AN: *Insert huffy disclaimer here*
AN2: Just a short note, in my AU of this universe while Dumbledore and Grindlewald did share a friendship in their youth neither was, or is, gay. I've got different plans for Albus' family
-:-
Chapter Eighteen: Mourning
Harry hated mornings
'No you don't, you just hate this morning.'
Fine, Harry hated this particular morning.
'You don't even really hate the\is morning; you're just depressed that one of your friends died.'
Fine, Harry was depressed
'But we don't do depressed anymore do we love'
'You're not going to let me mope in peace are you?'
'Nope'
'Please?'
'Nope'
A mental sigh; 'Thanks love'
'It's what I'm here for. Alright then, up you get, Daphne wouldn't want you moping, she'd want you to avenge her.'
Harry's eyes narrowed
'That's the spirit'
-:-
A day of mourning began; Daphne's body was layered with stasis charms and placed reverentially on a bier in the foyer where those who wished to could pay their respects. Hermione thought she looked particularly peaceful, her body had been healed and there were no marks upon her, and if there had been movement in her chest Hermione might have thought she were sleeping.
Harry had taken a moment next to the corpse of his friend to say goodbye. Last night she'd practically had to sit on him to stop him from draining himself dry trying to bring her back. She didn't blame him really; Daphne was one of those few people that Harry truly cared for, much like herself, or their parents, or Fleur. Or Ron, she thought sadly.
She hadn't begrudged Daphne the kiss she needed to pass on in peace. She wasn't a jealous woman, and she could feel Harry's love for her, his actual emotions, if she just willed towards them. And Daphne truly had loved Harry; it would have been cruel to deny her that last peace.
But she did worry about the effect it had on Harry, not the kiss so much as Daphne's complete love for him right till the end. Hermione was highly conscious of Harry's penchant for taking the responsibility for other people's actions on his shoulders. If he got it into his head that it was somehow his fault that Daphne was dead there would be hell to pay.
-:-
At noon the Regiment assembled in the gardens behind the manor. The elves had built, in record time, a crypt, for all the Regimentals who fell in battle in the future to rest in the place where they had become a true family.
From the Manor came the four who were closest to Daphne; Harry, Tracey, Susan and Hermione. Daphne's body levitated between them on a flat slab of slate. She was preserved by all manner of stasis charms and her body would remain just as beautiful in death as she was in life.
A slow mournful tune went up from the watchers. Harry wasn't familiar with it, and neither was Hermione. But he suspected it was a pureblood funeral hymn. He let the emotion of the tune wash over him and had to blink back tears from his eyes as the four of them walked together toward the crypt.
He nearly stumbled as the full impact of his grief swept over him but he felt Hermione's mind link with his and her support bolstered him, allowing him to properly respect their fallen friend. He locked eyes with Tracey, who was across from him, and gave her a sad smile, hoping he could give her a measure of the support Hermione was giving him.
They descended slowly into the tomb and Daphne's body was reverently laid to rest on the first plinth on the right of the door. Harry couldn't help glancing over the free standing plinths in the middle of the subterranean structure where Hermione and he might one day rest. Hermione's hand wrapping warmly around his waist was just what he needed, as was Tracey's hand on his shoulder, and Susan's on his upper arm. He spoke a few halting words of respect to his fallen friend before backing from the tomb, refusing to turn his back on Daphne's body till she was out of sight.
The other three repeated the ritual and joined him at the entrance of the crypt where they observed the rest of the Regiment going below ground in small groups to pay their respects. When at last they were all outside again the elves filled the doorway with a vertical block of water held in place with charms and Harry transfigured it to stone: Sealing the door from any who would seek to desecrate the tomb in the future. It could be opened if there were more Regimentals who needed to be entombed, but Harry desperately hoped it never was.
-:-
Dinner was a subdued affair that night. The solemn funeral for their fallen friend had brought to mind exactly what kind of danger they were in, what they were fighting for, and what they were protecting the innocents of the country from. They had received an official letter from the Ministry expressing the condolences of the Auror department, and a much more personal one from Amelia herself. Daphne had been a childhood friend of Susan's so it was a personal blow to the middle aged woman.
The four tables, one for each of the standard fire teams, were all quiet instead of their usual rambunctious chatter. Harry felt like he should say something but he had no idea what. While he was usually able to pull something out of the air if he had to talk in public he was completely stumped tonight. Hermione's light touch on his arm brought him back to the present.
"Be honest with them love, that's all they need right now: Honesty and support, from their leader."
He nodded sharply and stood, he didn't have to cough, or clear his throat, all eyes were instantly on him.
"We lost one of our own yesterday; a close friend, a family member, a fellow Regimental, fighting the good fight. She gave her life so Hermione, and I, could get to safety, she drew the attention of a being so immense that it threatened the entire Regiment. She drew that attention to protect two people she loved.
I couldn't ask anymore of any of you, to do anything you could for the people you care for. But you all do more than I could ever even begin to fathom. You put your lives on the line for people you've never met, you toss aside the twilight years of your childhoods to fight in a war you never had any business being involved in to begin with. You've proven time, time and time again that you're the single most dedicated, proficient and potent military force in the country."
He felt like he was rambling slightly so he brought his words back to a point
"I couldn't be more proud of any of you. Each and every single one of you has met my expectations, my hopes, and blown right past them into the distance. I am proud to call each and every one of you my family. We lost Daphne yesterday, we lost her to the shapeless rage of a creature beyond any of our ken. We lost her because Valmortis decided to up the ante in this war. And we weren't ready for him.
Never, again."
He looked around the hall, locking eyes with as many of the Regimentals as he could from his place between Hermione and Parvati.
"Never again will we underestimate the threat before us, never will we be unready for what comes our way. We will be better than them, every step of the way, and will become the best we can be: So that we don't lose another friend, another sister, another brother, another lover. We will be the best we can be, not because we have to, or because we have no choice. But to avenge the fallen, to raise their names high and use them as a rallying call to those who have no hope. To bring the war back to Voldemort, and cut of his head like the snake he professes to be."
