The Order of the Pheonix
Chapter Twenty-Four
Black House
Yuery and Neville had been regulated to a shared bedroom upstairs as the adults talked about the situation. Yuery was frustrated with the whole situation. He had been invited to silently sit in on briefings involving matters of state for the last year or so, he knew how to behave, yet he was being treated as though he had no training whatsoever. When he voiced this complaint to Neville, the other boy shrugged it off. Neville assumed that they would be called down when the conversation became relevant to them.
Kreature brought in a tray of sandwiches and juice a few minutes ago, and Yuery had invited him to stay and eat with them. The elf seemed taken aback by the offer, but reluctantly agreed. Neville grabbed a sandwich but seemed distracted still even as he chewed slowly. Yuery watched him carefully for a few minutes before he took his own sandwich as well, "You are nervous."
"Of course, I am. These people want to kill us. They already kidnapped me before." Neville frowned with a shrug. "These are the same people who killed your parents and broke mine so badly they will never remember me. I'm not nervous Yuery, I'm terrified."
"We are going to stop them. My Dad is going to stop them." Yuery said confidently. "He has stopped terrible people before, when he wasn't much older than us, he saved our entire country. We are going to help him, and this will finally be over."
"How? How are we going to stop someone who literally came back from the dead?!" Neville demanded. "We are kids! We aren't meant to be in the middle of battles like this…I don't want to watch anyone else I know die."
"It's what my Dad does. Solves unsolvable problems. You went to Xerxes; you know how he and Yeye saved everyone and now we're going to do it again." Yuery tried to sound as confidant as possible to assure his friend. In truth, he wasn't sure how they were going to do it either…though he did believe his family would figure it all out.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the adults had finished the meeting, and most had left. Edward remained with Roy, the Weasleys, Breda, Armstrong, and Sirius Black. Sirius and Edward had come to an uneasy truce, based primarily on Black's vow preventing any behavior that would cause concern and Black finally accepting that Edward truly cared for the child.
Sirius would always consider the boy to be James and Lily's son to himself, but he had also realized over the last few days the child also belonged with Edward and his wife. Remus had been right; he couldn't have lucked into a better situation. Certainly, it was far better than if Lily's family had collected the child. James had no close family, and Sirius…as much as it pained him, Sirius knew he would not have raised the child himself. Peter had set him up, he would have gone to Azkaban no matter where the child went. For all he knew, that would have handed Harry, no Yuery, straight over to the Death Eaters.
Further, he had seen for himself that Edward Elric loved the boy as his own. Adoption was clearly common in their family, because Elric shared none of his father's features but was clearly loved as well. He considered asking about it, if only to reassure himself further that he had understood the situation correctly as he wandered the hallways of his family home.
Surprisingly, and perhaps unfortunately judging by the man's expression, he accidentally ran right into Heymans Breda in the hallway outside the sitting room. Breda was carrying a large stack of files which landed on the floor when Sirius bumped into him, so he stopped to help the man pick them up. "It's fine, you don't need to help." Breda said as he scooped a few loose pages up onto the top of a folder. "I need to reorganize it all now anyway."
"Apologies, I did not see you there. This was my fault, it's the least I could do." Sirius replied with a tired smile.
"It. Is. Fine." Breda scowled as he collected the final pages before standing with the now messy stack and hurrying into the room they had been offered as an office.
"I said I was sorry?" Sirius wondered aloud as he watched the man turn the corner.
"His longest and closest friend is Jean Havoc." Roy Mustang was silent as he approached, hands clasped behind his back. "Rebecca Havoc was the woman you hit when you broke into our house in Reseembool."
"Oh." Sirius had a sinking feeling as he remembered the fight. It was not an event he wished to remember, but to forget would be impossible for others and for himself. "Why is he here? Why would he want to be anywhere near me?"
"He doesn't." Roy sighed. "Alex was coming with us, there was no question of that, and where Alex goes, Heymans goes. I would not separate them especially with what is coming. We may be newcomers to your war, but we are far from new to war itself."
"Why not spare them both and leave them behind?" Sirius asked. It seemed unfair to the men to be forced into his company after everything. All of them, if he thought about it now that he was thinking clearly.
"Alex Armstrong is one of our best. We brought half of the best with us and left the other half behind to mind our borders. Alex has been here before, when we defended Hogwarts, so he was an obvious choice. He also was willing to work alongside anyone we would need to encounter. Including you." Roy frowned at the other man. "I know you regret what happened. I can see it in your eyes. My grandson believes you were not thinking clearly at the time and has extracted vows that would prevent you from doing such a thing again. This I can accept. As I said, I have been to war. We all make choices and have actions we regret. It is the nature of war."
"Thank you." Sirius nodded. He could tell this man would never like him but was also not angry with him anymore. He didn't deserve their acceptance, as limited as it was.
"Make no mistake. Should you cause harm to any member of my group, it will be your last move." Roy nodded as he headed the way Breda had come. "I am not as forgiving as my grandson. I am not as angry as my son. You will find this is not an ideal combination should you decide to become a threat."
