Merlin Protocol
Chapter 9
Nute
AN: Well I really don't have an excuse for how long it has taken me to get this out, but I am very happy with the results. This chapter started out like I planned but quickly changed and I feel that it is for the better. I already have about 1,000 words of the next chapter done so I'm hoping the wait for the next chapter won't be nearly as long. As always please review and let me know what you think, they really do have an impact on the story and my quest for inspiration.
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Two weeks into the Auror's training, Henry found himself in the Forbidden Forest at the clearing they had converted to training grounds. For most of the trainees the last two weeks had been some of the hardest of their lives, each day started with physical training that continued to get more and more intense. After physical training, they usually spent a few hours on physical combat followed by magical training that took up the rest of the day. Currently Henry was watching as the trainees were practicing their spell work at the firing range, he had to admit the difference from the first session was astounding, it seemed no one took the time to explain proper firing positions and techniques anymore.
Henry's thoughts were interrupted as Connor stopped the practice, "Cease fire, cease fire, holster your wands and fall in. Now were going to do something a little different than the last two weeks, we feel you have finally learned how to properly work your wands and now want to see how you do in a fight. Can I have 10 volunteers for a little demonstration?" Slowly hands were raised by a few of the trainees, most were wary to volunteer after experiencing the past two weeks. "Good, get up here front and center, now since you are all now capable of hitting targets with your spells it's time to put those skills to use. You lot," Connor said turning to the trainees in front of him, "are going to fight me and my team. We will only be using magic to even the odds and Peters over there will only be using his wand, got that Peters?"
"You got it boss," Henry said with a nod.
"Good, now rules, anything goes except for unforgivable and other lethal curses. Take you places and we'll begin." The other trainees stepped back from the soldiers and their comrades who were standing opposite each other ready to go. "Weasley count us down," Connor said to Ron who was standing on the sidelines.
"3…2…1…Go!" as soon as 'go' left his mouth the Aurors began to fire spells at the soldiers but the curses ricocheted off the shields created by Jake and Henry while Connor and Frank began to fire their own spells. After three of the trainees dropped, the remaining Aurors threw up shields to block the incoming fire. Seeing that they had the trainees suppressed the soldiers split with Henry and Jake running to the right, Connor, and Frank to the left, the pairs circled around the Aurors until they were attacking the group from the front and rear. With five trainees still standing the Aurors discipline failed, as they were unable to land a hit on the soldiers. It wasn't long before all of the trainees were unconscious on the ground and the squad moved to wake them up. When all of the men were up and moving, Connor addressed the trainees.
"Now you saw what happened there, a smaller force was able to take down a larger but less skilled force through coordination and strategy. At the beginning of the fight we broke into two groups and positioned ourselves so both men could fit behind one shield, from there we coordinated our fire and shielding to trim the enemy until they went completely defensive. When that happened we split up and continued to fire to suppress the enemy, moving to flank them we created confusion and hesitation about what to do. From there it was just a matter of time before they fell. The moral of this story people is this, alone you're only as good as the man next to you but together you can be great." Silence rang over the clearing as Connor drew the pause out. "Now what I want to see right now is groups of two, you're going to be fighting other groups utilizing the principles I just went over. I want to see teamwork and coordination and remember; out there, each other is all you have. Now let's go." With that, the trainees broke into pairs before the men matched the teams to fight each other. After a signal from Connor the fights began under the soldiers' supervision, they would watch the fight until one team had won before tearing both teams apart to drive home the consequences mistakes could have.
A few hours later Connor stopped the practice before dismissing the trainees for the day. As the group of Aurors walked towards the gates that would take them out of the wards Jake turned to the rest of the squad to ask, "Anyone fancy a pint?"
"Definitely," Frank said with the rest of the squad nodding in agreement.
"Who's buying the first round?" Henry asked.
"How about we decide the old fashion way," Connor said motioning to the target range. "First one to miss a target buys the first round." The soldiers agreed to the competition before stepping up to the range and un-holstering their pistols.
