. Sergeants. You are both going to have to deal with the targets in your areas with the forces you have. Bones. Take your group to the Northern Apperation point. Take and hold. Process through people if you can, but you have got to hold that point. My team will take the Western Apperation and Portkey site. Lovegood. Provide sniper support to the teams as you can. Remember everyone there are a lot of non-combatants around, so check your fire."
A rapid series of acknowledgements came across the radio from the team leaders.
"Mister Weasley. Ginny. Stay in the tent, it will be safer for now. Alright team, let's move out."
The five Order members swiftly moved out of the tent, their guns swinging in arcs to cover each other.
Sergeant Peter Miller stalked through the tent city, the improvised squad arrayed around him. Only Privates Samantha Skinner, Marie St Clair and Byron Kerry were from his second Squad. Corporal Smith and Privates McDonald and Radcliff were from third squad.
Skirting around one last tent the squad came across the site where the mysterious combatants had made contact with the Death Eaters. The devastation was indiscriminate. Peter reconstructed the scene from the damage pattern.
Firstly the Death Eaters had come through, setting fire to a few of the tents. One Wizard had tried to fight back and was literally cut in half by a cutting curse. Then the Mystery group had arrived on the scene. Seven of the twelve Death Eaters were cut down before they had realised they were under attack. One of the Mystery group got hit and died before the remaining Death Eaters were killed. The Mystery group had then moved off, shooting several fleeing Witches and Wizards.
"Secure the site. Marie, check the soldier. Byron, pick up their trail." Peter ordered, before switching to the radio. "Grand Marshall, this is Sergeant Miller. We have come across the prior contact site. The Mystery soldiers seem to be targeting Death Eaters first, then civilians."
"Private St Clair here. We have a downed Mystery soldier. No identification or distinguishing marks. Armed with an AK-47."
"Confirmed." Hermione's voice came back over the radio. "Secure the weapon and pursue."
"Rodger." Peter replied, before turning to his troops and issuing orders.
Susan Bones led Marks and Jones assaulted the Northern Apperation point from the West while Neville came in with Watson from the east. The two teams moved in with well timed efficiency, noting but not being distracted by sporadic fire from the south and the sustained fire fight off to the West. Sweeping in they found the field undefended. Suspecting a trap, Susan set everyone up in defensive positions while she checked the area.
"Shit." She exclaimed.
"What?" Neville asked.
"They took out the ward anchor stones." Susan explained.
The Anti-Apperation wards extended for several miles in every direction around the stadium, however at the designated Apperation points, several anchor stones had been set up to create a gap in the field allowing a controlled flow of Apperations. When these stones had been destroyed, then the ward had snapped back over the hole.
"Boss. The Anti-Apperation wards are in full force here. The anchor stones are destroyed. There is only one way out, strait through your position." Susan informed over the radio.
"Copy Bones." Harry's voice came over the radio, heavy fire clear in the transmission. "You're orders are to sweep South-West. Co-ordinate with Sergeant Miller. Ambush and exterminate the northern tango's at your combined discretion."
Susan nodded to herself, before signalling her team to move out.
"Orders received and acknowledged." She radioed, falling in beside Neville, her MP10 covering left while his M16 covered right.
TBC…