A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
EIGHT
Information Classified
Central Imperial Intelligence Agency, Langley, Virginia
Department Thirty-One
Subject: The Great European Magical War and Agent Alchemy
Report:
In 1914, following the opening of hostilities between France and Prussia, the two most dominant military powers in Western Europe, the predecessor agency of the Central Imperial Intelligence Academy, the Department of Imperial Strategic Intelligence, received a total of [information redacted] communiqués from a source within then French-occupied British Isles. The nature of these communiqués convinced the then government of Prime Minister Clayton Monroe that the nature of the Franco-Prussian War of 1914 was anything but mundane.
Agent Alchemy – as the source preferred to be called – provided information – verified through [information redacted] – that the war between the two states had actually been engineered by a group of magicals that call themselves as the Knights of Walpurgis, operating under the leadership of one Gellert Grindelwald, a self-styled dark lord. Through various intercepts, the information from Agent Alchemy, and other [information redacted], the Department was able to confirm that Grindelwald and his followers had incited the war in order to create a [information redacted]. Whether or not such [information redacted] could succeed is still open to debate, but the fact remains that as a result of their meddling, the Franco-Prussian War happened.
At the same time, the Holy Empire could not allow [information redacted] to happen, especially since it would be in [information redacted], a land that is [information redacted] to the [information redacted].
From the [information redacted] provided by [information redacted], Imperial Intelligence was able to identify several key members of the Knights of Walpurgis, and while a direct assassination attempt against Grindelwald was judged to be too risky, several of his lieutenants and followers were destroyed by [information redacted].
We are also able to confirm that as a result of these [information redacted], the Great European Magical War erupted. Grindelwald and his followers believed that the [information redacted] were being conducted by a rival group known as the Order of the Phoenix, and as such, retaliated against this organization.
From [information redacted] from Agent Alchemy, we are able to formulate the membership of this other group, the Order of the Phoenix, and we know that it is headed by one Albus Dumbledore, a man who is now believed to be the head of the Magical Parliament in the British Isles.
In 1915, while the war between France and Germany was heating up, the Great European Magical War erupted in full force, dangerously bringing the magical world closer to the non-magical world than anyone had ever done before, for in their enthusiasm in killing their enemies, neither the Knights of Walpurgis nor the Order of the Phoenix cared much about the Statute of Secrecy.
Indeed, during the [information redacted], non-magical soldiers from Prussia reported [information redacted] savaging the French lines, with the occasional [information redacted]. The next morning, when the same soldiers marched upon the enemy camp, they found enemy soldiers unmarked but clearly dead, a sure sign of the [information redacted].
The Great European Magical War ended less than two years later, in the early part of 1917, in [information redacted]. Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald reportedly met each other in duel, and after [information redacted] of duel, the leader of the Order of the Phoenix was able to subdue his adversary. No one knows what happened to Grindelwald after the duel, but it is believed that he had died. Imperial Intelligence has an [information redacted] of the duel, information that came from Agent Alchemy which led Imperial Intelligence to believe that Agent Alchemy was a member of either the Knights of Walpurgis or the Order of the Phoenix.
The identity of Agent Alchemy has never been discerned by Imperial Intelligence even after nearly ninety years after he had first contacted Imperial Intelligence. Whoever he may be, however, it is believed that he had long died, but not before providing Imperial Intelligence with enough [information redacted] to make successful Operation Righteous Dawn, the reconquest of the British Isles.
Throughout the years, various theories have surfaced within Imperial Intelligence as to the real identity of this unnamed patriot. Everyone from [information redacted]to [information redacted] himself had been suggested, but such theories are quick to be dismissed save for one or two that are incredibly hard to dismiss owing to the circumstantial evidence that accompany the allegation.
Perhaps the most popular Agent Alchemy theory was the one charging [information redacted] with being the man behind the mask. It was alleged that the handle-name of Agent Alchemy had direct correlation with the field of work of [information redacted], but given the circumstance, it might no longer be possible to confirm this.
In any case, whoever Agent Alchemy was, the Holy Empire owe him a great debt. Not only did he assist in the [information redacted] during the Great European Magical War, he was also instrumental during Operation Righteous Dawn. It is fitting that one of the [information redacted] in [information redacted] at [information redacted] is dedicated to him.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 19, 1995
The glare of the sun was not as harsh as Harry had expected, but he still had to squint his eyes nonetheless as focused his attention toward the sight in front of him. The five battleships that form the battleship division under the direct command of Lord Alexander had just retrieved their anchors. On their decks, crews were busily running to and fro as they secure everything on the deck in preparation for their departure, but even to the most landlubber of the soldiers that were in formation as they waited for the departure of the Prince and his party, something was not right.
Harry – and his naval cadets – has somewhat of an advantage over their soldier counterparts, but that was mostly because they are navy cadets. Harry knew that the sailors are clearing the decks of anything that could suddenly fly off of the deck. Normally, that would not be a concern if the ships were just going to take to the sky and cruise – or even go to flank speed – in formation, and it was precisely the fact that the sailors are busy clearing the decks – a precursor to the watch officer sounding general quarters – that alerted Harry and his cadets that something was not right.
