The Deep Breath Before the Plunge
Eldermoor
The air was thick with a mix of magic and apprehension as the Russian delegation, led by General Alexei, made their way into the room. Alexei was a tall, lanky wizard with intense dark eyes and a large white bushy beard that contrasted sharply with his stern expression.
"Welcome, General Alexei," Gloria Bones said, extending her hand.
Alexei's dark eyes bore into hers as he took her hand in a firm grip. "Thank you, Minister Bons. We have much to discuss."
The delegates took their seats around a long, ornate table. As soon as everyone was settled, the atmosphere grew more charged. It didn't take long for arguments to break out.
General Alexei wasted no time. "Let us dispense with pleasantries, Minister. Russia has sacrificed hundreds every day to fight Grindelwald and reclaim our land. Meanwhile, Britain has sat idly in Africa after your defeat in France. Do the British lose their nerves after just one battle?" His voice dripped with contempt.
A murmur of indignation spread through the British side, but it was Lord Parkinson, General of the British forces, who spoke up. "Our military options are limited due to the threat of Grindelwald's superweapon. We cannot afford to be reckless. We might appear to be delaying, but we are merely being strategic with our available resources."
Alexei's eyes flashed with anger. "Superweapon?" he repeated mockingly, spitting on the floor in disdain. "Russia has already endured two of these attacks and is still in the fight. You speak of threats while we face them head-on. Your inaction is a betrayal of the Allied cause."
He leaned forward, his voice rising. "The purpose of our alliance was to share the burden of fighting. Right now, Russia endures the brunt with no relief from Britain. We expected more from you, not this cowardice."
Just as it seemed the confrontation would escalate further, Minister Bones raised her hand.
"Enough," she said firmly. "We are allies, not adversaries. This discord serves only Grindelwald's interests. Let us adjourn for refreshments and return with cooler heads. We will think more clearly after a moment of respite."
Reluctantly, the delegations agreed. The Russians, still annoyed, stomped towards the adjoining room where refreshments were being served. The British delegation followed suit, casting wary glances at their Russian counterparts.
Minister Bones sighed softly, hoping that a brief pause would bring a measure of calm to the heated discussion. She knew that unity was their best weapon against Grindelwald, and she was determined to find a way to mend the rift between their forces. Unfortunately, her military forces didn't share half of her gumption for bold action.
Unlike some. She thought and glanced towards Director Owl who sat with a pensive look on his face, having remained silent throughout the meeting.
The Merchant at Diagon Alley
Harry paced nervously in the dilapidated building. He didn't know why he was doing what he was doing. A thunderstorm raged outside his shack. Each flash of thunder sent a shiver down Harry's spine, fearing the worst but relieved to see no ominous mushroom cloud on the horizon. The world beyond seemed surreal and distant, as if veiled in a haze of uncertainty. Suddenly, a rapid banging on his door shattered the calm. Harry rushed to open it, letting in a young man in black robes, gasping for air, his cloak damp and cold.
"Tom," Harry uttered instinctively, though he couldn't explain why. The young man bowed deeply, a gesture of reverence that peeved him. "Master Harry," Tom spoke breathlessly, "I went to Diagon Alley as you instructed, but a woman caused a commotion there. When I turned to see who it was, it was death!"
"What?!" Harry demanded.
"She looked at me and made a gesture. It was then I knew my time was up. She was looking for me!" Tom said. "We have no item. I need your portkey. I will go to the deep earths below where she can't find me."
Harry wordlessly handed him his last portkey and watched as Tom eagerly took it and vanished.
"Most strange." A melodious voice spoke from the opened doorway and Harry gasped to see it was death standing there in all her macabre glory. A mask of pale white adorned the upper half of her face with hypnotic embroidery of emeralds and gemstones.
"How? You let him get away!" Harry yelled. "You let him know you were there!"
"Oh, I was not alerting him. I was astonished to see him there. I had an appointment with him tonight in the Deep Earth." She said.
Harry felt a buzzing in his body and jolted awake. He gasped as he felt sweat trickle down his forehead. Of all the visions that he had, this certainly was weird. Tom Riddle looked like a carbon copy of what he had seen down in the Chamber of Secrets during his original timeline. Before he could ponder further on that, Harry remembered that he had a meeting scheduled.
He scrambled with his hand to make himself look presentable and placed a series of charms on a mirror which the inbuilt security measures recognized as authentic. Soon an all too familiar masked figure emerged, and Harry greeted him.
"Mr. Owl."
"Chimera. You have seen better days." Owl said.
"It is what it is, Owl." Harry replied.
"Regardless, you're doing a great job so far. The nation is proud of you, even if they aren't aware why." Owl said. "Every joker here in inspired by your actions and is itching to start their own franchises."
You have agents excited to charge the field and blow stuff up.
"I'm glad to hear that, Owl. We need more revenue now than ever before." Harry said. The message was clear, he was making a change in this war.
We need more men to finish this war off.
"Indeed. We can never say no to more revenue. I hear more guests bring in revenue. How is your star attraction?" He asked. Harry let out a frustrated sigh. This talk in codes was getting annoying. He needed answers or orders fast. And he needed them now!
What about Mariam Shah?
"Red mist." Harry said and Owl's eyes narrowed at him.
We need to talk plainly. The mirror suddenly emitted a pale red mist and then stabilized.
"That was Perenelle's favorite mirror, Chimera. You better have a damned good reason to break it or I'm sleeping on the couch for a month straight." Nicolas said.
Harry ignored his attempt to lighten the mood and went straight to it. "Mariam refuses to cooperate any farther. She has demanded hundreds of thousands of galleons upfronted and relocation to Britain."
"No." Nicolas said without hesitation and Harry was surprised.
"No? She won't even open her mouth without a formal guarantee." Harry said.
"No, not happening. She is too crucial for us at her current location. After the newly acquired asset, she is our only true shot at knowing Grindelwald. Not to mention her rows with the Giovanni. If we are to separate that unholy union, we need a seductress as lethal as her." Nicolas said.
"She won't cooperate, Owl." Harry insisted.
"Then make her. Do whatever it takes. You have my approval." Nicolas said.
