Amelia leaned back, "In this kind situation I would call my lowest rookie to see what they have. But she is on assignment and has a conflict of Interest. Besides… We want to roast this son of a bitch." She removed her monocle, and polished it. "Moody. I believe you have a bone to pick with the Accused. "
From the shadows at the back, a scared wizard stumped into the light.
"Black. For the last ten years, I have asked Merlin why I was not the first on scene that night. You would have died seconds after Peter died."
"Then it's a good thing Peter never died that night." Black reclined in his seat.
"Before we get into this." Theodore Tonks interrupted the bickering. "My client requests Ventrasearm."
Yaxley scoffs. "And why would we give him Ventrasearm? We all know that he is guilty."
Ted snorted. "And we all knew Malfoy was guilty as well." Ted smiled at the tweeded wizard. "But my Lord wants it proven by Ventrasearm that he is a lying, cheating backstabbing murder." He stood as he looked about at the Lords above him,"Unless this chamber is ready to declare him innocent by Imperious."
Greengrass banged his gavel. "It is a Lords Privilege to accept and deny truth aids. Auror, administer the Ventrasearm and begin the questioning."
HPSH
Albus sighed, as he heard the lifts shift again.
When the doors to the cage opened, Shacklebolt and Runcorn entered, and opened Fudge's cell to hang a set of dress robes inside and close the door. They then turned and opened his cell and hung a set of dress robes inside the door and slammed it shut. They then opened Umbridge's cell and hung a set of Cannon's orange robes with a black strip.
"Why are they given dress robes and I am given these horrible things?" Delores smippered.
"Fudge and Dumbledore have a meeting in ten minutes. Lord Malfoy would rather they are refreshed and in clean robes. You are here, until we bring in Black." Shacklebolt smiled gently at her as if talking to a young child. "By your own request."
Runcorn grunted.
"My good comrade here reminds everyone that in nine and half minutes, we are dragging you two out of your cells and upstairs, whether you are dressed, refreshed, or not." Shacklebolt turned his back to give the illusion of privacy.
At the mark, the two wizards were washed and dressed. Albus was working his boot on when Runcorn's wand buzzed. Both wizards had their hands cuffed before them, before they were led out of their cells and to the lift cage.
As they entered the courtroom, a female Auror by the name of Vance hooked a hand under Fudge's arm and drew him to the witness box, where he was glued to the seat and silenced.
Albus was hooked under both arms and lifted off his feet. He was set on the hard seat of the Chair of the Accused. The chains wrapped around him. Once he was free of everything but the Chair and Chains, Albus looked about.
To his Right, at the Prosecution Table sat Yaxley.To his left sat Ted Tonks and Sirius Black. Above him sat Greengrass as Chief Warlock and in Judgement was Parkinson and Moody. Director Bones was resting on her elbows as she watched.
Greengrass gaveled for order.
Yaxley stood, adjusted his tweed. "Chief Warlock, Judges. I call for Vetrisearum."
"I object!" Albus yelled.
Parkinson grinned at Albus. "Under what Grounds do you object?"
"I am Chief Warlock." Albus smiled grandfatherly at the Acting Chief Warlock.
"Not right now." Yaxley smirked. "You were stripped of the position when Greengrass gaveled the session into Order. And until he gavels the session closed, or he volunteers to surrender the Post, it is his."
Greengrass cleared his throat. "Albus will take Ventrasearm or accept a ruling of Guilty."
Albus, in a panic, tried another tactic. "What are the charges?"
"Scribe." Yaxley turned to look at the wizard manning the scroll.
"Including but not limited to; False imprisonment, Line Theft, attempted murder, child endangerment, accessory to child abuse and child negligence. Attempted subversion of Department of Magical Law Enforcement Personnel. And last but not least, the premeditated altering the mind of Department of Magical Law Enforcement Personnel and Regency of an Ancient and House."
Moody crossed his hands. "Do we need to list every charge, Albus, or will you just take the potion?"
Albus turned to look at Tonks, and an idea came to mind. "I need to converse with my Barrister!"
"Name them."
"Tonks, is that not the reason he is here?" Albus smiled beninely.
"No, Headmaster." The chubby law wizard smiled at the old man, "I am serving Lord Black in the civil side of the lawsuit against you." Black waved gaily at the wizard bound to the Chair.
HPSH
Seres was in the tent of the outdoor shooting range, with Ginny, the Gun Range Master, and Alucard. First she was checked out with the AK47 and the Mossberg. Then Gunny handed her the Dragonough without the scope and had her sniping three in discs a kilometre out.
Then he had her rapid fife her Hellsing Anti-Midians 13.7mm, Hallcannon.
Then Gunny asked for Al to lend her his pair of pistols. 'The Jackal' and 'The Casull' both required her to use both hands, but she matched Gunny's accuracy with him using a 1911, .45 cal.
Alucard nodded and then had her clean the three heavy weapons as Gunny handled the three lighter rifles.
