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.
The Hogwart's express was packed with students milling around in the corridor. Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Ginny and Susan had a cabin to themselves. Ginny watched in rapt fascination as Neville used a long, thin screwdriver to adjust some of the joints in the wrist of the skeletal, mechanical replacement left arm.
"The arm giving you trouble?" Hermione asked.
"Not really. Just a loose connection, the wrist was a bit lax." Neville replied.
"Won't that stop working at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked. "Muggle Technology is not supposed to work at School."
"Only electronics are affected by strong ambient magic fields. The arm is mostly hydraulic, but the electronics in it are shielded."
"What Hermione is trying to say," Harry clarified, "Is that the arm will still work at School because it is designed to."
The train continued and the conversation wandered, as teenage conversations usually did, until it was interrupted by a tap at the window. Susan quickly lowered the window and stuck her hand out into the slipstream to retrieve the totally exhausted postal owl. Taking a look at the letter's address, Susan passed it to Hermione. She read the letter then, slowly and coldly, passed it to Harry, who scanned the letter.
"Son of a bitch." Harry exclaimed. "We don't have the political capital to block this do we?"
"No. We used it all on the Judicial Separation act." Hermione replied.
"What's the act and who proposed it?" Susan asked, being slightly more politically astute than the others.
"Minister Fudge. He has proposed a bill making any organisation with structured groups trained for combat or peacekeeping operations that do not have government sanction guilty of treason and punishable by execution." Hermione replied, her voice level and lacking emotion, letting Harry and Ron at least know that she was exceedingly angry.
"Why would he do that? It seems designed to get us." Ron said.
"Unofficially, probably because he fears Harry, Sirius and I since we got that bill passed. Officially it was due to the attack on the World Cup by forces unknown." Hermione responded.
"And it is probably vindictive too. The Auror that the Grand Marshall and my Aunt embarrassed is Minister Fudge's youngest son." Susan added. "Rumour is that the Minister pulled some strings to get him in the Auror program."
"So because you were so well equipped to counter the guys who attacked, he wants you gone too?" Ginny asked.
"Basically." Neville replied. "The Purebloods are all scared because for the first time they have been shown that having a wand does not instantly make them the most powerful people around."
"Because a gun can kill as effectively as magic and now Muggles can be as powerful as a Wizard or Witch?" Ginny said, getting nods from Neville, Hermione, Harry and Susan.
"Your Majesty. To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" The Prime Minister asked, "Or do I even have to guess?"
The Queen sat down with a small smile while an aide dropped a file on the PM's desk, which he promptly picked up and read. After two minutes he lowered the file, his face had gone white.
"You see the problem, of course." The Queen said.
"I'd say we got lucky." The PM replied. "But I don't like the implications of the subsequent events. What options do we have?"
"With your backing, I am going to personally enter the situation." The Queen said.
"A Royal Edict?" the PM asked.
"Only with your support. Besides, this is a family matter." The Queen replied.
The entire student body in the Great Hall was silent. This was partially because of the speech Dumbledore was giving about the school playing host to students from two other schools and partly due to the spectacular way those groups had arrived, one by flying carriage and the other by a boat emerging from the Black Lake. Mostly, though, it was due to the twenty Order of the Griffin members, all standing at ease, who were lining the central corridor through the house tables and the four standing just below the Teacher's table, behind Dumbledore at his lectern.
All were standing at ease, dressed in Formal Order uniforms, with rank insignia and were armed with a formal Sabre, except Harry and Hermione who had their Ancestral Swords, and pistol. Four more Order members were outside the main doors to the Great Hall, making sure the Dumstrags and Baubuxton's students stayed put until it was time for their entrance. The final two members of the Order were Privates Larks and Li who had drawn sniper cover duty and were set up on top of the Astronomy Tower keeping a watch on all the approaches.
The four Order members below the Teacher's table were what some members had begun referring to as 'The Command Group', consisting of Grand Marshall Ganger; Sergeant Diggory, who acted as Hermione's Second In Command; Corporal Potter, with his Noble Title and the perceived weight of being the Boy Who Lived and PFC Lovegood, who was the head of the sniper section.
"May I present the lovely ladies of the Beauxbaton Academy." Dumbledore announced.
