A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or the real life designs of warships and weapons featured in the story.

Jim Red Hawk: My idea was that the Canadians wanted to protect as many civilians as possible, and to have a more durable network of wardstones that could protect the entire village from unforgivables, or at least mitigate them.

As a warning, extreme angst is featured in this chapter.

August 1, 1996

5:37:15 AM UTC

HMCS Silvermoon, the Irish Sea

Along the shore of England, one of Canada's magical warships was now quietly stopped, with anti-detection wards erected over the vessel. Down below decks, three families were now resting uneasily, now dealing with shock as realization began to set in for the Lovegoods, Weasleys, and Diggorys. Lord Voldemort had tried to kill them all a few hours ago, with dozens of Death Eaters sent to destroy everything in the vicinity of Otter St. Catchpole. Their future was in uncharted waters; the safety of their homes was no longer guaranteed as proven last night, and with Magical Britain unlikely to prevent another attack, it would be dangerous to return home.

Currently, several Canadian CMIS agents were now in Ottery St. Catchpole, retrieving the wardstones erected as well as packing up as many personal belongings belonging to the three displaced families. The Diggorys were planning to temporarily move to their summer property in France, while Xenophilius was planning to go on an expedition in South America while his daughter attended school.

However, the Weasleys were in a quandary. Bill would likely return to his flat in Cairo, but that small apartment could not fit his parents. Neither was Charlie's small residence at the Dragon Preserve where he worked. The Canadians advised the Weasleys not to use the Twin's flat at their shop on Diagon Alley, as there were fears that Riddle's followers might attack the Alley. As it was, Canadian SMS operators and a few muggleborn Brits who were serving in the Special Air Service were now discreetly patrolling the Alley, with only a few Aurors aware of their presence.

On the flight deck, Lieutenant Commander Erik Smith watched as the vessel's big CH-126 Sea King landed with a particular VIP on board. He watched as the helicopter lowered a cable to be attached to the Silvermoon's "beartrap," a Canadian invention that allowed warships to operate helicopters in heavy seas. The helicopter slowly lowered to the deck, and the rotors slowed down. The starboard door of the helicopter open up as a tall white-beared man stepped out, surprisingly dressed in austere trenchcoat instead of his usual flashy robes.

Albus "man with many middle names" Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and figurehead of the Wizengamot, was now aboard HMCS Silvermoon. The executive officer of the frigate had heard all about the man, who was known as the wizard that ultimately stopped his former friend Grindelwald from continuing his reign of terror in Magical Europe, which nearly spilled over into World War II. However, as the son of two "muggleborns" forced to flee England, he had mixed feelings about the leader of the Order of the Phoenix.

Dumbledore was a very controversial figure among the many British expatriates that now lived in Magical Canada. He was certainly a powerful wizard that deserved some respect, but his rather pacifist handling of Tom Riddle and his followers was seen as useless against the bloodthirsty dark wizard. Some saw the wizard as a manipulator, a chessmaster who only saw the forest, but not the trees within. Others considered him an eccentric old man who's prime had long past, and was a symbol of the traditionalists that caused Magical Britain and Europe to remain so far behind the rest of the world. A few who knew or heard of Dumbledore's early history saw him as a man facing down his personal demons, and could not bear to have any more blood on his hands. Many had long suspected that Albus was somehow involved in the death of his sister Ariana, which was also believed to have caused the animosity between Albus and his brother Aberforth. No one knew which theories were correct, but many did recognize that any blame was not his alone.

The Ministry of Magic in Britain had proven to be completely useless, never learning from the past, and an utter failure in protecting its own citizens. It was dominated by Riddle-sympathetic "Purebloods" who had turned Magical Britain into the magical counterpart of Enver Hoxha's Albania or the Orwellian state of North Korea, completely cut off from the rest of the modern world. The Head of Wizengamot was little more than a figurehead, with the factions in the ruling house holding the true power. It was only a matter of time before the policies espoused by one Dolores Umbridge were enacted and a new reign of terror, endorsed by the Ministry, commenced.