Despite the fact that he was supposed to be standing at attention – something that was not easy to do for a normal person given the fact that the cadets are at full dress, together with their excessively heavy cadet headgear commonly known as a shako – Harry used his peripheral vision to study the people who were gathered off to one side, away from the formation of two infantry platoons – the honor company – of 'C' Brigade.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and his staff looked out of place in their dark and dour – well, save for the Headmaster's – robes. Four rows of neatly attired and completely still men with their rifles resting on their shoulders and an impromptu squad of naval cadets in full uniform had that effect on them, but Harry knew that the Headmaster and his staff are required to see the departure of Lord Alexander. It was custom, and if there was anything about this particular magical society that Harry had learned since the few days that he was here, it was the fact that they are too big on customs.
Harry would have smiled at that thought, but since he was in formation, he prevented himself from doing that. Instead, he turned his attention to the other side of the formation. A group of Hogwarts students had gathered to see off the Prince, and like the staff of Hogwarts, they are in their everyday robes. Harry knew that Hermione is with that crowd, and he also knew that most of the people in that crowd are either first generation or mixed-blood students who had sufficient experience with the non-magical world. Those are the same students who are aware of the power that those battleships carry with them.
Harry returned his attention to the battleships that are even now slowly sprouting smoke from the smoke stacks on their amidships. He knew that their engines – a hybrid gas-electric engine that Harry knew is reinforced by top secret components, top secret because they are based on several magical theories – are starting, and in a few moments, they would take to the skies using a complicated method that Harry had not yet taken to heart despite the fact that he knew it would be part of his examinations at the end of his second year in the Academy.
The battleships – one of them over one hundred thousand tons in weight – silently gained altitude, but unlike an airplane, the altitude gain was relatively slow as the officers at the bridge in charge of the altitude of the ship guided their ships carefully in an attempt to keep the formation. Harry knew that the ships could take to the skies faster than what they are demonstrating right now, but there are things to be taken into consideration, not the least of which, Harry is sure, is the fact that Lord Alexander was planning something with the guns of the ships under his command.
Having never been at the receiving end of a full broadside – specially one coming from five of the biggest battleships of the Holy Empire – Harry could not accurately define and explain the feeling. He had – as a first year cadet – experienced a full broadside, but that was relatively light, with five five-inch guns of a destroyer firing to welcome the cadets as they take their first step into the Academy. More, those guns were not only firing blanks, they are firing away from the cadets.
Then again, Harry knew that not even the most powerful mage could withstand a full broadside of at least sixteen-inch – maybe even just six-inch – guns. The smallest gun in the make-shift flotilla that was slowly gaining altitude in front of Harry is the five-inch secondary guns mounted on the sides of the ships. These guns are meant for engaging smaller ships and there are more than five of them in each ship.
The young naval cadet briefly wondered if and when his time to serve came, if he would be assigned to such heavy behemoths that seem to defy the laws of nature, but he realized that it was not up to him, it was up to his superiors, though given the liege of his parents, he knew that it was likely that he would someday be commanding a ship of his own, perhaps, even a battleship or an aircraft carrier.
He briefly wondered if when his time comes, he would be leading ships into combat, but he quickly mentally shook himself awake and reminded himself that despite the political situation between the Holy Empire and many other countries turning south, the Holy Empire – with her power and large fleet – is still untouched by any rumors of war even if her traditional allies are on the verge of fighting their own.
Harry mentally shook his head and forced himself to return to the present. He returned his attention to the ships that had now achieved a considerable altitude and had stopped as the officers in charge of those ships – their captains mostly – confer with each other that they are in the proper altitude. Harry had no doubt that they are, the captains, officers, and crew that make up the ninth battleship division are the cream of the crop, the elite of an already elite formation, and besides, from where the young cadet stood, the ships looked perfectly aligned from all angles.
The loud sound of a pack howitzer – L118 Light Guns, the heaviest weapon of the brigade – tore Harry out from the reverie that he was about to fall into. He does not need to turn his attention toward the direction of the Hogwarts staff to know that they cringed when the first gun fired, but if they had expected that to be the only instance that the gun would fire, they were sorely mistaken, as the attached field artillery company to the brigade – a small company from the artillery brigade of the division – rapidly fired all of their guns to form the traditional twenty one gun salute.
By the time that the artillery was done with their work, the staff of Hogwarts thought that they are used to the loud sound of the guns firing, but the guns of the artillery company were small, compared with the heavy naval artillery that the battleships were equipped with.
As soon as the artillery on the ground was done, the turrets on the ships became alive. The long barrels of the naval guns moved up as their hydraulic systems came to life. Less than a fraction of a second later, the big boxes mounted on the barbettes came alive as they pivoted. Fortunately, their guns were pointed away from the school.
