Of Dead Skins & Armageddon,
Harry Potter
He had never been allowed to have guilty pleasures in life. Or whatever life is in the first place? It felt nice to have some space for yourself. Even if it was surrounded by the dead corpse of feet long basilisk.
Screw them all, he had fought for this fair and square. It was his via right of conquest.
He giggled to himself briefly. He felt like one of those magical warlords he secretly saw Dudley play in his video games.
As long as there were no fawning fools, dark mages, or conspiracies hatched against him, he was content.
Things were getting bad out there. War clouds were gathering outside. Something to do with muggles learning about us or something.
For once he couldn't be bothered to care. As long as they happened outside of Hogwarts walls, he can be content to sip on his hot Choco and snooze off.
Some might call it selfish. Some might call it callous. He couldn't be bothered to care. They never had 10 inches of basilisk fang piercing their arm. They didn't have a lunatic traitor godfather stalking them.
He looked around casting Lumos to illuminate his surroundings. The chamber had proven to be a blessing in disguise.
The vast portion of it was for keeping the basilisk in hibernation & imprisoned. Sadly, there had not been any hidden vast repositories of arcane knowledge he had come to expect of such places.
There had only been a few scraps of spells books lying around. They were written in relatively modern English. That clearly ruled out Salazar Slytherin.
Harry figured that either Tom Riddle or some other heir had forgotten them here.
They were some pretty nifty spells. He had initially thought about bringing it to the rest of his friends. But yeah no. It felt good to have something all for himself for once.
Harry paused his wondering for a moment. On another day these thoughts would have disgusted him. Now they came naturally.
His subconscious whispered to him about healthy boundaries & privacy and that was that.
He flicked his wand and smoky trails spelled out 8.30, more than enough time to perfect the gauntlet of spells.
Focus
Breathe in
Feeling his heartbeat slowing and stabilizing, Harry imagined himself becoming one with his surroundings.
He felt himself letting go. His individual feature started fading away.
Breathe out
He waved his wand and felt a tingling sensation break out all over him.
He opened his eyes and there was no reflection in the marble floor below him. He took a few deliberately heavy steps.
There was no sound. Harry smiled brightly. His attempts at non-verbal stealth were successful.
Obviously, he still had the cloak but as his earlier fight showed him, he won't have it everywhere with him. Sometimes, it was better to be self-sufficient.
It is always better.
A dry voice whispered in his head.
Perhaps the isolation of the chamber was getting to him. It's better to conclude this and head to breakfast.
Others might get curious about where he ran off to.
"Where the hell have you been?!"
There we go again, Harry thought.
A furious mass of red & orange approached.
"Blimey Harry we have been looking all over for you!" Ron jogged towards him and roughly tugged at him.
He cut him off before Harry could protest.
"Something has happened with Hermione. We need to move fast!" He dragged him by arm towards the common room.
Harry let off a deep sigh.
Seems like morning tea wasn't on the agenda today.
Why did he decide to leave the chamber again…..
The Common Room
A hysterical Hermione sat bawling in the common room corner. The rest of the Weasleys surrounded her. Ginny was busy hugging & consoling when she saw them approach.
"It's gonna be okay Hermione. Look Harry is here." Ginny said.
Ron leaned towards Harry to brief him.
"McGonagall came by earlier. Apparently, somebody raider her house last night and her parents are missing."
"damn" Harry whispered. It was the only thing that came to mind.
"You reckon it could be You-Know-Who?" Harry said.
"Nah, she did ask McGonagall, but it seemed Muggle related. There were tire tracks all over her lawn. Her parent's neighbors said there were a dozen cars who dragged them screaming into the night." Ron replied.
Harry leaned in and hugged Hermione,
"It's gonna be okay 'Mione. They are gonna find them."
Hermione merely nodded. Her emotions were too frayed to properly respond to him.
"I reckon Dumbledore is already on it. If anyone can help, he will." Ron said in a show of support.
Before anything else could say something. A blaring sound roared all over the common room, earning everyone's ire.
Dumbledore's voice came to life from the walls.
