SIX
Potter Manor
Rhineland, Germany
Harry and Hermione were both panting like there is no tomorrow, while in front of them; Al looked amused at how they looked. They had woken up early to begin their training, and as Al had promised, they started off with a supposedly light jog before breakfast.
It was a 'light' jog, if you had been keeping yourself fit for the last ten years, but since Harry and Hermione rarely have time to do that, by the time that they reached the first kilometer, they are already panting heavily. Al did try to help them, summoning some energy restoring potions which he had them drink before he resumed the march. Since Harry and Hermione had a tendency to drop every kilometer, Al had to summon more and more restoring potions, though he did not think that it was enough of a problem to stop the march.
Harry and Hermione were so beat-up that they cannot even appreciate the sights around them as they jogged down a trail flanked on both sides by a beautiful forest, and to cap it off, Al added insult to the injury by jogging backwards every few minutes, ostensibly to check on them, but in reality, to irritate them.
Now standing in front of the Manor House, Al had told them not to sit until their leg muscles have cooled down, they are tired, hungry, and cold, but Al does not seem to have any plans of letting them relieve any of those feelings. Instead, he entered the manor house, leaving behind instructions that they are not to sit until he returns, before casually flicking his unusual wand over to them, smirking that he was making sure that they would not sit while he is away.
At first, Harry wondered about what Al did, and he found out when he tried to sit. As he was lowering himself on the ground, he felt something pushing him back up.
Harry was about to complain to Hermione when Al returned outside, he was preceded by three levitated boxes on top of each other, and followed by three levitated plates filled with breakfast.
Al motioned for Harry and Hermione to join him at one of the tables located on the lawn, and they did so, both Harry and Hermione grateful that they are allowed to sit. Al lowered the breakfasts first, one plate in front of Harry, Hermione and one for him, before he lowered the three boxes on the far end of the table.
Harry and Hermione stared at the plate in front of them, and then at Al, who was already eating his food. When Al saw Harry and Hermione looking at him, he looked back at both of them, and said, "You promised that you would try them, and I did tell you that we are going to try them today" he smiled and added, "Don't worry, they won't bite you"
Despite looking unconvinced, both Harry and Hermione nodded and turned their attention on the food in front of them.
After they were done eating, a selection of drinks appeared in front of the two of them. Al, apparently, only drinks coffee in the morning.
"Right then" Al said as he placed his cup on the flat surface in front of him, he looked at Harry and Hermione intently and said, "As I told you yesterday, I would first start off with you basic defense skills, we'll do that first" Harry was about to inform Al that they have left their wands at their rooms, since there was no place to tuck their wands in at the pajamas that they were forced to wear for the jog, but Al cut him off with a wave of his hand, "Don't worry" the battle wizard said, "I know you've left your things, and I would hardly think that" he looked at the two of them and smiled, "that wearing pajamas while shooting off spells is the best thing to do" he sighed and said, "I'll give you some time to fix that, don't worry"
"After defensive spell checks" Al continued, "You two would be making your first acquaintance with a firearm" he motioned to the three boxes in front of them, "had to special order them from Austria, but they should work fine" he glanced at the two teenagers in front of him, reminded himself that they are married, and then at the wristwatch that he was wearing, "Right, Harry, Hermione" he said, "I'm giving you a total of forty five minutes to freshen up, shower, change clothes, whatever it is that you do every morning, and then meet me over at the back of the house, with your wands" he looked at Harry and Hermione, grinned and added, "And for every one minute late, we'll add one kilometer to your distance tomorrow"
Both Harry and Hermione shot out of the table, heading towards the manor house. Al noted that despite the fact that they are rushing, they did not forget to hold hands as they entered the house. Al was more than prepared to bet that the two would be kissing each other good morning, since he, Al, had prevented them from doing so by waking them up early and marching them around the estate, when he is no longer looking.
Seeing the lovely couple, Al cannot help but smile towards himself. he sighed once as he realized what he was doing and then he snapped his finger, summoning another plateful of his breakfast favorite which he devoured while his students are preparing themselves for their morning lessons.
Al had fully expected to be able to eat his breakfast in peace this time, he did not, after all, miss the looks that both Harry and Hermione were giving him as he enjoyed his breakfast, so he was surprised when Dan sat beside him.
"Al" Dan said, greeting him, he sighed once, telling Al at once that whatever it is that Dan wanted to discuss with him is not something that both of them would be comfortable with, "Would you answer me truthfully this time"
"Sure" Al replied, even though he was sure that they both would not like what they are about to talk about.