Sirius watched the man walk away; a bit fearful of what the man planned to do to him once this was all over. He knew that most, if not all, the Amestrians he encountered would share the same feelings toward him and it made him uncomfortable that he was forced to stay indoors and hidden away with them while others were out actually helping the fight.
He sighed in defeat and made his way to the stairs, deciding he should just go up to his room for now instead of further antagonizing anyone. Arthur Weasley was on his way down at the same time, they nodded to each other as they passed. Molly Weasley was busy cleaning everything she could reach including his bedroom.
Riddle House
No one wished to disturb him now, not when Voldemort was still so angry. He had sent most of them away, to recruit others, but those that remained huddled together in what was once a grand sitting room and awaited his orders. Even Bellatrix, who insisted he listened to her above all others, had not been brave enough to approach him. Not since he had returned half an hour ago with murderous anger surrounding him.
They didn't dare ask questions, most assumed it was the capture of some of their members, some assumed it was the inability to breach the border surrounding Cselkcess. None had guessed, of course, that his anger lied in the unfortunate discovery near the ruins of his mother's former home. He had traced the magic from his horcrux once his discovered it is missing. At first, he had assumed it had been collected by Dumbledore. Now he knew it was another, someone unknown to him, who had taken it. He had felt this person's magic before, at the Ministry.
Snape had also been involved. He had felt the traces of the man in a few of the locations, once he retraced his steps and bothered to look, along with this unknown other man. The next step was to check Hogwarts. It was the only one left to check, one he had assumed would be overlooked in Dumbledore's arrogance and the new one's ignorance…with Snape involved though it was no longer a sound assumption.
Somehow, Snape had defied his Mark and turned on them. On Him! It was unacceptable and he would be made an example of as soon as he was located. Then, they would break through the border protecting that wretched child and lay waste to whoever got in their way. Once that final threat was eliminated, his time would rise. No longer would he rely solely on fear and the Mark to maintain loyalty.
Word had returned already that the werewolves accepted an alliance, as had the dementors. Giants and vampires were still underway. Recruitment among the prisoners had also gained followers, none of whom had been brought back here. No, only his inner circle would be allowed close access to his stronghold from now on. Only those he felt could be trusted, and none allowed in his chambers where the final piece now slumbered. He would regain the others, of course, but until then he must be vigilant.
The others were cowering, he noticed with annoyance, so with a growl he swept into the room they had used to hide from his anger. He would send them out to cause more chaos if for no other reason than to get them away from here. He couldn't stand the sight of them now, none of them.
Ministry of Magic
Delores was displeased with Fudge's choice to trust these outsiders with so much power. They had too much say in things that were none of their concern. The prisoners had been taken to an undisclosed location without trial or procedure. She had gone to lodge a complaint against the idea and discovered it already done. She decided then and there that any further wizards captured were to be handled by the PROPER authorities and not these interlopers who somehow bent the ear of the Minister.
She informed the Aurors that all further captures were to be reported to her directly, as the Senior Undersecretary. Some of them looked doubtful at the order but agreed. Next, she would have to find a way to remove Fudge. Clearly, he was compromised. He wasn't even trying to get Dumbledore back from these people anymore!
This was what she wanted to bring to Scrimgeour's attention. He was a gamble, certainly, however, he was also the likely candidate to replace Fudge. It was imperative he saw her reasoning. She arranged the meeting in her cottage, away from the Ministry this evening in case of spies. For now, though, it was time once again to try to make Cornilius see reason before she had no choice but to have him removed.
Fudge was in his office when she arrived, looking over the paperwork involved in surrendering the remaining prisoner to the Amestrians. Umbridge had entered without knocking, which made him frown as it was unlike her. "Can I help you, Delores?"
"Why do you trust these strangers?" Delores asked, not noticing his weary sigh at another round of the same conversation, "They have nothing of value to offer us aside from the wizards you allowed them to kidnap."
"It isn't kidnapping to punish one for their crimes, it is imprisonment. Given the breakout we suffered, which was not only embarrassing but alarming, it seemed prudent to find alternative methods." Fudge responded with annoyance clear in his tone.
"Wizards govern wizards. It is our way; it has always been our way. What's next, Muggle trials? Let them burn us or hang us all over again? That is what will happen if the Amestrians get their way Cornelius. Don't you see that they are as much a threat as You Know Who?!"
"When the School was attacked, they helped us defend it. When Death Eaters attacked both Muggles and wizards, just this week, they helped us to stop them. They are not our enemies." Fudge frowned, still uncomfortable himself with the inevitable exposure this war was bringing. "Death Eaters and You Know Who are the reason our secrets are at risk, not those who have come to help us."
"Dumbledore never liked the Amestrians, you know this, he said it himself. Nor did Crouch. They both worked with them before, why would they lie?"
"Dumbledore lost his mind some time ago, as we all know, he is now imprisoned for kidnapping a child. Hardly someone we should seek for advice."
"Cornelius listen to yourself. Just a few days ago you firmly insisted we had to get him back. Now you do not care? What spell do they have you under?"