Before he left with his pistols cleaned and holstered, Al turned to Gunny. "By December, I will need four black .50 cal Desert Eagles with pearl handles . Two for the 'Police Girl', and two for the kid. I gave him the . 22s so he could learn gun safety and target awareness. By next summer he should have the strength to wield twin Eagles. She already can, but needs to work on her speed and hand eye skills.
Gunny took the Hallcannon and waved her off.
Seres wandered the underground tunnels of the Estate. Lost in thought, lost in heart.
HPSH
Fudge sat in the witness box as those he could have sworn were loyal to Albus cut the legs out from underneath him, and that was before he was forced to take vitrisearm and condemn himself before Morgana and everyone.
He paled at the thought of what was going to happen to him. He had too many secrets to just take vitrisearm in open Court. He could try to claim Privilege, but after seeing what this court did to the highly respected and admired Albus Dumbledore, he did not think he would be able to get away with it.
He watched Runcorn administer three drops of the potion to a shot of water, and then poured it down the Headmaster's throat. At least he hoped it was water.
Then Yaxley began with the questions.
Where Fudge was afraid of the dingy of his dignity being rocked, the line of questioning just up and capsized the boat.
He could only hope that Lucius Malfoy would save his hairy ass.
HPSH
The army convoy pulled off the M1 just outside of Wakefield, Leeds, just as the sun was starting to set. As the trucks rolled to a stop, the troops jumped out and formed ranks.
"Hey Missy. Anything you can do about the colour of your coat?" The Captain asked.
"No, not really." Tonks never looked at him, as she was scanning the surrounding area. "The whole point of Dragon hide, is that it sheds magic like water off a duck's arse."
The men within hearing range snorted but kept their eyes on the lookout. No one looked at the Captain or the witch.
A groan drew everyone's attention to a female teenager in a crop top, mini skirt, and stiletto heels.
Harry looked at her, drew his pistol from under his left arm, and pinned her right between the eyes. The back of her skull exploded out, and she dropped like a deboned fish.
"Harker!" The Captain roared, "Confirm before Kill."
"I did, sir. I could smell her from here." Harry stepped out into the open road to see what was in the distance. "I don't have the Master's eyes, or even the police girl's. But I can stand here and point to most of your men with my eyes closed. Those downwind from me and further away, as to allow for the wind to carry their scent in the wrong direction might be missed if I were shooting at them." He holstered his pistol and held his hand out to his right. "Smythe, your rifle please."
The guy tossed the Swedish Mauser rifle to the Damphyr. Harry flicked the safety off, brought the rifle to his shoulder, sighted down the barrel, and squeezed the trigger.
Three blocks out, the heads of a ghoul and its last lunch exploded.
Harry worked the bolt, reengaged the safety, and handed the rifle back to the man as he returned to the Captains side.
"Why did you kill the human too?" Tonks asked.
"Once the ghouls' teeth have pierced the flesh, the disease of the beast has been introduced. And the only cure options are the bullet and crossing over. And Al is the only one who can embrace others. I can embrace humans, but the biten are out of my abilities at this time." Harry hooked his thumbs into his shoulder zrigging. "Tonks. If I think we are going to be overrun, and I tell you to go, Go. My bloodline will protect me, and the men are well paid for their sacrifice. These are not just some muggle mercs. out for a few quid, three hots and a cot." Harry turned to look out at the men moving through the neighborhood. "They are doing this for the Queen and God. That they are being paid twice their going rates is beside the point."
HPSH
The Squads had cleared half of the infected region when the first pack of ghouls were encountered. Up till then, all ghouls were loners and stragglers. As Harry was walking beside the Humvee as Tonks and the captain were riding in the back seat, he got to see men rebuff the first wave.
"Harker, show us what you can do with that stick of yours." The Captain barked.
Before the sound of the orders reached the squad, Harry was there. Holly was in his hand and the tip pointed at the biggest ghoul, and it's head exploded as Harry muttered.
"Okay, Harry." Tonks spoke in her normal voice as the Humvee rolled to a stop a block away. Try [Diffindo]."
Harry slashed the air in front of himself and spoke in the same tone of voice as Tonks. [Diffindo]
The entire pack collapsed as their heads were sliced from their necks.
The Captain looked at the witch beside him, "Is that normal?"
"Yes and No. I might be able to do that once, but not at that range, or at that deep of a pack." Tonks frowned. "The Headmaster might be able to do that, but he is the highest of our spell casters." She watched as the lad inspected the troops around him, healing the scrapes and abrasions that the men had suffered. "Hey Harry. Wand away. Knives out. The pack just up the street needs a bit of thinning."
As Harry walked towards the pack, he stretched and swung the twin kukris as the pack of ghouls howled and clawed at the air. By some unknown signal, the pack tried to swarm the lone lad, as the squad and the watchers in the Humvee behind them could only watch in shock, horror, and finally Awe as the Damphyr took the ghouls apart… literally.
"And that is not normal." Tonks whispered to the Captain.
"No, that is not. He is even faster than Alucard." The Captain wiped his face with a kerchief, "Just glad he is on our side."