Harry imagined the look of shock on the faces of the staff – and maybe even the students – of Hogwarts, but before anyone could say anything, everything was drowned as thunder rumbled overhead the grounds.
The closest word that Harry could use to describe the sound of the naval artillery firing was a dozen thunders rumbling at the same time. The shockwave of all sixty heavy caliber guns firing would have been enough to flatten a few trees in the forest had the altitude of the ships not been enough. As it stands, Harry imagined that quite a few windows in the castle had been broken though he reminded himself that he should not be surprised if that was not the case. After all, the castle is the site of a magical school; it only stands to reason that the windows are warded.
Unlike the staff – and some students – the honor company was unfazed by the firing and kept their attention. They kept their attention even as the first ship in the line – Lord Alexander's HMS Iron Duke – activated its airscrews, pushing the one hundred thousand ton monster forward in a steadily increasing speed. His consorts – smaller than their leader by a good twenty thousand tons, but still heavier – followed closely, their own airscrews pushing them at a speed to keep pace with the heavier ship. As with all Imperial battleships, they were designed with a cruise speed of eighteen knots, but Harry knew that the ships are not even performing half that speed.
"Detail," the voice of the company commander in charge of the honor company made Harry turn his attention to the front. The officer who had just given the command had turned his attention toward his command, and Harry had focused his attention on the man just in time to hear him give his next command, "Present Arms!"
As one, the members of the company – and Harry and his cadets – saluted. They may be facing an empty lake, but it was universally understood that the salute was meant for the man who was most assuredly holding his own salute at the bridge of his flagship – Lord Alexander.
The salute on the ground was held until the hull of the five battleships had been completely gobbled up by the low clouds that had gathered over the grounds, but for a brief few moments, everyone at the grounds could watch – despite the distance and the altitude – as the five battleships of Lord Alexander resume their formation with fifteen other ships of relatively similar size and countless smaller consorts before the entire formation moved north toward their destination, the new naval base that was being built near Orkney.
As a show of force, Harry thought that the number of ships in the air was more potent than the firing of a broadside by the battleships of the ninth battleship division, though the young cadet could not deny that the broadside was also effective.
A few minutes later, the honor company and the cadets were dismissed, leaving a mostly empty field from where the cadets and the honor company had stood just a few moments before. By the time that the honor company had been dismissed, the staff of Hogwarts had also taken their leave, as did most of the students who had been curious enough to watch the show.
There were a few students who had stayed, however, and as Harry turned his attention toward them, he felt his heart jump when he saw that Hermione was one of those who had elected to stay behind, though he privately had to admit to himself that that was hardly surprising given the circumstances.
Harry was aware that his mother had spoken with Hermione, but he was not privy to that conversation. Harry was not able to ask his mother what the topic of the conversation between Lily and Hermione was because before he could do so, he was called to report in preparation for the departure honors of Lord Alexander and his battleships.
Now that the battleships had left – his parents with them – the only way that Harry could learn what the topic of that conversation was is by asking Hermione, and fortunately, she seemed to be willing to share.
While most of the soldiers and cadets seem to be milling about and slowly making their way back to camp – the honor company was not on duty because they had to present the departure honors, and the cadets are on break – Harry and Hermione went the opposite way, toward the castle.
Both pretended that they did not notice the fact that Edward followed them at a discrete distance, the result of an order from Lord Alexander himself that the cadets entering the school – or even just approaching it – should never be on their own. The aftermath and the consequences of the death of Gregory Goyle was still not known, and until Lord Alexander and his staff could be sure, the cadets entering the castle would be considered under threat from any retaliation.
"Would you tell me about the conversation you had with my mother?" Harry asked Hermione as soon as they crossed the threshold that separated the castle from the grounds.
She turned her attention toward him, the confused expression on her face not that difficult to decipher. She wanted to ask him if he had not been told, but given the fact that he was asking her directly, it was obvious that the answer was in the negative.
For a few moments, Hermione thought about the reason why Harry had not been told. She had assumed that his parents had informed him before Lily had made the offer, but after a few moments of silence directed at herself, she realized that perhaps, there was a reason why Harry had not been told, though she reasoned that since Lily had not seen fit to inform her that Harry should not be informed of their conversation, she saw nothing wrong with telling him what she talked about with the Countess of Lisbourne.
"Your mother told me about the integration programs in the mainland," Hermione said as they continued to walk toward the castle, "Specifically, she wants me to accept her offer that would allow me to continue my education at the mainland before going further than I thought possible and going to University."
The eyes of Harry widened at that. What was being offered Hermione was no mean thing. Lily is a noble – not born into the Imperial nobility, perhaps, but still possessing the inherent powers of Imperial nobility, including sponsoring someone to school – and this was within her power, but Harry knew that there was something else at play here. With a start, the young cadet realized that his mother was grooming Hermione. Exactly for what, Harry had no idea, but given that the offer came at the heels of a visit from Lord Alexander, it was obvious that the Prince was aware that the offer was made.