"Need someone to count you down?" a voice asked from behind them, turning around Henry saw his godfather walking towards the range. Connor motioned for him to do the honors and the group turned back to the range. "Ok, on 3, 1…2…3," when Sirius reached three targets began to appear down range only to be rapidly destroyed by the soldiers fire. The contest continued for a few minutes with the soldiers reloading and continuing to fire, as the shooting continued it looked like the group was going to be out there a while. Eventually the firing ended when Jake missed a target.
"Son of a bitch, I definitely hit that," Jake said shaking his head.
"Well it looks like the first round's on Jake boys, let's go I'm quite parched," Connor said smiling at the still cursing Jake. The group, which now included Sirius, left the clearing they used for training and made their way towards the gates that would take them to Hogsmeade. After entering the town, the group quickly made their way to the Three Broomsticks. Entering the bar took a table in the corner before Jake and Henry went to the bar to get the drinks.
"5 lagers please," Jake said as Henry came next to him placing his back to the bar to watch the crowd. Taking the drinks back to their table Henry saw that Ron and Neville had joined their group and were in a conversation with Sirius and Connor. Setting the drinks on the table Henry took his seat next to Sirius who said.
"It seems Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom had the same idea as us so I figured the more the merrier. It will give us a chance to know some of the trainees better.
"How's it going Ron, Neville," Henry asked the two.
"Not too bad we just really felt the need for a drink after training today," Neville said before taking a sip of his beer. At his statement the soldiers at the table began to chuckle.
"You think this is bad? You don't even want to know the shit we've had to go through, especially at the Academy." Jake said with the others nodding their heads, "But honestly I'm impressed with how far you all have come in this short time, especially you two, you guys were a great team out there today." After that, the group settled into conversation getting to know each other. Two hours and quite a few pints later the group was still going strong when Ron asked the question that had been on his mind ever since meeting the soldiers.
"So what's it like killing someone?" The table fell silent for a few moments before Connor spoke.
"You get used to it, the first couple are a little off but if you're out there and it's them or you, you never hesitate. I still remember my first, some Russian in god knows where Afghanistan. We were there in support of the native fighters to help repel the Russian invasion. My squad was tasked with hitting a convoy behind enemy lines, after blowing the first car we opened fire. I can still see this kid, couldn't have been older than 17 fall from my fire as he got out of his truck." Connor fell silent as he took a drink from his beer and looked around the table.
"My first was in the Falkands," Frank spoke from next to Connor.
"Mine was when we rescued your sister," Jake said.
"Mine too," Henry told them. The group of men fell into silence as they reflected on what they had just been told.
"Enough of that, so Mr. Weasley how is your lady friend, what's her name, that's right Hermione."
Ron blushed slightly before saying, "She's good, we were supposed to go get dinner tonight but she got held up at school so I asked Neville if he wanted to get a drink."
"Well it's a good thing you did because now that you have graced us with your presence we are going to continue to drink, and keep drinking until someone at this table is no longer conscious." Frank spoke from beside Connor with a smile as he raised his pint to the two trainees. The rest of the squad broke out in laughter at Frank's statement and the men around the table fell into conversation, sharing stories from the past and thoughts of the future long into the night.
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The next morning Henry found himself outside the statue guarding the headmaster's office with Jake at eight in the morning. After running the trainees through their physical training Connor had Frank and Jake take over the rest of the morning's training as he and Henry went to meet with Sirius, the Major, and Dumbledore to discuss their next move. Entering the headmaster's office Henry nodded at the occupants of the room before taking a seat facing the others in the room.
"Thank you for coming, I felt it necessary to discuss the recent developments with our enemy and our plan moving forward. Headmaster we felt it pertinent to include you in this conversation because of the group you lead and the information we could gain from your operatives. Even with the result of our previous operation together we recognize the value that your organization has and hope that we can be close allies in this current conflict." The major spoke to the headmaster.
"I am very grateful to be included major, I too hope that together we can mount a more effective effort against Voldemort." As the headmaster spoke, his eyes retained their ever-present twinkle and the others in the room could see the cogs figuratively turning in the old man's head.