"They aren't spell casters, at least not the majority. I simply read the reports. I also listened to them." Fudge smiled tiredly at her as he rose and moved around his desk. "I know all of this is terribly frightening. I myself am stressed from it all, but we must trust these men to help us. It is our only hope of ending this quickly… why don't you take the rest of the day? Go home, relax, and let others share the burdens for now." Before she could protest further, alarms sounded throughout the Ministry. The attacks had begun again.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
In the end, Voldemort had decided to take one with him alone to the school. Bellatrix Lestrange's loyalty was absolute, though her affections were misplaced. He had no remorse in his exploitation of it. She alone could be trusted, if for no other reason than her obsession with him. He was aware of it and ignored it largely as it was of no matter to him.
While everyone else had been sent on various errands, she came with him to the school. She was to break into the records and find the locations of the children who had escaped as well as the Potter child. He had his own agenda which remained unknown even to her. He also instructed her to cause as much chaos as possible on her way in and out so that he would go unnoticed.
Bellatrix, of course, asked no questions. She simply followed him happily passed the gates into the grounds. They met resistance in the spell work of the gates and again at the door, but not active boundaries. This was the standard barriers set in place to keep those who had no business there out. Since both of them had attended the school in their youth and had not come to explicitly cause harm to students, it raised the alarms when they entered but did not repel them.
This oversight would be mended upon the arrival of members of the Order, but by then they would have come and gone. Children were told to stay in their dorms as soon as the alarms sounded, as teachers gathered to fight off whatever threat had been felt and the school defenses activated. Within moments, the school had been turned into a fortress.
Unfortunately, they were already inside. Bellatrix immediately caused the distraction by way of destructive spells shooting all over the Great Hall and Grand Staircase while Voldemort slipped away further into the building. Teachers poured into the Hall, ready to fight the threat and were surprised to find no one there, only spells twirling about on their own.
Bellatrix's laughter could be heard all over the building, causing panic in the dorms and confusion among the adults as they tried to trace her. No one noticed the second invader as he made his way to the seventh-floor hallway.
She was having fun with it all really and was proud of herself. She alone had been chosen to join him in this mission and had singlehandedly caused panic throughout the school. No doubt, by morning parents would be sending screamers both to the headmaster and the ministry. Ahe happily danced along the corridors, writing slurs along the walls, warning them all to rid themselves of the interlopers within the school or face His wrath.
The records were easy to find, and easier still to take, while also causing enough destruction that no one would notice missing papers for some time. Next, she went down to the kitchens, and tormented the elves into fleeing into the grounds. It delighted her to no end that even the ghosts seemed unsure of the situation.
Portraits, especially those of unworthy Houses and Headmasters, burned as the images within fled to other painting along the walls. Tapestries unraveled into piked of thread. The House points shattered, spilling everywhere across the halls, and the cries of alarm rose by the minute. He called her back to him far sooner than she would have liked, and seemed displeased when she arrived but said nothing as the Teachers spotted them and tried to surround them.
"I have no desire to spill magical blood this evening, so stand down. I come with a warning." Voldemort said calmly to the teachers gathered. "This school was meant for children of magic. Teach them well and keep the unworthy out. Any found within these walls after this warning will meet a very painful end. Continuing to harbor the mudbloods will not be tolerated."
"You have no business in this school and are not welcome here!" Professor Flitwick said boldly. "Leave now or be removed."
Voldemort glared back at the tiny bold man before wordlessly drawing his wand. Flitwick flew across the room, hitting the wall unconscious. Professor Sprout jumped in front of the other man while the others checked on him. Professor Slughorn tried to look invisible in the background while the fighting continued.
Bellatrix laughed at the chaos even as she sent more rubble flying around the room and the ghosts joined in the fight. Soon enough the armor arrived, pushing Bellatrix and Voldemort toward the door even as they blew several apart. Professors McGonagall and Snape arrived then, along with Narcissa Malfoy and Edward Elric.
Voldemort once again felt the same presence that had lingered around his missing horcruxes. It was the stranger again, who had somehow learned they were important to him, though it was doubtful that he had discovered their secret unless…Slughorn was here. That man had known him when he was still Tom.
He had made the mistake of speaking to the man once about horcruxes. Was it possible he had told others? It seemed unlikely, as he himself would then be blamed for Tom's actions. After all, as they would have seen it, Tom had been just a child. What about later then?
It was a risk he was unwilling to take. Should Slughorn have kept the secret this long, then it should be one he took to the grave. Had he betrayed Voldemort's trust, then it was a fitting punishment. "Avada Kadava" rang clearly through the air, the jet of green light hitting Slughorn before the man could blink. Everyone began screaming again, some in alarm others in anger.
Edward Elric remained calm as he clapped his hands together, the ringing louder than the screams around him, and Bellatrix having seen the man in action before, waited until she saw the movement in the floor before she pushed her master out of the way now captured herself. Voldemort stood, glaring at the room at large. He pointed his wand once more, this time at the stranger, the spell deflected this time by a sudden stone wall.
Voldemort was surrounded, everyone closing in and Bellatrix trapped behind him. He had what he had come for, or rather discovered it missing. Angrily, he cleared the path in front of him and flew out of the building leaving everyone else behind including his most loyal follower.