"Attention students! This is an emergency. Abandon all tasks at the moment and report to the Great Hall immediately! Prefects ensure compliance and personally lead the first years. This is not a drill!"
The voice went cold. There was a moment of pin-drop silence before anarchy roared in the room. Students scrambled to get their mates or just went into panic mode.
BANG
A gunshot sound went off in the room. Percy Weasley stood in the middle, his wand letting off a smoke trail. His prefect badge shining,
"Assemble and prepare to leave for the great hall in 3 minutes."
His tone left no room for negotiations.
Ron & Harry briefly glanced at each other before they grabbed a weeping Hermione and led her toward the main door.
Seeing hundreds of students in the great hall on non-feast days was something else.
A hundred different voices stated ever more bizarre reasons for the emergency gathering.
"May I have your attention" A loud sound rang out across the hall. McGonagall stood alone in front of the Professor's table. Her wand pressed to her throat. Her eyes even from this distance seemed watery.
A sinking feeling settled in Harry's stomach. Something was terribly wrong.
"I wonder where all the professors are" Ron whispered to Harry.
"We are conducting an emergency evacuation of Hogwarts."
The murmurs from the students restarted and fell silent as she continued,
"Earlier this morning, the Muggle Technocratic Union launched multiple attacks against our institution. This is a declaration of war. By the emergency decree of the Ministry, all students must be evacuated to safe zones."
The students roared to life as many started crying or swearing angrily. He spied from corners as Draco Malfoy sat amongst his groupies, his face paler than usual. He ignored Pansy angrily whispering in his ear.
"Students!" McGonagall yelled. It was to no effect.
Multiple gunshot sounds went off again. The hall fell silent again. The prefects holstered their wands, McGonagall shot them a grateful nod before continuing,
"Rest assured we will do everything to evacuate you to safety. Headmaster Dumbledore is already leading the defense of the castle with other Professors. A team of Aurors has assembled a safe passage from Hogwarts to apparition zones. From there, portkeys will be provided to you."
She paused for a moment,
"May Merlin keep you all safe."
With that 5 Aurors entered the hall. Grim determination was etched on their faces. They coordinated something with the prefects and students started to be let out of the hall.
All of them started to follow.
The Technocracy
0800 Hours
Guardian General Graves stood in front of a dozen monitor screens designed to track the battle's progress.
The ministry was the first target but was proving to be a tough nut to crack. Finding it under the layers of so-called "Notice me not charms" was difficult. But with each interrogated prisoner revealing its location.
The charms lost potency. What remained of them was swiftly pushed aside by carpet bombing with nanite swarm bombs. They disrupted the focusing ability of mages & prevented them from instinctive spell casting.
They hadn't even needed to use drop monolith disruptors.
The mages weren't prepared for a combined arms assault of such a scale. F-22s and Dragon X-wing aircraft dropped bunker busters and napalm to kill as many as possible in the first volley.
Many simply died before they could take out their wands or counterattack. Those that did raise rudimentary shields choked on their own blood as nanites forced hemorrhages on them.
Whatever abominations still survived this holy onslaught were torn to pieces by advancing grey robot cannon fodder units.
Under this cover, Guardian units advanced in their armored personnel carriers.
That was one hour ago. This has gotten dicey since. Some wizarding cults, his informants had called them "Death Eaters", had started to retaliate.
Their government had imprisoned them in a jail called Azkaban. Apparently, they had broken free and decided to fight back. They had guts, Graves will give 'em that.
Unlike that fat pig of a minister who had been calling the Council all morning to discuss a cease-fire. Graves heard Councilman John had personally fired a missile at his location as a response.
The Deatheaters had struck back hard. Fighting with a fanatical zeal, they rallied multiple abominations from children's fables to aid them.
Trolls overturned APCs. Unchained dragons rained fire on grey robot units. And spiders feasted on the Guardian unit.
Admirable defenses. But ultimately useless. Thousands more robot units launched suicidal attacks. Hundreds were cut down by the conjured fire and mass blasts.
Only 1 was needed to get close enough to either suicide blast or fire weapons.