"Now to business, our sources indicate that the enemy is now aware of our presence and he views us as an unknown. The efficiency of our attacks have given him pause so at the moment it appears he is choosing to lay low and plan his next moves carefully. Since our initial attacks it appears they have created new safe houses and training facilities, we are trying to discern their locations as we speak. However, as of now all our previous Intel is no longer valid. In addition, we have been unable to find any leads on how our last operation was blown, so as of now we are assuming the information was intentionally leaked with the goal of drawing us out or exposing spies. Headmaster have your operatives been able to discover anything else?" The major looked to Dumbledore as he finished speaking. The others in the room were still digesting the information and thinking about how it affected their plans when the headmaster responded.
"They have reported much of the same; Voldemort is currently trying to find out more about you and your men and planning his next move carefully." Dumbledore spoke, folding his hands in front of him and looking on in contemplation.
"Major, has intel been able to get an accurate count on the number of hostile forces?" Murphy spoke from his seat next to Henry.
"Not yet captain but our best estimates put the number of active hostiles in the country around 3,000. We face a large and fierce enemy gentlemen, and history has shown that force must be met with force." The major spoke, "on another note we face another threat to our effort. The non-magical parliament has been making inquiries into the recent conflict in which their armed forces have been involved. The prime minister should be able to stall them for some time but if we lose their support, it will not be good. For now Murphy your orders are to continue the training of the Aurors and remain alert, we are currently trying to gather workable intelligence on foreign Death Eater activity which has been on the rise."
"Rodger sir, we'll be ready when the call comes." Murphy said when Taylor finished speaking.
"Good now that is all, I believe you have a training session to get to boys." At that, the two soldiers stood from their seats offering the major a salute before leaving the room to return to the Auror's training.
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Later that day after the Aurors had left; Henry was picked to put away the day's equipment before heading back to the castle. After stowing the gear in a secure shed to the side of their clearing in the forest Henry slung his pack over his shoulder and began to walk towards the castle with thoughts of his warm bed in his head. Coming to the edge of the forest Henry set off for the main door to the castle before he froze upon hearing a laugh that was too cruel to result from an innocent joke. It spoke of the arrogance and cruelty he was all too familiar with, it resulted from punishing those one thought were below them and taking pleasure in it.
Dropping his gear Henry drew his seldom-used wand from its holster as he made his way towards the laughing. Judging the sounds Henry guessed there were at least four assailants and an unknown number of victims, though he could only hear one voice whimpering. Moving from tree to tree Henry finally got a view of his targets, the four boys who he thought to be at least sixth or seventh years were gathered around a young girl with platinum blonde hair who had curled into herself. The boys were laughing as they cast curses and hexes at the girl who Henry guessed was a second year at most. Feeling his rage build at the sight of the helpless girl Henry stepped out from his cover and swept his wand in a broad arc sending the red bolt of a stunning hex at the four attackers. The students were caught by surprise and all fell under the soldier's attack. When he was sure the assailants were down Henry moved to each of the boys and pocketed their wands before coming to the young girl who was on the brink of unconsciousness. Henry took one look at her before bounding the attackers together to ensure they would stay put. Picking up the girl Henry cradled her to his chest, careful not to aggravate any injuries as he made his way to the castle. Looking down at the girl his eyes met her half-open ones, seeing the girl conscious he spoke to her, "it's okay, you're safe now. Nothing's going to happen to you ever again." The girl in his arms sported a faint smile before her eyes closed again and she lost consciousness. Entering the castle Henry was grateful that dinner was in full swing as he moved past the great hall.
"Henry?" he froze hearing the familiar voice of Ginny Weasley as she left the great hall. Only pausing for a second Henry looked back at Ginny before motioning to her to follow him. Continuing on to the hospital wing Henry felt his redhead friend come to his side, she took one look at the girl in his arms before saying, "What happened to her?"
