LAST TIME
"Why let the children live? They would seek revenge for their parents, won't they?"
"Not if they are conditioned to serve Grindelwald," Hermione responded, a hand covering her mouth. "It is like Hitler Youth."
"Worse," Harry grimaced. "These children will be trained and conditioned to be the perfect soldiers for Grindelwald. That is what he tried to do by taking over Durmstrang all those years ago. Fortunately, his rule there didn't last too long."
"That's horrible," Hermione gasped.
"Why do you think Grindelwald's the most feared dark lord in centuries, Hermione?" Harry pinched his eyes. "Why do you think it caused a worldwide panic when the news of his escape got out? I tell you, had it not been for Dumbledore and I facing them both off at the ministry and causing them to flee, it would've been much worse."
"People would've been scared shitless," Ron deduced. "Right now, they are looking up to you and Dumbledore to defeat Grindelwald and Voldemort."
"It seems so, yes."
"What of the muggles in Russia?" Hermione said suddenly. "They must've gotten wind of something being wrong by now with all the deaths."
Harry shook his head. "No, quite the contrary. Grindelwald has put muggle leaders under the Imperius, or so is the intel. So, the muggles themselves are covering it up."
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "That's bad."
"And this, my friend, is just the beginning."
Ch.73 Attacks Across Isles
4th March 1996
Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts
A loud metallic clang rang through the study, making Harry wince.
Hedwig let out a loud squawk, flapping her wings around. With a flash of fire, she disappeared from her perch.
"Yes, yes, deafen me," Salazar scowled, rubbing his ear. "You would like that, wouldn't you?"
"Salazar," Helga's lips drew into a thin line. "He's working."
"On a plate," Salazar eyed the metal plate distastefully. "A plate, meant for eating food, not being used as a shield."
"It wouldn't matter," Harry placed the plate back on the table. "Not with the runes and charms I am putting on it. More metal would just be redundant."
"Any wizard worth his salt would tear through it with a few spells," Salazar scoffed. "You will need something substantial to make it akin to the wall Rookwood had thrown."
"I am not trying to make a wall." Seven runes flared over the edge of the plate. "Just something that holds for a few seconds."
"Sometimes, a few seconds is all you need," Helga peered through her portrait. "And it will be easier to make a dozen of these than ward one heavily enough to stop Fiendfyre."
"I am making one for every member of the legion," Harry muttered, weaving a strand of magic around the plate. "And a few extras."
"You should ask for help," Salazar said. "Maybe one of your pretty girlfriends. You said they were brilliant."
"Susan's not great at runes," Harry pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Fleur could probably do it without help. Daphne would need the runic layout at least— and learn some spells."
"You had them concentrating on dueling," Salazar said. "To defend themselves."
"That's why they had first approached me," A smile flickered on Harry's lips. "They wished to learn dueling. Daphne did at least."
"I assume they've come far," Helga said. "Farther than any of your other classmates."
"Yes," Harry frowned. "You should know though."
"We have not exactly seen them fight," Salazar sneered. "You don't put up portraits in the Room of Requirements, do you? And we did hate to reveal ourselves to half of hogwarts. But we have at times spied on your duels."
Harry nodded as a sky-blue light gleamed across the plate.
With a swish of his wand, the dinner plate shrunk to the size of a sickle.
"Perfect," he muttered. "Ta-da!"
"It is not remotely impressive to the things you've made," Salazar cast a glance across the room where various enchanted objects lay scattered. "But good work. Do try to put it to use unlike most of these."
Harry shrugged. "I still need to submit things for my NEWTs. These will come in handy, I reckon. Worse comes to worse, I will pull something to satisfy them."
"It is your NEWT project, Harry," Helga chidded. "And you are not submitting a subpar project."
Harry dropped the sickle-sized plate on the table, looking up to stare at Helga.
"Which of these is subpar?" He waved his arm around exasperatedly. "The only thing remotely so is the color changing torch. And I modified it to shoot fire like a flamethrower recently."
"He isn't wrong, Helga," a smirk flickered on Salazar's lips.
"I was not talking about what all he has made here," Helga's lips drew into a thin line. "Him pulling something to satisfy them, would be subpar. Not for them, maybe. But for someone of Harry's caliber, it will be unimpressive."
"I will see what I will be submitting," Harry sighed, shaking his head. "I had ideas, but didn't have time to work on most of them. And right now, I have bigger things to worry about. Like Voldemort preparing for his first big blow."