Lt. Commander Smith had heard stories from his parents about their experiences in Magical Britain's repressed society, which painted a rather depressing picture to say the least. The buildings looked like it they were stuck in the early Victorian era. Everyone still used oil lamps or fire torches for lighting. The witches and wizards still used quills and parchment for writing. The House-Elves were used as slaves, conditioned to obey and serve their masters without objection. The Goblins in Britain were more or less considered second-class citizens, and the only reason why Gringotts still had a branch in London was for profit. The majority of magical Britons wore either early-Victoria clothing or garish robes that would stand out even in the relatively diverse Baldwin Street or Silvermoon. There were even rumors that marriage contracts were still used in some pureblood circles and inbreeding was practiced. For outside observers, it was hilarious if it wasn't so sad. Of course, the rest of the Magical Old World was also behind Asia and North America, though the continent was far ahead of the archaic society in Britain.

Smith's view of Magical Britain was also affected by the fact that a number of relatives, magical and non-magical, had died during an attack on Diagon Alley during that first crisis. His parents, who by then had long migrated to Canada, had been devastated by so many loved ones lost; his father had fought a perpetual struggle with alcohol, fighting the urge to drown his sorrows for the lives that had no tomorrow, until he passed away two years ago. His mother had lost so many relatives to the terrorist attacks, and soon passed away following the death of her husband.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear those thoughts, Smith also knew that the Canadians were on edge, and were itching to permanently deal with Riddle and the rotted Ministry of Magic.

It was clear that the self-titled Lord Voldemort was trying to indirectly attack Harry Potter, as well as attempts to silence several opponents of the Fudge Administration. Already, many members of the Canadian DMA believed that the Fudge was a De Facto puppet for Riddle, with Lucius Malfoy controlling the Minister's decisions. It was so bad that Smith heard from Commander Chan that the Defense Staff was considering the reactivation of Magical Canada's secret battleship, currently docked at CFB James Bay as a floating training and administration center. That vessel was HMCS Canada, formerly the WWI-era dreadnought Sao Paulo of the Brazilian Navy which had officially "disappeared" while being towed for scrapping. The vessel was only to be reactivated if there was a dire threat in the Wizarding World, one that could affect Canada, and with Britain during relatively dark, many feared the worst.

08:36:00 AM EST

Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Harry was currently sitting next to Daphne as they another delicious breakfast Leslie had prepared for the inhabitants of the house. Daphne closed her eyes as Harry fed her a forkful of pancakes drizzled in Maple Syrup as they ate with the other teens in the house, with Sirius also out meeting with Remus and the Twins while the rest of the family had day camp or work. Neville and Tracy were also feeding each other breakfast, with Neville coming a long way from the nervous first year that Harry remembered. However, there was an air of apprehension, as they knew that Daniel Greengrass hadn't been home for the past few days. Sam, Harry noticed, looked a bit uncomfortable, knowing what it meant when his father was out for multiple days.

Remus and Tonks, along with the Twins, were currently staying at an Inn on Baldwin Street, allowing them to get a good look at Magical Canadian Culture. Sam Greengrass was already being "corrupted" by the Twins, and promised to promote the Weasleys' joke business to Orenda students. Of course, the Twins themselves were now planning to re-enter school, despite their previous apathy for education; they were told that many jobs in Canada preferred applicants who had completed their secondary school system, and after joining Harry and the others in tutoring session, were actually enthralled by everything that was being taught. Their antics had amused the tutors, who were both amazed by their practical knowledge and horrified at the prospects of the pranksters terrorizing the school. As Canada's secondary education ended at the age of 18, the twins were allowed to enroll in Grade 12, which was equal to a hypothetical eighth year at Hogwarts.

Their tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays began at 9 AM sharp, with the arrival of Mr. Darvill for Defense. As the Canadian Equivalent to DADA involved both magical and non-magical warfare, Tuesday's lessons focused more on the magical aspect, with the teens usually heading into the backyard with their tutor. Daniel made a backyard shed that was magically expanded into his personal gym and training room, as well as holding a few more tools than your typical backyard gardener. The teens were allowed to use his shed for workouts and practicing their defense skills, firing harmless hexes at each other and more powerful hexes and curses at the dummies, which were able to fire back with stinging hexes. The training room was about the size of a small school gym, equipped with racks of wooden weapons, charmed training dummies, as well as fitness equipment and weights.