The noise in the hall had risen steadily as he spoke, yells and cheers permeating the room, clapping and shouting. Adrenaline was pumping hard through Harry's veins as he felt a bit of his magic rise to the surface in his passion.
"WHO ARE WE?"
"HOGWARTS' FIRST REGIMENT!"
The roar of sound was reminiscent of the Battle of the Bridge and threatened to push him from his feet with the spikes of accidental magic augmenting their voices. He sat down and let out a heavy breath as the hall broke into chatter. Hermione's lips met his cheek softly for a moment.
"If only a distraction, a valuable one my love."
Harry couldn't help but think they needed more than a distraction to move things forward, something to think about perhaps.
-:-
Tracey and Susan both sat on their cots in the Barracks and looked at the empty bed next between them. Daphne's rifle had been reverentially laid on the bed with a picture nest to the stock: It was a candid shot that had been taken over a year ago and was of Daphne, Tracey, Harry, Hermione and Fleur. They were all sitting near the lake sometime after the second task; Daphne, Fleur and Harry were laughing heartily while Tracey looked sour. Hermione of course was snuggled into Harry's side. It was Daphne's favourite picture and it showed her at her happiest, most free. The side of her most people never saw.
Tracey remembered the moment well; they were winding her up about her disastrous date to the Yule ball: A Beauxbatons boy who had been utterly unprepared for British sarcasm. He had left the hall a couple of minutes before midnight yelling at anyone who would listen that the British were insane. Harry had cheered her up by dancing with her and bringing a smile back to her face and everyone had laughed about it later. But this picture was one of the moments where Tracey remembered being particularly sour about the whole thing.
She felt a pang of regret as she looked at Fleur's laughing face, the poor girl hadn't been the first friend Harry had lost but she had definitely had the most impact on him. Tracey now desperately hoped that Daphne wouldn't take Fleur's place as the most emotionally stressful friend to leave Harry's life. They really needed him stable right now, Tracey needed him stable. If she had to watch Harry descend into despair or rage she didn't know how she'd react.
Susan reached across the gulf of space separating them and tapped her index finger on the bed, making the rifle and picture jostle slightly.
"She gave her life for him, not just in the: "I'll fight for you to the death" sense of the thing, but actually distracted a Litch long enough for Hermione to get him to safety. We used to call ourselves Harry's Angels in respect to Daphne. She died for him; I'd do the same, so would you. I have a funny feeling that before the end of this war we'll lose more Regimentals, and they'd all do the same."
Tracey nodded dumbly; slightly unsure of where Susan was going with this, she wasn't saying anything that Tracey didn't already know.
"I don't think we're Harry's Angels anymore. It implies we're there to pick up the pieces, to sooth him when he's lost his way. But we never really were, that's what Hermione's for. We have to be the two in the background that annihilate anything that stands in his way; we have to take down whatever would be any kind of threat to him. We're not just angels Trace; we're Seraphim, his guardians, the keepers of his life from afar."
Tracey wasn't as familiar with Christian mythology as Susan was; her family was of Wiccan descent and still practised most of the rites in their ritual circle in the highlands. As a result she really had no idea what Susan, the scion of a 'converted' pureblood house that adopted Christianity about a hundred years after Constantine took the throne in Rome. It was understandable then that her next words were slightly unintelligible.
"Sera-what?"
Susan grinned
"Seraphim, the guards of the Lord's throne, and his most powerful and ruthless servants."
Tracey wasn't quite sure she was comfortable with the deistic comparisons with Harry but she understood the metaphor.
"We're the ones who'll do anything to protect him, but not have to receive anything from him."
Susan's grin became almost predatory
"Exactly"
Tracey nodded slowly, the idea gaining weight as she thought about it
"Seraphim squad?"
"Seraphim squad."
-:-
While Susan and Tracey were reminiscing over their fallen squad mate and changing the purpose of their dedication to the cause Tyrant squad was having an intense discussion with the Weasley twins and the Captain. Grady Pierce, the squad leader, tapped his nails on the hull of the tank he was sitting next to.
"You're telling me we can take her into battle?"
The Weasleys were wearing identical grins and the Captain looked particularly grim.
"Yes, yesterday we successfully executed an experiment that proves we can safely move the Tyranny long distances without any danger to her or her occupants. With a rotating team of Elves we should be able to make up to four jumps a day before Harry would have to look at the enchantments on the tank's armour to check for degradation. With only a couple of jumps each day we're certain he'd never have to look at it unless the Tyranny took severe damage. With Tom Riddle's lieutenant throwing the big guns at us we really have no excuse not to put her in battle and that means that we'll have to start training in mixed unit tactics and battlefield discipline."
Grady chanced a look at the other members of his squad who looked just as excited as he was.
"Until further notice Tyrants squad is no longer an infantry unit, you're now the First Hogwarts' Regiment's dedicated armour division. You'll probably be expected to train the crew who will take your place whenever you leave the battalion but until that happens you're going to be engaged in anti-infantry armour training and Specialist Umbridge will be doing her best to provide accurate representations of large battlefield targets you might be expected to engage for you to practise on. Questions?"
Grady shook his head but Tom 'Twitch' Cantner, his gunner; spoke up in his reedy tones.
"Are we still going to be training with small arms, Sir?"
The Captain nodded once, curtly
"You will, but in a reduced capacity, expect to do more training with your side arms. Anything else?"
When no one else spoke up the Captain continued.
"Right then, the twins here have some technical specs to give you, I've said my bit, be up ready and sharp at oh-five-hundred for the start of your anti infantry armour training. That is if my daughter keeps Harry in one piece. We're on tenterhooks at the moment."
With that ominous conclusion to Daniel Granger's monologue he left the five boys to their tech discussion. Fred? Cleared his throat loudly and spoke into the cold air.
"Cranky?"
The gunner's hatch on Tyranny swung open and the grease monkey of an elf popped his head out and fixed a beady eye on the Weasley who had spoken.
"Cranky is adjusting a difficult part of the turret hydraulics, what could the Weasley twin possibly need?"
Fred grinned.
"We're just discussing how to deploy the Tyranny, I thought you might like to be a part of the discussion?"