Slowly yet surely the mages were pushed back.
Trolls were brought down by anti-material rifles. Spiders not used to chomp on vibranium armor, had their limbs torn off by Guardian units.
Phalanx systems fired thousands of cryogenic rounds on screaming dragons.
If they were united, they would have easily foiled the assault. Such a shame.
0830 Hours. Outside the ministry.
Guardian Sergeant Hawke scowled as he stood.
The ministry building was surrounded. Dozens of HIMAR & Katyusha artillery trucks rained down hell on the building.
On any other day against a normal building, only one would've sufficed. The wards absorbed the explosion for now.
It was impossible to ask for air support as dragons and flying horses were still being detected in the area.
On the eastern side of the city, the financial district too had been surrounded. Unfortunately, the assault over there had utterly failed. The abomination's bank, Gringotts stood pristine.
The glinting of the stone under the sun made it seem like the bank was cheekily winking at them.
Hawke wanted to fire a nuke at it. If the assault failed, he could kiss his promotion goodbye.
A request has been made to General Graves. The troops fortified the area and waited for a reply.
Monoliths will be needed to penetrate the ministry building.
Anything on the outside was now either mundane or dead. Intelligence officers prowled the debris of shops in Diagon Alley.
Stern commands were issued as troops excavated as much magical material as they could.
Books, potions, cauldrons, brooms, creature carcasses & all other Knick knacks were loaded up in large choppers and carted off to be used for research.
Hawke settled comfortably in his APC filed command unit. This was going to be a long siege.
0830 Hours. Inside the ministry.
"Our demands are perfectly legitimate Cornelius. Given the situation, would you rather we ask anything else?" Lucius Malfoy spoke in a silky voice.
Minister Cornelius could only glare at him with beady eyes. He looked red as molten lava.
Cornelius had spent hundreds of hours of media time & political capital to defend Lucius Malfoy as a decent upstanding member of society.
The sheer amount of money Lucius poured into his political campaign was the only reason he had his chair. When money that size comes your way, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
You smile and wave.
A certain part of him had even started to believe that Lucius had repented of his Death Eater ways & joined the post-Voldemort order.
All for naught as Lucius had dropped this bombshell on him. As muggle war machines crushed his world outside, Lucius and his wife took the initiative and assaulted Azkaban.
His Aurors had simply retreated as both Dementors & Death Eaters tore through the prison.
Worse off, every single degenerate that had been locked up for the past 20 years was now free. Terrorists, aspiring dark lords, rapists, murderers, tax frauds, & other filth, all now carried Death Eater standards.
"Y-you have got to be mad if you think I am going to agree with this!" Cornelius stammered.
His face getting redder. A most inspiring feat Lucius thought sarcastically.
"I-I have been always with you. Whatever you wanted .. whatever decree you drafted, I rammed it through the Wizengamot!" Cornelius said.
"Times change" Lucius replied.
"Sod the times Lucius! Do you have any idea what this will do! What this will do to my administration?! T-they might even begin impeachment proceedings against me! The wizengamot-"
"Is dead" Lucius said.
"W-what?!" Cornelius stuttered
"It fell just moments ago. The muggles have raised their flag over the building."
Cornelius went numb. This building was all that stood. The realization bought no joy.
"R-regardless I-i cannot possibly do w-what you ask, Lucius. D-dumbledore-"
"Hasn't been heard of in over 2 hours since this war began."
"He's dead?!" Cornelius demanded.
"Most likely," Lucius said his patience thinning out. Time was of the essence and this fool was wasting every drop of it.
Cornelius staggered up from his chair to launch another rant but was blasted back into his chair.
With another quick flick of Lucius's wand and uttered,
"Petrificus Totalus"
Cornelius went stiff as a plank of dry wood. Lucius stood over him and glared into his eyes.
"Listen to me you fat fool. Our world is in its death throes. The Bulgarians and French are not responding. Beauxbatton and Durmstang too have gone silent!"
Cornelius whimpered as Lucius continued,
"Outside a legion of muggle freaks gather to put a final nail in our coffin. My friends and I are the only reason this blasted district hasn't fallen like Diagon Alley. All your aurors retreated like cowards behind the Unspeakables' skirts."