Dan nodded, "You told us that your family has been serving Harry's family since the beginning of time" Al nodded, confirming that statement, "yet, why did you appear in front of him only after fifteen years?" Al was about to reply to that question, but Dan cut him off, "And I am not going to accept your excuse that you had to fight a war, I was there when we fought, and my daughter has known me all her life, the same cannot be said about you, though"
Al looked angry at his buddy for a few moments, and then he smiled and nodded, "Yes, my first inclination was to tell you that I had to fight a war" he admitted, and then he sighed and said, "but that was over before the year was even out" he looked at Dan and said, "It's a personal reason, Dan, but this much, I would tell you, I did not choose to let Harry live fifteen years ignorant of me, or of the fact that his father was a Lord, and that he is going to be one as well" he sighed and added, "If I was able, I would have appeared in front of him when he first entered Hogwarts, that was the first time when we can be sure as to where he is" he smiled sadly as he shook his head, "Let's just say that something happened that time that made me unable to come to his assistance until three days ago"
Al looked at Dan, remembering that sometimes, the mild-mannered dentist can be infuriating when it comes to demanding information, especially when they are sequestered in a carrier where there is little to do, so Al was fully expecting Dan to continue asking him.
Dan, however, noted that whatever it is that had kept Al from coming to Harry's assistance, has had a great affect on his friend. it also had to be very personal, as when he looked at Al, Dan noted that Al was staring at something far-off that only he can see. Deciding that there is no way that Al would tell him what it is that had kept him, Dan accepted Al's explanation with a tiny nod, before he lightened up and motioned to the boxes in front of him, "Glock?" he asked.
Al smiled as he nodded, "17" he replied, "Want to try it?"
Dan's first inclination was to shake his head, he was a dentist now, for crying out loud, and even when he was in the service, he never had fun shooting guns, even if he was aiming at paper, but for some reason, and even though he kept current with some firearms, that was only because it was required by his reserve commission. After a few moments of staring at the box, however, he smiled and nodded, prompting the two men to carry on with their conversation at the range located on the back of the manor.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Scotland
Albus Dumbledore walked down the halls of his school a worried man. First, he was visited by a school house-elf who told him that his office had resembled a battlefield, but that the elves had made the necessary repairs and he can return to it.
That was two hours ago, which necessitated Dumbledore returning to the school even though start of terms was ages away. The house-elf who made the report had accurately described which of his instruments have been damaged the most, and he remembered shuddering when the elf reported that all of his silver instruments, most of which were used to track down and monitor Harry Potter, had been destroyed. The elf had also hypothesized that it was these instruments that had destroyed his office when they exploded, though Dumbledore cannot find any reason why the instruments would explode.
Second problem that the headmaster was facing was his lack of professors. Moody was adamant that he would not return to teach DADA, even if Dumbledore did pointed out that Moody spent the last year hidden in a trunk. Dumbledore shuddered involuntarily as he remembered the rant that followed after he unnecessarily reminded Moody of that fact.
His more important problem was trying to locate Harry, and at the same time, trying to locate an alternate headquarters since Sirius made his threat. Already, Dumbledore can feel the fidelus charm that he had placed in the house slipping as the more powerful wards that the Black Family had placed in their home for centuries reasserted themselves.
His most important problem, however, was the sudden disappearance of their funds. Order members who have been sent out to purchase several items that are needed for their operations reports that the extension cards that Dumbledore had given them are not accepted anymore in any shop. Daedalus Diggle even reported that he had to run as he was chased by muggle policeman who taught that he was a conman.
Dumbledore shook his head as he gave the password to the stone gargoyle that guards his office. He entered the office to find it restored to its grandeur, but the portraits of the previous headmasters are missing, as are the silver instruments that are the most important thing to Dumbledore right now. After all, if he can find Harry, he solves two of his three problems.
With Harry found, Sirius would not withdraw his support from the Order, allowing them to retain their headquarters in London. It would not take even a fraction of Dumbledore's strength to modify Harry's memory to convince him to donate a few more million galleons to the Order, 'after all', Dumbledore reminded himself, 'the boy is a warrior of the light.'
Potter Manor
Rhineland, Germany
Harry and Hermione found Al by following the sounds of firearms being fired. They have never visited the back of the manor house before, and were pleasantly surprised when they found themselves staring at an outdoor shooting range.
They were also surprised when they saw Dan, wearing ear mufflers that must have made him deaf of the outside wold, at one of the stalls in the range, aiming his pistol at a target downrange while being observed by Al. Hermione watched in fascination as her father expertly drilled thirteen holes in the paper target in front of him without breaking a sweat or stopping for a single second.
Al noticed that his two students have joined them, and he glanced at his wristwatch. Smiling, he informed them that they are early by a full ten minutes, and that while he was tempted to punish them for being early by adding ten kilometers to their planned march tomorrow, a deal is a deal, so they would only be marching give kilometers tomorrow.
