Chapter 39 – Goodbye to America (Freddie James)

Everybody told me that the soldiers were gone. Mum from her search for The Dude confirmed that the soldiers appeared to have gone. I'm still worried. We haven't had non-magicals hunting for us in Britain. This was a different sort of danger. If the danger was over, why did Minister Hermione keep reminding us that we were at the last pre-planned safehouse and must rehearse in our minds how we would link our minds to Super Yggdrasil and be sucked into it, if this safehouse was attacked. We must do this at the first sign of trouble? A half hour later, Minister Hermione insisted that we must establish and maintain a loose link to Super Yggdrasil. She spoke very urgently for "no more danger".

She even asked "Do you understand?"

Of course, I understood. I'm sure we all did. I just answered, "I do!"

Maxwell, Rose, and I had spent most of the time talking to Asphodel, Tigrid, and Gbek. I had told them "Perhaps it feels that we assumed too much when we came to rescue you. I promise that I didn't. We had no way of knowing if you would be willing to return to Hogwarts, or even to Britain. We just knew you weren't safe here. We heard more and more about how unsafe America had become for us. We couldn't just leave you here. You are our friends. We don't abandon friends in the face of danger. If you insist upon America, we can return you after the danger is past. You won't have to be at Hogwarts more than a few weeks, unless you decide to stay."

Asphodel's look said, 'some friends you were.' Knowing I had read the look she verbalised "Not you Freddie. You always trusted me and treated me well. I consider you friend. I felt the rest of Gryffindor House was always cool, if not outright cold, to me. I am seriously considering giving Gryffindor another try. I think we've all learned something. I'm too quick to take offence. I think I was mainly upset with Dad."

So there was hope. Tigrid and Gbek seemed ready to return to Hogwarts from the first time we spoke to them. It must be obvious to them that America was an awful place to be a young Goblin. While the rest of us spent most of our time talking with Asphodel, the Goblins had spent most of their time with Torva. Asphodel was the one I had to convince. I knew her father and the other adults couldn't convince her. It was more up to Rose than to me, but I would do my best.

Minister Hermione announced that she would take three Aurors and return to the factory. Workers may have been captured or even killed. The lodestone might have been discovered. The whole establishment could have been looted. "I'll return as quickly as I can," she promised. "You'll all have to contribute to detecting threats and mounting an initial defence. Remember: one curse and off to Super Yggdrasil."

She pointed at three Aurors. They joined hands and were gone.

We were on the first floor, in the large sitting room. By design, there was no furniture in this room and dark, roll-down window coverings covered the two large windows on the long outside wall. The shorter outside wall held a strong, windowless door. I told our group: "I think we should sit with our backs against that long inside wall and defend from there. The Aurors can be roaming defenders on all the floors of the house, including the basement."

One of the Aurors was near enough to hear me and commented in annoyance: "Sure thing kid. That's what we planned to do, but it's nice to know that we have your permission. One correction - there are two computers for observing what the outside cameras show. We have one in our second-floor command post. I'll bring the other to you. Two of you should monitor the cameras. We don't have enough Aurors to watch it all continuously. Can you do that."

Maxwell spoke up to save me from being mocked again. "Yes, Gbek and I can do that. We'll give you a shout if we see anything."

"No. If an Auror isn't in sight, send a runner to the command post. I'm tied into the Black Stone, the others aren't. You can talk to me that way."

We sat with wands or swords and wands on our laps. The Auror brought a small computer to Maxwell and showed him how to stop the rotation of cameras and freeze the picture or order up a particular camera. There was a way of enlarging the picture from the selected camera. Maxwell said he understood.

We had only been sitting for fifteen minutes, when Asphodel nervously asked "What if somebody throws a bomb through the windows? What can we do?"

I told her that I had learned a new curse 'Return', which would send any missile back on the course from which it had come. I would try this if the need arose. I could try to teach her, but it might take more time to learn it than we had in this moment.

"Please try to teach me. I learned many spells really fast, although others were tricky for me and took a long time. I learned a secret from Dad: wands, properly pronounced spells, exact wand motions - all nonsense needed to tame wild magic and help train our minds to controlled magic. He said the key is to focus upon the magical part of your mind, visualise exactly what the spell is supposed to do, then trigger it in your mind. That's why your Mum's spells have short commands. One syllable is actually best. It's a precise trigger instant. I think I'll use 'Back' instead."