Cornelius started mewling more, Lucius viciously jabbed his wand and a red handprint appeared on Cornelius's chubby cheek and tears appeared in his eyes.
"Now you can either deal with an upstanding citizen like me or the Goblin mutt King Sharktooth. I hear Gringotts too has yet to fall."
Another handprint appeared on Cornelius's other chubby cheek.
"Now I can tell Narcissa outside to take down our wards to keep this building safe and let Muggles eat you alive. I will take our allies to Romania and leave you here for dead."
Cornelius rapidly blinked his eyes twice to signify his revulsion at the idea. A savage grin appeared on Lucius's face,
"Or perhaps you can try again with the Technocracy?"
Cornelius whimpered pitifully at this. Lucius let up his spell and Cornelius spilled forward over his desk. He roared orders to his aides and elves.
The Unspeakables protested but moved to comply. It was a world gone mad after all.
Outside Lucius pulled out a communication mirror,
A witch with curly hair and crazed eyes appeared.
"I have your wands & weapons with me. Narcissa has already abandoned the wards and gone to prep the manor" Lucius said.
"Excellent" The witch replied in a long drawl smiling stupidly till her demeanor changed immediately as an explosive sound rang somewhere near her.
"Move fast towards our location and deliver our wands. We need to break this encirclement. It's time to teach this filth who the true masters of this world are."
"At once, Bellatrix" Lucius responded and apparated with a pop.
Lucius missed the large watery blue eyes of a house elf watching him throughout his conversation. He vanished sometime after Lucius.
Hogwarts
Harry Potter
The sounds of explosions, gunfire, and spells were all around them. The sheer amplitude of the sound and vibrations made it hard to think. Some first years were openly bawling.
A few seventh years had taken to levitating them to keep the convoy moving.
Tremors roared and cracks began to appear in the ground around them.
"It feels like the end of the world," Hermione said to him and Ron.
"Blimey, the hell is wrong with the Muggles. What did we ever do to 'em?" Ron muttered angrily.
Neither Harry nor Hermione had a response to that.
"I just wish we get out of here. My ears are starting to bleed" Ron said.
Another massive explosion sounded off. The magical tunnel they were heading under collapsed.
They had almost reached Hogsmeade.
Another direct hit to the tunnel and pandemonium broke loose.
Students started fleeing in every direction. The prefects were unable to keep order. A burst of machine gun fire and many turned into pink mist.
The Aurors paled as several eight-foot-tall monsters appeared all around them. The Aurors moved to exchange.
Ron groggily got up and pulled Harry up with him.
Ron yelled something at him, but Harry couldn't hear him.
Blank ringing "Hermione" and ringing. Her name was the only thing he could make out from his ringing.
Ron appeared to be yelling as he all but carried him through the fighting. The Aurors were gaining ground on the guardians.
He saw a Guardian's heavy gun turn into a cobra and strike him in the face.
Another auror fired a green flash from his wand and another muggle fell like a puppet without his strings.
He could feel Ron panicking again. He made to follow his eyes, but Ron tossed him to his left and the world went black as another explosion happened.
He woke a few seconds later and started to regain his bearing.
He could hear a girl's hysterical wails. He got up near her and saw it was Hermione,
She was cradling the charred and mangled body of Ron.
Static. All he could hear was the sound of his blood pumping.
Fury the likes of which he had never felt, coursed through his veins.
From Dursleys to these monsters, they had never left him alone. Always tormenting him.
He palmed his wand and turned towards the grisly scene.
The closest giant was standing with his back facing him. Firing off indiscriminate rounds in the crowd as an auror desperately tried to keep his shield up in the face of such kinetic force.
Time to introduce them to his new knowledge.
He angrily jabbed his wand toward the guardian and shouted,
"Carcerum Umbralis"
A glowing iron maiden appeared around the now nervous Guardian.
Harry aggressively brought his wand down and the object closed with a loud sound.
Leaking blood was visible from the corners of the iron maiden.
