A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
TWO
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 17, 1995
Albus Dumbledore could not help but sigh as a house-elf brought him his morning tea.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts sat inside the staff room, and arrayed before him was his teaching staff, most of them looking worse for wear as they tried to digest the information that the Headmaster had just delivered to them. Albus recalled with amusement when most of them actually turned their attention toward Minerva as if they wanted her to confirm the thing that the Headmaster had said.
Of course, Minerva nodded, though she did not really say anything, and it amused the Headmaster all the more. Albus was well aware of his reputation as an eccentric and the fact that he constantly says things that most people could barely understand. It stands to reason that the staff would think that he was pulling their leg on this matter, though in private, the Headmaster actually wished that he was pulling the leg of his staff.
Nothing would please him more.
Albus mentally shook his head, however, and forced himself to return to the present. His teaching staff was still in the middle of digesting the information that he had just provided, and as the Headmaster had suspected, he had already pegged the reaction of his colleagues even before this meeting had began.
Seated to the right hand side of the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was as silent as the Headmaster, her face showing no outward sign of either alarm or acceptance, though Albus knew that the reason for that cold neutrality was as much as the fact that she was already aware that the muggles and that there is nothing that they could do about it as much as her self control.
On the other side of the Headmaster sat Filius Flitwick, the resident charms master and one of the two people in the school that could actually stand up against the Headmaster. The diminutive professor – the offspring of an unlikely love between humans and goblins – looked positively ecstatic about the thought of meeting muggles, though the Headmaster knew that that mostly had something to do with Filius believing that he could learn a lot from the muggles.
Like the students in his Ravenclaw House, Filius Flitwick is always on the lookout for knowledge, and it would appear that he considers this coming experience to be one, despite the fact that he knew that he is likely going to be at the list of the coming muggle military due to the fact that he has goblin blood running in his veins.
Everyone knew that the muggle government based in mainland Britannia barely tolerates goblins for the reason that the goblins had been the ones to help the French Emperor into the British Isles during the early years of the last century.
The Head of Hufflpuff House, Pomona Sprout, also looked happy with this development. For the life of him, though, Albus could not figure out why Pomona is happy. Sure, she might exemplify the traits of her house – friendly, hard-working, and loyal – but the Headmaster could not see how that would affect the situation right now.
Certainly, Pomona would not be able to acquire new plantings from the coming muggles, they are soldiers after all. Unwilling to risk the ire of his professors, however, Albus had to resist the urge to use a passive legilimancy scan in order to know the surface of the thoughts of the Head of Hufflepuff House.
The jovial attitudes of the two Heads of Houses – and the neutral mood of the other, Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor – was in sharp contrast to the sour – and outright hostility – mood of the last Head of House.
Albus sighed at that, and reminded himself that this was expected. In fact, the Headmaster knew that if the reaction of the Head of Slytherin was different, he would be very, very worried.
Severus Snape exemplified the qualities of Slytherin House. The youngest potions master in Britain – and in the world when he earned his mastery at the age of twenty – is ambitious and cunning. For all these traits, however, Severus also inherited the one flaw that most members of the House have, a misguided belief that being magicals, they are far superior to the muggles. Even worse, despite being a half-blood himself, Severus was a believer in blood supremacy, so much so that he was a member of the Death Eaters, though he switched sides prior to the demise of the Dark Lord.
It could even be argued that the Dark Lord met his first banishment because of the Head of Slytherin House, but that was a story for a different time, and as the Headmaster reminded himself of that, he once more had to force himself to return to the present.
The staring and silent arguments of his professors had stopped by the time that the Headmaster had gone through the looks on the faces of his four Heads of Houses. The other professors were mostly neutral, though that had more to do with the fact that they had realized that the Headmaster had accepted things as they are. Albus need not to scan their minds to know that the other professors of Hogwarts are thinking that if he found this acceptable, then so would they.
The Headmaster had to fight the urge to shake his head, and he found himself wishing that his professors could have opinions for themselves.
"Headmaster," the impromptu silence that had descended into the room following the announcement of the Headmaster was broken by the silky tone of the Head of Slytherin.
Albus turned his attention toward Severus Snape, a questioning look on his face, even as he wondered exactly how Severus was able to actually make his voice silky. Further thoughts on the matter, however, was quickly put to a halt as the potions master continued, "Surely, you are not going to allow this to continue," and despite the fact that the voice appeared as if it was delivered by a confident man, there was a hint of desperation in it.