"Werewolves, giants, and dementors," Salazar said. "And you still don't know where the attacks will be happening. You're at a disadvantage."
"Voldemort is keeping his cards close," Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "I reckon only Rookwood knows of his true plans."
"It seems Augustus Rookwood is proving to be a thorn," Helga noted. "An unexpected one. He is an intelligent man and a bad enemy to have."
"It came as a shock to many when he was revealed to be a Death Eater by Karkaroff," Salazar steepled his fingers. "It was fortunate that Rookwood was at the Ministry and had no time to prepare. If he did—"
"He would've disappeared. And probably Voldemort would have returned sooner." Harry grimaced. "That would've been bad."
"Horrendous, really," Salazar agreed. "Britain was losing the war quite terribly before you happened."
"You know?" Harry said absently. "When I knew Voldemort had returned, I thought it would be easy to take him down this time— between Dumbledore and me, Voldemort would've been blown to pieces. Then he brought out Grindelwald out of nowhere."
"It balanced the scales," Helga blew her hair out of her face. "Maybe, made it even worse for the world as a whole. Grindelwald never dabbled in horrendous magic like Voldemort did. But he nearly brought the whole of Europe to its knees on his own."
"Grindelwald and Voldemort fought different fights— one of wizarding supremacy and freedom from muggles, and another for blood-supremacy." Harry began to draw runes on another plate. "Muggles, for us are… well, a different species for us, innit? A little above wild animals. And our history with them has always been tumultuous. Thus not many were averse to the ideas that Grindelwald put forth. Voldemort, though, targeted muggleborns and half-bloods. Now, that's a whole different thing."
"Indeed," Salazar nodded. "But now, their war is no longer against muggles or muggleborns. It is against Dumbledore and you, Harry. A struggle of power, with the whole world caught in between."
"And tomorrow, Voldemort is going to tug."
5th March 1996
Room of Requirement, Hogwarts
The gaggle of students quietened as a series of bangs echoed through the room from Hermione's wand.
A few thumps sounded as the last of silver arrows pierced through wooden targets.
"Everyone, Harry wants to say something," She announced, stepping away from the podium. "Something very important."
Harry gave Hermione a look, who glared back firmly.
Harry slipped onto the platform with a sigh.
"Members of the Legion," Harry spoke. "I— Hermione thinks there is something you all should know. Dumbledore and I strongly suspect that Voldemort is going to attack Britain tonight."
Through the room, several people gasped or flinched.
"We do not know where the attacks are going to happen," Harry's eyes roamed around the room. "But they will."
"How can you be sure?" Smith asked.
"Today is the night of the full moon," Harry grimaced. "And, Fenrir Greyback, if you know who he is, was spotted in Britain two days ago."
Some of the members blanched, evidently recognizing the name.
"You want us to fight Greyback?" One of the Ravenclaws yelled.
"Heavens no," Harry shook his head frantically. "I do not want you to fight at all unless it is to protect yourself. And against someone like Greyback? Most of you will be dead before you know it."
"Then why are you telling us all this?" Cho asked. "Not that we don't appreciate it. But it's just that this should have a better purpose."
Harry glanced at Hermione who strode forward.
"Because we can make a difference," her voice cut through the room with the sharpness of a dagger. "Voldemort has an army of magical beasts— werewolves, dementors, giants. Harry has been training you all for close to six months now. It is for something like this— attacks where the Order and the Auror force might fall short. Short to not fight— but protect civilians. We do not need to fight. But we can save lives."
"Wait," Justin waved his hand. "If we're not going to fight, how would we, I dunno, protect others?"
"The werewolves and the giants are not the biggest threats," Cedric replied. "The dementors are. Their presence would debilitate the crowd. Trapping them in nightmares, rendering them helpless; thus, an easy target to be picked apart."
"Quite right," Hermione cleared her throat. "That's why I think we can help. Most of us can cast a corporeal patronus; a spell which most adults, including Aurors, cannot do. With the patronus, the dementors will flee, enabling people to escape."
Murmurs filled the air.
"I need to clarify something," Harry declared loudly. "Firstly, this is entirely voluntary. If you don't wish to take part, you shouldn't. Secondly, only students in the fifth year or above are permitted to go."
A canopy of protests erupted from the younger members, Ginny and Colin being the loudest.
"Silence!" A shimmer of magic spread through the room quelling all noise. "There's no room for negotiation here. Only fifth years and above will be allowed. The rest will stay at Hogwarts to defend it from within. And even for those who choose to go, strict rules will apply."