The now-safe auror looked at him strangely before moving to save another batch of the first years.
Harry felt groggy after such spell complex spell-casting. He turned around & stumbled to his face.
She had regained her composure and was furiously fiddling with a strange necklace around her neck.
Hogwarts
Harry Potter
The sounds of explosions, gunfire, and spells were all around them. The sheer amplitude of the sound and vibrations made it hard to think. Some first years were openly bawling.
A few seventh years had taken to levitating them to keep the convoy moving.
Tremors roared and cracks began to appear in the ground around them.
Hermione ignored them and aggressively jostled both of the boys through the crowd.
Harry remarked on her strange behavior silently but didn't press her. She has had a bad day and probably didn't want to lose more people.
"Blimey, the hell is wrong with the Muggles. What did we ever do to 'em?" Ron muttered angrily.
Hermione didn't reply and swiftly pulled her wand and roared,
"Portego!"
A bubbly shield engulfed all three of them as a massive explosion rocked the corridor and brought rubble around them.
"Harry check left!" Hermione yelled as she began to fire a spell toward her right.
Harry pulled out his wand, but it was too late. A muggle fighter fired a strange device from his shoulder & the world became very hot for a moment.
Then all was cold and dark.
Hogwarts
Harry Potter
The sounds of explosions, gunfire, and spells were all around them. The sheer amplitude of the sound and vibrations made it hard to think. Some first years were openly bawling.
A few seventh years had taken to levitating them to keep the convoy moving.
Tremors roared and cracks began to appear in the ground around them.
Ron made to crack some dry comment, but Hermione angrily shushed him.
She was hysterical now and pulling them through the crowd. Throwing away anyone with her wand who appeared in her away.
"Hermione! What's gotten into you?!" Ron muttered bizarrely
Harry silently agreed with Ron, not wanting to dry her ire.
Hermione resolutely ignored them and continued onwards. A prefect made his way towards them to course correct.
He was cut down by a massive explosion that sounded above the corridor.
Hermione made to cast some spell, but she was too close to the front of the convoy. Guardians' troopers jumped in from the opening. A burst of gunfire and Hermione fell silent.
Dead silence.
Shock gripped both of them as the morbid reality settled in both boys. Ron recovered first and fell on his knees in front of Hermione and cradled her.
Arcs of electricity whispered around him.
An auror stepped in front of the trio and barked at them to move as he engaged with the hostiles. Harry and Ron made to move Hermione, but she suddenly pulled herself from the duo.
Her legs were all but gone and she was bleeding profusely. Some deep part of Harry knew there was nothing they could do to save her.
With adrenaline still flowing within her, she tore a necklace off her neck and forcibly palmed it in his hand.
She whispered.
"Three spins"
And collapsed. Neither moving nor breathing.
Hermione was no more.
The auror once again barked his order as the shield faltered. They had to move.
Harry grabbed a hysterical Ron who was refusing to move. Grabbing him by his hair for added motivation Harry lurched to pick him up,
"I AM NOT LEAVING HER!" Ron roared like a mad beast.
"There is nothing we can do for her! We have to leave!" Harry yelled back.
The two had a brief staring match before it was interrupted by the dying yell of the Auror defending them.
The Guardians turned their attention towards them but a massive black dog lept forward at them.
Not needing another miracle Harry & Ron bolted. The collapsed tunnel formed a Bridgeway from which they climbed to the surface and ran madly.
The sound of gunfire trailed behind them.
It was near the shrieking shack where they collapsed. The tree, having sensed the war around him seemed less cantankerous and let them near his base unchallenged.
A crying and panting Ron spat,
"We left her. She tried to save us, but we left her!"
Harry, all out of stamina, had no reply to his accusation. Red-hot guilt tore through him.
If he had been stronger, she would be alive. A hundred situations she had guided and kept them alive in.
Now she was dead.
If only he was more powerful.
Not having the guts to face Ron, he turned his face away.
The crying sounds of Ron were all he could hear for now.
He viewed the necklace Hermione gave him. She always had a plan, Harry wondered. Perhaps this is a way to get out of here?