"Owl…" Harry trailed off, unsure yet very sure of what was happening.
"You have the department's potions prodigy as an asset. Use it." Nicolas said. "Nothing is too sacred here when it comes to your primary objective. Whatever the cost, you must meet it."
"That's easy for you to say, Owl, you are not out here in danger 24/7 having to do heinous shit." Harry snapped at the man's nonchalance. In a rare moment, Nicolas chose not to break down a rival and instead smiled meanly.
"Au contraire my dear. It is not you who pays. It's the conscript who pays. Every day out on the frontline they are held away from their families. They can't engage with the enemy out of the fear of the weapon. A weapon which you have yet to find anything about, I might add. All day they must wait for orders to scramble anytime an enemy attacks them." Nicolas said.
Harry stayed silent as Nicolas continued.
"So, before you decide to indulge in another pity party about doing things, do remember what's at stake here. You only see one part of the puzzle. I see an entire tapestry that must be unveiled here." Nicolas finished. They both stared at each other before Harry spoke first.
"I'm sorry, Owl. It will be done."
Nicolas sighed, "I know you will kid. I know you will. Just hang tight in there. A few more months and we will look for a break back home."
"Chimera out."
"Nicolas out."
Cho
Cho frowned as she looked down at her calculations. There were strange eddies in the flow of magic in this place. She was posted at an observation spot a few feet away from Lion to charter a portkey course from here to as far away they could get. The team had agreed on 3 scenarios. The best possible one would be to use a portkey that dropped straight in England. However, the wards around France would aggressively challenge a portkey not registered to the Axis government. Using the fireplace in the General's office was out. If any other agency heard about a link being established to Britain, they would be in trouble. Splicing themselves would be the best possible scenario. Having their travel rerouted Midjourney to a Black Hand torture cell would be the worst.
To make matters, once they were inside the secret base, travelling would get even worse. There were layers upon layers of interconnected charms within the security network that would immediately get triggered. Worst all, they were designed to actively evolve in real time to meet the challenge ahead. If she had time, it would be a glorious problem to solve. However, when they would inevitably come under fire inside there, every second would be precious. Cho wasn't sure she could crack the wards under such circumstances.
Cho ran a cursory glance over her work and then it a fit of anger threw the documents against the tree she was hiding under. She put her face in her hands and began to weep angry tears. She hated being the weak link every time around when it was time for action. Despite being blood relatives to Rho, she despised her for being so calm, collected, and confident in her own skin. Rho who had been her babysitter for today's soujorn, hugged from behind.
"You'll figure out a way, Eli" Bridget whispered. "I know you will."
Charlus Potter
Sweat poured from every orifice as he ran the gauntlet. Ever since the target had been declared, he had been running drill relentlessly. As the team's primary muscle, Charlus took it upon himself to push to the limits. Every mistake, every target missed, every opportunity wasted was ruthlessly evaluated.
He dodged, weaved, and fired back with his own curses. He was proficient in defense against the dark arts. He fired back mass scale counter curses before the enemy even finished uttering said curses. He summoned killed the simulation enemies without mercy or hesitation. He raised massive columns of fire that he tried to concentrate to maintain indefinitely while dueling with others. His skeleton groaned under the stress of channeling so much magic, but he pushed farther. When he was not dueling, he followed a militant regimen of squats, pushups, burpees, and barbells press.
It was a mighty effort that would have won him a place in the elites of every Auror company in the world. And Charlus knew it still wasn't enough. He knew he just didn't have the magical "density" or potential that Harry demanded in combat simulations. He didn't have it in him,a warrior, that his "brother" need to triumph.
And Charlus hated himself for it.
Even though Harry greatly complemented him with every effort. He could see in his eyes the worry. He saw it in every contingency he and Helena drew up. He saw it in every plan in which he assumed Charlus would need help with a certain juncture. He knew Harry wished deep down, well hidden, with all his might that Morrigan Gaunt was here.
And Charlus hated himself for it.
He had seen how upset Harry had looked when Mariam Shah had almost escaped. He had felt how he instinctively reaches out for Morrigan in Britain only to feel his bitter disappointment at her absence. The Black Hand had nearly bested them there.
He couldn't make the Earth explode, summon hellfire and thunder, or conjure leviathans to do his bidding like she could. He never designed so many contingencies when Morrigan was assigned to a task. Hell, Morrigan wasn't ordered to do it. He saw it in his tones, Harry knew what Morrigan wanted. Harry requested Morrigan to do things. He knew his younger brother thought her a superior witch to all those present including Nicolas Flamel, save perhaps Albus Dumbledore.
Charlus snorted at that. Sure, she was a large reservoir of magic and knew a few cheap tricks of the dark arts when hanging around with those Slytherins and Ravenclaws. She was pretty for a penniless "broad" but was too tall with eyes that glinted like those of a hungry python. Unlike so many legends of old, she never crafted the sorcerer's stone, never published research papers at the pace Dumbledore did, nor did she have any extracurricular work.
He wished it was sooner rather than later Harry realized that she was a liability more than an asset against whatever invisible enemies emerging in the future. Enemies for some reason that only he saw. He took a swing from his water bottle and prepared to battle again.
Sebastian
Sebastian grimaced as he saw the base from the cover of his invisibility bracelets. He took off his glasses and enhanced zoom vision went away. He gently massaged his eyes as he took in everything, he had learned so far.
"Lion to Chimera, this place is a fortress. No way we are getting in through there." He reported and allowed his head to drop. Stating that the place was a fortress didn't do it justice. The place is a village surrounding a fortress, with another village inside it. He had taken to calling it village A and B. Village A represented the general laborers conscripted from the local population to do gruntwork, it was located outside the fortress. Meanwhile, village B was inside the fortress and was most likely the residence of the base's personnel. This was only a preliminary scan of the place.
He still had no idea of what the base looked like from the inside. He had ventured into the outer village posing as a disgruntled worker itching for a drink. Within 15 minutes, he had drinking buddies who were most definitely undercover agents of the base. He had managed to evade the tail and saw one of the images on a propaganda poster sneeze and wipe his nose. That's when Sebastian realized that the entire series of posters were magical portraits who were keeping a literal eye over the populace.