"Right" Al said, he had changed from his jogging pants and white shirt to black robes, "Wands out". After Harry and Hermione took their wands out and handed them to Al, the battle wizard murmured a spell under his breath, before handing Harry's wand back to him and saying, "11', Holly with phoenix feather core" and then to Hermione as he handed her wand back to her, "10 ¾, Vine with Dragon Heartstring core"
Al motioned for Harry and Hermione to follow him to a table at the far end of the range. It was not far enough for them to no longer hear the explosions every time Dan pulls the trigger of his gun, and he is having so much fun doing so, if the amount of bullets that he had wasted is any indication, but far enough for them to ignore the sounds and listen to Al.
"Right" Al said, he drew his wand and placed it on a flat surface in front of him. Both Harry and Hermione have seen his wand before, but they never had the opportunity to ask him why his wand appears longer and thicker, so they asked him, and Al replied, "The wand is used by a witch or wizard as an instrument to focus their power, simply put, it is a conductor that helps you focus your magic" he explained, "Students like yourselves usually have short wands since you are still, supposedly, learning, to control your magic" he smiled and asked, "Why do you think they refer to it as your first wand if they expect you to keep your wand with you for your entire lifetime? Would it not be better to just call it your wand?"
Both Harry and Hermione shot Al a blank look, informing the battle wizard that both have no idea why it is referred to like that, so Al continued, "In the East, when a witch or wizard enters school to study, he is given a training wand that anyone can use, though they break down every few thousand spells or so and had to be disposed of." He paused before adding, "It is only after they graduate from their magical training do they acquire their first true wand, in fact, in the east, a witch or wizard receives his first true wand as a traditional graduation gift"
"Why is it different in the West?" Hermione asked.
"because we are lazy" Al replied, he smiled and said, "Remember those practice wands that I am referring to a while ago?" both Harry and Hermione nodded, "Good, those wands, being practice wands, have the same characteristics, meaning…." He looked at Hermione.
Hermione replied, "The power output of each student depends on their magical core and their real capabilities, instead of the wand capacity" she replied easily, and then her eyes widened as she realized, "That means that students exert themselves more casting their spells"
Al nodded, "Correct, although we are not in Hogwarts, I am tempted to give you house points" he smiled at his own joke and shook his head before adding, "Your magic is not yet fully developed at eleven, so, your wand sizes average at ten to twelve inches, my wand" he picked his, "is fifteen and three quarter inches long because I got this when I turned twenty five, during that time, my magic was, more or less, fully developed, and even if it is not, the wand length is more than enough to compensate"
"But aren't you British?" Harry asked.
Al shook his head, "Technically, Harry, I am German" he replied, and then he smiled, "Though I was born and grew up in Britain and went to Hogwarts as well, its just that my first wand was not powerful enough for me" he sighed and fondly remembered, "Ollivander was downright creepy, but he did give me my first wand, it was the same as Harry's, made of holly as well, but with dragon heartstring" he smiled "Poor thing lasted until I was twenty four, then it snapped after one too many skirmishes fighting supposedly dark creatures in the east" he sighed painfully, banishing any of his thoughts about his past life, "Anyway" he said, he waved his hand and target dummies appeared on the field in front of them, "Let's have some fun"
In the next two hours, Al had both Harry and Hermione cast curses at the dummies. The colorful lights concert must have attracted Dan as well, because as soon as they began, the shooting stopped and he joined Al in observing them.
They had a lunch break; thankfully, they had food that everyone is accustomed to this time, inside the house. Emma, who had spent most of her day in the library, joined them.
The topic during lunch was the coming hearing of Harry in regards to his use of the patronus while defending himself. As everyone had expected, Hermione was incensed that the British ministry had thought of this, and asked Harry who is representing him for the hearing.
"Anton Rosseu" Harry replied while taking a slice off the meat on his plate.
Hermione looked at Harry as if he was out of his mind, or at least, that was how Dan, Emma and Al termed the look, and then Hermione asked Harry, "Sorry, could you please repeat that"
"Anton Rosseu" Harry replied, he looked at Hermione, noted her expression that basically said 'I don't believe you', and cringed before adding, "I've never met with him yet, though Sirius and Remus thinks he is good and guarantees me that he would make all charges disappear"
"Harry" Hermione suddenly said, looking at her husband intently, "Did you know that your counsel is one of the ten magical lawyers, in the whole world, who is allowed to appear in court in polyjuice, or that no one knows whether Anton Rosseu is a man, woman, or whatever, and that no one knows how old he is" she then added, "The only way to confirm him is through his wand, " she closed her eyes as she retrieved some facts from her mind, and then said, "his wand is made of redwood, reportedly with the hair of a nine-tailed fox as its core and is…." she paused as she opened her eyes and looked at Al, "fifteen and three quarter inches long"
Al smiled. He had no doubt that Hermione would make the connection, even if half the stories that Remus and Sirius had told him was true. After all, the girl who figured out that Remus is a werewolf should be able to figure out the supposed Anton Rosseu and Alvin York has something in common. "You're Anton Rosseu?" Hermione asked.