Albus truly does not want to drive Severus into a corner, in the figurative sense. In this case, however, the Headmaster felt that he had no choice. Certainly, Minerva would tell him that, and as the Headmaster turned his attention toward his Deputy, he saw her give him a nod before she sneered toward the direction of Severus. Fortunately, the Head of Slytherin was too busy staring at the Headmaster to notice the look that his superior was giving him.
A sigh escaped through the lips of the Headmaster of Hogwarts before he returned his attention toward the Head of Slytherin. The sour look on the face of Severus now has the faintest hint of desperation in it, and it was growing by the second.
The Headmaster wondered what it is about the coming muggle army that had his potions master worried. Surely, Severus was not of the opinion that he would be given to the muggles? In any case, Albus was sure that his potions master had done nothing that would earn him the enmity of the muggles. If anything, Severus actually despise being near them.
"There is nothing that could be done against these instructions, Severus," Albus replied in his grandfatherly voice. He did not even bother to attempt to lace his voice with a compulsion charm because the Headmaster knew that that would not sway his potions master.
Severus blinked, twice, at the statement of the Headmaster. It was clear that he was hoping that the Headmaster would do a quick double-take and take back what he had just said or, barring that, that he had heard the wrong thing. Unfortunately for him, the Headmaster had said exactly what he wanted to say, and nothing more was coming out of the mouth of Albus Dumbledore.
"This is madness, Headmaster!" Severus added a few moments later, his tone an evidence of the fact that he had lost his patience. Albus was actually surprised that the young man had not seen fit to rise to his feet and slam his palms on the surface in front of him.
The Headmaster watched with a neutral – almost passive – expression on his face as the Head of Slytherin turned toward his colleagues and delivered a warning, "The muggles would begin to order us around," he warned them passionately, but unfortunately for him, no one was willing to listen to him.
Severus seem aware of this, himself, and after a few moments of staring at his colleagues – possibly in the hope of eliciting some response from them, though he was unsuccessful in that regard – he returned his attention toward the Headmaster, and said, "Surely, something could be done," he said, and as if a bright idea had entered his head at that moment, he suggested something that would naturally cause everyone in the room to gasp not only in its boldness, but in its sheer stupidity, "We could fight them," he offered.
That was the time that Albus decided that enough was enough. Severus Snape might not have seen fit to stand and slam his palms on the surface in front of him, but Albus Dumbledore was not beyond that.
Mustering his considerable powers around him, Albus jumped to his feet – quite spry for someone his age – and slammed both of his palms in the surface in front of him. The resounding noise caused by the Headmaster's action caused everyone in the room to flinch, with a few of the younger and newer professors actually backing away from the table – and away from the Headmaster – as they felt his innate magic assault them.
"We will do no such thing," the Headmaster said, and though he was not looking at anyone in general when he made the announcement, everyone in the room – including Snape himself – knew who the target was. If there was any doubt as to the identity of that person, however, that soon disappeared when Albus turned his attention toward the young potions master and qualified his statements, and in so doing, managed to name the person to whim his recent words were directed at, "Do you even know what you are suggesting, Severus? It would mean not only the revelation of our world, but also its ruin."
Normally, the Headmaster beginning to tear into him would have silenced the Potions Master, but this time, Severus was not one for backing down. "The fact that they are coming here means that they are already aware of our world, Headmaster," the sour-faced man replied, he still maintained his seat despite the fact that it was obvious that he wants to stand, if only to stop looking up as he met the gaze of the Headmaster, "We need to fight now because sooner or later, they would come in force and put shackles on our necks."
"The muggles that are coming here are muggle soldiers, Severus," Albus replied. Aware of the fact that he nearly lost his temper at his youngest Head of House, the Headmaster was consciously keeping himself in check. A sigh escaped from the Headmaster before he added, "They are trained to kill, trained to fight battles, Severus, and with our numbers, we cannot win against them, not when there are three thousand of them," he shook his head before he answered, "And this is a school."
Apparently, the Potions Master did not consider those facts, though in his defense, he was unaware of the first two facts. It was, however, disturbing that he truly did not care even if Hogwarts was a school, and that any subsequent conflict – like the one that he was pushing to start – was liable to cause casualties amongst the student population.
When Severus next spoke, it was clear that he had been taken aback by the announcements, though it was also clear that he was not one for backing down, "The fortifications…," he tried.