As Dumbledore said 'lovely ladies' Hermione tapped the radio mic attached to her jacket sleeve once and as he said 'Academy' she gave it a quick triple tap. The result was that just after the announcement the hall doors opened to allow the French students access and all of the Order members in the hall snapped to attention, without a verbal command, at the same time, all of them having drawn their Swords and holding them blades in front of their faces in salute. This give the young women from Beauxbaton's a slight pause as they had not expected such a demonstration, and a few of the Hogwarts students, especially some of the Slytherin students, suddenly started wondering if all the Order members were psychic.
After the slight pause the Beauxbaton's students did there little demonstration as their Headmistress, Madam Maxime, strode down the isle lined by the Order Members, who lowered their swords to their sides as she passed.
"Dumbledore." Madam Maxime said, a heavy French accent slightly distorting the words. "I had no idea that Hogwarts be so Militaire."
At this Hermione stepped forward.
"Headmistress Maxime, May I Introduce Lady Hermione Granger, of the High Noble House Gryffindor." Dumbledore said.
"Bonjour, Dame Granger. Comment allez-vous?" The French Headmistress said.
Hermione nodded that she was well.
"Headmistress. Welcome to Hogwarts. My personal Retainers will be providing security during the Tournament, so please instruct your students to follow their instructions." The Grand Marshall said.
Madam Maxime bowed, before taking her place at the Teacher's table while her students joined the end of the Ravenclaw Table.
The process was then repeated with the Durmstrang students, only with slightly more aggression when Hermione met with Headmaster Karkaroff.
Li and Larks were not at the very top of the Astronomy Tower. They were in the rarely visited support level just below the main platform. This level gave them a 360 degree view of the approaches but also provided protection from both the whipping wind and from being silhouetted against the skyline.
"I've got movement." Larks said. "246 degrees, coming over the ridge."
Li swung her spotting scope around and caught the movement.
"Confirmed. Single figure. I'll call it in." Li said before touching her throat mic. "Overwatch to Command. We have a single contact approaching from 246 degrees."
"Confirmed Overwatch." Hermione's voice came quietly through the radio.
"I don't like this." Larks said. "I got a bad feeling.
Hermione stood semi-bored as Albus was explaining the tournament when the enchanted roof went wild as a figure entered from behind the Teacher's table. Instantly a flashing light went off on Hermione's wrist.
"Code Six. Imposter." Hermione called.
In an instant everything changed. Gone was the neat, almost toy soldier ranks for the Order on parade. With surprising speed the man many thought was Alistair 'Mad Eye' Moody was backed up against a wall and surrounded in a slightly less then semi-circle by Order members in two ranks all with pistols and swords drawn. The first rank was on one knee, their pistols aimed squarely at his heart while the second rank's were levelled at his head.
"Miss Gr…" Dumbledore began, but was interrupted by a growl in several Order Member's throats. "Grand Marshall Granger, what are you doing?"
"This is an imposter." Hermione replied, her eyes not leaving the fake Moody.
"Dame Granger. Sorry to ask but how do you know?" Madam Maxime said.
"Hogwarts told me." Hermione replied, earning shrugs from most of the Hogwarts staff. "He's under pollyjuice potion. Take his wand and the flask."
Two Order members moved in and stripped the wand and flask from the phony Auror. Hermione ordered four guards over the fake Moody.
"If I'm wrong, I'll apologise. If not we will know in one hour." Hermione said, indicating to Dumbledore that he should proceed with his speech.
TBC….
OMAKE.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sound of wood striking wood rang out through the Great Hall. Out of Martial pride and shear curiosity, Harry and Hermione had challenged Victor Krum and three other Durmstrang students to a sparing match, wooden swords versus the Durmstrang Staffs.
Victor and his friends did not take the match seriously at first until Harry took down one of the Bulgarian students, battering through his defence before taking out his legs and faking a killing blow, while Hermione was holding off the combined attacks of the other three.
The remaining three Bulgarian students started to work in a co-ordinated manner while Harry and Hermione were fighting back to back, each blocking blows that it seemed almost prophetic.
In the end Hermione was 'taken out' by the other two Durmstrang students, but managed to take both of them out with her, leaving Harry facing off against Victor. Both managed to get in a few blows but eventually called it a draw.
Applause erupted from the mix of Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students who had been silently watching the demonstration.
End Omake.