Harry was wiping the blood off his knives as he reslung them when something that looked like a cross of Frankenstein's monster and a Hound on two legs stepped out of the shadows.
He turned to face the Beast, as it dropped the dripping torso of one of the squad's members.
"Harker. Use fire." The Captain snapped.
"[Incendio]" Tonks spoke, a touch of fear in her voice.
Harry's wand snapped out and pointed at the Beast's face. [Incendio].
The fire burst from the tip of his wand, a red orange wall of heat. The Beast roared as its face peeled back, but it kept approaching as the hair and skin regrew.
A normal wizard would have panicked, but Harry was a muggle raised, and while his grades didn't show it, he studied. And he knew that he needed a hotter flame, a white flame, and his magic took his intent, his need, and his knowledge and rewove the threads of mana pouring through the Holly wand with a Phoenix feather core, and the red orange bloom morphed into a white-blue blade of fire as it cut, incinerated, and carbonized the beast.
The wand was smoking as Harry dropped the spell.
Twenty minutes later, the Captain called out that the area was clear. And had the squads stack the dead and burn everything to ash.
Tonks was asked to take Harker and a Corporal to report everything to Headquarters. The Corporal because that was his function. Harker, so that the men could gossip about his skills. The Captain needed to know how the men felt about fighting with the Damphyr compared to fighting with Alucard. The Captain also had the Beast bagged up for the chop shop to inspect, and the Corporal to deliver it.
As he listened to the chatter, the men were okay with the lad, as he held his own, and while not sworn to God and the Queen, he was loyal to the Boss lady and it was confirmed that he might even be faster than the blood Master himself.
In Fact the only complaint the troops had was that he made a mess with his knives and the Captain sent him away before he cleaned up after himself. It was more of a joke then a true complaint and the Captain knew that a soldier is only truly happy when he has something to bitch about.
Once everything else was ash, and worked into the soil, the trucks were loaded up and rolling back to the compound. Once home the men would shower, feast and drink. They would gossip, and go to bed, both a little bit more and less than they were when they woke up. They would be exempt from morning run, but would have to clean and test their weapons.
HPSH
Tonks twisted into sight with two males in the Hellsing BDUs. As the older male tried to keep his last meal down, the younger just burped and shook himself out.
"So, not transportation but translocation." Harry nodded. "Transportation would be from one point to another. Nothing in-between. Translocation is us being moved through space time. That's what the cracking is about, air displacement."
"And when you can do it on your own…" Tonks grinned at him.
"I already have. About four years ago."
Tonks raised an eyebrow. "You finish all your homework and I will talk to Sirius about training you in Auror Technics." She looked over at the older fellow. "It gets better. Best is when you are driving. But it never goes away."
"Good to know." The grunt groaned.
"And knowing is half the battle." Tonks and Harry parroted.
HPSH
Lupin sipped his cuppa as he reclined in front of the fire in his office. He had a couple of weeks before the full moon and he was going to take advantage of the comforts available to him.
In the last couple of days he had read the Prophet and the Quibbler. The Lovegood line was known for being seers and Salena showed a mind that was only rivaled by Lily. With the loss of his Wife, Xeno's paper lost its sharp wit and sharper tongue. But the effect it had on Xeno was even more 'weird'. Many who knew the man theorized that her loss broke a wall in his mind between our reality and the Mysts. While the paper was no longer witty, it spoke of conspiracies and if you knew how to translate the rubbish, they were surprisingly accurate.
Rotfang Conspiracy easily translated to Fudge and the saccharine sweet voiced Undersecretary. Then there was Stubby Boardman. Remus had laughed over that one. The helopaths had to do with soldiers of light or for the light.
Skeeter was good for a few laughs and if you trim away the rumor, the bias, and the PR spin, you could get the truth. While the Paper was more Ministry Mouthpiece than a proper paper, it still tried to maintain certain values.
He looked out the door towards his office and the classroom beyond. He had turned in his book lists the night before.
He was so looking forward to seeing the cub.
HPHS
Alucard stepped out the shadows behind the Captain.
"How was the Boy's Skill?" Al's voice was the chill of the grave.
The Captain lit a cigarette and exhaled. "A bit quick on the draw and shot side, but a ghoul got close to us and he dropped it without so much as a twitch. He then demonstrated his skills with the rifle, his knives, and finally his wand." Another drag, "We lost good men, it was a lab splice. He barbecued it good. The Girl took the body back with her, when she took the Boy and my Corporal back to the Compound."
"Would you take him with you again?"
"Not only would I have him under my command again, but most of the Lads would follow him into a den if he asked. In fact, since he has been gone tonight, I have had six requests for him to be assigned to squads. And I am willing to bet by the time we get home, not only will the number increase, but they will be asking to join his squad."
"Too bad he is under the direct command of the Boss. Your next Hunt, take Police Girl as your Muscle. I need her tested as well."
The Captain nodded as he dragged again on the cigarette.
TBC