No doubt, the picture that saw him at the bar didn't recognize him as one of the regulars of the bar and had alerted authorities. Worse off, the guards had bothered to respond and judging by their accents, they were all German. This was problematic. How many people did Grindelwald truly have on his side that he could spare people to look at every issue, even those reported by a portrait. Clearly, Axis casualties on the frontlines weren't an issue when it came to the reserve armies.
To make matters worse, there were guard dogs of magical varieties. He had seen spied young Cerberuses the size of a horse prowling the streets and battlements alongside the guards. An unknown number of charms and wards battered at his own magic. Every inch of the outer perimeter was under constant watch of magical orbs and under 24/7 lighting. Using the night's cover of darkness too would be rendered obsolete.
"Very well, Sebastian, pull out now. Rendezvous with Cho and Noble at the extraction point." Chimera spoke through their connection.
Base
Sebastian lay in his bed in the dark but couldn't sleep. The wise say that when you are about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. He knew that to be true. He was facing it right now. Grindelwald's fortress was the most well defended place in France. He knew life wasn't an action novel where the hero would prevail against all the vile odds. He knew in his heart of hearts that this was a suicide mission. Only one way. No returns.
His mind wandered to the choices that had led him here.
Warnings unheeded about his reckless ways, the thrill of addiction overshadowing any sense of responsibility. He had squandered his family's wealth, his opportunities, and his reputation. Pro-Quidditch teams laughed him out of practice and audition. A HIT squad position was lost to insubordination, and finally, the spiral into criminality to feed his insatiable hunger for more – more danger, more excitement, more escape.
Sebastian's addictions had driven him to ruin, the ministry's foreclosure on his ancestral house, a permanent stamp of dishonor. The tutting of former professors and peers, the disgrace he had brought upon the Prewett name – none of it had mattered as he chased the next high.
His descent into the underworld had been swift. He became a hunter, a bounty hunter, a mercenary. He hunted creatures, elves, and people with equal fervor, accumulating wealth and infamy. He had ruined many lives of innocent sentient creatures all just to have a bit more a golden metal. But his vices drained his coffers as quickly as he filled them from his new job. Soon, he was bankrupt, his ancestral cottage foreclosed by the Ministry. Shame had never touched him then, even when his former professors and acquaintances shook their heads in disappointment.
The law finally caught up with him during a sting operation. Faced with life in Azkaban, he took the plea deal with the Bureau, trading his freedom for conscription. It had saved his life, but at a steep cost. The missions were perilous, death lurking around every corner. Operating behind enemy lines eroded his sleep, paranoia becoming his constant companion. At times Sebastian had begun to feel like his mind was not really his own.
The war was relentless, the threat of death a constant companion. Behind enemy lines, paranoia was his only guard against the nightmares that Grindelwald housed in his barracks. And now, this mission. Assaulting Grindelwald's fortress was madness, a suicide mission cloaked in false bravado.
Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he remembered his cellmate, the cat burglar with a similar epiphany. They had bonded over their shared regrets and dreams of redemption. She was gone now, another casualty of a world gone mad. She had died on the first day in Africa. He longed to redeem his family's legacy, but he knew, deep down, that boat had sailed long ago.
The odds are too heavily stacked against them. He had contemplated going rogue. Making a deal with the Black Hand and turning over Harry and the rest to them. But every time he tried; something stopped him. It had taken a while for him to narrow it down, but then had realized it, he had to come to love the little buggers. They reminded him of what he could have been had he tried harder at life. Been more disciplined. Too further rub salt on his wounds, they were all almost a decade younger than him. Some of them are still even virgins.
Well. He blinked a couple of times and felt no traces of his sleep in his office and tossed his cover aside. He was too anxious to go to sleep. So, he might as well go outside and take a walk.
Goofing Off
"Tea. Its decaff, don't worry." Bridget said and gave it to her sister.
"Thanks" Elizabeth sniffled. She took a sip and smiled. "Sugary. You remembered!"
"Of course. Somebody must look after your lazy arse when you are out there working crazy calculations." Bridget said. "Besides I am older, bigger, and smarter – It's easy for me to remember things."
"Is that why you gave Dorea medicine with drowsiness in it?" Elizabeth said. "You're lucky you weren't there when she fell into her potion."
"Oh Eli! How could you ask me that?!" Bridget faux gasped. "You know I can't divulge private patient details like that! Imagine the scandal!"
Elizabeth laughed and tried to cover it up as tea escaped from her mouth.
"Besides, how dare you doubt my professionalism? I am anything but professionally immaculate." Bridget said.
"Bridget, by the time Sebastian pulled her out, she was sneezing tuna by the dozen. Nobody know what potion she was working on since its all too complex for us mortals." Elizabeth said. "Charlus finally had to call Harry back from the field to fix it. I am convinced she would have crucio'd you."
"Yes, well it all worked in the end, didn't it?" Elizabeth said.
"Oh no it didn't! She saw me struggling to not laugh and thought it was me who did it!" Sebastians said, as he entered with Helena. "Do you have any idea how difficult to get random furniture from biting at your arse?"
"Yes, well little miss princess Black should've thought of that before she was such a bitch to our boss." Elizabeth said. "The man's fighting a war and she chose to be prissy."
"So, you decided a proper medical diagnosis is stick up the rear?" Helena said and the twins laughed.
"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Sebastian said. "Harry fixed her up and now she is acting prim around him now, isn't she? A healer's job is to fix up their patient. Eli luv just chose to think outside the box."
"Hear hear!" Elizabeth raised her mug towards Sebastian. "Finally, somebody in this team appreciates and acknowledges my genius."
"You guys are awful. She is in a bad state right now. Wait till she gets around; you will love her." Helena declared. "She was my best friend at Hogwarts. Harry really likes and trust her, you all should trust his judgement if nothing else."
"Yeah, my front says take your time baby doll but my poor, bruised rear demands reparations." Sebastian said.
"Hopefully the Black family vaults won't run dry covering damages to that giant mound." Helena shot at Sebastian. The group let out a collective hooting sound at that.
"The kitten is not so innocent after all!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"She has claws!" Bridget said.