"Later," was her only response as they passed through the doors of the hospital wing. "Madame Pomfrey!" His yell brought the witch out of her office, she moved towards them eyeing the girl in his arms.
"Oh my, Miss Wilson, please set her on this bed." Henry laid the girl on the bed before moving away letting the healer work on the young girl.
"Henry what happened to Ellie?" he heard Ginny speak from his side as they watched the healer work.
"You know her?"
"Of course, she is a first year Gryffindor, very bright from the conversations I've had with her." Ginny said with a mournful expression at what had happened to the girl.
"Well I was walking back to the school from training when I heard a voice in the forest. The voice was laughing; it put me on edge so I went to check it out. When I finally got to the source I saw this girl on the ground as four older students were hexing her, I stunned the assailants and confiscated their wands before bringing her here. Speaking of which I need to inform Connor of this," Henry said with an official tone Ginny did not recognize on her friend. "Kilo 1-1 this is Kilo 1-4, there are four hostile students bound at the edge of the forest. I disabled them in the act of assaulting a student and bound them for later pick up."
"Rodger 1-4 I'm sending 1-2 and 1-3 to collect them now, you stay with the victim and make sure she stays safe until we can collect the students." With that, Henry dropped the pack he had thrown over his back and sank into a chair next to the young girl. He gave Ginny a smile as the girl sat in the chair next to him. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the still form on the bed before them. After some time Henry gave a deep sigh before leaning forward burying his face in his hands. Noticing his change Ginny moved her hand to his shoulder and spoke,
"How are you doing Henry?" Henry turned to Ginny with his head still resting on his hands and smiled tiredly at her before he spoke.
"I suppose everything's just hitting me at one, I don't know but seeing this innocent girl hurt made me think of when we rescued you. I promised myself then that I wouldn't let another innocent get hurt if I had anything to do with it. Now we are supposed to be the security for the castle and we couldn't prevent this." Henry looked upon the girl laid before him with a sad expression before Ginny grabbed his arm and spoke.
"Listen Henry, you're not god, there is no way you can save everyone from everything. But look at it this way, you saved Ellie from whatever they had planned for her in the end and that is something to be proud of. Besides, you saved me and that's the most important thing right." She said with a smile as she took his hand and looked upon the girl.
"Too right," Henry said giving her hand a squeeze before relaxing in his chair and preparing to wait until the young girl woke up.
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Later that evening found Henry still sat beside the young girl's bed, with Ginny dozing off next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. As he kept watch over the both of the girls, the doors to the hospital wing opened and he felt another presence enter and move towards them. Henry tensed up prepared to defend the two girls before he recognized the familiar magic of Sirius come behind him.
"How is she?" Henry heard his godfather's voice speak.
"Pomfrey says that she will be fine, just needs some time to heal." Henry paused before looking to his godfather. "When I saw her I couldn't help but think of Sarah from back home, they're about the same age." Sirius smirked as he remembered the young girl back in the states that had attached herself to Henry from the first time they met. They had become close and Henry was still fiercely protective of the girl. "What happened to her attackers?"
"They were expelled, this wasn't their first attack on a muggleborn and they seemed particularly drawn to Miss Wilson. I tried to push for Azkaban but they were all from notable families so nothing would stick."
"At least they are out of the school," Henry said and Sirius nodded.
"How are you doing pup? We haven't had much time to talk since I got back into the country." Sirius looked at the young man he considered a son as he asked his question.
"I'll be fine Sirius; it's a lot to take in isn't it?"
"Aye, I still remember the last war. I only fear that this is just the beginning, but don't worry we'll get through whatever they can throw at us. Together," the two men looked at each other matching the others determined gaze. "And it seems our numbers have grown, haven't they?" Sirius's eyes shifted to the girl deeply sleeping on Henry's shoulder.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Henry said looking anywhere other than his godfather.
"You may be able to lie to yourself Henry, but you can't lie to me. You haven't been able to get anything past me since you were 12."
"Really?"