This time, it was Filius who shot down his arguments, "Not even with the wards could we withstand a muggle siege," he replied. Albus turned his attention toward his Charms Professor, the same disbelief that was written on the face of Severus echoed upon his face. It was clear that the Headmaster – while aware of the power behind the muggle war-machine – was of the opinion that the wards of Hogwarts could withstand a siege from the muggles. Filius took great delight in pointing out just how wrong the Headmaster and his bigoted Potions Master was, "Their land-howitzers alone could collapse our wards and the walls of this castle with a few rounds, never mind the batteries that they carry aboard their battleships."
The Headmaster stared at his charms professor and was about to remind him that the heavy magic that permeates the very air around the school would have prevented the muggles from bringing in their heavy equipment, but with a start, the Headmaster realized that that might no longer be applicable. Certainly, those floating ships that the muggles are so fond of building – at the costs of millions, if not billions, of money – have components that are magical. How else could those colossal things fly if not for runes etched inside their steel hulls?
Instead of arguing that the school could withstand a muggle siege, the Headmaster just nodded. By this time, he had also realized that allowing the castle to be besieged would mean untold casualties amongst the students, considering that there are muggle-born and half-blood students amongst the population, and it is likely that those students would support the ones besieging the castle rather than the ones who are defending them.
"I think Severus has to be reminded of the consequences of denying the Golden Throne," Filius said a few moments later. The neutral tone of the professor was a sharp contrast to the message behind the message. There was no doubt that what the professor had just said was a threat, and Severus was smart enough to see that.
The potions master turned his attention toward the diminutive professor – no doubt incentives ready to be hurled – but before the youngest of the four Heads of Houses could say anything, Pomona said, "Death," before she stared at her young colleague who looked ready to take offense and announced, "You took the Oath when you became a professor, Professor Snape, deny the Golden Throne and the servants of the Britannian Empress, and you risk your very life."
Severus looked ready to continue arguing, but a pointed glare from the Headmaster was more than enough to get him to back down. In any case, the potions master realized that what his colleagues are saying was true. He did took the Oath, and with that, defeated, the young potions master retook his seat.
The Headmaster resumed his seat as he willed himself to calm down. After a few moments, he turned toward his Deputy Headmistress and said, "Perhaps having some students who are versed in muggle culture liaise with the muggle military would be called for," he suggested, "Might I look to you, Minerva, to organize a group for this purpose?"
Minerva looked at Albus for a few moments, before she nodded, "I'll start with the muggle-born students, Albus," she replied. For a few moments, she looked as if she wanted to add something, but seemingly thinking better of it, she held her mouth.
The Headmaster, however, spotted her with an open mouthed expression, and from the years that they had been working together, he was easily able to identify the expression. Albus suspected that whatever it was that Minerva was about to tell him, it was something that he would not appreciate, but he also knew that even if Minerva was holding back now, sooner or later, she would be unable to hold it back. With a rising sense of trepidation, Albus asked Minerva, "What is it, Minerva?"
The Deputy Headmistress hesitated for a few moments, but after a while, she gave the Headmaster a nod and asked, "What do you think about incorporating some pureblood and half-blood students in the liaison group?"
Predictably, it was Severus who replied first. The words that came out of his mouth was also something that was expected, "No pureblood would want to be caught in the company of muggles," the potions master said.
Minerva took offense at the statement and was about to reply to that effect, but before she could do so, the Headmaster returned to the fray, "While I think the idea has merits, I am afraid that right now is not the proper time to be experimenting," he said. Minerva also took offense at that statement but again, she was caught off without being able to say anything, "This is the first time that we would be hosting muggles, I think that it would be in the better interest of everyone involved if we are to appoint liaisons who would not be in danger of committing anything that the muggles might take offense at."
Minerva looked ready to argue, but she conceded that the Headmaster was right. With a disappointed and a hesitant look on her face, she gave him a nod, "I'll meet with the students after lunch, Albus," she said. She paused for a few moments before she asked, "If there is nothing else?"
Albus nodded, "There is nothing else," he confirmed, before he turned his attention to the rest of the staff and said, "This could be the beginning of a new era of relations between the magical and the muggle world, and Hogwarts could rightly claim to be the place where it first started," he smiled benignly before he added, "Let us not make any mistakes with this."
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 17, 1995
Minerva and the students inside her classroom were seated in relative silence even as they pretended to have their full attention toward the direction of their professor. It was rather difficult for them, however, to keep their eyes toward that direction whenever the door to the classroom would open and another student would enter the room, the confusion evident on the face of that student the moment that he or she would see that he or she was not the only one summoned by the strict transfiguration mistress of Hogwarts.