Sebastian grinned at that, never the one to be outdone. "Ah, so you did notice my good witch. Did our poor little Unspeakable spent countless restless hopeless nights thinking over that?"
He moved closer and towered over her. Bringing himself nearer to her ear, "Would you like a closer look, Madame Unspeakable? All you have to do is ask."
Helena turned visibly scarlet at that and stuttered. "W-well its I uh-"
The others started laughing at her reaction again and Helena childishly kicked Sebastian's shin and pouted.
"Oh, look she's already wagging her finger at him" Bridget said.
"Calm down Mrs. Prewett. The bum's not worth it. Toss him out and have him sleep on the couch. Will set him straight." Elizabeth.
"Oh, come on! What is this? Gang up on Helena night?" Helena complained. "Wait till Harry hears about this! Workplace harassment!" She said as she wagged her finger at them. They all once again burst into uproarious laughter.
"Speaking of all things Harry, where is the mysterious git?" Sebastian asked once everyone had calmed down.
"Out. He didn't say where or when." Helena replied.
"Wow." Sebastian muttered.
"In his defense, he is maintaining security, no?" Bridget said.
"Does he practice being like that?" Sebastian.
"Practice being like what?" Helena asked.
"Speaking in riddles all the time. Never a straight answer to anything." Elizabeth chimed in. "For heaven's sake I couldn't even get him to share his Hogwart's house for a month."
"He can be a bit odd. I will concede that, but he is really nice and kind man." Helena defended.
"So did he put on the mysterious act for the ladies back at Hogwarts or is the squirt really just an oddball." Sebastian asked again.
"Oh, he can be a bit weird. Dorea tells me he didn't talk to a single soul in Slytherin during his first two months beyond formal occasions." She said. "From what little he has told us; he didn't have a very happy childhood or a lot of friends his age growing up."
"And the come-hither green eyes and blonde hair? I find it very hard to believe there weren't girls, hell even some boys, that weren't onto him from day one?" Elizabeth said.
"Oh, there were girls. It's just that one of them was very convincing. Harry took a shine to her." Helena said. "And no one else was brave enough to intrude on her territory if you know what I'm saying."
"Ah! So, our mysterious, cutie turned super spy killer does have a lady in his life." Sebastian said. "What wouldn't I give to meet her. Bet she's the bubbly and fun-sized king and he is the brooding git."
Helena's mood darkened at that, "Trust me, you don't want anything to do with her. In fact, if my word means anything to your lot, stay away from her."
"Whoa, possessive type, is he?" Bridget said.
"It's not him. It's her." Helena said. "Also, can we just drop it? Its ruining the mood. Just trust me people, she is not worth it."
"Oh no no no." Elizabeth chided as she noisily dragged her chair near here. "This is too much of a juicy gossip to just casually drop."
"Yup. We aren't letting you out of the room till we get our answers." Sebastian said and twirled his wand towards the kitchen door, slamming it shut.
Helena sighed at that.
"Her name is Morrigan." Helena said.
"And? What is she like? Nice? Sporty?" Bridget asked.
"Uh, she is tall. Very tall." Helen replied.
"How did she and Harry meet?" Sebastian asked.
"I think it was a study group." Helena said.
"Boring." Sebastian whined at that.
"Does she have good knockers? Or is Harry more of a buns guy?" Elizabeth asked and the two snickered at that while Helena stared aghast at her.
"What?" She said to Helena. "She must be if she broke the boss's cold dark heart."
Helena sighed and rubbed her temples as she felt a headache coming on.
"Come on, love. Don't hold out on us." Sebastian egged her on.
"Powerful. She is very powerful." Helena started….
African Front
Morrigan grunted in pain as the souls rebelled against her. She could feel her ring's crystal groan and almost crack against the relentless assault of the souls. It was not so much that the souls were a match for her, but her circumstances that impeded her. Plain and simple, Morrigan made a mistake. She didn't like to admit it. She hated doing it. But she had done it, again. Now, it had come back to majorly haunt her.
When she had discovered the grimoire and dove into soul magic, she felt unstoppable. She imagined that is probably how the late Nicolas Flamel felt when he invented the philosopher's Stone. In that hubris, she had ignored the political side of things and stomped on the ego of petty men. Her CO had placed her under arrest for desertion, treason, abandonment, disobedience, and a dozen other military articles. She was in a mix of food comma and euphoria after the battle and had willingly surrendered. After all, it wouldn't make sense to fight one's own soldiers. She had surrendered her wand and walked into a holding cell.
Unfortunately, the prison was craftily designed by the Unspeakables to hold the very worst of what Grindelwald could muster. Thus, while her magic was down, the souls had chosen this as an opportune moment to revolt. Her followers so far had proven useless to get her out of this dump.
When she regained lucidity, Morrigan had promised bitter vengeance on all those who placed her here. She would flay the flesh from their bones and have their skulls used as chamber pots by house elves.
1 Week Later
The Abyss Looks Back at You
Harry had stared at the letter lying in front of him. Dorea had plucked it from the pile and wordlessly handed it to Harry. It wasn't sent back to HQ. He read the contents of it and his heart damn near stopped. If Dorea wouldn't have slapped him for it, he would have hugged her in gratitude.
The letter was a routine intel report detailing that they needed be worried anymore about the resurgent British. Apparently Morrigan Gaunt had revolted and launched an attack at their stronghold and easily broke through. It reported that Morrigan was scheduled for execution after a court martial. He was in his greenhouse trying to simulate accelerated growth for his plants when a sinister idea took root in his mind. This was a crisis from which they could greatly profit by. Harry had immediately started working on a forgery of the report. He altered it to include word that the Giovannis spies within the British military had insisted on Morrigan's execution after a kangaroo court to guarantee there wasn't any more defiance in them. He then forged another pair of orders in General Nimitz handwriting and on his personal stationery. He was lucky Sebastian was smart enough to nick all the items.
He sat meditating in front of the newly made scrying mirror. His thoughts were too excited when thinking about the future. He needed to calm down and sharpen his arguments to a fine point. Untold magical lives demanded it of him.
Nicolas appeared in the mirror, an incarnation of disappointment and rage. He spoke first before Harry could greet him.