Harry told himself that it was even possible that the offer was made under the instructions of the prince.
There was excitement on his face as he asked Hermione, "What would you do?"
The answer that Hermione had given Harry was not what he had expected, but he supposed that it was an answer that he should have expected, "I would have to consult with my parents," she told him, and in response to the unasked question of Harry, she continued, "That would mean I would have to wait till the Yule Break."
'Reasonable,' Harry thought to himself. The actions of the pureblood faction last night had told Harry that there is a chance that there might be separatist – or just plain rebels – inside the school. It made sense that any potential vassal of an Imperial noble not broadcast her intentions, even if it was just an innocent letter home. It was quite possible that the letters are actually being censored, despite the fact that in the Holy Empire, the power to censor is severely constrained and available only to certain people with powers delegated to them by the Golden Throne.
"I'm not sure if I could trust the school owls to deliver the letter to my parents rather than to the Headmaster," Hermione continued, she turned her attention toward Harry and added, "I mean, there had been rumors before that the Headmaster had been screening letters, and it is common knowledge that the caretaker has broad powers when it comes to packages."
Harry nodded. He was certain that the broad power to search the packages was meant as a measure against anything dangerous being brought into the school, but Hermione was right, it could be extended to include letters, and to include letters that are going out of the school rather than in.
"With the apparent growing rift between the Golden Throne and the Headmaster, I would think that prudent," Harry replied. He saw Hermione nod in agreement, and he was certain that she was about to say something, but before she could do so, Harry added, "It also cannot be denied that you spend most of your time with me" – and here, both Harry and Hermione blushed, though neither noticed it despite the fact that they are both looking at each other – "it stands to reason that the supporters of the Headmaster would conclude that you are with us,"
"Which would give him a reason to screen my mail," Hermione replied, again nodding in agreement to the words of Harry.
For a few moments, silence descended around the two as they resumed walking toward the school. Neither noticed when it began, but by the time that Harry had noticed it, he already had the hand of Hermione on his own.
For a few moments, he thought about removing his hand from hers, but at the same time that he thought about removing his hand, he realized that he rather liked the feeling of her skin on his, so he decided against removing his hand.
Hermione noticed it at the same time as Harry, but unlike him, she was already halfway to removing her hand when she realized that she too liked the feeling. She tugged on his hand as a means to cover the fact that she tried to withdraw her hand, but Harry did not notice the action of the girl beside him, not because he was not paying attention, but rather, because at that moment, his attention had been diverted to the person in front of him.
Harry paused first, and Hermione followed suit less than a second later when she realized that Harry had stopped. As she had her gaze toward their held hands, she was not privy to what had made Harry stop until the moment that she turned her gaze to exactly where Harry had his.
Hermione blinked when she saw Ronald Weasley walk out from behind one of the granite stones between the castle and the grounds. Almost unconsciously, Hermione used her free hand to grip her wand, though she managed to keep the focus hidden behind her back. Ron was the older brother of the girl who had nearly blinded her, and this time, she was not going to take chances.
At that moment, however, a wave of magic assaulted her sixth sense, and before she could even think, she turned her attention toward Harry. He seemed calm as he stared at the red-haired youth in front of him – and Hermione was certain that the overly dense Weasley cannot even sense the wave of magic that was, even now, assaulting the senses of Hermione – but Hermione knew that the magic wave was coming from Harry.
She was of two opinions regarding that display – a display that she was not even sure if Harry was aware he was doing. Her first opinion was that Harry needed to be powerful in order to put on such a display of might, but then again, Hermione realized that she should not have found that surprising, of course Harry would be powerful. The second opinion made her weak at the knees when she realized that this was for her. He was defending her without even knowing it.
"Hermione, I've been looking all over for you," Ron said as he practically ran toward her. He was either pointedly ignoring Harry or he was just that dense, and Hermione was not really sure which was the case, given that she and Ron had never been friends – or even acquaintances really.
"What do you want?" Hermione asked. She realized that the way that she asked the question was a way that could be construed as rude, but since that was exactly what she was aiming for, she did not think much about it afterward.
Again, Ron either ignored the rudeness in the way that Hermione had asked the question or he was that dense. Even Harry – who still held her other hand while her free hand held her wand behind her back – cringed when he heard the rudeness in the tone that Hermione had used, but while Harry had heard the rudeness, he could excuse it since he knew that Hermione and the red-haired lad in front of them had been at odds most of the time, and Harry also knew that Ron is the older brother of Ginny, the girl that had nearly blinded Hermione with a prank that Harry was convinced was anything but that.
"This week's a Hogsmeade weekend," Ron began, "And I was wondering if you would like to go with me? You know? Like a date?"
The eyebrows of Hermione nearly reached her forehead, but the reaction of Harry was the exact opposite. The wave of magic that was hitherto assaulting the magical senses of Hermione disappeared – rather abruptly, now that Hermione thought about it, and it left her somewhat uncomfortable since her subconscious realized that Harry was not caressing her, even if it was only in the magical sense – but it quickly reasserted itself, though this time, Hermione was no longer aware of it.
