Chapter 2: Ministry Defense

Harry Potter walked down a North Paris side street toward a beautiful suspension bridge which spanned the Seine River. Harry reached the bridge and walked to the middle of the bridge. He looked around. There was a freighter moving slowly down the river toward the bridge. To Harry's left there was a small park surrounded by suburban houses and utopian streets. To his right there was a small warehouse district which contained a line of three story warehouses along the river front. Harry watched as the freighter moved under the bridge. He waved at the muggles on deck, a couple waved back. Harry waited until the boat was all the way past the bridge and a few feet down river before pulling out his wand and tapping the side of the bridge.

As soon as his wand finished the third tap, the bridge railing split apart and began to fold out forming a railing and a staircase which led down from the bridge, turned back and ended at an elevator door which had descended from the bridge. Harry walked down the stairs and entered the elevator. He taped his wand again on the door and the elevator lurched, sending Harry flying against the back wall.

Harry could feel the elevator flying through the air until it suddenly stopped, sending him flying into the front door before it opened. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," a female voice said as the door opened. Harry composed himself and stepped out into the French Ministry foyer.

The foyer was a long cathedral looking lobby in the shape of a Flur de lis with Roman columns around the perimeter. The walls were decorated with murals of famous French wizarding scenes. Harry noticed that most of them involved British wizards losing in battle. He recognized a mural along the back wall of the Battle of London in 1666. Even though the British finally did send the French packing back to France, the French still claimed victory in the battle; after all, their spells had caught the entire city on fire. It was an event which was still recorded in muggle history. Each of the columns was a door to an office which normally housed another member of the French Ministry. Currently, however, the French Magical Army had overrun the ministry and was recovering from the battle with Voldemort at the tomb of Nicolas Flamel. Now the bodies of Nicolas and his wife Perenelle were in England, in the Department of Mysteries. Harry had taken them there at the end of the battle. Now he had returned to Paris to try and convince the French to help defend the Flamels in England even though the British didn't help them in France.

Harry turned down the crossbeam of the foyer and went into the minister's office.

"Morning," a male, British voice said. Harry turned around surprised to find his brother-in-law Bill Weasley watching him from behind the desk. "Surprised?" he asked.

"I expected Fleur," Harry said.

Bill smiled. "She is still recovering from Greyback's attack and she insisted I come and operate the army here," he said. "Percy tells me you are here to get our help. Why should we help you after you left us to die?"

"You shouldn't," Harry said. Bill reacted back. "But you will. It's whether they will join you," he said, motioning out the door. "I'd understand if they don't. Our nation's history is not one of cooperation, as most of those murals show, and we have brought that history back. I'm hoping France can be the better nation."

Bill smiled. "That was good," he said. "It might just work. You would be indebted to us, that's for sure."

Harry started to respond, but he was interrupted by an elf which appeared in the office next to Bill. Harry recognized the elf as Draco Malfoy's elf which he sent to communicate with Harry as his spy. "You have another message?" Harry asked.

"My master has been appointed to find the Flamels. He wants to know what you want him to do," the elf said.

"Tell him the truth," Harry said. "The Flamels are at the British Ministry and we are prepared for invasion." The elf bowed and apparated.

"You're prepared?" Bill asked. "How prepared."

"I think it's pretty good. Hermione designed it. The muggles have been evacuated from most of downtown. We have the ministry in complete lockdown, nothing gets in. Apparation is impossible in or out. All the fireplaces have been taken off the Floo network. The normal entrance has been shut off. She has created a 'moving ministry.' The entrance to the ministry is floating magically between five key spots throughout the city, most of them muggle. We plan to defend each one. Hopefully Voldemort will split his forces amongst all five and we can beat him in small battles. If not, he will have a one-in-five chance of finding the entrance. So there is a good chance he will expend energy for nothing."

"There is no way into the ministry?" Bill asked.

"Very few people can get in, basically my most trusted friends," Harry said. "And their way in is connected to their person, not an item that can be stolen."

Bill nodded. "It is a good defense. I might be able to convince my forces to help you guard one of them, especially if Voldemort might not attack. I will certainly give you my best try."

"Thank you," Harry said, getting up and heading for the office door.

"Let me walk you out," Bill said. "I'm going to need to know where to meet up with you all." The two of them began to catch up on what had happened over the last three years. Neither of them noticed the elf sitting in the corner. Neither of them noticed that it was the same elf which had given them Malfoy's message and neither of them noticed as he apparated from the ministry after they left.