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.
Cedric looked around the training room and sighed. Without their real commander, the third-in-command and two Sergeants, the Order was on the brink of falling apart. It was not the fear that Staff Sergeant Potter and Sergeant West were dead. Others had died in combat; it was part of the risk one took when you joined the Order. All of them, particularly some of the older members, were ready to die. No, it was the not knowing that was wearing on them. The uncertainty. It affected everyone differently.
The twins had locked themselves in a small room off the armoury and were working on a series of crazy new weapons ideas. Ron and three other troopers were running not quite flat out on the treadmill, and had been doing so for the last two hours strait.
"Bugger!" Neville shouted as he put his metal arm strait through yet another heavy punching bag.
Larks was sitting in a corner obsessively cleaning his sniper scope. Others were lifting weights or wrestling. A few had buried themselves in training manuals or speciality texts, be it French or Ordinance Disposal. But the one pair that Cedric's eyes kept returning to was Susan Bones and Kathryn Li, but it was out of worry not lust, despite the fact they were sweaty and in tight fitting clothes.
The two were officially having a boxing/unarmed combat sparring session, with light gloves and headgear. Unofficially they were attempting to beat each other to a living pulp. Not out of spite or anger, but because of the uncertainty. The fact that Susan was holding her own was worrying because it meant they both were out of sorts. Under normal circumstances, deadly Kathryn Li could have wiped the floor with Susan Bones and turned her into a human pretzel in twenty seconds flat. Now, however, worry and disappointment that she had been left behind to babysit Victor had given Susan strength and endurance, while doubt and shame, the she had not been able to prevent the ambush or allowed to remain to search for the captives, had weakened Kathryn's resolve and made her unfocused. Susan landed a right cross on Kathryn's jaw, but the Spotter responded with a swift kick to the Sergeant's stomach.
Cedric called a halt to the training and got everyone back on their duty assignments, be it sniper coverage for Larks and Li, Patrols through the halls, Sentry duty in the Great Hall or the main gates, Champion Close Protection Detail or weapons drills. The Order masks came over those with duties outside of the Order only zone of the Chest, a mask of professional competence and reserve that they had built up, but now was strained almost to breaking point.
The waiting was tearing them all apart. Everything would be better when the Grand Marshall and Luna got back. Be it on their own two feet, on a stretcher or in a box, they would bring Harry and Kate home. The uncertainty would be over and there would be time for everyone to heal.
The six moved into the underground compound. Reaching an intersection, Hermione silently signalled for a halt. The last pair turned and covered the corridor behind them. This was the third possible location and the most likely as unlike the first two, or the fourth, this location could be entered and left while completely concealed from the bustle of the surrounding neighbourhoods. The four extra members were SAS soldiers who, with authorisation from Major Granger, had come to help out and search for this missing mate Bragg.
Actually it was good and weird for Hermione to be working with two of these SAS soldiers, Williams and Hicks, especially with Luna involved. The first time around, after Harry's death and during the war with Voldemort's son before he had fled into space, Hermione and Luna had worked with a few teams of Muggle Soldiers, including these two Privates, of course Hicks had been a Sergeant then, and they had all been present in the operation where that Luna had taken the curse that had blown off her arm, desperately trying to stem the bleeding, watching her go pail, got into shock, cock her head and smile at something no one else could see and then slowly close here eyes. Never to open them again.
The Grand Marshall snapped herself out of her memories and focused
"There are Magicals here. At least one, maybe two." Hermione announced. "Take the right."
The team moved down the right hand corridor, their weapons at the ready.
"Luna, I only got a general location. When we get close keep an eye out for their auras."
Luna nodded. There was a chance now, but if Harry was dead, Merlin help their captors because she would be coming after them, and would probably have to fight the Grand Marshall for rights to do them damage.
"Cell door left. Hicks, Johnson, cover the corridor. Williams, Martins, cover behind." Hermione ordered. "Luna, C2 on the door."
Hermione, standing with her back against the cold concrete wall next to the door, let her eyes flick to the two SAS teams while Luna placed the C2 low explosive breaching charge into the lock of the cell.
"Set." Luna said, joining Hermione against the wall. "Fire in the hole."
With a flash and a puff of smoke, the charge did its work and the Grand Marshall and the Sniper Sergeant swept into the cell, to find Sergeant West, alone and naked, sitting against the wall.