The magic wave now made its presence clear to Ronald Weasley because the moment that it reasserted itself, it was focused solely on him. The youngest Weasley male visibly – and that was an understatement – cringed as he turned his attention toward the direction of Harry. It would appear that he had not noticed the black-haired youth wearing the naval cadet uniform before he had turned his attention toward him, but now, the red-haired youth could not deny the presence of Harry, not when those jade-green eyes of Harry – despite being hidden behind glasses – are glaring at him as if the man behind wants to destroy him – and if Harry was going to be honest, right now, that was exactly what he wanted to do.
Hermione would have paid galleons to see Ronald Weasley – one of her worst tormentors in this school, the others being Draco Malfoy who was cowering at his dorms following the death of his friend, and Ginevra Weasley, who was still cleaning trophies in the trophy room as a result of the detention that she had earned after she had nearly blinded Hermione – destroyed, but aware that this was still a school – and besides, Hermione did not think that it would be proper for Harry to get into a duel over her, no matter how romantic that sounded even to Hermione – she realized that she could not let that happen.
Hermione placed herself between the immovable force – Harry – and the stoppable object that looked as if it wanted to flee from the area anyway – Ron – in a figurative sense.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said in an overly formal way that reminded the two Hogwarts student of their Deputy Headmistress, "As you can see, Cadet Potter would be taking me to the village for this weekend."
The eyes of Ron widened in surprise, but his surprise was nothing compared to the surprise of Harry, though the naval cadet was able to keep himself from physically reacting. In any case, it was more amusing to look at the reaction of Ron after Hermione had said that. The red-haired youth stared at Harry for a few moments before he nodded and returned his attention toward Hermione.
Ron was actually shaking – though neither Harry nor Hermione was sure of the reason behind the nervous fidgeting of the young man – when he said, "Next time then, Hermione," and before Hermione could reply – to turn down Ron in the most humiliating way that she could think of – Ron turned away from them and ran toward the direction of the school.
For a few moments, Harry and Hermione could do nothing but stare at the rapidly disappearing back of the red haired boy, but once he had disappeared, Harry turned his attention toward Hermione, "I'm taking you to the village this weekend?" he asked.
Hermione blushed a bright crimson red that was impossible to miss, and miss it, Harry did not. Still, unlike Ron, Hermione was able to form sentences, and unlike Ron, being around Harry had given her confidence that she always thought she would never have, "I would like you to," she admitted.
Harry stared at her for a few moments, before he smiled and said, "I'm sure I could convince General Arnott to allow me some leave time for the weekend."
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 19, 1995
Albus knew that the meeting that was next on his schedule would be one of the most stressful ones he would have for the day, if not the week. Not only would the topic of this meeting be something that would remind him of his headache in addition to make it ache once more, but also he would be having that discussion with a man that the Headmaster of Hogwarts had always felt should not have graduated Hogwarts in the first place.
The Headmaster turned his attention toward his pensieve, the golden bowl etched with runes and the silvery white liquid that it held within sat behind the open doors of a brown non-descript cabinet that everyone who had been up to this office had assumed was nothing more but another cabinet in a room that was full of many.
With a simple thought of his mind, the Headmaster managed to close the doors of the cabinet. It would do no one well – least of all the Headmaster himself – if his guests were to see what he was keeping behind those doors. After all, pensieves, while wonderful items that could probably help in most everyday cases, are also wondrously rare. The Headmaster had no doubt that, given the position of the people that he was going to meet with, those same people would use their relative authority to confiscate the item.
The Headmaster was torn from his self-imposed reverie at almost the exact same moment that he went into it when he heard a faint gong that seemed to come from nowhere echoing around the room. It was his proximity ward, one that warned him if and when the gargoyle that was the guardian to his office had been activated. That meant that someone was on their way up to the office of the Headmaster, and as if to lend further credence to that already sure proposition, another ward went off in the head of the Headmaster, this time, the one that he had placed on his moving staircase, one that warned him when the moving spiral staircase had activated and was even now bringing guest up to his floor.
'The next ward would be the one at the door,' the Headmaster thought to himself, and sure enough, it was that ward that went off a few moments later the moment that his staircase ward had informed him that the moving stairs had stopped.
The ward that the Headmaster had placed at the door was sensitive enough that it could not only tell how many people are waiting outside his door, it could also tell him the identities of those people just from their magical signature. In his long life, Albus had met a lot of people, and it was one of his greatest strengths, remembering the unique magical signature of a person that he had met, a side-effect of his powerful Occulumencary shields.
Albus had expected the magical signature of his Deputy, after all, he was the one who had asked for her presence in the first place. The Headmaster had expected their guest for the afternoon to lose his temper, and Minerva had always had a calming effect on their guest, if only because said guest had often found himself pinned by the glare of the transfiguration professor – the position that Minerva held back when their guest for the afternoon was still a student of the school.