"Red Mist." Nicolas said and input his set of charms. The engraved runes recognized it, confirming his ID. Harry did so likewise.
"Have you gone out of your mind, boy?" Nicolas demanded in a sharp tone. "Have the horrors impacted you so much that rational though is now beyond you?"
Harry stayed silent.
"A few innocents as collateral damage, I can stomach that fact. It is war after all. But now you want a wholesale massacre of innocents?! I should have you recalled immediately and institutionalized." Nicolas berated him. "I demand answers boy. What is wrong with you?"
"I am in perfect senses, Director Owl." Harry said. "I am merely acting upon orders given to me and constraints explained."
Nicolas's nostrils flared and it looked like he would punch the mirror in frustration.
"It is as you said, the longer we delay here, the more lives will be lost." Harry said. "What is more important, the lives of residents in a Grindelwald supported stronghold? Or the untold number of Russian, Canadian, Yankee, and British troops duking it out with Grindelwald? Also, not to mention the untold goblins, veelas, centaurs, elves, fae, and more that are imprisoned in his death camps."
"And this is the solution?" Nicolas asked in a deep voice.
"It is the only one that will work with the highest possibility of success. The French undergound has massively benefitted from our patronage. Ever since we brought Axis counterintelligence under us, we have massively rehabilitated their fighters. Their prisoners are released from black sites all over Europe." Harry said. "Its high time the Delacour family pay their debts to us."
Nicolas looked at him with a stony stare for a while, "You have become a man now, Petrov."
"Sir?" Harry asked and Nicolas started laughing. When he calmed down, he spoke again.
"I was waiting for you to bare your teeth, Chimera. It took you long enough." Nicolas said, "You have mine and the minister's blessing. Proceed with this, Operation Unthinkable."
"The minister has already approved?" Harry asked in shock.
"Aye, today's events have not been pleasant for her. Right now, if you had asked her to unleash the Dementors, she would have done so." Nicolas said. "Rest assured we will do everything from our end to ensure Morrigan plays her part. Also, I will personally oversee the projects with the Unspeakables. Your blueprints were most impressive."
The two stared at each other for a while.
"Kill them all, Chimera. No retreat. No hesitation." Nicolas said.
"Yes, my Lord." Harry replied.
2 Weeks Later
The Final Meeting
The room stared at him in unbridled horror, fascination, disgust, and awe.
Helena was in tears and Sebastian was sick. Rho and Cho were comforting them. Charlus looked at him gravely. The only one who was resolute was Dorea Black. She returned his stone eyed look with her famous Black one.
"Harry- you can't possibly do this!" Elizabeth said.
"Boss, I like you and all. I am loyal to a fault here but what you are suggesting here….. How are we any better than Grindelwald?" Sebastian asked while Charlus nodded at him supportively.
"Foolish." Dorea said in an icy voice. "We didn't start this war. Grindelwald did. Maybe the Axis forces should strop writing cheques they can't cash?"
"Hear hear" Bridget said and Elizabeth looked at her in shock.
"That still doesn't answer me, Dorea." Sebastian insisted. "Charlus, you are a Potter. For Merlin's sake say something! End this madness!"
Charlus remained silent and fiddled with his wand. The room stared at each other in silence that grew thick with tension as it grew.
"We didn't start this war. We weren't the ones who brought the weapon to bear. We weren't the ones who killed untold innocents. If Grindelwald threw his wand, all of us would much prefer to make a deal and go our separate ways. No more conscription. The kids get to stay at Hogwarts playing quidditch and eating chocolates instead of dying in trenches." Harry said. "If we threw in our wands, Grindelwald would hang our corpses from Knocturn Alley to the halls of the ministry. He would impose a tyranny that would last as long as our sun."
Sebastian and Helena shared a look.
"If we win, we go to our homes and family. We celebrate Christmas and pray for prosperity everywhere." Harry said. "I have seen the sheer carnage he causes. He took my magic from me and broke my core. He caused my friends to die in droves. And now the madman wants us to engage in a direct conflict with the muggles. If he wins, its either millennia of slavery or fiery death. If this is the price to pay to save others, I am willing to pay it."
He was charged up now and in his element. Emotion suppressed from a year of hardship threaten to erupt out. His voice became higher.
"I for one am damned tired of these so-called Dark Lords taking away everything from everyone. Trampling on lives and dreams. Tearing parents away from children. They have taken everything from me. Even my own name. This is what the world would become under him." Harry said. "I would rather fight alone to the last of Grindelwald's man than ever conceive of surrendering or running away again."
The room was silent. Dorea spoke first, "You will not walk alone, Harry. I am with you."
The others stared at her before Charlus spoke, "Whatever it takes, I am with you till the very end, Harry. You have saved my family countless times. The House of Potter stands with you."
"I suppose I am in; can't let you guys out of my sight." Sebastian sighed.
"I don't know about any of this, Harry. I am a researcher not a fighter. But I trust you, I'm in." Helena said.
"I suppose someone's gotta be there to patch you lot up. Always bloodying me clean floors." Bridget said. "And she is in too, trust me."
Bridget kicked Elizabeth on the shin, "Get up you cow"
"Why you insolent little.." And the two twins went at it with each other immediately. Even Dorea couldn't help but smile at the duo. Good, they would need the morale for what is to come.
One Night Before Op Unthinkable
The fire flickered gently into the dark as Dorea rested her head on Charlus' strong chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as they gazed into the flames, each lost in thought. Tomorrow they would depart for battle, to inflict upon him such an Unthinkable wound, the likes of which he would never recover from.
Dorea chuckled softly, her shoulders shaking slightly. Charlus, feeling the movement, gently shook her. "What's so funny?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Dorea shook her head, her dark hair brushing against his chin. "It's nothing, really. Just something silly. Ignore it."
Charlus wasn't satisfied with that. "Oh, come on," he teased. "It must be something interesting if it made you laugh. Let me guess... Harry?"
Dorea sighed, a wistful smile playing on her lips. "Yes, you got it. I couldn't help but think of him."
"Strange little fellow." Charlus said with a sad smile.
"I was just remembering when you took him flying after the semester ended. You were so sure of yourself, flying higher and higher. Arguing with him about something silly." Dorea said.