"Grand Marshall!" Kate West exclaimed as she painfully stood up and tried to stand at attention, but her left leg did not quite work the way it should. "We need to hurry, they just took Staff Sergeant Potter for an interrogation session."
"Where?" Luna demanded.
"Left. Right at the branch. Third door on the left." Kate wheezed.
"Williams, Martins, stay with West. Hicks, Johnson, with me." Hermione said, following Luna who was out the door the second Kate finished speaking.
"Where's Bragg?" Williams' voice followed Hermione out the door.
Luna shot the guard as the team moved out of the complex. As he fell another guard came out of the opposite door, but this one had the brass of an officer on his shoulders. Luna swung her MP10, not sure she was going to beat him to the trigger when a spell came shooting over her shoulder and hit the officer. The Officer went stiff for a second then collapsed, with blood trickling down his face from his eyes, nose and mouth, while his skin went red from sub-dermal bleeding.
Luna glanced behind her seeing Harry and Kate, both dressed in stolen uniforms from guards and having to support each other in order to move, with Kate lowering her wand. Their wands and The Potter House Sword were the only possessions they had recovered. Behind them were the SAS troopers, carrying the body of the fallen Bragg.
"He's the one who took the most liberties." Kate said.
"Increased the blood pressure to cause haemorrhages?" Hermione asked from her point position with Luna as they moved on.
"No. Turned every red blood cell into a centimetre long, five sided razor blade for one second." Kate replied.
"Nice." The Grand Marshall said.
"Remind me never to piss you off, Sis." Harry said.
"Will do, Bro." Kate replied.
Hermione and Luna glanced at each other at the familial terms.
Sergeant Miller walked into the Great Hall, only the other Order members seeing past his professional manner. He walked strait to Lieutenant Diggory, saluted and passed a message slip to the officer. Cedric nodded and Miller walked to the back of the room, wanting to watch the reaction. Cedric stood and walked to the lectern in front of the teachers table, usually only used by Dumbledore.
"Attention. We have just received word from Grand Marshall Granger in regards to the rescue operation." Cedric announced, his voice even and emotionless.
Everyone, students and teachers, held their breath, not sure if they were about to celebrate or mourn.
"At Sixteen-Twenty-Two local time, The Grand Marshall and Sergeant Lovegood lead a rescue team into a heavy fortified enemy bunker where Staff Sergeant Potter, Sergeant West and an allied trooper were being held. The allied trooper was deceased, however both Staff Sergeant Potter and Sergeant West were recovered alive." Cedric paused at this point, waiting for the cheering to settle down. "They are currently being held at an allied Medical facility on the Continent to recover from the effects of 'Aggressive interrogation'. Thank you."
A general concerned mummer ran through the student and staff.
"What is aggressive interrogation?" one fifth year Ravenclaw girl asked, and then noticed several of the Beauxbaton Girls go pail, including Miss Delacour and Miss Renault. Michelle Waters simply looked angry.
"It is a polite way of saying Torture." Fleur replied.
"And in Kate West's case, probably repeated brutal rape." Michelle added, effectively shutting down all conversation for that section of the Ravenclaw table.
Harry sat down in the padded chair, glad to get off his feet after the short walk from his room. His entire body ached from the torture he had received, but he was lucky in that the tortures were professionals, not for the fact that they could cause the most pain, but because they were experts at causing pain without doing a lot of damage.
A woman in her early thirties came in and sat down behind the desk.
"Good afternoon, Staff Sergeant." The woman said. "My name is Doctor Jennifer Wallace. I have been assigned as you psychologist."
"Afternoon." Harry replied. "I was told my recovery was going well and the team would be transferred home in the next day or two."
"That's correct." Jennifer replied, checking her notes. "Almost all of your injuries have healed well. The same is true for Sergeant West. Both of you will undergo extensive physiotherapy upon your return."
"So why are you being assigned to me now?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I thought you had been informed." Jennifer replied. "I will be returning to Hogwarts with you, both as your psychologist and to oversee you rehabilitation. After I graduated from Hogwarts I went to a Muggle University."
"So what do you want to talk about?" Harry asked.
"That's my question." Jennifer replied. "I know that what you have been through is traumatic, so we don't need to talk about any subject until you are ready, so you get to decide what we talk about. For now I'm here to listen."
Harry sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Do you know if any of our people were hurt in the rescue?" he asked.
"No, none were. But I understand they rescued over thirty children."
Harry sighed, trying to think of another topic he was ready to talk about.
TBC….