The other magical signature was also one that the Headmaster had expected. It seemed strange that the man who owns the magical signature was supposed to be the most politically powerful man in the whole of Magical Britain when his magical signature indicated that the power that he possesses was no better than a talented seventh year at Hogwarts. Nevertheless, for better or worse, Cornelius Fudge is the Minister of Magic for Magical Britain.
The third signature was one that the Headmaster had not expected, but he supposed that he should have known that she would be coming as well. The magical signature of Amelia Bones – Director of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement – was equal to that of Minerva, but that was hardly surprising. As the head of the law enforcement arm of the magical government, Amelia had control of the Aurors, the Hit-Wizards, the Obliviators, ordinary patrolmen from the Magical Patrol, and Azkaban Island. In fact, the only arm of the magical government with combat abilities that Amelia does not control is the Department of Mysteries, but that Department was not under the control of anyone, not even the Chief Warlock.
That the topic of the supposed meeting between the Minister and the Chief Warlock was the death of one Gregory Goyle has probably been circulated amongst the members of the Ministry, and Amelia probably thought that part of her job was to investigate this case, hence, the reason that she had invited herself for this trip.
The knock on the door tore the Headmaster out of his self-imposed reverie, and once more displaying his raw magical ability, the Headmaster managed to open the door with just a thought that came from his mind.
The door slid open to reveal three faces of varying expressions. The Minister looked shocked at what had happened, but the Headmaster supposed that that was to be expected. Cornelius had always been one who was shocked by trivial things and worry over them constantly as well. In fact, the Headmaster considered, he would be more surprised if the Minister had not been taken aback by the display.
Albus had to admit to himself that that was the reason behind the display in the first place, to place the Minister of Magic in a position of awe and from there, the Headmaster could work a different kind of magic on the Minister.
Amelia looked neutrally at the exercise, and the Headmaster was sure that if he would take a risk and peek into the mind of Amelia – not that Albus would do that, the woman has very impressive mind-shields, built by years of practice and combat experience – he would see that the reason that she was not impressed was because the Director would have concluded that there was a ward whose function would be just to open the door.
Minerva looked unconcerned as well, but unlike Amelia, the Deputy held the look of one who was not impressed, and again, the Headmaster realized that he should have expected that. Minerva could probably do the same thing that the Headmaster had just done without any outward movement, but it would take a lot out of her.
"Albus," the voice of his Deputy tore the Headmaster out of his reverie, and he was forced to focus all of his attention toward his guests, "The Minister and the Director would like to speak with you."
"Of course," Albus replied, he stood from his seat and warmly welcomed his guests into his office. Once everyone was seated, Albus whipped out his prized wand and with a simple flick of his wrist, he caused a tea set that had been on the surface of a nearby end table to fly toward them, the tea server pouring tea into the tea cups as it did. Gracefully, the now filled cups landed on the desk of the Headmaster with one cup for each of the person who was seated around the table.
"Headmaster," Cornelius began politely, but Albus could already see the hostility behind the eyes of the Minister.
"Cornelius," Albus replied, fully aware that by using the first name of the Minister, he was enraging the man, but that was exactly what the Headmaster wanted at that moment, to enrage the Minister so that they could drop the act and head straight to the important matters that had to be discussed.
It worked, probably a little too well, because at that moment, the Minister suddenly shot to his feet, and said, with a hostile finger pointed straight at the Headmaster, "You let the scion of an old pureblood family die under your watch," the Minister accused.
Albus allowed a few tendrils of his control to snap, resulting to a flare of magic that – when the Minister caught whiff of it – caused the Minister to return to his seat, in a rather hurried fashion.
"What would you have done had you been in my position, Cornelius?" the Headmaster asked, allowing his anger – anger at this pompous minister, anger at the fact that he was disturbing him, but most of all, anger at the fact that he was forced to stand down by a force that he does not understand – to lace his words. It had the effect that the Headmaster had hoped for as the Minister of Magic visibly winced after the Headmaster had finished his words.
There was a pregnant pause – and both Albus and the Minister absently noted that Minerva and Amelia just sat there as if nothing was happening and continued to sip on their tea – before the Minister managed to move again. Cornelius looked as if he wanted to say something, but before he could do so, the Headmaster cut him off again, "I was under the Oath," the Headmaster replied, and seeing the goofy expression on the face of the Minister, the Headmaster of Hogwarts fought the urge to slap himself in the face in reaction to the obvious fact that the Minister had no idea what he was talking about.
It actually disturbed the Headmaster had graduated from Hogwarts without knowing that, never mind becoming the Minister of Magic, but the Headmaster still did not make any plans to remove their history professor despite the fact that he knew that Binns – the history professor – had something to do with the huge black hole in the mind of their Minister.
"We swore an Oath to follow the Golden Throne and the representatives of whoever it is that sat on that throne on the pain of losing our magic and our lives," the Headmaster said.