"OOF." Charlus winced, "Don't remind me."
"The mighty Gryffindor captain, my lion, turned red with purple trying to find a mouse running away from him in the clouds." Dorea teased. "Regardless of anything, I did think you looked very dashing with your hair all ruffled from flying so tough."
"You laugh Dorea, but he flew with the grace better than many professional seekers I have seen play." Charlus said. "Some of the moves he pulled off, it reminded me of my father talking about my grandfather's flying days. I could've sworn then that he was a Potter."
"Ah hah. And then you proceeded to transfigure the bludgers into angry birds and ordered them to chase him. I was so mad at you then." Dorea chuckled.
"I remember Helena taking your wand away before you did something drastic." Charlus said.
"I'm glad she did. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I accidentally damaged this stud's face." She said and leaned towards him for a kiss. Charlus returned her passion in kind and the two separated for a quick breather and rested against each other.
Dorea's eyes grew distant as she broke the silence. "I strangely felt maternal towards him at times, even though I'm only a year older. He was always such a small, fragile thing."
Charlus tightened his arm around her. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I felt the same way. He is small, frail, with a damaged magical core, but..."
"But he's oh so ferocious," Dorea finished, her voice filled with admiration. "Full of life and vigor."
Charlus smiled, his eyes reflecting the firelight. "He's the best of us, an example to all. We owe it to him to see this through."
"He would have made a spectacular Potter in another life." Charlus said.
"Nonsense. He would have been a prim and proud son of the House Black." Dorea countered.
"Oh yeah?" Charlus grinned, "Whoever wins this round gets to claim him for their house."
And he started to mercilessly tickle her, giving her no chance to respond.
"C-cha- Charlus" Dorea gasped through fits of laughter, "Stop it!"
The two laughed together and eventually ran out of energy as they cuddled again.
They fell silent, the weight of the coming battle pressing down on them. Dorea nestled closer to Charlus, her hand resting over his heart. "Promise me you'll stay safe tomorrow," she whispered.
Charlus began to protest, but Dorea shushed him, pressing a finger to his lips. "Just promise me," she insisted.
"I promise," he said softly. "But you must promise me the same."
"I promise," Dorea murmured, her voice growing drowsy as sleep began to overtake her.
Charlus held her tighter, feeling the rise and fall of her breath. As her eyelids drooped, he made one last request. "Dorea?"
"Mmm?" she replied sleepily.
"If something happens to me, promise you'll keep Morrigan away from Harry."
"Hmmm," Dorea mumbled, half-asleep, Charlus took it as a promise. He hugged her tighter, his heart aching with the fear of tomorrow.
Helena X Sebastian
Helena whispered quietly, "Alohomora" and then went inside the room. Sebastian was immediately on alert and lowered her wand once he spotted her.
"You're breaking the curfew, kitten." He said.
"Umm yes. It maybe our last night alive, you know. I just wanted to talk." She said.
"What can I do for you, love?" Sebastian asked. Helena fidgeted with her robes and pulled out her wand and let them fly away. She stood in her birthday suit in front of Sebastian. Even his eyes widened in surprise at her boldness. Helena took a closer step to him.
"I want a closer look, Sebastian." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.
"I am all yours, kitten." Sebastian said and hugged her closely.
Harry Petrov
It was a pet project of his. He had been inspired by reading a muggle comicbook about an iron superhero who had a contraption in his heart that kept him alive. He had thought about asking Dorea and Bridget for help with this, but ultimately decided against it. They would neither agree nor understand. So, he stood in front of a mirror with his chest torn open and his beating heart visible. He had spent a lot of time yesterday collecting the potions to make this happen.
His pet project, a purple crystal lay beside him.
His loyal spider mechanically purred as it stabbed, slashed, pricked, installed the crystal, and then sewed him shut. Harry grimaced as he was taken from the spider's eyes and thrown back into his own.
"It was for the greater good." Harry convinced himself. "For the greater good."
Operation Unthinkable.
The Plunge
Phase 1
The Piranhas were unleashed. They watched in silence as their safehouse for the past six months caught fire and burned everything inside. A guerilla from the French underground hauled away an unconscious Mariam Shah to another facility with Dorea marching with him. Rho, and Librarian (Helena) saluted them and apparated away to another facility where they would support the operation.
Cho, Noble, and Lion gathered around Chimera and ran a final equipment check. All of them were in their latest combat armor with batches of potion and grenade flasks with them. Upon confirmation Lion took out a large cloak and covered them all under its invisibility. Chimera raised an eyebrow at that and made a mental note to discuss it in the future with the boy. Meanwhile, Chimera closed his eyes and metamorphosed his features to look like Nimtiz's adjutant.
The real adjutant had been assassinated by Sebastian last afternoon, having outlived his usefulness.
"Stick close to me." Chimera whispered and walked towards the building of the Military Intelligence. Since past few hours they had flooded the Axis intelligence with news of a massive collapse in the British frontlines. Right on cue the early morning Daily Prophet had released news congratulating Lord Goldilocks for assuming his rightful place as the British Minister of Magic. He thundered against the forces in Africa calling them cowards and declaring them as traitors. The Daily Prophet had all but used the word "coup" in their column with the current status of Minister Bones unknown.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Kilometers away. Peter Smith anxiously chewed on his nails as the map showed a massive attack launched by the Axis forces. He briefly considered calling it a day and legging it back to Britain through his personal floo. He had almost done that when a disgusted Lord Abott appeared in it and told him to stand fast. Retreat would not be allowed. Peter almost fainted at that but the fear of losing his rank kept him upright. The newly minted Lord George Abott wasn't fond of fools and cowards, or so he had heard.
He would proceed to lose the rank anyhow when a pair of invisible agents materialized around him and immediately disarmed him. A pair of keys were taken from him, and handcuffs placed on him.
"General Smith, you are under arrest on charges of treason and military excess." The agent said.
"You fools know who I am? Who my father is? You and your pals are dead! Lord Parkinson will hear of this!" Peter squeaked.
"Oh, don't worry." One of the agents said as he kicked him in the groin, "You are about to meet him."