Al smiled, "Guilty as charged, my lady" he replied, "Did you know Hermione, that another way to know if the person in front of you is Anton Rosseu is to check his patronus" he lifted his wand and cast his patronus, which took the form of a fox, but with nine tails behind it, "After all, no two patronuses are alike, and Rosseu's is a nine-tailed fox"
Hermione frowned at Al, "Exactly how many identities do you have Al?" she asked. it was clear that while she did not think that Al would be a danger to Harry and herself, she does not like to be kept in the dark in regards to the number of his secret alternate identities.
"Around ten, give or take" Al replied, "I have a lawyer, an MI6 agent, which was my first alternate, a police officer, and many more," he smiled and said, "I do not keep track of all of them, but they come in handy when I need them, specially Rosseu"
Hermione nodded, he thought of asking Al if he was the one who had made all those prosecutions that made Rosseu famous, but then realized that he must be because of his patronus. That means that he was also the one who wrote all those magic legal novels that she had recently discovered. The thought of dining in the same table as a best-selling author who was not another Lockhart silenced Hermione well until after lunch when Al led them back to the range so that he may teach them a few advance defensive magic.
4 Privet Drive,
Surrey, England
Remus Lupin and Tonks, again, people use her first name at their peril, apparated in an alley near the house of Harry's relatives that ended in a wall. The two have received orders from Dumbledore to check on the house, ignoring the fact that the last team that he had sent there nearly had their heads shot off.
Both Remus and Tonks had protested about it, but Dumbledore was adamant on discovering why his wards are no longer working, so the two had no choice but to do so. Remus and Tonks, however, had decided that they would be very careful in this mission, so Tonks, using her methamorphagus ability, transformed herself into an archetypical British teen while Remus borrowed some of Sirius muggle clothes in the hopes that he can pass off as a typical British teen. The two hoped that they would pass off as a couple out for a late night stroll.
Remus and Tonks had studied countless British muggle couples for this mission, and they are both sure that they can act properly, so they were surprised when they reached Number Four and they came under fire.
Remus recognized the sound well enough, he had been training with firearms, to know that they are being fired upon by an automatic weapon. He managed to throw himself on the ground, pulling down Tonks with him, as bullets scythed less than three inches above them.
At that moment, pain shot out of Remus's left leg as he felt a bullet pierce through his skin and bury itself in his left thigh. As a werewolf, though, Remus was more than prepared for the pain, so he decided to check on Tonks first. He found her unconscious, and his first thought was that he was too hard when he pulled her down, so she must have bumped her head, but he instantly smelled the blood coming from her. He easily located the source, as he saw blood pooling on her lower torso.
Remus activated a portkey that took the two of them back to headquarters, where a raging Sirius, after being told of what had happened and seeing his cousin unconscious, immediately decided to withdraw himself from the Order, even if the original plan was to break from the Order after Dumbledore fails to find Harry. Before Remus can be ejected from the house, Remus also decided to withdraw from the Order after Sirius granted him permission to stay. The two then decided to seek help from the only person that they know who is proficient in firearms, forcing them to take the emergency portkey that Sirius has kept to portkey to the Potter Manor at Rhineland.
Back at Privet Drive, Vernon Dursley shouted in triumph as he watched Remus and Tonks disappear. Unfortunately for him, his decision to turn the window of his kitchen into a firing slit for his bunker that is his house caught the attention of a real couple that is on a real night-time stroll.
The real couple had the misfortune of not only living in the same street as the Dursley's, they also had the misfortune of catching a few bullets in their limbs. Their screams and the loud racket of an automatic weapon firing woke the whole neighborhood, and within ten minutes, a full British Police assault team had blown the back door of the Dursley house and had roughly arrested Vernon and Petunia Dursley on charges of assault and violating the firearms law. Charges that would see them becoming guest in a six by six cell well into the new millennium.
As the police officers were collecting evidences from the kitchen, after all, there must be close to a hundred shell casings in the kitchen from the machinegun that Vernon had somehow gotten his hands on; one of them noticed a heavily padlocked door underneath the stairs. Thirty minutes later, social services were informed and additional cases were docketed. Vernon and Petunia Dursley were officially charged with assault, violating the firearms law, child abuse, and, since the amount of blood collected from the cupboard and the room was more than enough, and since they cannot find the boy, murder of one Harry James Potter.
It would be an unpleasant surprise if the Dursley's would be able to get out of their new accommodations alive.
A/N: In regards to the last note, I sort of run across this statement while I was looking for the characteristics of Hermione's wand, it was terribly irresponsible of me to place an unconfirmed source, but the statement may be found in the Harry Potter wiki.