"But…," the Minister of Magic began, clearly unable to comprehend the reason behind the decision to swear the oath. Albus knew why. Despite the fact that he was a bumbling idiot, Cornelius was afflicted by a disease, a disease that every member of a pureblood family in Magical Britain has in abundance, aside from the fact that they are fast losing their magic every generation, and they are not even aware of it.
That disease is an inbred – and almost genetic – contempt for muggles and the muggle-born. Cornelius might not be a die-hard supporter like the Malfoy – or even the Goyle – family is, but for someone who had grown up during the early years of the Franco-Prussian War, the simultaneous Great European Magical War, and the subsequent Rise of Dark Lord Voldemort, it was expected that he was a believer in blood prejudice.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts actually sighed before he focused all of his attention toward the Minister, his mind already turned on to lecture mode. The Headmaster was about to tell the Minister of Magic something that the Minister should have known in the first place, the reason why they swore an Oath to the Golden Throne. Albus only prayed that he does not have to explain to the Minister that despite the fact that muggles possess not an iota of magic in their bodies, a single muggle would always be more powerful than a single witch or wizard, no matter how powerful said witch or wizard was. That would just make the day of the Headmaster, and revealing that there are millions of muggles for one witch or wizard was not helping matters in any way.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 19, 1995
Unknown to the Headmaster – Albus Dumbledore may be powerful but not even he could know everything happening around him – there were actually more than two guests inside the castle that afternoon, and that was not counting the three thousand soldiers or the ten cadets that were now actually setting up semi-temporary shelter near the Black Lake.
The aristocratic appearance of Lucius Malfoy – self-declared Lord of the Malfoy family – was reinforced by the fact that he had a walking stick tucked underneath his left arm despite the fact that he has no need for it. For those who knew the Malfoy lord, they knew that his wand – ingrained with an ivory casing – was hidden inside that cane, but aside from that, there really was no need for the stick, Lucius just like to be seen with one since it reinforce his image as a noble, despite the fact that Lucius knew that he is not.
The fact that he was not a noble despite having the appearance of one was not the reason that the blond former Slytherin Head Boy was at Hogwarts that morning. He had heard that the Minister – he had been close friends with the Minister after all the donations that he had given to charities with the Minister – was visiting the school to discuss some important matters, matters that are known only to the Department Heads and the Headmaster himself. Lucius knew what that matter was five minutes after he met with the Minister, Cornelius never could keep his mouth shut, especially when asking for advice.
Lucius may be a pureblood supremacist of the die-hard kind, but even he had to admit that the efficient and quick way that the Prince had disposed of his attackers was impressive. Lucius had to admit that not even the Dark Lord that he had served under during the First Rise could have been as efficient in warning possible opponents of the futility of fighting against him, though Lucius took a bit of a consolation from the fact that the Prince had the power of the Oath to back him up.
Unlike Cornelius, Lucius had taken the time to study the matter, and what he had found was not to his liking. If forced to admit, the blond, aristocratic, former Slytherin would admit that he not only did not like what he had found, he found it to be so unsettling that he had to go to his former school today.
He was lucky that Cornelius and Amelia are going, but unlike the two senior members of the Ministry, Lucius – who was not really a member of the Ministry – was not going to Hogwarts with the intention of ripping the Headmaster a new one. No, the reason that Lucius was here was to warn his only son against further baiting the muggles that are outside the school.
Lucius had seen the muggles up close, he had to walk near their camp. He was aware of the capabilities of the muggle soldiers that are now guarding the school, but more importantly, he was aware that the stupid plan that had gotten the scion of an old pureblood family – despite the fact that it was not an important family in the first place – was the brainchild of his only son.
That was the reason that Lucius was here at school, to warn his son in the hopes that Draco may live to see his graduation and see the rebirth of the Dark Lord so that he may retake his proper place as a servant of the Dark Lord. Draco could not do that if he was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, exactly as Gregory Goyle had ended his life.
The portrait that was the guardian for the Slytherin common room speaking to him tore Lucius out of his reverie, but the blond former Head Boy ignored the painting. The painting stared at him for a few moments before it was forced to swing to the side as Draco exited the common room, his godfather and Head of House, Severus Snape – a friend and associate of Lucius and who had entered Hogwarts when Lucius himself was fifth year Prefect – behind him.
"Father," Draco was surprised when his godfather had come to get him, but his father in front of him quickly made the younger Malfoy forget his surprise at the actions of his Head of House.
"Draco," Lucius said, curtly inclining his head toward his son. Draco looked ready to open his mouth – no doubt to ask Lucius what he was doing in the school, Draco could be slow sometimes, Lucius was forced to admit – but before he could do so, the older Malfoy said, "I've come here to warn you, because I know that my letter would not be enough."
"Warn me?" a confused Draco asked, he turned his attention toward his Head of House, but Severus kept his attention toward Lucius and was actually doing his best to ignore the fact that he was not alone in the hallway at the moment.