However, Thursdays were focused on non-magical training, and the teens met Mr. Darvill who handed out a rope charmed as a portkey, which took them to a magical firing range hidden in Sudbury, Ontario.

Unlike in Britain, minors below the legal age of 18 were allowed to get a minor's firearm license, allowing them to borrow a firearm unsupervised and purchase ammunition, though they were prohibited to purchase their own guns. Last Thursday saw the teens getting the licences following safety training and some supervised time out on the range; this week would be their second time.

For the next hour, the six teenagers practiced their marksmenship on non-enhanced Lee-Enfield rifles chambered for the inexpensive .22LR rimfire cartridge. Unlike the typical single shot .22LR Enfield conversions used by many cadet organizations, these were enabled for magazine loading, and could then be loaded with up to ten rounds. The teens were laid down at the prone position on mats as they aimed their rifles at the paper targets at a range of 20 meters and fired. Thanks to the marvels of techno-magery, the range collected all expended rounds and recycled the materials into empty bullet casings of various calibers, which were then leaded with fresh gunpowder before being sold for cheap. In any case, Darvill brought along 600 rounds for the teens to enjoy while he practiced his own aiming skills with his personal Para-Ordinance 14-45 pistol.

After the session, Darvill noticed that Hermione was already showing promise as a sharpshooter, as her shots were grouped very close together. Harry, Tracy and Daphne both were aiming quite well, a bit more scattered than Hermione's but still very good for their second time. Neville was having some difficulties compared to his friends but were still decent. However, Sam, who was a part of Orenda's marksmen club, was firing erratically, with rather loose groupings and he looked rather tense throughout the session. As a former member of the Army, he still had a few contacts, and the rumors among the army circles were that the ninjas went hunting last night, on British soil.

Lunch was a quiet affair, with the teens eating at a Harvey's restaurant, enjoying the freshly made burgers while quietly chatting with each other. After returning to the shooting range, they were portkeyed again, back to home for the afternoon lesson, which was the dreaded math tutorial under Mr. Philippe Tremblay, the chief Arithmancy instructor at Orenda. For most of the teens, it was a challenge to seal with the confusing equations and terminology of mathematics, though Hermione and Daphne took to the subject like fish to water. That was followed by a two-hour potion lesson followed by Dinner.

Once again, Colonel Greengrass was not present for dinner, and the teens could tell that Mrs. Greengrass was worried along with Sam.

After dinner, the teens spent their time in the living room, until 9:30 PM, when someone knocked at the door, and the teens heard Mrs. Greengrass gasp in shock. As harry entered the entry door, he could see that the Colonel was finally back, donned in his work uniform, and looking worse for the wear. He looked tired, his eyes bloodshot, and face downcast as he quietly talked with his wife, who was holding back her shock and tears as he turned towards the backyard, not paying attention to everyone else. Everyone decided to follow the Colonel to see what was going on.

The Colonel was surprised to see the teens and Sirius with him in the backyard, but looked too tired to care as he took out a long rope which he absent-mindedly passed the length out to the others. As soon as everyone grabbed the rope, he tapped his wand and everyone felt the familiar tug behind their navels...

They were deep within a massive forest, surrounded by towering poplars, spruce, and other trees natives to Northwestern Ontario. There was a small log cabin nearby, along with a small fire, a wooden bench for sitting, and a rather bullet-riddled hunk of metal lying against a tree stump. The sounds of the forests were almost amplified in this place and Harry could feel his goose bumps rising up.

Colonel Greengrass had went into the cabin while the others stayed outside in the awkward silence, flinching a bit when they heard the sounds of a wolf howling in the distance and the roar of a bear from another direction. When the colonel came out, he had a silver canteen in his hands, dressed in dull plaid clothing and dirt stained jeans. He grabbed a split log from a woodpile next to the cabin and threw it into the fire, with sparks and embers flying into the air before fading away. The fire flowed a brilliant red and yellow, its warmth felt by all.