That confusion that the person entering the room felt was reflected on the faces of those who were already inside the room. Still, they kept their mouths shut as they watched in relative silence as the newly arrived student would pick a chair to seat and join the growing class that was waiting.
At first, those inside the room – aside from the Deputy Headmistress, of course, she was the one who summoned them after all – could not discern anything about their companions that would single them out for this impromptu meeting. As far as they are concerned, all three houses are represented in this meeting – the fourth house, Slytherin, was considered by the other three houses as existing only on the edge and barely a member of Hogwarts – but then they slowly realized there common denominator. It also made sense, once one had taken that factor into consideration, why there are no Slytherins in the room with them.
All of the students inside the room were born and raised in the muggle world. They had no idea that magic existed until they were eleven and until they received a visit from a Hogwarts professor, and for many of those now inside the room, the professor that they had been staring at for the past ten minutes was the professor who had visited them.
As if by some unseen signal, Minerva stood from her chair, her action emulated by everyone inside the room who realized that they are about to be told the reason that they had been asked for.
"Sit," Minerva replied in a neutral tone. It was the same tone that she used whenever she is teaching in this very classroom, so none of those gathered in front of her would take offense. When all of the students had resumed their seat, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts allowed herself a second or two in order to study the faces of her audience.
She was well aware that the Slytherins would label this meeting as a gathering of mudbloods and those who are not worthy to study magic, and while she wished that she could correct those stupid notions, she is well aware that the Headmaster would just contradict her. Albus might listen to her, but in some things, the age of the man showed. One could not teach an old puppy new trick, after all.
The Deputy Headmistress is also aware that the Slytherins might label this as a meeting of those who are probably failing in their class, given that some of the students here are amongst those who would need remedial lessons, but that would be an incorrect notion. Minerva turned her head slightly toward her right hand side and allowed a small smile to come across her face.
The reason that this meeting could not be called a meeting of dunce is because of the fact that Hermione Granger is amongst those who are called for today. The girl had single-handedly raised the general average of her class five points since her first exam when she was a first year student five years ago. She is now set to break every academic record that she had not yet already broken, an achievement that was accomplished by a muggle-born student only once before, and that student was Lily Potter.
The pride that Minerva feels for Hermione Granger, however, included the pride that the old Scottish teacher feels as the mentor of the young woman. Hermione is also in her house and that had allowed her the chance to monitor her progress far more closely than she would have had otherwise.
"Tonight, the Headmaster would be making an announcement regarding a number of visitors arriving at Hogwarts and would be staying indefinitely," the Deputy Headmistress said. As she had expected, the students perked up at the announcement. The only time that they have had visitors worth commenting upon was last year when the Triwizard Tournament was held at Hogwarts.
"Our visitors are not like those visitors that the school had hosted before," Minerva replied, instantly commanding all the attention in the room and stopping any mental conversation that might have began amongst those who believed that they could do something like that – fortunately, neither Minerva nor the other professors had found evidence that it could be done. The Deputy Headmistress did note that Hermione kept her attention toward Minerva with a neutral expression.
A soft sigh escaped through the lips of Minerva at that. Hermione is a smart and intelligent girl, but she is so smart and intelligent that she almost consistently fail to connect with her peers. Older students dislike her because more often than not, the questions that those students could not answer are easy for Hermione, while the younger students gravitate toward her in the beginning because of her caring attitude and her willingness to help them, until the older students get to the younger ones and begin spinning tales about Hermione.
It frustrated Minerva to no end, but there was nothing that she could do about it. She could not even advise Hermione for the girl had not come to her, though it was fortunate that Hermione had learned her lessons regarding helping certain students who only come to her when it is time for exams and home works. Minerva only wished that the lesson was as not as painful as it was.
"The visitors of Hogwarts," Minerva continued, "would be muggles," and before the gathered students could murmur amongst themselves, she added, "they are muggle soldiers who had been ordered to go to Hogwarts."
This time, Minerva did allow the murmuring – even the outright conversations – to continue. The students seem to take her silence as permission to begin speaking, and that was exactly what they did, missing the fact that as soon as Minerva had finished speaking, Hermione had raised her hand in an attempt to catch the attention of the professor.
Minerva acknowledged Hermione a second later, and the sixteen year old Gryffindor stood before she asked, "Professor, Hogwarts, a History clearly states that muggles are unable to see the school," she said, "How would they be able to visit the school if they could not even see it?"