"Didn't my Mum already teach you 'Back'. I was going to mention 'Back' as a curse we might possibly use, but the problem with that is if we don't aim exactly right, we might cause the bomb to bounce back off the window frame, ceiling, or wall. I thought of 'Reducio', but that might only make a smaller but equally powerful bomb. 'Reducto' might just cause it to explode instantly. Minister Hermione explained that explosions are shock waves moving through air. Sound is waves moving through air. 'Muffliato' might work a little but bombs also hurl out metal pieces at high enough speed to kill, so I'd be a little afraid of depending on Muffliato." I think 'Reverse' is best. I'll practice that with you."

"Thank you. Is it all right if I call it the 'Go!' spell."

"Probably. Use that when we practice and it either works or it doesn't."

I found a Muggle book in a corner of the room. I told Asphodel that it was time to play catch. I pitched the book at her in a slow arc. She returned it. I repeated several times, throwing it a bit faster each time. She returned it each time. 'Now I'm going to throw it fast. I will throw it side-arm from my right, so that it doesn't hit me on the way back."

I threw it as hard as I could. It hit her right in her belly and with an "Oof", she crumpled to the ground. Only a minute and she was upright. "Again," she ordered me.

I repeated the previous throw. This time the book shot past the spot from which my hand had released it.

"Again!"

I threw again. Asphodel returned the book just as hard as I had thrown it.

I decided that was enough. I told her to cover the window on the right. I would take the one on the left. I warned everyone on our line of defence to protect their faces and throats from flying glass and bomb parts. Ever since Asphodel had mentioned bomb, I believed that was part of what we would face. My gut said an attack was coming. We moved in small groups, while most of us remained on guard, to move boxes and furniture from the second floor to positions where it could shelter our line from an attack through the door or flying glass from the windows. We should have done this sooner, but made quick work of it by Apparating. We were all tied into Super Yggdrasil. Among all in this group, that secret was out. I was not surprised that the Aurors hadn't insisted that we fortify our position, rather than allowing us to sit naked in an empty room. They viewed our fighting skills as a joke and hoped we would all Apparate away the instant any movement was detected outside the house.

We soon detected dark figures approaching the house from all sides. I messaged the Aurors and told the group "With attackers on all sides, we have to be ready to leave for Yggdrasil almost immediately. A quick fight, then gone. I think Minister Hermione would like some prisoners to find out who these guys are, but only if we can do that safely."

I had barely finished speaking when a bomb was thrown through my window. "Return!" I screamed, then warned "Bomb!"

We all ducked down. Two quick explosions outside the windows. Asphodel must have done her part successfully. No time to celebrate. There was a crash and dark-clad figures were slinking through the door. Teddy and his door defenders were firing 'Off' curses at them. I remained focused upon the window, until I heard an attacker shout "Avada..."

I sent an 'Off' at him. He kept coming and was at "...keda..." when I dropped him with a "Kill!"

I told those around me "We need to capture that Wizard and a few of the others, then out of here."

The first wave of door attackers had fallen. Teddy, Asphodel, and I sprung forward, throwing ourselves on the ground at the bodies of the leading attackers. I grabbed the ankle of the Wizard. Teddy and Asphodel each had a hold on a fallen attacker. Two more attackers appeared. They got both sword gashes from Gbek and 'Off's from the rest of us."

"Leave!" I shouted, as I grabbed Gbek's leg with my second hand. Gbek, the fallen Wizard attacker, and i were inside Super Yggdrasil's large entry room. I messaged Yggdrasil to tell Hermione that we were under attack.

I received the return Yggdrasil message "She knows. She and her Aurors defend the house from the outside. All of the attackers have fallen."

The entry room was filling rapidly. I sat up fully, so that I could pull off the mask that the Wizard was wearing. 'He' seemed to be a Chinese Witch about the age of a just-graduated Hogwarts student.

"More soldiers, but out of uniform. I think they tried to trick us into thinking they had all left."

"Minister!" I shouted. "This Witch tried to use the Avada on us. I think she's Chinese."