Cranky grunted in annoyance
"Thirty seconds Weasley twin, Cranky will be out in a moment."
Fred rolled his eyes and nudged George who was focused on a small brass sphere in his hands.
"Think he doesn't like us?"
Grady let out a wry chuckle
"We've learned not to disturb him when he's fiddling with the inner workings of the girl. We need her in working order for her to be effective after all."
George was still engrossed in whatever he was doing so Fred replied.
"I guess you'd learn to live with him if you spent all day in a close confined space with the little guy huh?"
At that point Cranky popped the hatch again and athletically sprung to the concrete floor where he arched an eyebrow at the twins, as if to say; "Well I'm here, get on with it." Grady gave the elf an affectionate nod as Fred roused his twin. All of a sudden George was all action.
"We had a minor breakthrough recently when we realized that because Elf magic and Wizarding magic differ so much there was a fair chance that Elves would be able to manipulate the tank magically despite its heavy antimagic enchantments."
Luke grunted and spoke in his highland burr.
"Someone want to explain exactly how you can enchant something with magic to repel other magic? Wouldn't the enchantments just cancel each other out? Doesn't metal resist enchantment anyway?"
Grady answered this one himself; he'd asked Potter how he'd done it during the construction.
"The elves custom made the tank from the tracks to the hatches, but the metal they did the forging from was melted down blocks of metal that Potter transfigured from enchanted limestone found in the hills around the estate. The durability and magical resistance enchantments were carved into the rock, transfigured, then melted down. Potter explained it like this: magic loves the earth, seeks to return to it like Muggle electricity does. Under our feet run millions of ley lines that carry power about the place. From there it's not a massive leap to realize that rock and dirt are really good magical conductors. Hogwarts is a great example; over the thousand or so years that it's been around it's absorbed a titanic amount of energy and is practically alive at this point."
He took a breath
"Anyway, the long and short of it is that rock takes enchantments really easily, but loses them quickly because it doesn't resist the movement of magic too much. Metal on the other hand, especially iron and its alloys, resists wizarding magic to an incredible degree. While this makes it incredibly difficult to enchant, it does mean that any enchantments pre-existing on the metal if it's converted from say, limestone, might as well be permanent. Why do you think goblin weapons and jewellery are so valuable? Their magic allows them to enchant the metal as they work it, rather than having to add all the enchantments to it before transfiguring it from something else. If Potter had forgotten any of the dozen or so enchantments he added to the limestone before enchanting it he'd have had to start again from scratch."
Luke scratched the underside of his chin.
"So what's stopping Tyranny from losing Potter's transfiguration and reverting back to rock while we're mid battle?"
Grady shrugged
"I asked him the same thing, he just grinned, said; "trade secret" and headed off back to do whatever he was doing beforehand. Either way we've had it for a month now I doubt it's going anywhere. If I had to guess I'd say it had something to do with how crazy powerful he is. There's probably a threshold of power he can force into it that makes the transfiguration permanent."
George coughed
"The long and short of this is that with a group of four elves working together we can transport the tank anywhere we want, almost instantly too. It gives us huge tactical advantages but there are a few caveats. Primarily that you can't have the gun loaded during deployment. We don't want to run the risk of the cartridge free-floating in the garage after you leave, or worse merging with the gun barrel in transit. The ammo racks should be fine as they're all strapped in firmly enough. You'll need to have at least one of the hatches open, especially during a transit between vastly different altitudes; the rapid change in air pressure could cause serious damage to the crew if you open a sealed hatch with lower or higher air pressure than your destination. Finally you'll all need to be strapped into, or attached to, the tank during transit. Otherwise there's a fair chance you'll be left behind. A seatbelt or cord connecting your person to the hull should be sufficient. Feel free to release it once you arrive, questions?"
Grady nodded
"How long does it take to make a shift? If we need to exfiltrate a sticky situation quickly we need to know how much warning to give the elfish crew."
Fred answered that one
"Just speak loudly and clearly, just as if you were calling a personal elf: "Tyranny transit team", the elves will apparate to your position and provided you're strapped in, have the tank out of combat within five seconds. Remember, all the normal rules apply for leaving a battle as entering it, no load in the chamber, at least one hatch open, crew strapped in. Miss any one of those and we could be looking at dead crew members or someone left behind in the path of whatever was charging at you."
Cranky spoke up in his raspy tones
"Does Cranky need to be strapped in? Elf magic usually be accommodating other elves."
Fred nodded
"We'll have to do some tests but until we've confirmed one way or the other it'd be safer for you to be strapped in. At worst you'll just need to pop to their location yourself, but that still might be the difference between life or death for you or the crew depending on the situation."
Cranky nodded his bulbous head and looked up at Grady seriously.
"Cranky won't be letting you down master Grady sir. Cranky will strap himself in until he knows better."
Grady gripped the elf's shoulder firmly for a moment before looking back at the twins.
"Anything else boys? We'll need to fit some extra kit to the girl before we go to sleep tonight if your briefing is anything to go by. Furthermore we have an early start tomorrow."
They shook their heads in tandem and spoke in stereo
"Nothing more, night lads. We'll be up with you in the morning to watch you train and make sure everything goes smoothly."
After the twins left Tyrant squad and their elfish friend fitted extra cords to the inside of the tank for transit operations and a small metal wedge was made that could be shoved into the seal of a hatch to let the air pressure equalise on arrival and then be removed without exposing anyone to spellfire, or worse.
As Grady went to sleep that night he felt like Tyrant squad finally had their place in the war. Behind the controls of a massive metallic beast of war.
-:-
It was evening now, words had been spoken over their dead friend, and families had sent word of their support, though a letter from Daphne's family was absent. No news was grim news these days. She had been by Harry's side all day, more to keep him from falling into complete emotional turmoil than anything else; she knew more than anyone how vital her touch was to keeping him calm.
A movement at her side brought her back to the present and she felt more than saw Harry turn toward her. She met his eyes and gasped under her breath at the depth of emotion there. She flung her mind at his and felt him embrace her mentally with all the love he had. A single string of words reverberated through her head like the blast of Tyranny's cannon.