'That's a good question,' Minerva thought to herself, 'and one that I, unfortunately, do not have the answer to.'
"I am afraid that I do not know the answer to that question, Miss Granger," Minerva replied, acknowledging her shortcomings was easier when it was to Hermione. Minerva had learned a long time ago that it was easier to accept the fact that a professor is not an infinite fount of knowledge, and the Deputy Headmistress is also aware that Hermione takes it personally if a professor would pretend that she knows the answer even if she does not.
"I suspect, though," Minerva continued, once more forcing all the students to turn their attention toward her once more before they start speculating. Normally, she would welcome her students speculating about something, because through speculation, they might learn something. Things are hardly normal right now, though, and Minerva does not want to waste time, "that it might have something to do with the Oath that every soldier in the service of the Golden Throne of the Holy Empire."
Hermione perked up at that, and Minerva had no doubt that she is familiar with the Oath, probably having read it somewhere. Then again, Minerva remembered that an uncle of Hermione is in service with the Imperial Navy. The transfiguration professor had seen portraits of the younger brother of the father of Hermione wearing an Imperial Navy uniform when she was at their house.
"Regardless of how they would see the castle," Minerva continued, "The fact remains that they are coming here," she paused for a few moments before she continued, "I doubt that the men who have been appointed to command these men are idiots who have no idea that ordinary muggles could not see Hogwarts, and I do know from the letter that the Headmaster had received that this movement was ordered by the newly appointed Prince of Scotland himself."
Minerva noted that Hermione perked up once more, and this time, it was at the mention of the prince, but the transfiguration professor dismissed it as something of minor importance, she had a far more important task to do right now, and she returned her attention toward the other students, "You had been asked here because all of you have been born and raised in the muggle world," she said, and she frowned before she added, "You know that world, which is something that not many of your pureblood and half-blood schoolmates could claim," she frowned further as she said, "The Headmaster had also seen fit to veto my proposal to have pureblood students here so that they could learn about the muggles," she shook her head at that.
Hermione stared at the Deputy Headmistress for a few moments as the older woman shook her head. She already knew the reason that she and her fellow muggle-born students had been asked for, and she wondered how many others had seen the request that their transfiguration professor was about to make of them.
'Probably not many of them,' the intelligent brown-haired young girl thought to herself. She had long ago made the observation that those born on the other side of the great muggle-magical divide are completely lacking in common sense. Apparently, those who are born on the side of the muggles also begin to lose their ability to think logically the moment that they step through that line, 'I suppose that it is understandable,' the young girl thought to herself, 'when you are surrounded by things that defy normal logic, then certainly, you do not use logic anymore'
Hermione, however, managed to keep her grasp at logic because in the mind of the young woman, although she is in a magical place where things that could not be explained by normal logic are happening every day, there has got to be an explanation, so she file the things that she sees in the hopes that she could someday return to figure them out. It helps that she has an eidetic memory.
Taking all things into consideration, Hermione knew that her professor was about to ask her to assist them in accommodating these muggles. A soft smile came across the face of the intelligent young woman at that.
"The Headmaster had asked that you be appointed as liaisons between the school and these muggles," Minerva said, forcing Hermione back into the present. The small smile on the face of the young woman blossomed into a full blown one as she just heard the confirmation from her professor that what she was thinking was indeed the correct answer.
"However, this does not mean that you can cozy up to them," Minerva warned a few of the young women seated at the back who were probably thinking how romantic it would be to form an illicit relationship between student and soldiers.
Hermione would have banged her head at the surface in front of her for that. These soldiers are professionals; there was no way that they would allow themselves to be led like that, even if the ones who are trying to do the leading are muggle-born students.
"Miss Granger?" Minerva asked, forcing Hermione back to the present once more. She really wish that she could have had words with those two muggle-born third years at the back though, but that would not be good for her record. Hermione turned her attention toward her professor, a questioning look pasted on her face, and Minerva did not even bother with small talk, "Would you accept this request?" she asked.
As with Minerva, there was no hesitation on the part of Hermione. She gave her professor a nod before she replied, "Yes, professor," in the most neutral voice that she could possibly muster. Hermione was not sure if she had succeeded in that regard though, because there was no doubt that at that moment, she felt happy at the thought of meeting someone who has at least a bit of common sense at her school. It would be nice to be able to speak with someone who could logically argue instead of falling back to the age old tactic of claiming that that was how things had always been again.