Another bright light illuminated the sky and Harry looked up, the locket forgotten for now.
Harry Potter
He moved up the elevated path ignoring Ron's protests to see what was now happening.
Albus Dumbledore stood with invincible resolve. As an army charged at him.
A wide sweeping arch of wand arm and all the rockets reversed course and fell upon the muggles.
With another sweep, a hundred massive flaming knights on large mounts materialized in front of him and charged at the muggle robots. They tore their ranks and left nothing but charred remains.
Those who survived being stomped by the charge were incinerated by the intense the constructs radiated.
Not even close to finishing Dumbledore transfigured the dead robots into massive acromantulas that stormed off to combat the incoming muggle giants.
The muggles had dared to attack Hogwarts. They had dared to put his children in harm's way.
There was no forgiveness. No repentance for this monstrous crime.
He raised a strange wand into the air with his old childhood one.
Twin peaks of lights materialized in the air kilometers from him. He pulled them down with a vertical motion.
The muggles stood no chance, they simply vanished.
As the battlefield halted, muggles retreated to lick their wounds. He surveyed his surroundings and noted with a grim heart the carnage around him.
Professor Snape & Flitwick lay dead in an apparent last stand. Hundreds of bodies surrounded them. They didn't die alone.
He continued on hoping to find survivors and check up on evacuation efforts.
Harry retreated back to the shrieking shack.
His mind was just barely able to comprehend the sheer god-like might he had just witnessed.
A treasonous part of his mind whispered,
If he had such power, she would be safe
Technocracy Command
The military command center was a cacophony of activity, a high-tech labyrinth pulsating with energy and tension.
Men and women in crisp uniforms moved with purpose, their eyes glued to the dozens of monitor screens that displayed complex charts and real-time updates of the battlefield.
The air was heavy with the scent of sweat and urgency as the assault against their hated target was underway.
Operative Emily maneuvered her way through the chaotic command center, her heart pounding in her chest. She had to report to General Graves, a renowned Guardian and an 8-foot tall genetically engineered superhuman.
The sight of him always sent shivers down her spine.
His imposing presence and the obvious delight on his face at the prospect of battle were enough to make even the most seasoned operative nervous.
As Emily approached Commander Graves' station, she could feel the weight of his gaze upon her.
She straightened her uniform and took a deep breath, steadying herself. With determination, she raised her hand in a sharp salute and yelled over the clamor, "General!"
The room seemed to hush for a brief moment as Commander Graves turned his attention toward her. His black eyes bore into hers, assessing her with an intensity that made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Refusing to let dread cloud her judgment, she steeled herself.
"At ease, Operative Emily," the commander's deep voice rumbled, a hint of excitement lacing his words. "Report."
Emily swallowed hard, struggling to maintain her composure in the face of his imposing presence.
She quickly retrieved a datapad from her belt and began relaying the latest intelligence updates.
Her voice was firm, though a trace of nervousness lingered beneath the surface.
"Our assault proceeds smoothly against the ministry. Their defenders, so-called "Aurors", have put up a fierce resistance but they will be overrun. We have lost 6000 grey robot units to the assault-"
"Canon fodder," The Commander said
"Y-yes General" Emily stuttered and continued her report.
"The auror defense forces and other arcane measures did temporarily put up a fight. The terrorist cell "Death Eaters" boosted their ranks. However, their defensive measures failed, and Sergeant Hawke raised the union's flag on the ministry building. We believe there may have been political infighting which has caused Death Eater cell to withdraw."
Emily excitedly proclaimed hoping to coax some praise out of the stoic man.
Graves stared at her impassively.
"Where have they retreated?" Graves said.
Emily knew Graves expected her to fumble here but she gave him another sweet, hoping to give the bitter news later to balance everything out.
"We have tracked the Death encampment at a manor north of here. I will upload the coordinates now. Our informant, Dobby, was most helpful in this regard." Emily said.
Graves briefly regarded the uploaded coordinates on his data pad. He bought it near him and said,
"Lieutenant, use of tactical nuclear weapons is authorized at this location. Fire at will. Leave no retreating zones free of radiation."