"That could have been you."
She understood immediately; what Daphne had done, given her life so that Harry would have extra moment to get to his feet before the Litch turned back to him. She would have done that, in and instant with little care for her own safety.
She closed with him, her left arm slipping around his shoulders, her right hand going to cup his jaw.
"In this life, or the next, you will always have me my love. I promise."
He simply closed his eyes at this unspoken communication and turned in her gentle touch to kiss the palm of her hand.
Thoughts rattled through his mind; she watched the last moments of Daphne's life play out again, Fleur falling to the ground, her lifeless eyes staring at Harry's retreating form, Ron's tattered body bleeding out on an unnamed field. She felt a spike of rage from him, so strong that she felt adrenaline surge through her own body. Her pulse and breath both quickened and as he opened his eyes she saw through them her own pupils dilate dramatically.
Their minds seemed to simply dissolve into one another and their separate, but parallel, thought patterns twined together effortlessly to become the unfathomable juggernaut of intellect that they were combined.
Ideas were formed, fleshed out, redesigned and discarded, faster than either of them alone would have been able to identify a single one. In the time it took them to plan their next course of action a mere ten heartbeats passed.
The rage that had spiked so suddenly in Harry's heart became a furnace of unstoppable determination that burned any thoughts of backing down and used them as mere fuel, just more coal for the fire.
They broke apart physically after a second and went in separate directions; Hermione headed to the Barracks, Harry headed to the permanent command centre that had been established in one of the spare bedrooms on the ground floor. They spoke through separate mouths, and with different words, but they conveyed the same message:
"We're done with playing defence; it's time to hit back."
-:-
Spells smashed into the stonework around the injured man as he slumped somewhat against the wall. His vision flickered before steadying again and he tossed a sorcel over his shoulder that shattered the ground and kicked up a huge cloud of dust.
Grunting with the effort and occasionally using the alley wall as support he forced his body to break into a run. More magic flitted past him but they couldn't aim through the obscuring cloud, to make sure they weren't following too eagerly he flicked his hand and a fireball the size of his chest roared down the alleyway and he heard at least one mad scream, though in fright or pain he couldn't tell through his own agony.
He kept running through the twisting and tight streets of magical Warsaw, blood drenching the hand clutched to his stomach and black beginning to encroach on the edges of his vision. He just needed to get out of the wards…
A misshapen creature burst out from a door ahead of him and he barely registered as his wand came up and blasted the demonic hound back to whatever hell it came from. There was more at foot here than just Valmortis' power grab; and he had to get back to Britain to warn Harry.
He had to.
-:-
Valmortis scowled as the man who had been dogging his footsteps escaped into the slums of Poland's capital. Epine desired greatly to hunt the man down and kill him but there were too many of the old world witch hunters in this city for her to be out alone. While Epine was a powerful creature, those muggles had a long history of being able to trap even the most powerful of magical creatures with artefacts and rituals using the power of the land in substitute of a more personal magic.
Intelligence would get back to Potter, and with the death of one of the Regimentals that blasted mob of children would be on the warpath. He needed a plan to turn this around, and quickly, or he could find his window of opportunity thinning fast, maybe it was time to contact some of the old crowd.
-:-
Moody grunted in annoyance as 'Black', the agent they had received their Intel from, disappeared again. She was wily, no doubt about that, and he'd never seen her look the same twice. Only the tracking spell he had placed on her magical signature was keeping him even remotely on her tail. And she knew she was being chased.
She probably thought he was one of Valmortis' minions but he had no way of informing her otherwise while she kept running like this. He'd pin her eventually, he had to, but for the moment he'd have to keep chasing.
He'd be damned if he couldn't chase down this traitorous bitch.
-:-
The man's body crumpled to the ground as he touched down in his native land. The portkey had taken him where he needed to go, but the door was still just a few meters away, and he honestly didn't know how he was going to close the seemingly infinite gap.
Fortunately he must have tripped a ward because the door opened in front of him and his brother in all but blood dashed down the steps to help him stand.
"Moony? Where the hell have you been? Fuck! He's injured!"
Remus Lupin coughed blood onto Sirius' lapel as he tried to speak. A moment later he was through the door and in the kitchen as people milled around him, patching him up again for the second time in so many years.
He coughed again but this time there was no blood as powerful potions took root in his system and knitted him back together. He coughed a few more times, getting it out of his system, before taking in a few deep breaths. Finally he managed to speak.
"I've been trailing Valmortis through Europe for the last few weeks, hence my absence from meetings. There's a deeper game at work here Padfoot, I've spotted outright demons stalking the streets of Magical Warsaw, one decided to try and gore me with its horn. Valmortis is bringing together a much more dangerous set of beings to aid him in whatever task he's trying to accomplish. Thing is that these things aren't just being summoned by him, they're popping out of the woodwork and he's scooping them up into his greater force. Someone else is feeding him troops."
He watched as his friend sat heavily in a chair and heated discussion sprang up around them.
"Can you identify any specific variants?"
Remus nodded
"Hellhounds, a couple dozen possessed wizards and at least one soldier demon, though that one's dead. I didn't take too kindly to being impaled."
A soft voice came from behind them and Remus turned his head to see Albus there.
"I think Mr Krum received more than tutelage from his first master. I can only guess, though my guesses are usually good, that he inherited Grindlewald's contacts, even his followers."
Sirius exploded from his seat and threw a punch at the older man, breaking his nose, again.
"How DARE you come here? After what you tried to do to Harry? Get out!"
The mixture of Aurors, hit wizards and fighters from the first blood war that resided in Grimmauld place these days yelled in support of Sirius' heated words. Remus honestly didn't have the energy to intervene.
"Your right cross is still just as good as it was when you flattened Mulciber's nose back in your seventh year Sirius. I'm impressed."
Sirius bristled and went to hit the man again but Dumbledore held up a hand and Sirius pulled his punch with a wary expression.
"I dare to be here because, despite our difference, and mistakes made, we still need each other in this war."
His wand was there, suddenly, and his nose was straightened, although only to its previous already crooked state. He swept around the table and laid a hefty scroll on its surface.