"Yes," Lucius said, forcing his son to return his attention toward him, "I know that you are behind the attack against the Prince, and while your initiative is to be commended, such a move was foolish, to say the least."
Draco looked ready to protest, but before he could open his mouth, his Head of House got into his case, "You saw the effect that it had when the Prince invoked the Oath," he said, "Do you want to feel that feeling again?"
'That feeling of dread and helplessness? That was them? I thought that it was the magic of the castle preventing violence,' Draco thought to himself.
His self-reflection prevented the younger Malfoy from noticing that while he was musing to himself, his father and godfather had turned to look at each other. No words were passed between Lucius and Severus, but there really was no need. With a subtle nod, Severus signaled to Lucius that the hallway was clear, no one was listening to them, and for what the older Malfoy was about to reveal, absolute secrecy is a must.
Lucius realized that he might be letting go of that absolute secrecy by telling his son in the first place, but he also knew that if Draco is not cut off at that moment, the boy was likely going to cause another incident. Despite the death of the scion of an old pureblood family, the incident that had forced Lucius to take this trip in the first place was actually mild compared to what both Lucius and Severus had imagined would be the result of open rebellion against the Golden Throne and its representatives.
"We're leaving the British Isles," Lucius said a few moments later and as he had expected, that news caught the ear of his son. Why should it not? Britain was the only place that Draco had known as home, even if the boy was contemptuous of nearly everyone he had met here.
"Why?" the boy managed to ask.
This time, Lucius debated with himself on whether or not the boy was ready to learn the reason behind the self-imposed exile that the family was going to go to, and he decided that Draco should at least know, "The situation is changing, Draco," Lucius said, "The muggles are turning their attention toward us, we are not sure what they are going to do next, it is far better to abandon a sinking ship than to drown when the ship sinks."
Draco looked confused, but he still managed to ask a rather intelligent question, "The other families are joining us?" he asked.
At that point, Lucius had no choice but to reveal the information, "Yes," he admitted, "I cannot tell you just where yet, or when, but it is happening."
"Draco, you realize that you cannot tell anyone about this," Severus injected himself into the conversation, "If Dumbledore, or the muggles, caught wind of this, they could stop us, and that would prove problematic."
Draco could only nod and a few moments later, was forced to say goodbye to his father as both Lucius and Severus dismissed him. Once the two men are sure that Draco was inside and that the doors were closed, they turned toward each other, "Have they even agreed?" Severus asked.
Lucius nodded gravely, "They had," he replied, but despite that, he still looked worried and before Severus could ask the reason behind the evident worry that was etched on his face, the former Slytherin Head Boy replied, "It's not as smooth sailing as I had expected, or hoped, but at least the Prussian Empire is willing to provide us sanctuary, in exchange for a few promises on our part, magically-binding oaths."
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 19, 1995
"So, you're suspicious of the motives behind the red-haired lad asking out your fair lady to the village, hence, the reason why you asked the general permission to accompany her this weekend." Edward asked as he and Harry – with their wands out – patrolled the seventh floor corridor.
"Yes, that was what I told the general," Harry replied, barely hiding his irritation at his old friend, but Edward either ignored the barely hidden irritation or did not see it.
"That has got to be the lamest excuse for a permission to go to a date that I had ever heard in my life," the other naval cadet said, mirth dripping from every word that he had uttered. Harry looked ready to take offense, but before he could say anything, his friend added, "I think the general would have given you outright permission if you had been honest with him."
Harry fought the urge to smack his friend in the temple. The truth was, while Harry had said exactly that when he asked permission from the general, he had also shared his misgivings about the reason why Ron had asked Hermione now. Harry suspected that it had something to do with the Headmaster, but General Arnott was not one to give permission just because it was asked.
The commander of 'C' Brigade told Harry that he would get back on him regarding that, after Harry had finished his scheduled patrol on the seventh floor corridor, the exact place where their source from within the castle had assured them was the location of a certain hidden room where they would find their objective.
Already, Harry and Edward had passed through the same corridor twice, and they were about to pass through it for the third time when Edward decided to bring up the fact that Harry had asked permission from their commanding officer.
"Maybe, maybe not," Harry commented off-handedly as he and his partner passed through the tapestry of some wizard trying to teach trolls how to dance. Edward and Harry had found it funny, but for the life of them, could not find out the reason why it was there in the first place.
That did not stop the two cadets from stopping in front of it to laugh at it again, however.
"Hey Harry," Edward said a few moments after they had stared at the tapestry, "You won't believe this, but…"
Harry turned toward his friend and saw that the other cadet was staring at something behind them. Harry followed the gaze of his friend and nearly dropped his wand in shock at what he saw.
There was a door in front of them, and it was in a place where both Harry and Edward could have sworn was nothing but an empty wall when they passed by here during their earlier rounds.
A smile, however, crept up the face of Harry, "We found it," he announced.