Peter was pushed through the fireplace and landed in a cell next to a beaten-up Lord Parkinson in his torn silk robes. Lord Parkinson stared at him for a solid minute as a solitary figure neared the cells.
"You intelligence fools think you are so smart." Parkinson said, "The military will never accept this sham. They will turn their wands on you as soon as they hear of this."
"Not when they sit fat on military victories upon military victories." Nicolas Flamel said.
Back in the African front, Cassieopeia Black immediately opened the door and handed Morrigan her wand. She quickly told Morrigan about the change in leadership in one single breath before she cursed her innards inside out. She then handed her a pepper-up potion and said, "Complements of Harry Petrov."
Ah, her love. Always so kind to her. So protective. Morrigan giggled as she felt her strength and consciousness return. She pointed the wand at her ring and felt the souls trapped inside shriek in agony. Having restored her mantle, Morrigan whistled as she marched through the dungeons to where the fighting was.
It was time to hunt.
Phase 2
"Adjutant Nicolas." General Nimitz barked as soon as he saw him. He looked absolutely livid.
"What in the blazes is happening. Who authorized the propaganda push? I don't certainly remember doing it! If I found out you had a hand in it-"
"Imperio." The Adjutant whispered and the General silenced himself. The General then marched and started drafting a series of urgent letters to the Giovani fortress south of here.
"Giovani Station. Situation critical. FoB 0910 is about to immediately fall. Request immediate deployment of two weapons to turn the tides." The General read and sent the letter. They waited in silence, Harry under the garb of an Adjutant and the rest under Charlus's cloak. Harry meanwhile commanded the general to tell his operatives to aggressively push for news about the stable situation of FOB 0910. They assumed it was merely an attempt to keep the general population in dark and didn't question it.
A few kilometers away a claw reached a gestation pod and grabbed the hair of a screaming child. The hand slapped the child across the face and cruelly inserted a gag in his mouth to prevent the kid from biting his tongue. Two children were dragged from their collars by a Giovanni enforcer as he quickly jogged towards the fireplace. He muttered the usual security phrases as his team stood behind him.
The fireplace glowed green as the phrases were uttered and transported them to Nimitz's office. The lead vampire, Eric, smelled the ambush before the room even materialized in front of him. He held one of the kids as human shields and with his preternatural strength kicked the other towards whoever it was. Despite this premonition, not all vampires were sharp enough. Two made no effort to defend themselves and took two firebolts to their faces before they stabilized inside the fireplace. They were immediately reduced to ashes. Eric ran and struck her conjured shield with all his might. Another bolt of fire raced towards him, but Eric dodged it and threw a blood curse in response. Elena, his second, grinned in satisfaction as she heard Sebastian's bones give away to her kick. To his credit, he didn't drop his wand but grabbed her leg. Elena yanked it away but was too late. He already had a wand in her face and whispered, "Dead. Again."
A firebolt immediately set her ablaze and she dashed to no avail. She died screaming.
Three down, two remaining Eric sadly thought. Before he could think further the grand desk transfigured into a rampaging wooden bull that impaled its horns in Eric. Eric transformed into a pool of blood and slithered away. He materialized near a man in Grindelwald's military suit.
"What in Tartarus are you doing boy? Fight back!" He yelled at his newfound ally as he saw the witch decapitate the head of the last Giovanni vampire in the room. "I take left. You take right. We fight our way out."
Unfortunately for him, the last thing he heard was diffindo. His head fell clean of his shoulders. The witch then conjured a stake and shoved it through his chest.
As the dust settled down, Harry took a headcount and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing all of his team alive and whole. Cho raced to the fireplace as guards gathered outside to hear the commotion. "Cho, get the floo connected to LZ3, double time! And get the kid out there. Leave the girl. The rest of you, guard her!" Harry ordered as he ruffled his uniform and hair. He mentally ordered General Nimitz to go with him.
"Guards!" General Nimitz barked and many appeared in front of him demanding a situation report.
"We are under attack! The Giovannis have made a deal with the thieving British. They are mounting a coup against Lord Grindelwald. They meant to decapitate us, his eyes and ears. We whose loyalty is second to none." Nimitz said and the assembled troops roared in anger and hurt. Harry could sense the real General Nimitz was a respected man amongst the rank and file.
"Initiate code red and mobilize all the units!" Nimitz shouted.
"What for, general?" One of the captains questioned.
"Its time for us to strike back at these leaches. For Grindelwald! For the Rei€h!" Nimitz roared and his troops roared back in response.
Glorious. Harry couldn't help but think. Things were going perfectly for now.
Harry, we have a problem. Cho said and Harry sighed in frustration. Almost perfect.
What is it? Harry asked.
I sent the kid to the LZ but I couldn't get through to the fortress. They are on a lockdown. Cho said.
He was hoping to sneak in a few dozen troops through the fireplace directly inside the fortress but didn't mind improvising. Harry ordered General Nimitz too spread the news of the Giovanni coup all over the world. Hopefully, other military bases too would take inspiration from them and attack the nearest vampire den.
He looked down at the kid, shivering near his leg and shut his emotions down. Now was not the time to be sentimental.
Arcane Intelligence Bureau
A hundred operations were being directed all over the building as the British military began its counterattack. The young Lord Abbot handed tactical command of all ground troops to Morrigan and told her to give them hell. Meanwhile, the top mind from Hogwarts, the Bureau, and the Unspeakables were looking over the kid that just popped from the floo network. The site was a designated drop off for the weapon, whatever it may be, that Harry captured in the field.
They began to run tests, magical instruments humming and glowing as they analyzed the boy's essence.
"This is Grindelwald's superweapon?" Croaker's voice was low and skeptical. He inspected the readings with a critical eye. "There's nothing obvious here. We might be missing something... or perhaps this is a trap."
"Wait," Flamel muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes narrowed as he focused on a particular pattern within the magical weaves. "This... this isn't just raw magical energy."
Croaker leaned in; his curiosity piqued. "What is it, Director?"
Flamel's face grew pale as realization hit him. "It's an Obscurus."
An Obscurus, a manifestation of suppressed magical energy, was rare and exceedingly dangerous. It was the dark byproduct of a young wizard or witch forced to repress their magic, often resulting in catastrophic power when unleashed.