"I went to great lengths to procure this from the Magical museum in Berlin; it is the original charter of the Knights of Walpurgis including a signature from each of the five thousand men and women who pledged themselves to Grindlewald's service."
Remus felt his breath leave him in a sharp exhale, Sirius' weak words represented his thoughts exactly.
"Five thousand?"
Dumbledore nodded sharply
"Tom Riddle is an insurrectionist, a terrorist, and as such he commanded a small percentage of the populace, however Grindlewald was the leader of a faction in a civil war, the magical population of Europe was divided almost perfectly in twain by the conflict that rose up around the time of the Muggle Second world war.
The Knights of Walpurgis were a highly trained and elite army who Grindlewald fully intended to use to dominate the whole of Magical Europe. The reason why his name is so feared on the continent is because he alone sparked a war that threatened to wipe out the entire population of continental Europe. The ICW begged me for many years to intervene but I was tied down by not only my own friendship with the man but also the political situation between England and the rest of Magical Europe.
While I personally hoped that Gellert could be redeemed the Minister of the day refused to drag Britain into a war with such a powerful enemy. Our military strength in those days was just as minimal as it is now and I would have been one of only a handful of fighters who could have committed to the battle. Most of our wizards were already engaged in the Muggle world war, Gellert timed his offensives to start after Germany had committed its muggle troops to war, tying up a large portion of the populaces of many European countries, even in the magical community. His knights of course didn't join the fighting on the Eastern front and he unleased them in February of nineteen forty on Germany, Bulgaria, France and Poland rapidly overwhelming the Governments in those countries and developing a powerbase across the Breadth of Europe. Spain, Russia and a handful of smaller countries fought bitterly against the Knights of Walpurgis but it looked for a long time that they would be overwhelmed.
In the summer of nineteen forty four Britain finally allowed myself and four of my closest friends, including Alastor, to join the battle in France. Much like the Muggles fighting the Nazi's in that country the French magicals developed a powerful resistance and, with our help, they were able to free their government from the Knights and push them back to Germany.
Meanwhile Spain had gained traction and shoved the Knights back inland now that they had no supply chain. But Russia was lost. Grindlewald and the Knights retreated deep into Siberia and we didn't see them again for over a year. But just as the Muggle war was coming to a close Grindlewald struck out from his icy fortress and killed a hundred and fifty women and children in the south of France, Beauxbatons, students and teachers every single one of them.
We struck back and got lodged in Siberia for six years fighting a back and forth battle with the Knights across the frozen tundra of that forsaken place. Eventually I met Gellert on the field of battle and after a monumental battle that I won't recount now I overpowered him and the Knights, battered from over a decade of war, finally gave up and melted into Europe and disappeared.
Of the five thousand Knights who signed this charter over a thousand still remained when Grindlewald was defeated, at least seven hundred of them have died since but that still leaves nearly that number again floating around Europe waiting for the call of one who could lead them to battle again. It may very well be that despite the efforts of Minister Stout we will be embroiled in a war against the Knights of Walpurgis on our home soil."
Remus had leant forwards in his chair during Albus' monologue and raised his voice in the sudden silence
"So we're not only fighting the accumulated mercenaries of Europe, but also potentially the Remnants of the largest magical army to ever exist and their Demonic pets?"
Dumbledore nodded sadly
"I fear that is exactly what we face."
Sirius had a thoughtful expression.
"I wonder if Valmortis is behind this, or Voldemort? It doesn't seem like old snake face's style to drag the Knights of Walpurgis back into this. As I understand it the Knights were more interested in demonic summoning and outright supremacy than blood purity. There's every chance that Muggleborn or half-blood members of Grindlewald's army still exist today."
Remus wagged a finger at his friend
"But was Voldemort ever really concerned about blood purity? We know that he's a half blood himself, there's every chance he was just using blood purity as an excuse to bring the country's pureblood faction under his control. They're definitely the most numerous magical faction in Britain, or were, and that might have been the only impetus he needed."
Dumbledore spoke thoughtfully
"I know from personal experience that Tom hates muggles with a burning passion. He murdered his own father when he was a teenager simply for being non-magical. Besides, the Knights of Walpurgis would never fight under the orders of someone who had corrupted their own body so completely. While Grindlewald was obsessed with undead and demonic summoning he was a firm advocate of personal integrity and purity of spirit. The Knights often allowed their demons to do the killing of innocents rather than sully their own souls. The personal travesty that is Tom's new body would be abhorrent to them. "
He shook his magnificent head decisively
"No, the Knights would not fight for Tom, that means they are fighting for Mr Krum, or Mr Krum is himself is under orders from someone much higher in the Knights of Walpurgis Hierarchy."
Sturgis Podmore stepped from the ring of spectators and spoke in his deceptively soft tones.
"Can we turn the factions against one another?"
Albus looked down his nose at the unfurled scroll on the table in front of him.
"There is every chance that they are already a hairs breadth from being at one another's throats. Tom, for all his flaws, is still a fantastically powerful, cunning, and skilled wizard. He is more than capable of decimating the remaining Knights and their demonic servants even on his own. I think it is highly likely that Mr Krum, or whoever is pulling the strings, will keep the majority of their elite forces in reserve until Tom is out of the picture. We cannot simply let Tom stew in his mistakes, for he will use the time to become even more powerful. While Grindlewald relied on his followers for the majority of his strength Tom is an individual juggernaut of magic who we must find a way to stop before he becomes too powerful for us to counteract. Already we have left him to his own devices too long."
He stroked his beard slowly
"Mr Krum plays a double game, he needs to maintain the air of servitude to Tom lest he be annihilated before he is ready to act, yet he also wishes to let us wear ourselves thin fighting to defeat his master. He must be careful not to tie us up too long however, as if we do not eliminate Tom soon he will be too powerful for anyone to stop. Furthermore movements from the continent suggest that he has had a hand in Madame Maxime's sudden resurgence of hatred for this country. We are beset by foes on all sides, and from within. The Veela nations are mobilising, the Russians and French Ministries are both looking at this isle with hungry eyes. The Knights of Walpurgis and the Mercenaries from Eastern Europe are our immediate threats, and of course Tom is biding his time.