"Yes really, did you think I wouldn't find out about you and, what was her name? Yes, that's right Mary, Mary from down the street while I was out of town when you were 16. Besides that girl has been your shadow when you have free time since we got here." It was true, whenever Henry wasn't at training, on patrol or planning with his team he was usually found in the company of Ginny. They ate all of their meals together and when he was free in the evenings they would practice flying or be found in the library where Henry would help Ginny with her homework while pursuing his own interests.
"You knew about that?" Henry exclaimed trying to keep his voice down as not to wake Ginny while Sirius chuckled lightly.
"Yes I knew about that, now are you going to quit lying to me about your feelings towards Miss Weasley?"
"I don't know Sirius, of course I like her, what's not to like? She's smart, funny, beautiful and so much stronger than she looks."
"But…?"
"But I can't get involved with her, one, she is someone I'm tasked to protect, two, I can't put her in that kind of danger and finally, I'm no good for her." Henry looked down after he spoke, picking at his fingers. He heard Sirius growl slightly before hearing.
"What do you mean you're no good for her?"
"I'm damaged, you know how my life was and now I've killed so many people Sirius. I have too much blood on my hands for someone as good and pure as her to be interested in me." Henry looked to the sleeping girl next to him as he spoke. Feeling his godfather grab his arm Henry turned away from Ginny.
"Listen to me Henry, you are the best person I know. You remind me so much of both your parents, if anybody deserves to be happy, it's you. I know that your life has been tough, especially lately, but I want you to remember that you're not like them. You fight to protect those you love and do what you must to ensure their safety. The blood you have spilled has been in the name of justice, now I want you to listen to me. I believe that you have a very good opportunity in front of you," Sirius redirected his gaze at the still sleeping girl. "I think you should take that opportunity, you deserve it."
"Thank you Sirius, logically I understand what you're saying but it's just hard to come to terms with it. I will admit that I do want more with Ginny but you have to let me do it at my own pace."
"Glad to hear it pup, you should get some sleep you still have training tomorrow. She needs to get to bed too," Sirius motioned to the sleeping Ginny as he spoke. Henry nodded in agreement before gently waking the sleeping girl up.
"Wha… What's going on?" Ginny spoke, still half asleep as she sat up in her seat.
"You need to get back to your dorm, Sirius can you walk her back? I want to stay a little bit longer," Henry helped Ginny from her seat as he spoke to his godfather. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he said to the drowsy girl.
"Of course," she responded before hugging him tightly causing his godfather to smirk as he returned the hug. She left with Sirius, and Henry took his seat next to the blonde girl once again. The young man began to doze off as the first hint of sunlight came over the horizon. Falling deeper and deeper into slumber Henry was drawn back to reality by sounds of movement in front of him. Opening his eyes he was met with two shockingly blue eyes peeking out at him from under the covers the girl had drawn over herself. Sitting up in his seat Henry spoke to the girl.
"Hey, it's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
"F..Fine," the girl said still hiding under the protection of her covers.
"I'm Henry, what's your name?"
"Ellie"
"Well Ellie it is nice to meet you, you remind me of a good friend I have back home. Would you like to be my friend?" Ellie's eyes stared back into his as she assessed the man before her. Coming to a decision the girl spoke.
"I would like that."
"Great, now why don't you come out of those blankets so I can get a good look at you and make sure you're alright." After Henry finished speaking, the girl slowly emerged from her place of hiding. "There we go, I knew there was a pretty face under there," smiling at the younger girls blush Henry continued. "Now that we're friends Ellie I'm going to make you a promise, nobody is going to hurt you again if I can help it. There's no need to be scared okay?"
"Okay…" she said looking down at her lap. Henry looked at his watch noticing he was already late for the morning training session.
"I have to go now but I'll send Madame Pomfrey in so you won be alone, I'll come see you tonight okay?" Receiving a nod Henry rose from his chair and gave the girl a brief hug before fetching the matron and leaving for the days training.
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AN: When I started writing this chapter I had no plans or thoughts of Ellie, but an idea came to me last week and it was too good to pass up. You will be seeing more of her in the future.