'C' Brigade Field Position, a few kilometers south of Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 27, 1995
Harry snapped a salute the moment that he entered the command vehicle through its rear hatch. The vehicle was resting on the side of the road, other specialist vehicles located to its front and rear, waiting for the instructions from the brigade commander to resume their advance.
Harry was unsure of the reason, but the brigade had been ordered to the side of the road and the brigadier general in command of the brigade had called for his battalion commanders to meet with him at his command vehicle.
It just so happened that Harry was also asked to report in and the young naval cadet walked into the rear of the FV521 Command and Control Vehicle that was the temporary headquarters of the brigade commander just in time to see the Brigadier General brief his battalion commanders. From the way that one of the three colonels was just being handed his tea, Harry was sure that the briefing had just begun.
Brigadier General Winston Arnott, commander of 'C' Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division, had his back turned toward Harry when the young cadet entered the rear of the command vehicle. The Brigadier was watching his aides propped a map of what Harry assumed to be Hogwarts against the wall of the interior with his hands folded across his chest.
He surely gave the impression that he is not a man to be crossed with and as Harry stood there with his right hand stuck in a salute position, he tried to remember the few tidbits of information that he had been given about this man.
A graduate of the Imperial Military Academy at West Point, New York, Winston Arnott was initially trained as an infantryman before transferring to Special Operations where he earned both his parachute device and his Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. He had been appointed commander of 3rd Battalion, 'C' Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division on his thirty fifth birthday, and was bumped up – as it were – to command the brigade two years later. He had been in command for three years now and had proven that he is the right man for the job.
As if to prove that, he had been chosen for this operation. Harry was aware that the commander and the unit that was chosen to go to Hogwarts were hand-picked by the Prince. It spoke of the confidence that Lord Alexander had with the man.
Any further musings on the part of Harry, however, were quickly put to a hold as the Brigadier turned to face him. Harry kept his hand up and himself at full attention, not taking his eyes off the spot that he had been staring at as the Brigadier looked him up and down. After what seemed like a long time to Harry, the Brigadier casually returned the salute of Harry before he motioned for the young man to join the three colonels who were already seated at the bench.
Unfortunately, that bench could only hold three people, forcing Harry to take a position next to the seating battalion commanders and assume a parade rest position while the Brigadier walked next to the map that his aides had propped up. Harry was hardly surprised when the Brigadier did not draw a stick to point at the map, it was a custom that was dying and there truly was no need for it anyway.
"Gentlemen," Brigadier Arnott began, and although he said 'gentlemen', at the moment that the last syllable left his mouth, he turned his peripheral vision toward Harry. Even if it was just his peripheral vision, the general was actually able to give Harry an evil eye that would have made the young cadet fidget around had he not forcibly reminded himself that he is in a briefing being conducted by a superior officer.
Of course, because Harry was too focused on remaining himself impassive, he missed the slight movement on the face of the brigadier. The young cadet had failed to notice that because he did not cringe; his standing in the book of Brigadier General Arnott had gone up one notch. That places him in the first notch.
"This is Hogwarts Castle," the brigadier continued, returning his full attention toward the group rather than just at Harry. "Near as we can figure, there are probably six to seven hundred people inside this castle right now," and with a pointed glare, he quickly added, "And when I see people, I mean living people, we did not count the numerous ghosts, magical portraits, and heaven knows what else that call this place home."
He paused for effect before he glared at his three battalion commanders – and actually missing Harry this time – and said, "This is where our mission is going to be," before he added, "His Highness, the Prince is worried about the alarming and almost exponential growth of dissent and separatists within Scotland, and has tasked this brigade with securing this castle from any and all attempts to wrest it from the control of the Empress."
No one inside the command vehicle – not even the aides of the brigadier or the driver who was seated at the front and pretending that he was not listening – need an explanation for the last words that had left the mouth of their commander. It was no secret to those who are in the know about the magical world that the magical world is only kept in line by the power of the oaths that they had been forced to take. Outright contempt was the order of the day when it comes to the magical world dealing with the non-magical world.
"We would deploy as detailed in this map," the Brigadier continued even as one of his aides handed over smaller copies of the map that hung from the wall to the three colonels who took them without saying anything before poring over them. The fact that three of his four audience was no longer looking – or perhaps even listening – to him did not bother the brigadier at the slightest, he just continued, "1st battalion would deploy close to the edge of the lake, you will have the responsibility of guarding that infiltration point, so I want to see patrols there," the colonel commanding 1st battalion nodded his acknowledgement of the instruction, but Brigadier General Arnott did not even bother to return the nod, "2nd battalion would deploy closest to the gates, should worse come to worse, your men would either be manning the walls or be the first to storm the castle."