I hoped to diffuse the threat from the Veela and France by putting Harry to trial and letting his natural charisma turn them in our favour but he fled the castle and took our one greatest asset with him. While the Aurors are a potent force and this group here is clearly proficient and experienced; the Hogwarts' First Regiment is the most proficient and deadly military force magical Britain has at its disposal. Sadly it's rapidly becoming clear that they are loyal purely to Harry and will follow him to the end. I can only hope he does not spend them rashly in the wake of Miss Greengrass' death."
The room fell silent as everyone considered what was being said. Finally Sirius spoke
"We need allies Albus; maybe we can look to Spain?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"They have internal problems; war is brewing between Spain and the African magical dynasties. We can expect no help from that quarter."
Remus spoke quietly
"What of the Vatican? Or the witch hunters? Surely they would jump at the chance to eliminate the Knights of Walpurgis for good?"
Dumbledore shook his head sadly
"The Vatican refuses to act, they have to maintain neutrality or the Italian city states might rise up again and overpower them while they're otherwise engaged. The magical remnants of the Lombard League are still active in the peninsula.
As for Poland… The witch hunters I suspect will always be an internal force, the issue we have is that directly interacting with them is a breach of the statue of secrecy that could give France and Russia legal reasons to invade and that would put us even further into the manure."
Remus smashed his fist into the table angrily, leaving a harsh dent in the hardwood table top.
"So that's it? We have no choice but to rely on less than three dozen schoolchildren and an Auror force still mostly in training?"
Dumbledore fixed Remus with a sharp gaze
"All is not lost Remus; I have sent communications to the Norwegian ministry and our friends in the Pacific and Asia. There is still a chance the MANZAC's will come to our aid. New Zealand and Australia still have the most highly trained magical military commandos in the world and Hong Kong could lend financial aid if we end up bogged in a siege. I sent a request of aid to our American allies but they're still reeling from the effects of the cold war. It hit the Magical side of the line harder than the muggle apparently. Germany is being difficult, they're remaining neutral politically but they're also very obviously giving no obstruction to the Knights who live openly in Germany to this day."
Sirius wagged a finger
"So there's a hope, but we can't bank on it. We need to come together and fight the same fight instead of being divided."
He pointed at Albus
"You need to apologise to Harry, more importantly though you need to apologise to Hermione. He won't forgive you until she does, and you tried to send him to France without even letting him say goodbye to her, you put him with those animals for most of his childhood, and you've been a constant factor in the danger of his life. If I were a betting man I'd put hefty money on her holding a grudge."
He tapped the table in front of him.
"The rest of us need to be running recon, every bit of information we can collect, be it from the ministry or the continent, needs to be organized and fed to Specialist Umbridge who seems to be our liaison with them. I'll ask Harry if we can organise a meeting."
-:-
While the remnants of the Order of the Phoenix were organising themselves Amelia Bones was preparing to meet with the Muggle Prime minister. Apparently he'd had his own issues to deal with lately and had only just gotten free time to meet with her.
A signal came from her secretary and she stepped through the Floo and out into Number Ten Downing Street. Kingsley escorted her from the Floor connection through to the personal office of the PM. He was waiting for her and waved her into a chair.
"I take it the terrorist attacks across the country are your lot?"
The dismissive opening sally made Amelia bristle
"My lot? My lot are the ones who've successfully minimized civilian casualties; my lot are the ones who've been putting their lives on the line to protect innocent people. One of my lot died yesterday by drawing the attention of a magical construct to protect her commanding officer. My lot, are not the terrorists. The terrorists are foreigners for the most part who're looking at Britain like a prime slice of beef.
The French and the Russians are both mobilising, the Germans are decidedly neutral right now but that could change. Moreover there are remnants of a magical army from the Second World War that our intelligence suggests is going to be mobilising to invade. This isn't the time to be throwing around political clout Prime Minister."
The PM looked at her with a touch of annoyance
"All I know is that over four hundred innocents have died in the last couple of years, explosives, murders, massacres. It's getting to the point where your inability to shut these terrorists down is reflecting badly on my administration. And there's not a blasted thing I can do, I just have to sit here and take this abuse from the media that's destroying my career because of your failings."
Amelia was really angry now and she had to resist the urge to slap the table in rage.
"I inherited the problems of the previous administration, I've been fighting uphill for the better part of this year to try and solve issues that my idiot of a predecessor created for me. I've had the reigns of this administration for a little under eight months now, and during that time the response quality and speed of us responding to these attacks has increased tenfold. I'm making inroads and I came to talk to you out of courtesy and respect. If you're going to be like this I'll leave you to yourself and you can stew in your own inability to fight this threat yourself."
The PM raised his hands in the universal gesture of surrender.
"I very much doubt you came here in the middle of war time just to inform me of events, you'd have sent a subordinate for that. You need something from me, what is it?"
Amelia didn't grin, but she wanted to.
"Ordinance, our leading anti-terrorist task force is equipped with British military service rifles and other weapons. What we need is more, we have more people ready to fight this threat right now but they're sitting on their laurels because we can't arm them effectively."
The man tapped his fingers on the table, thoughtful.
"Why can't I just task infantry units to assist your task force? I'm sure my defence minister would feel better about that than arming a potential threat. Furthermore, why are you using guns when you have magic?"
Amelia shrugged
"You muggles have figured out very ingenious ways to murder each other, we're just taking advantage of your ingenuity. As for why we can't simply have military assistance; our infantry travel from Wales to their deployment points almost instantly via magical means. Any infantry you have on attachment wouldn't arrive at the combat zone until the fight was already over. "
She paused briefly, letting him digest that for a moment before continuing.
"If you can't get us arms that's fine, my advisors told me to ask you formally first before we went to an arms contractor ourselves, it looks better that way you know. Thank you for your time Prime Minister, but I have other things to attend to today and I don't have the time to keep arguing with you. As you said, this is wartime, and my country needs me."