"What sort of rules?" Ernie interjected. "You said there are no rules in a fight."
Macmillan flinched as Harry narrowed his eyes at him.
"You're mixing two very different things there, Macmillan. These rules are meant to keep you safe."
Macmillan nodded, shrinking slightly under Harry's gaze.
"As for the rules," Harry's gaze swept through the room. "You will all be in groups. You are not to engage the enemy— except the dementors unless you have no option. You have two jobs. Keep the dementors away and help the crowd flee to safety. I repeat, do not engage unless you have no choice. And if Voldemort or Grindelwald arrive, you flee."
Dean raised his hand. "What if we have a really good shot? At the werewolves or giants, I mean."
"No," Harry growled. "You are not going there to kill, Dean. You are meant to save civilians. Nothing more. Leave those to the Order and the Aurors."
Dean nodded.
"If you do not follow even one of these rules, believe me, I will bar you from the legion," Harry flared his magic and a breeze ripped through the room. "And I am not kidding. If you go under the banner of the Legion, you are my responsibility. And I tend to take those seriously."
Harry swept a burning gaze through the room, making people nod their heads frantically.
Harry glanced at Ron who stepped forward.
"Right," Ron ran a hand through his hair. "We do not know where the attacks are going to happen. But Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are definitely targets. The moonrise is early tonight— at seven-twenty. Two hours from now. We will divide ourselves into three to five teams— one team will go to Diagon, other at the gates of Hogwarts. The rest will wait here, ready to depart wherever we need more help— or some other location."
"Remember, we only engage dementors and help civilians flee," Hermione reminded. "That's our sole objective. The team leaders will have portkey controls and will send you back if you engage unnecessarily."
"You all are going under my command," Harry said. "Not to mention, without informing a single adult. We are sneaking out of the school. So, if any of you die, it will be on me. So don't take unnecessary risks for the sake of my sanity."
5th March 1996
Hogsmeade Village, Scotland
Faint shadows fell across the cobbled streets under the lights from shops in Hogsmeade.
"Mad-eye will skin us alive if we even think about a bathroom break," a man in a bright red robe said. "Hold it in."
"You are still here," The other man, clad in the same red robe pleaded. "It will take two minutes. Please Oxley."
"No," Oxley hissed. "Do your duty, Burton. I do not want problems. And you do not want to be suspended."
Burton shivered, twitching violently. "Please, mate. It is already giving me shivers. I cannot hold it in anymore."
Frost crept up the cobblestones. The lanterns around them flickered.
"That's— not your pee, Burton," Oxley drew his wand. "It's dementors! Call for backup!"
Burton collapsed, curling into a fetal position. A putrid liquid seeped through his trousers, pooling around him.
"No," Burton twitched violently. "GO AWAY! Go away!"
Several loud howls pierced through the air, drowning Burton's screams.
People screamed as dark specters drifted through the air, nearing the ground.
Oxley's breath misted over as he fumbled with his batch, tapping his wand over it.
"Come on— work," he muttered watching as the dementors floated closer. "Shit. Expecto— Expecto Patronum!"
A faint silvery mist exploded out of his wand, holding the dementor at bay.
Oxley held the shield, glancing frantically at his partner, who was lying on the street, shivering uncontrollably.
The people around were either running or in a catatonic state, like Burton.
Oxley watched as a dementor swooped in on a nearby lady and her son. The lady's eyes wide in horror. Her groceries rolled out on the street as she backed away, toward Madam Puddifoot's.
The dementor lowered its hood, making shivers run down Oxley's spine.
"NO!" He yelled as a golden mist left their mouth, getting sucked into the dementor's hood.
The faint shield faltered, disappearing into the fog. The dementor neared and horrendous memories swirled in front of Oxley's eyes.
He fell to the floor, scooting away from the dementor's bony white fingers.
Another swooped toward Burton, lowering his hood.
"I am sorry, Hayley," Oxley muttered, as the dementor neared, a tear escaping his eyes.
A bright, silver pegasus rammed into the dementor. The dementor screeched, fleeing away from the patronus.
Oxley looked up to see a score of bright, silver patronuses running through the night sky, brighter than the light of the full moon, driving the dark specters away.
Oxley breathed deeply, getting to his feet unsteadily. His fingers curled around his wand as he turned to look at his partner.
Burton laid on the ground, his eyes white and unseeing, still trembling.