The Colonel's face was now a mix of various emotions, with tears at his eyes as he starred into the fire. He did wandlessly move several logs to either side of the fire and gestured for the others to sit. He summoned two six-packs of beer which he gestured for everyone to drink

"Mr. Greengrass? I thought the legal drinking age in Canada is 18." Hermione interjected.

The Colonel laughed mirthlessly at the question before answering.

"Technically, Miss Granger, Ontario drinking laws forbid the purchase and consumption of alcohol by underage individuals at licensed premises. At home, as long as a minor is under adult supervision, it is fine. Besides, I'm only letting you folks drink beer; there's not that much alcohol in that."

The colonel took a seat as he opened his canteen and took a drink.

"As you may or may not know, I am the head of the Canadian Special Magic Service, which Canada's covert magical unit. My unit essentially was tasked with dealing with any magical threats that poses any danger towards the interest of Canada in the Magical world, namely counterterrorism operations, raids, and yes, assassinations. I could tell you all everything about those, but then I'd have to kill you." He again laughed harshly at the dark joke before suddenly turning solemn.

"Last night, my men worked with magical French Special Forces in dealing with an attack by Death Eaters, directed at Ottery St. Catchpole. The Death Eaters were out to kill."

Everyone sharply looked at the colonel in shock. Harry felt Daphne gripping his arm tightly as he began to figure out why, knowing in an instant what it all meant. Sirius stared silently into the fires with a look that would chill the hearts of most people.

As if in reply, Daniel continued, "We managed to stop the attackers from striking at the Lovegoods, Weasleys, and Diggorys, and all three families were safe."

Everyone released a breath they had unconsciously held but everyone looked tense as the Colonel continued.

"We took down most of the terrorists, but we lost one of the French soldiers."

Daniel took another drink, "the poor lad, Gaspar I believe, was apparently planning to propose to his girlfriend soon. He had the ring and everything; and now, his family and his girlfriend will have men in uniform telling them he's not coming home."

Tears fell from Tracy, Daphne, and Hermione's eyes as they glanced at the boys, who all appeared stone faced as they stared numbly into the flames. Michelle Greengrass was sitting next to her husband, unperturbed by the dirt staining the bottom of her dress.

"I decided to bring everyone here as I can feel that we need to confront the skeletons in our closets, our personal demons. Holding back every emotion, everything you've gone through will just let it fester inside, and eventually it will take control over your life. I've seen people who snapped because they kept clamming up about the past. And I've seen the aftermath of what happens when someone let's their demons take over."

"I still remember my first kill as a soldier. I was a Second Lieutenant, fresh out of training after landing in Canada. My troop was investigating a possible sleeper cell in Northern B.C., reportedly followers of a Dark Lord operating in Yugoslavia. While we never had a Dark Lord step on our soil for centuries, we did have followers attempting to cause chaos and terror among the magical populace. We also believed that the cell was responsible for a number of abductions of magicals from the region, so we had to go in as quickly as we could.

We went in guns blazing, around a half dozen died without knowing who did them in. We stormed the house, and there I saw a young man grabbing a girl by her hair, wand pressed to her neck, and threatened to kill her.

That face...I will always remember that face." He drank another shot of whiskey. "He was probably around his mid 20s. Light brown hair, lanky build, his forehead scarred with the symbol of that dark lord carved into the skin. His dark eyes were full of emotions. Excitement, fear, adrenalin, loneliness, but most of all they showed so much hatred. Hatred of everything around him: hatred of me, of the hostages, hatred of himself and how his life had turned out. My boss, a Major, tried to negotiate with him, but the lad kept pressing the wand harder and harder, and his eyes had this malevolent look, like he had nothing to lose and wanted to take down as many people with him as he could.

My boss gave a small gesture, a slight nod, and I fired my MP5, the three rounds striking his chest. The lad was too shocked and he let go of the girl before falling. His eyes still harbored so much hate. Only later did I learn he came from an abusive family that had fallen to alcohol and drugs, and he had failed in many other things in life before becoming a terrorist."

(At this point, I would suggest playing the cover of "Hurt" by Johnny Cash on a loop.)