Without another word she stood, turned and left. Kingsley escorted her back to the Floo and within moments she was sitting back at her office contemplating a firewhiskey. She'd been bluffing about the extra troops needing weapons. Kingsley's assessment that the Prime Minister would try to negotiate was spot on, now she had the man by the balls and if they ever did actually need something from his administration it'd be more forthcoming. She'd get Dumbledore to have his agents to source another shipment of weapons they could acquire for the sake of appearances. She was sure the Regiment could use spares anyway.
She lifted her glass in toast, though there was no one in the room.
"We're with you Potter."
-:-
The Regiment was back in the mess hall, most of them woken from sleep but ready to go, they'd done little during the day and all of them were energetic and pumped for a fight. Harry was standing at the head of the hall with the command staff alongside him. Even Emma was in the room, snuggled up with some blankets on an armchair in the corner of the room. Harry was, by consensus and experiment, the commander of the Hogwarts' First Regiment and he looked it, in full regalia with his rifle on the table in front of him and his travelling cloak flipped over one shoulder to free his arms.
"For the last two years we've been reacting to threats to out persons, our family, our friends. No more! It's widely known that Daphne died yesterday, but as far as they rest of England is concerned we suffered no other casualties, if we let it slip that I was out of action from the injuries I suffered when the Litch was summoned Voldemort will make his move on the ministry. Valmortis will be midway through organising his next attack. What will Voldemort do if he thinks I'm out of action and he has forces at his disposal? He'll tell Valmortis to send those troops to the ministry to aid his attempt to overthrow it."
The entire hall was focused on him with rapt attention, even Umbridge was nodding, Dan had a vaguely predatory grin on his face and Emma looked both proud and scared, in the front row Tracey and Susan were stoic, but Harry could see the light of excitement in their eyes.
"We contact our allies in country; we station our full force in the ministry in ambush. When Voldemort arrives in the ministry we annihilate his troops and overwhelm him with numbers, firepower and magic."
Umbridge of course had a question
"Will he not simply sniff the trap?"
Harry nodded
"I fully expect he will; he'll want to confirm that I'm out of action before he makes the attack. But he's arrogant, and while cunning, convinced of his own mastery. He will see what he wants to see, and what he wants to see is the leader of his opposition incapable of fighting back.
How do we show him this? We let it leak that we don't think St Mungos is secure so I'm going to make a secret move to the Department of Mysteries where I'll be meeting a specialist for treatment. We know he's looking for a prophecy there as well so we can give him two birds to aim for with one stone. He'll send a scout who'll see me in an impromptu medical care unit in the bowels of the ministry where I'll be 'safe'.
We deploy a fire team to Hogsmeade and have them spread out to seem like there are more than there are. The school will be about to finish and it would be reasonable for us to expect that Valmortis would strike there. Voldemort strikes the ministry with his full strength to try and solve all his problems in one strike, our hidden troops ambush him in the atrium, the order comes in from behind and pins his forces, the Aurors come in through the fireplaces and we pin them in a crossfire they can't hope to escape."
He takes a breath and everyone is nodding, the plan is sound.
"We'll raise anti transport wards and trap them there ending this war before it can get out of hand."
Dan spoke up
"We'll take casualties, Voldemort and Valmortis will lash out seeking to kill as many as they can before they're overwhelmed."
Harry nodded
"We can't afford not to try this. Voldemort's only getting stronger, and we have enemies pressing in from all sides. If we can stop this war before it truly gets going it's going to be our only hope."
Dan stepped forwards and embraced his adopted son. Moments later Emma was there too and she swept Hermione in with her. They were oblivious to what was happening in the rest of the hall but Harry was sure the same scene was being replicated through it. This was it, the chance they had to live the rest of their lives in peace. They just had to win, and live.
-:-
Sirius portkeyed into the main atrium of Potter manor and was greeted by a warm hug from his godson. He returned the hug warmly and then stepped back from Harry to look at him properly.
"You're in uniform, what's going on?"
Harry clapped his shoulder
"We're on the move Padfoot, the war could be over within the week if we're lucky."
Sirius hated to be the bearer of bad news but it was imperative Harry understood the situation, especially now
"Harry, listen to me. Valmortis might have three hundred ex-Knights of Walpurgis. Even if you kill Voldemort tonight we're still going to be bogged down in fighting for the foreseeable future."
His godson swore under his breath and one leather covered hand curled into a fist. He turned to Sirius and the older man saw tears of rage brimming.
"We were so close Sirius, so close to just being able to live."
Sirius gripped him by the upper arms and looked him in the eye, he barely had to look down to do it anymore.
"You're still going to do this Harry, we're going to win this, and we're with you all the way. It's just going to take more effort. Okay?"
The sound of approaching footsteps made Sirius look up to see Hermione striding across the atrium towards them he opened up and stepped to hug her and she almost flew into his arms where she held him close for a moment.
"It's good to see you again Padfoot, how've you been?"
He was reminded for a moment that these two were just teenagers, powerful, deadly, mature teenagers, but teenagers nonetheless.
"I've been good Hermione. I've missed you. How're your folks?"
She smiled up at him as she stepped towards Harry and sank back into his waiting embrace.
"They're good; dad's in his element here and Mum loves the library. Things are tense with mum so close to being due, but we're managing."
The last of the Blacks, smiled at the pair and nodded towards the mess.
"Can we grab a bit to eat? We've got a lot to talk about and some food and drink wouldn't go down badly."
-:-
Harry sat back in his chair after hearing Sirius' tale. He eyed Hermione across the table and a burst of emotion and thought came across their bond. She wasn't sure about Dumbledore's involvement but everything else was spot on. It was nice to know Remus was safe too. Harry smiled and sent back his own burst of information to her, more or less in agreement.
It was initially disorienting for them to switch between having their minds merged together and otherwise but with practise they switched between the states and differing intensities of them at a whim. Often it was dependant on mood, when they were relaxed but in company they often found it was more polite to not be in constant mental communication, when they were alone and relaxed it was the same, except they preferred to revel in one another's identities. The complete melding between them, the obliteration of those identities, was good for passionate moments but in relaxation they preferred to actually converse.