"No," Oxley whispered. "Burton!"
The earth trembled and a roar shook the village.
"GIANTS!" Someone yelled.
Oxley's eyes went wide as he saw the humongous figures nearing in the silvery light of the patroni.
He saw a dark blur move from the corner of his eye.
Oxley erected a shield moments before a werewolf slammed into it. The man cursed, as the werewolf pawed at the shield, snarling ferociously.
The best frothed vicious black saliva, which dripped down his shield.
A purple bolt slammed into the animal's neck, and blood spouted like a fountain.
"Thank Merlin," Oxley breathed, staggering back.
"Are you all right?" Someone asked, making him turn.
A girl, in a Hufflepuff uniform stood there, her wand out, looking at him in concern.
"Thanks, kid," Oxley breathed. "You really shouldn't be here. Go to the castle."
The girl snorted, before her eyes latched into something in the distance.
Almost faster than Oxley's eyes could follow, a silvery blur shot from her wand.
Oxley watched as a silver spear pierced through a werewolf's chest, killing it in moments, its last howl still on its lips.
Before he could say something, the girl ran away, another spell flowing from her wand.
Suddenly, Oxley felt the hair on his arms prickle.
"What the—" Oxley muttered.
A moment later, a huge flash of lightning blinded him and a roar of agony wailed through Hogsmeade.
Looking ahead, a single figure floated in front of the giants, his wand out, cracking with tendrils of lightning.
Harry Potter had arrived.
5th March 1996
Diagon Alley
The ground shook and howls pierced the air. Three giants, each as tall as Gringotts, roared loudly, swinging their humongous spiked clubs.
People beneath screamed, scrambling away from the giants.
Silver patroni flitted amongst them, keeping the dementors at bay.
Meanwhile, a dozen Aurors shielded themselves against the werewolves emerging from Knockturn alley.
Albus Dumbledore weaved through the fleeing cloud, the Elder wand thrumming with power in his hand.
"Get away!" Dumbledore shouted and a nearby auror containing two werewolves scrambled away.
With a slash of his wand a silver curse tore through the two creatures.
"Go help the other Aurors," Dumbledore didn't break stride, his wand moving to erect a shield, repelling another werewolf.
A giant roared, smashing his club through the roof of twitfit and tattling.
"Albus!" Alastor's voice rang out. "You need to kill the giants. My aurors can barely do anything to these bastards!"
Dumbledore watched as a dozen flashes of light slammed into a giant.
In response, the giant roared and smashed its club into Gringotts. A shimmer of magic stopped the club, making the giant stagger back.
The giant roared, and brought its club down on the building again.
This time, the club exploded in a shower of sparks.
'Very resilient and strong,' Dumbledore drew on his magic. 'But not very smart.'
The air around him swirled violently. The Elder wand sang between his fingers. With a slash of his hand, the air coalesced into a spear.
The chest of the first giant exploded in a shower of blood, raining down on the pristine walls of Gringotts.
"Bloody hell, Albus," Alastor muttered beside him.
The two giants stopped their destructive crusade to watch as their fellow giant fell to the ground, dead.
A moment later, a dozen green flashes slammed into the second giant, courtesy of the auror force.
The giant lurched back, his hand demolishing a building as he fell to a knee. A moment later, the giant roared loudly, shaking the alley as he got back to his feet.
Not even a dozen killing curses had brought down the creature.
The other giant roared, smashing through twitfit and tattling in its entirety. It lumbered forward toward Knockturn Alley where the Aurors were holding werewolves at bay.
"Professor!" A voice called, making him turn. "Do you need help?"
Cedric Diggory, the head boy of Hogwarts stood there, his wand out. A dozen students followed behind him, their wands lit.
None looked injured as far as Dumbledore could tell, but a few were certainly tired.
"Mr. Diggory," Dumbledore breathed. "Harry sent you here, I presume?"
"Hermione forced him to do it," Cedric panted. "We handled the dementors, sir. We are keeping them at bay."
Dumbledore glanced at the giant who was still lumbering toward the auror force near the alley.
"Keep the dementors away," Dumbledore twirled his wand, his attention at the giant. "But stay out of sight. Go!"
As the children went away, Alastor following them, Dumbledore thrust his wand. "Ekriksi Aposyntheto!"
A golden spiral shot from his wand, bathing the alley in a golden light for a brief moment. The spell hit the giant's forehead. The whole head, and a large part of its chest exploded in a golden light and the giant collapsed, demolishing a few shops under his weight.