The colonel commanding 2nd Battalion did not look happy with his set of instructions, but chose to say nothing. Harry got the distinct impression that the colonel was actually intimidated by the Brigadier, and that was the only thing that Harry needed to see in order to know that this colonel is the newest of the bunch. The colonel who was originally in command of the battalion had been promoted and was posted his own brigade to command, placing this new man in the position. It was painfully obvious that the new colonel was not used to the general and Harry silently wondered if the man would become a hindrance should anything go wrong, and he was in charge of probably the most important aspect of this operation.
Harry returned his attention toward the commander of 'C' Brigade and found himself wondering if that was the plan of Brigadier General Arnott in the first place. The man seems to delight in frightening his subordinates, but he is not the first that Harry had met who does that. It was probably the Brigadier's method of weeding out those that would inevitably fail, and it reminded Harry of his own first day at Annapolis when the senior cadets proceeded to run them through a gauntlet designed to break all but the most willing.
"3rd Battalion would be kept in reserve," Brigadier General Arnott continued, "Should either 1st or 2nd Battalion require assistance, 3rd Battalion would provide that assistance," he paused for a few moments, likely to afford his battalion commanders time to digest their instructions and run it through their heads, before he turned his attention toward Harry and said, "Cadet Leader Potter, you and your cadets are going to have the most unenviable job of all," and the grin that suddenly appeared on the face of the general caused Harry to worry at exactly what the commander was going to make them do.
Harry was aware that the Brigadier General could not order him and his cadets to do a mission on their own. The commanding officer has a wide latitude of orders that he could give to the cadets that are accompanying him and his unit into an operational area, but sending them out on their own is outside of that latitude. The commander could send cadets out with active units to do a live-fire and actual mission, but to do so would require the ascent of not only the cadets themselves – and that was almost always given – but also of the training officer who was standing by back at where the cadets had came from, either Annapolis or West Point.
"Cadet Leader," Brigadier General Arnott continued, and the grin on his face got wider before he finally revealed the mission that he was giving Harry and his classmates, "You are to act as our liaisons with our hosts for the rest of your deployment with us," the general said, before he quickly added, "In addition to that, I expect you to come up with a schedule that would see at least four of your classmates inside that castle at any given time, two in my command staff so that they could learn the things that you had been sent here to learn, and the other four off-duty," he once more gave Harry the evil eye before he said, "I shall be inspecting that work schedule the moment we get to the castle, Cadet Leader."
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, consciously fighting against himself from replying in the traditional navy way of 'Aye, sir'. He had no idea how the brigadier would react to that, and Harry was reliably informed that some general officers – or even just officers – in the Army take offense at that.
"Very well then, Cadet, you are dismissed," Brigadier General Arnott said. It was obvious that the briefing was not yet over, but Harry saluted anyway, and once the salute was returned, he walked briskly out of the command vehicle. Once he was out of the vehicle, Brigadier General Arnott turned toward his battalion commanders and said, "Pile up as much work as you can on their shoulders without really breaking them, gentlemen," before he shook his head and said, "Lord Alexander had picked these ten himself, and although I am not competent enough to know what our liege is thinking, I know that he is expecting great things for these ten, else, he would not have sent them here."
The three colonels nodded, before the meeting descended into a question and answer portion as the commanders debated about contingencies that would be required for this operation.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 17, 1995
The school staff stood in front of the gates of Hogwarts with a selected number of students behind them. The gathered group had their collective attention focused toward the direction of the road to the nearest town, Hogsmeade.
A few moments ago, they had received word from the town that a huge number of lights were heading toward the town. Predictably, the occupants of the village had no idea what was happening and thought the worst of things, which was why the letter that the Headmaster had received from them contained a codicil begging the Headmaster for assistance against – the people in the village thought – the monsters that are heading toward them.
It was amusing to see that despite the fact that they live in the magical world, they still fear the unknown, or perhaps it was precisely because of the fact that they live in the magical world that they fear the unknown.
Hermione stood with the rest of the students that had been chosen to liaise with the coming muggles behind the Headmaster and the senior staff. The young muggle-born witch wondered if the professors that now stood in front of them would be willing to take bullets for the students behind them should it prove ugly, but she realized that that was not something that she should be concerned about, and, in any case, that was unfair to the professors.