The news of the Knights of Walpurgis was alarming. Three hundred odd elite soldiers who were survivors of a war was a scary prospect. And all of them would be Alastor's age and no slouches in combat. They'd have to compensate with overwhelming firepower and try to avoid joining in close combat where the Knights would have the advantage. Rumour had it they all carried cursed short swords that would cause extremely painful, drawn out deaths. It was a grim prospect to be fighting them for sure.
The chance of getting reinforcements from Australasia was a tentative hope; the MANZAC troops were renowned worldwide for being the most dangerous and well trained magical commandos. Having a cadre of those backing them up would definitely give them a chance against the French, German and Veela forces that could be knocking at their doors before long.
All in all the news was grim though, especially with Alastor out of country pursuing whatever his current personal project was.
It was late though, and they had a lot to do tomorrow. Sirius would be there tomorrow and they could have a full briefing with the command staff and Squad leaders. But for tonight, they had to turn in.
-:-
Hermione held Harry close as they lay together under the covers in the master suite. She loved this time of the night, when they were on the cusp of sleep and their minds flowed together in a relaxed fashion, unhurriedly exchanging information back and forth. They were naked, as usual, and she could feel every muscle on his body slowly tensing and relaxing as he fought his body's natural inclination to turn her onto her back and join them at last.
It was rarely that she wasn't reminded of why she respected him so much at this time of night. He was, and had been, the perfect gentleman throughout their entire relationship, and he was now growing into his own, taking control of their relationship and steering it into the future. Still though it was at times like this when the true depth of his respect and esteem for her came to the fore, it wasn't just that he was resisting himself from taking her but he was subtly, and probably subconsciously, siphoning off a fair bit of her lust and controlling that as well.
She pressed a light kiss to his lips even as she stared into his eyes and one of his hands trailed lazily up her body to cup her cheek. She dug a little deeper into his mind and found that hard little nub of grief within him, a callous of pain and hurt that she wanted desperately to heal. It wasn't just for Daphne, but she was a huge part of it. There was something deeper there that she needed to address.
"You could have loved her, couldn't you?"
Her voice was gentle, soft, and non-judgemental. His own voice was rough and husky and sent shivers down her spine with the raw emotion contained within it.
"I love you."
Her hand stroked his cheek softly.
"Yes, you do my wonderful man, and I love you but you could have loved her, just like you could have loved Fleur. You have so much love in your heart Harry, and I'm always so thankful that you focus so much of it on me. You need to admit this to yourself Harry; you need to admit that those women could have been the love of your life if I wasn't around. You need to let yourself heal. "
His arms tightened around her a tiny bit and she smiled sadly at him.
"There's nothing wrong with it Harry and I'm not scared of losing you. This is for you, this is for you to let yourself let go of that rage and hurt. I need you to do this my love, so that we can keep growing, together."
A tear trickled down from the corner of his eye, shining in the moonlight. She brushed it away with her thumb and kissed him again.
"I'm here Harry, I'm not going anywhere and I love you."
He closed those brilliant emerald eyes and another tear squeezed itself out and ran down the sound of his cheek.
"Yes, she could have been the one, if you hadn't gotten there first, so could Fleur have been."
She tugged him close and cradled him in her arms as he very slowly fell apart in her embrace.
"There was always such a fine line between friends and more with those two."
She spoke softly in his ear as his tears pooled in the crook of her neck
"Tell me"
So once again Harry opened his heart to the love of his life, laid himself bare and vulnerable and she held him close and loved him with all her heart.
-:-
AN3: *sighhhh* fuck this chapter was hard to write. It's worth mentioning that I see various characters in this fandom as examples of different tropes of relationships when it comes to shipping. To me Hermione is Harry's chance at true uncompromising love built of friendship, respect and trust. Fleur to Harry is an epic love built on passion, comfort and unwavering fidelity. And finally Daphne is the sweet and sour love; she's a pureblood, a lady. She's at once a passionate fiery lover and an icy harsh killer; capable of anything to protect her lover. And of course Harry needs someone that dedicated to his safety -.- All in all these three women (Tracey and Daphne interchangeable) along with Susan (A fluffy sort of love built on humour, fun and happiness) are the four women who I think have the things Harry needs most depending on the plot.
AN4: I feel like I'm giving away part of the inner workings of the book but there is a lot of symbolism Harry having lost two of these women, these symbols types of love that are so very compatible with him. It's a case of him being broken, slowly, piece by piece by the forces against him, but because he still has love, his Hermione, he can battle through. THAT's the power of love.
On a similar but unrelated note Ron is another interesting piece of symbolism, he represents loyalty and friendship, but immature friendship, the kind formed between children who happen to have a couple of things in common and kind of like each other because of it. Aight, enough of my rambling.
AN5: Review Responses:
God of all: Here's that next chapter you asked for.
Midnight0885: Thank you! Very, very much.
Lupinesence: DW! Remus is safe. But yeah… everything's kind of up in the air right now. At least they have a plan.
Noble Korhedron: Daphne's ghost. Tyvm, I deserved that.
Jkarr: Right? It sucks
Bearmauls: haha, it doesn't look quite so impressive next to what I'm about to do hehehe. Thanks for your review
Firewolfe: Great review Firewolfe, thanks for your fantastic input. I hope you keep reading.
Vegasman: Thanks, I appreciate the thought.
Texan-muggle: Still looking out for me I see! Thanks mate. I fixed the issues I could spot in that last one.
Marksteelejr: There's your muggle government scene haha, I had intended to do something about it around this time but you reminded me so elegantly, so thank you.
Beyondthesea: The reckoning is going to be a while coming yet I'm afraid, things are just getting started.
Rimtuuk: I guess it can huh? :/
Things are about to kick off like nothing before. Tune in next time for Chapter Nineteen: Confrontation, whereupon plans are finalized, battle is joined, and a long due encounter rocks the worlds of our heroes. As always thanks for Reading and other Shenanigans. See you next time!
LGreymark
PS: I feel like there's a really horrendous continuity error in this chapter but I can't find it for the life of me. If someone spots it please give me a heads up