Dumbledore breathed heavily, sweat trickling down his forehead.
The last giant roared, smashing his club at the aurors below, who apparated away.
"You alright?" Moody grunted, erecting a shield as a werewolf pounced at an unsuspecting auror. With a jab of his wand, the wolf's chest exploded in a shower of gore.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody roared, hobbling forward. "Stebbins, be careful!"
Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes trained on the giant.
Raising his wand, Dumbledore took a deep breath. The air swirled around his wand once more forming a spear of compressed air. With a slash, the spear tore through the giant's sternum.
The giant looked down, staggering back.
Aurors scrambled out of the way as the giant fell upon the street, throwing up dust.
Dumbledore breathed in deeply, casting a glance around as the Aurors still fought the werewolf, trying to contain them.
This battle might've been won. But the war was still going on.
With a twist, Dumbledore apparated away.
5th March 1996
Hogsmeade Village
A silver glow fell on the dead bodies of the two giants on the ground, their bodies charred horrendously. Around the dead bodies, battles raged under the light of the patronuses while dark specters flitted around.
Harry floated in the sky, breathing heavily while a silvery golden retriever ran around him, keeping the dementors from nearing.
In front of him, three giants roared, trying to smash through the shield he had erected around them.
'The shield won't hold long,' Harry watched as the shield shimmered under the spiked club. 'I need to figure out a way to kill them. Bloody bastards are too resilient.'
A wolf patronus floated beside him.
"Harry, we need you!" Tonks' voice emerged from the wolf. "Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Portsmouth, and Bristol are all under attack by trolls, werewolves, and giants!"
Harry shook his head.
There was only one option left. He needed to defeat the giants here and go to help them.
A roar sounded from behind, making Harry turn.
A giant, much shorter than the ones he was fighting, was charging toward him. Hagrid followed, a few steps, armed with a crossbow, his umbrella at his side.
"GO GRAWP!" Hagrid yelled, seizing a werewolf by its throat and ripping the animal's head off with his bare hands. "PROTECT HOGWARTS!"
The small giant, Grawp, slammed into one of the large giants just as Harry's shield broke, tacking it to the ground.
The other two giants roared in challenge. Harry watched as the two giants pounced onto Grawp, hitting him with their clubs.
Grawp roared, continuing to hit the giant he had tackled with his bare fists.
'I can't intervene,' Harry sighed. 'It will kill Hagrid's friend and he will be devastated.'
Grawp punched the giant, uncaring of the abuse inflicted on him.
The other giants pulled Grawp away, punching him harshly.
Grawp roared in agony, while the downed giant slowly rose to his feet.
Harry aimed his wand, firing a rupturing curse. The curse hit true, and the giant clutched his eye, blood pouring between his fingers.
On the other hand, Grawp was wrestling two giants on his own… and losing.
Harry watched helplessly as Grawp was punched around, his face bloody.
"Hagrid!" Harry yelled. "Tell Grawp to flee. I am burning those giants!"
Hagrid yelled something in a language Harry didn't understand. But Grawp turned to him, his face morphing into a look.
A moment later, a spiked club caught him right in the face, throwing him down.
Blood pooled from his head, onto the ground below and the two giants roared in victory.
"Grawp! No!" Hagrid's distraught shout echoed through Hogsmeade.
Hagrid threw a werewolf away, sprinting toward the giants.
The giants looked at him, snarling in challenge.
'No,' Harry thrust his wand out. 'Not Hagrid.'
A wall of dirt erupted in front of the half giant, stopping him.
"LET ME GO!" Hagrid roared but Harry paid no heed to him
Walls of dirt rose all around Hagrid, encasing him and trapping him.
'Sorry Hagrid,' Harry turned to the enemy giants, who were stomping on Grawp's body. 'But I will take your revenge for you.'
"IGNIS DIABOLICA!"
AND… DONE!
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
I know I hadn't updated in a while. But I had been struggling to write for RoLP. I couldn't get ANYTHING down on paper. Even for this, I deleted about 1.5k words and restarted the chapter. I sincerely hope it was up to the mark.
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I am not getting into reviews for this chapter. But, I see too many reviews with the name, 'Guest'. Now, I appreciate you reviewing but please name yourself. I cannot reply properly with so many reviews having the same name.
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Thank you for the reviews.
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A huge thanks to Mughil and Nanu for betaing this chapter!
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As of this moment, I have six main stories. They are:
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4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.
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