The first two headlights broke out of the gloom, and Hermione had to admit that the sudden appearance of the two lights surprised her. From the gasps that she heard on both of her sides, she was sure that the other students were surprised as well, and she knew the reason. After all, they had been told that the muggle technology does not work in Hogwarts.
A fundamental truth that Hermione and her fellow muggle-born students had accepted the first time that they stepped into Hogwarts had been broken because those two headlights that are coming toward them was attached to the front of a olive-colored Land Rover.
The murmurings of disbelief of the professors – even Professor McGonagall included – however, told Hermione that not even her favorite professor was aware that the claim that technology and magic does not work is a lie, but before Hermione could comment on that – in her mind, of course, anywhere else would be insubordination – her attention was forced back to the road as two more sets of lights appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
The first truck pulled up just in front of the gates to the school, with the second and the third just behind it. Before anyone could say anything, the passenger side door of the first truck opened. Hermione stared at the youth that jumped out of the open door and was instantly struck by his green eyes, despite the fact that the thick rimless eyeglasses that he was obstructed her view.
Absently, the young muggle-born witch noted that the young man – and he is very young, quite possible the same age as her – was wearing a camouflage uniform like the ones that she had expected, but unlike the driver of the truck – who had also jumped down from the truck – the uniform was bereft of any rank insignia. Neither did the young man carry a weapon, either in his hands or in his hip holster, unlike the driver who had retrieved a gun from his seat.
For his part, Harry was thoroughly unimpressed by what he had seen. The robes that the witches and wizards in front of him wore was probably the clincher, however, as the young cadet could not imagine wearing something like that. He was reasonably informed that that was the accepted clothes for both witches and wizards in magical Britain, unlike back in the mainland where magicals dress just like non-magicals.
He did briefly wonder about the students who stood behind the line of professors – 'How accommodating of them, they formed their own line, now I wonder if I could find a firing squad for them?' Harry thought to himself – but decided that he would worry about them later. Right now, he has a job to do, and with that in mind, he turned his attention toward the oldest – at least, he appeared the oldest to Harry – and asked, "Professor Dumbledore?"
The Headmaster of Hogwarts got over his surprise and gave a nod. He knew that the young man who had asked his name was the son of James and Lily. There was too much in him of his parents – especially James, the young man looked like James – for the lad to be able to deny it.
"Yes, I am Headmaster Dumbledore," Albus replied, he smiled kindly toward Harry, though he was not the slightest bit rebuffed by the fact that Harry maintained a cool expression toward him. The Headmaster did take the silent warning though and decided not to say anything else, especially not about the Potters. He decided to wait until Harry would introduce himself.
For his part, Harry did his best to appear neutral to the Headmaster, but his family history precluded from truly achieving that. In the end, he had to forcibly remind himself that his commanding officer had given him his instructions and that he should follow them. With a barely discernible sigh, Harry returned his attention toward the Headmaster and said, "I am Cadet Fourth Class Harry James Potter, sir," and did his best to ignore the pointed gasps as he continued, "I had been appointed as liaison for the time that 'C' Brigade, 22 Infantry Division would be bivouacked at your grounds.:
The smile on the face of Albus Dumbledore was genuine, but it was not there because he was happy to be hosting three thousand men from the Imperial Army, it was there because he was happy that Harry had finally come to Hogwarts. Now he could begin planning, but first, he has to earn the trust of the boy.
"I am Albus Dumbledore," the Headmaster said, he extended his hand toward Harry and was surprised by the strength of the grip of the younger man. Normally, people would be too grateful for them to even shake his hand even if the Headmaster were to offer, and the few who did had never gripped his hand as tight as this, "Headmaster of Hogwarts School."
Harry nodded, but did not say anything, prompting the Headmaster to continued, "Let me introduce you to my staff," he said, and before Harry could inform the Headmaster that that is best left for the commanding officer of 'C' Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division, the old man had began to list the names of his professors.
A good five minutes later, the Headmaster said, "Allow me then to introduce the students that would be most closely involved to help you during your stay," instead of what Harry had been expecting.
The first student that the Headmaster introduced to Harry was a bushy-haired young woman whose deep chocolate brown eyes betrayed her intelligence. Harry found himself staring at those eyes and he quickly realized that she was staring back at him. The words of the Headmaster, when it was finally said, was barely understood, but Harry hard them nonetheless, "This is Hermione Granger of Gryffindor, she has been appointed as Head Liaison for the duration of your stay," the Headmaster said.