Daniel looked at each of the Brits eye, one by one as he continued on. "Over the years, I've seen my fair share of terrorists dying and civilian injured or worse, those eyes haunt my worst nightmares." His wife instinctively hugged him, and he gratefully kissed her as tears trickled down his eyes. He continued on.

"I can clearly see the pain, the humiliation, the suffering in everyone's eyes tonight, and I think it is time we all talk openly about it. And I mean everything. Every moment you had sadness, regret, heartbreak."

For the next hours, everyone began to pour out their fears, moments of sadness, and all the pain that had happened in their lives. It was a rather cathartic night, to say the least.

Hermione was the first to speak up. Being a veritable bookworm, she had no friends before Hogwarts, being a constant target for bullying by her peers. At summer camps, she was always the loner, the person that no one talked to. The reason she always looked up at figures of authority stemmed from the fact that it only counselors and teachers paid any attention to her plight in school or summer camp, and she tried to escape the pain by reading books and trying to be the best at academics. Even in Hogwarts, she faced a daily battle of trying to prove herself fearing disappointment from the professors, only to further alienate her classmates, and had snapped when Ronald Weasley attacked her for trying to correct him at charms. She confessed, tears streaming down her face, that for the first four years at Hogwarts, Harry was the only real friend she had; she admitted that she didn't really liked Ron, and only tolerated him for Harry's sake. That was why she supported Harry in fourth year when all others abandoned him, and admitted that she privately lost her respect of Ron for siding with most of the school against Harry and her.

Harry went up to her and embraced her as she cried, with Sam standing up and glancing carefully at Harry. Harry loved Hermione as the sister he never had, and promised to always stand with her as her best friend; he knew that she and Sam were waiting for the other to make a move, and decide to assure Sam that he approved of the both together. Both boys looked at each other and nodded an unspoken agreement. Harry spoke soothing words to her, as the other teens stood up and gave a group hug. Hermione was overwhelmed by the support from everyone and she cried until she ran out of tears. Everyone eventually sat down, with Hermione now smiling, no longer burdened by her deepest fears and pain.

Sirius then broke down as he revealed the pain he suffered as a child under the domineering shadow of his mother. Long fascinated by the non-magical world, he was the rebellious child and fought tooth and nail against his traditionalist parent. He admitted that all that anger towards his Slytherin-dominant family made him target the easiest person to bully: Severus Snape. While his three friends also joined the harassing of the equally vindictive Snape, Sirius took the bully to a whole new level, culminating in the incident that nearly killed the current Potions Instructor at Hogwarts. He was heartbroken when James and Lily died, and his heart also broke as he realized that their "friend" Peter was the one who betrayed them to Riddle.

He also brought out his feelings of suffering while in Azkaban, all because he acted impulsively and tried to confront the betrayer. He said that he failed to be a decent Godfather to James child, not being there for him all those years, and also during the time he was forced into hiding after Harry's third year. Harry and his Godfather hugged each other, with Harry whispering his forgiveness to the surprisingly teary Sirius.

Tracy was the next to air out her pain. Her rather vulgar humor hid the feelings of pressure she had to make something out of her life, and she forever lived in the shadow of a lost sibling. Jonathan Davis, then a young 11 year old on his shopping trip before Hogwarts, had been caught in the crossfire between Aurors and Death Eaters in Diagon Alley and was killed by a stray curse during the onslaught. No one knew who fired the lethal bolt, and there had been a suspected cover-up by the Ministry that was never proven by his family. Tracy only found out about her lost brother when he stumbled upon her crying parents, who were commemorating the anniversary of the incident at Diagon Alley. Jonathan would have been 26 years old in two months time.

She was also afraid of staying in Slytherin House, fearing the lecherous gazes of boys like Malfoy, Flint, and the others belonging to Riddle-supporters. Her friendship with Daphne and Blaise Zambini became a sort of security blanket, a way to deter wayward snakes from biting her. She broke down as she recalled having to join Pansy Parkison's gang in first year for fear of reprisal from Malfoy and his minions. She choked back tears as she recalled a time in third year when a seventh year Slytherin tried to drag her to the senior boys dorm, being saved only in the nick of time by Blaise and Daphne who managed to stun the boy undetected and got her to safety.