A voice replied,
"At once, General Graves"
Emily gulped at the callous use of such weapons of mass destruction.
"What about Hogwarts?" Graves inquired.
Emily gulped as she prepared herself to give the bad news.
"General Graves" Emily started but hesitated.
"Speak" Graves commanded in a cold voice that left no room for disobedience.
"The attack on Hogwarts was a failure. Target Alpha's presence has ensured continued robust defense of Hogwarts. Our casualties are in thousands."
Graves mood darkened further.
"Why hasn't Comrade Steiner commenced with his assault from the East?"
Emily paled further. She could literally taste the cold fury emanating from the General.
"General Graves. Captain Steiner wasn't able to muster enough men to launch his assault. His encirclement of the Death Eaters went badly wrong. Guardian troops began attacking each other, and Steiner's last location is unknown" Emily said.
The screen Graves held in his hand cracked, Emily gasped and shock back.
"Sergeant Hawke?" Grave mentioned.
"General Graves!" The crackling voice on the radio reported back.
"Proceed with your men towards Hogwarts with haste. Council orders confirmed. The use of Nukes and Vortex has been authorized."
The voice on the radio replied back in bewilderment,
"Come again General Graves, use of vortex authorized?"
A single "yes" from Graves halted any further pushback.
"At once, General Graves" Sergeant Hawke reported.
"Emily!" Graves barked.
Emily stepped up and saluted.
"Coordinate with air intelligence & locate Target Alpha, Dumbledore. Upon confirmation, fire nukes. Upon kill confirmed, fire monolith and then vortex."
Emily saluted once again and ran to ensure compliance. By the time they were done, there would no Hogwarts to lay siege to.
Hogwarts
Harry Potter
"We should check up on others and leave with them" Ron retorted.
"The others are most likely dead! We should leave on our own!" Harry said.
"And how the hell are we supposed to do that?! None of us know how to apparate and we-" Ron's rant was cut short, and he paled looking up at the sky.
A guardian trooper landed a few meters in front of them as the sky began to rapidly blacken and temperatures plummeted. They knew this was the end.
None of them had the energy right now to fight a foe like this. The same massive dog lept and appeared in front of them. It suddenly transformed into a filthy man with long hair and dirt.
"WHY HAVEN'T YOU LEFT YET HARRY!" The man roared at the two children.
The Guardian raised his rifle toward them, but the man was faster
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
And the Guardian fell down, unmoving.
The temperatures plummeted fast. The sky cracked open and a massive vortex appeared in it.
Ron struggled to hold onto the shrieking shack but broke off and flew away.
"RON!" Harry roared. His voice was hoarse and his mind was not willing to accept the loss of two dear people today.
"Help him!" Harry begged the new stranger.
"Not the time Harry. We must leave" The stranger approached to grab him, barely holding onto the shack's woods.
Harry could see parts of Hogwarts breaking off into the black hole. The darkness continued to grow, and a massive mushroom cloud erupted into the distance.
For a brief moment, there was light till Hogwarts now started to actively break.
Harry's locket broke free and flew into the stranger's face.
He stared at it. Then laughed.
He laughed hysterically. Grabbing it, he aimed his wand at it and started to mutter.
The world was coming to an end in front of him.
Large monoliths began to appear all around them. Their presence made Harry's magic weaken and he started to feel weak.
"Lily. James. Forgive me" The man muttered and threw the locket at Harry.
"FIGHT AND LIVE WELL HARRY!" The man roared as he too was pulled away by the vortex. The monoliths ensured his wards were sufficiently weakened.
The necklace in Harry's hand spun oscillated wildly and a bright light engulfed him.
Then all was dark once again.
Author Notes:
Hi everyone, long time reader, first time author. I hope everyone is enjoying my fumbling efforts at trying to iron out a new take on an old cliche. This chapter concludes the first phase of the story. With this done, I can now focus on actually focusing on what I promised in the description. I would love to hear y'all critiques and feedback for this behemoth. Stay tuned and I will be become with more ASAP. Thank you and stay safe! :)