Minister Hermione hurried over to confirm that with her own eyes. The Witch still held her wand in a death grip. "She's dead!" The Minister seemed shocked, which became clear when she continued "That makes it very difficult to question her or to explain her death to the American government. I wonder if she is American. If she's from China, then we have a far worse problem than I imagined."

I explained: "I did my best not to kill her. She kept saying the AK after I used 'Off!' I know my curse struck her. She stumbled a little, but she kept saying the AK. If I hadn't used 'Kill!' one of us would have died."

"I understand. Her ability to shrug off 'Off!' makes her involvement even more serious. I wasn't blaming you. It's just frustration. You did what you must. I returned from finding the factory badly looted and vandalised, with two workers kidnapped. They were employees, not even magical. I'm angry."

I looked around the entry room. I didn't see Mum, or some of the Aurors, or Charity, or the Dude. "Where's Mum?" I asked Minister Hermione.

"She's safe. I need to give an update to all of you. There has been action all around. So, listen up!" Her voice had become magically amplified right after she told me Mum was safe. I could relax a bit. I had already found all of the students from our defensive line. I was worried that Tigrid might not have been Apparated to safety or that one of the students was dead or seriously injured. Everyone seemed unharmed.

I focused my attention on the Minister. "Police were rushing to the alternate safehouse. We couldn't take all of the downed attackers with us. Two were bleeding from sword cuts. It's unfortunate. They will reveal some of our secrets and those who were bleeding may die. Several other attackers were severely injured or dead from their own bombs. That was excellent work. I'm glad Ginny taught 'Return' to so many of you.

"There were no important documents in either of the safehouses, so that's a plus."

"The Dude, three of his teachers and professors, and three students are missing. We didn't find any friendly bodies. That's another plus.

"I sent Ginny, along with Charity and her family, back to Hogwarts. Ginny is meeting with the British government. The British government has filed a strong complaint with the Americans. Ginny says that the soldiers took a lot of papers from the Dude's offices and Charity's and her parents' houses. Charity says none of her papers would cause much trouble in the wrong hands. A lot was taken from the factory, but they didn't find what was left of the lodestone. I burned off the linoleum above it and made sure its destruction was complete. What the soldiers took was all of our business records, instructions for manufacturing, all the gold, all the finished jewellery, most of the silver, and about $50,000. I don't think they have anything at all incriminating. They have proven themselves to be criminal thieves.

"I've kept trying to reach the Dude, but no response. I fear they may have killed him.

"Somebody may need to meet with the Americans very soon, but I need to get back home to discuss everything that's happened. All of my advisors need to weigh in. For now, I think we must rely on the British government to pursue our interests. We all go back to Britain. Well, I'll leave two Aurors here with Super Yggdrasil, but it's home for the rest of us and for our prisoners."

Teddy spoke up: "I've been going through the pockets of some of the attackers. They all have military ID and the same note from a General Alexander telling the local authorities that these guys are on an important national security mission. It gives his phone number at the Pentagon."

"Thank you, Teddy. I'll make sure that the British government receives that information immediately. I'll leave these documents and one of the prisoners with the two Aurors who are staying behind. They can deliver them at the proper time."

I was standing next to Asphodel, as we organised our stuff for the return to England. I saw Rose approaching. I moved away a bit to give her space, but stayed close enough to hear what was said. I was concerned that Rose treats Asphodel well.

"Thank you for saving our lives, when the attackers threw the bombs into the room. You are very skilled. You learned 'Return' on the fly and under great stress. It took the rest of us days to master that curse. You also were very brave to move toward the doorway to capture prisoners."

"I just followed Freddie James."

"But that's the point. Only you, Teddy and Gbek helped Freddie and both of you were among the window guarders. I was part of the group with responsibility for the door. You helped Freddie. I didn't. I think you are very brave."

"It's kind of you to say that. I..."

Hermione's amplified voice ordered "Back to Hogwarts. Travel in threes. Move away from the landing spot quickly. We're going to the pyramid. We move in thirty-second intervals to keep the landing area clear. Students first. I understand the American students all want to travel with us. They go first. Two students at a time, with an Auror to Apparate."