Neville Longbottom followed as he opened up about the loss of his parents, who still lay in vegetative state at St. Mungo's. Like Tracy, Neville was living in the shadows of family members, namely his parents, who were both Aurors that fought hard against the darkness that tried to conquer the British Isles. His grandmother, though well-intentioned, often compared Neville to his parents, and his lack of evident magic in his early age made him the target of bullying by other "Pureblood" children, namely Draco Malfoy. He had long battle self-esteem issues, hampered by having to use his father's wand and due to the belittlement by so many people, including Professor Snape and Draco again. Tracy hugged Neville as they lost control and both bawled out all the years of pain surfacing at once.

Daphne, now barely able to speak, began to speak about her struggles living in Slytherin house at Hogwarts. Being forced to always watch behind her back, being forced to remain cold-hearted to everyone except her friends, and having to watch as most of her housemates torment so many others took its toll on her spirit. Recalling being forced in the first year to join Pansy Parkinson's gang and being forced to participate in some bullying of non-purebloods, she finally began to break down, as Harry began to hug her, rubbing circles on her back, and letting her cry on his shoulder as grief overcame her. She hated what she became, another one of the "snakes" that continued the vicious cycle of prejudice towards others outside of the house. She hated getting the hungry eyes of the disgusting boys who comprised the vast majority of the male population in Slytherin. While she quickly left the gang with Tracy, her guilt had lain deep within her for almost six years. Her experiences led her to joining Hermione in escaping reality through books and libraries. She focused on her studies, not wanting to become another one of the monsters that became Death Eater material. She spoke up about her ever-present fear for her sister, who she adored, and was afraid for Astoria who would return as a fourth year alone in Slytherin without the protection of Daphne.

Harry had to take some time to comfort his girlfriend, who knew that few of anyone's pain and suffering could match the horrify tragedy that was Harry's life. She could only hold on as Harry slowly let go of his emotions. Losing his parents at an early age, and being forced to live like a slave at his aunt's family for 11 year had scarred him emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. It was made worse by his relatives' claim that his mom and dad were drunks who died in a car crash, and by the beating he received as a child. Colonel Greengrass made notes, swearing quietly as Harry listed a few times that occurred, and decided to stand up remove his shirt, exposing the scars of nearly 16 years of pain and suffering, many by the people who were supposed to care for him. Everyone began to tear up as they saw the scars, and Daphne run up to hug him, crying at all the pain he had endured for virtually his entire life.

Harry then continued on, revealing his pain of being an outcast in Hogwarts, feared or fawned over by much of the student body, sometimes both in a single day. He poured out his frustrations over the years, from being ignored by faculty, to being blamed as the Heir of Slytherin, to being shunned by being forced to enter the Triwizard Tournament, with Ron's betrayal still heavy in his heart, to being the subject of much slandering by the Ministry of Magic, as well as Dumbledore's delays to finally tell him why he was being pursued by Riddle all this time. He hated all the fame forced upon him, he hated that everyone he loved was either dead or constantly under threat by Riddle and the Death Eaters. As he continued on, his body began to glow from all of the emotions begin released, to the shock of everyone present. On and on, he poured everything out, until there was nothing left to hide. He finally began to sob, burying himself in the loving embrace of Daphne, and was soon engulfed in the embrace of Hermione, Sirius, Neville, Tracy, Sam, and even the Canadian Greengrasses as everyone gained comfort from the group hug.

Emotionally drained, everyone decided to stay for the nigh. Thus, Colonel Greengrass went into the cabin and took out a magical tent, as the non-enchanted cabin could only hold three, with the adult all staying there. After the tent automatically set itself up, the teens entered to find six twin-sized beds in separate rooms. After some levitation charms and rearrangements of the interior, the teens would be sleeping in pairs, with silencing charms set up. Tonight, no one was in any mood to play around in bed, and Harry found himself asleep, embracing Daphne as they continued to recover from the cleansing of their hearts tonight.

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EDIT: Note that each province has a different legal drinking age.