In his lifetime he had seen only one such occurrence and that was a long time ago.
Albus….Ariana…..
"By Merlin." Nicolas whispered, "Gellert, what have you done?"
Nicoals shook his head before turning to the operations director, "Get the data to Chimera ASAP."
He turned to the rest of his team,
"We must stabilize him," he said. "If the Obscurus fully awakens, it could kill us all."
France
It's always the children. Why is it always the children. Him the chosen one. Now these, the so called obscurus.
No, he couldn't afford to delay any longer. They need to take the facility right now and end this nightmare once and for all. As the troops rallied outside the HQ, preparing to attack the fortress, saboteurs for the French underground raided the prisons below.
"Floo for LZ666 is ready, Chimera." Cho said and Harry hugged the kid in his lap.
"I am sorry, little one. But it will all be over soon." Harry whispered, "Imperio."
Nicolas had strictly forbidden awakening the obscurus. Their mental instability made them too dangerous for it. Better he wakes up in an axis stronghold than near them. He guided the child to the through the floo and ordered him to hide as close as possible to the military installation.
"Adjutant, we are ready to raid the leeches." A guard said and he nodded at him. It was time to attack.
Harry silently whistled as the troops gathered and encircled the forest. Harry sent a mental command to General Nimitz to begin the assault in whatever way he judged best. Military strategy wasn't a forte of his like espionage was.
The General ordered his troops to level the outer village so as to prevent brutal close quarter combat from impeding his troops from scaling the walls. A few men stepped forward and chanted in unison, "Fiendfyre!"
"They can control that thing?" Charlus whispered in shock to him, and Harry let his skepticism show. Soon the collective flame grew into a large fire ball that struck the village. It instantly obliterated more than half of the village and Harry could've sworn he heard screaming from the outer village. However, the fireball was locked in place and didn't burn anything further.
"Damn it!" Cho yelled. "They are using counter-curses on it. We must stop them."
Harry nodded in understanding; he had suspected something similar.
"General, keep your men pouring into that thing. It mustn't extinguish!" Harry ordered and the General nodded obediently.
"Lion, Cho stay put. Noble on me, we are going to aim the bastards down from afar." Harry yelled over the chaotic dim of battle. He could enough of Charlus's affirmative to proceed forward.
The two boys neared the village and could feel the scorching heat of the fiendfyre. Beyond them a stern voice ordered
He signaled to Charlus, pointing to the left flank of the circle. Charlus gave a curt nod and veered off silently. They had done this countless times before, this should be no different.
Charlus, ever eager, was the first to strike. With a flick of his wand, he sent a silent bonebreaker at an unsuspecting vampire. The leech's head blew. The rest of the vampires panicked and jumped away from him. Harry seized on their panic and pounced. He took a flask with a volatile potion and lobbed it at the gathering.
"Too slow" One of the vampries grinned as he leaped into the air and caught the falling grenade. The rest guffawed as they stared down at him.
"Dumbass." Harry whispered as he pointed the wand at his temple and lashed out with his psi at the three stooges. The stopped laughing at scratched at their skulls as psychic lances pummeled the soft meat of their brain. This opportunity was all Charlus needed as he sent an incendio at the vampire holding the flask. That immediately caused an explosion that engulfed all three in a fire. The fiendfryre dangerously creaked and Harry sent a message back to the general. He could hear footsteps running towards them, undoubtedly survivors of the first volley looking to tango.
Cho, we are going to link to you via magic. When we say it, apparate us back to your location. Harry sent.
Affirmative Harry barely heard under the terrible heat.
Charlus, cover. Harry whispered and Charlus surrounded them in a bubbled portego. As soon as the footsteps got closer.
"AVADA KADEVRA" One of the opposing wizards yelled but Harry was faster.
"Now Cho!" And he felt a tugging sensation grab him from the navel and hurl him back. He got back just in time to see the fiendfyre conjuration swallow the killing curse like it was nothing and proceed to level the outer village in fire.
Charlus stared at him in shock, "That killing cuse, it wouldn't have been stopped by our shields."
Harry shrugged, such danger was a part and parcel of the job.
"General" Harry ordered, "Scale the walls."
A near hundred troops roared as they got up from their trenches. Meanwhile, Harry ordered his team to pull back slightly. His decision was vindicated that as soon as the soldiers came close, the walls became alive. The soldiers that reached the battlements engaged in brutal CQC fights with Giovanni vampires. Meanwhile, concrete gollums emerged from the walls and stomped the troops to death. Harry didn't care one whit for these men. They were not his soldiers but Girndelald's. They signed up for such fates when the did for Grindelwald.
Team, take point on a trooper and place them under imperious. Harry ordered and the team followed. Soon 4 soldiers were under their direct control.
"Have them rush near enough to the wall and unleash fiendfyres!" Harry yelled.
"They can't control it" Cho shot back.
"Doesn't matter. As long as they kill a few Giovannis, everything is perfect." Harry ordered. The conjurers soon strained against this immense task and began to fall dead, leaving their summons masterless and do as they please. Soon flaming serpents erupted from the walls. It engulfed retainer, vampire, ghoul, and trooper alike as it didn't have a foe – friend detector.
Meanwhile Harry took a bunch of seeds and started dipping them in his alchemy oil. He mixed them together and poured them into a flask. He took it then levitated it as far away from their location as possible. The numbers on both sides began to thin as the ground beneath the duo rumbled and large green vines burst from the ground and hugged the walls. Harry ran along the length and breadth of vine and got closer to the wall's foundations.
"Maintain stealth. Don't let the golems see you." Harry ordered. He pulled out his bag containing his formulated mercury collection and let it fall near the foundations. As if it wasn't bizarre enough to see massive vines strain against the fortress walls, a series of large explosions shocked fighters as the walls collapsed below them. Harry glanced through the general's eyes to see he still had 100 fighters left in reserve. He could feel the general's fury and sadness at seeing so many of his men dead at the battlements. Harry formed a psychic lance and cudgeled the general's brain till his eyes and noses blead.
"The walls are down, Nimitz. Order your men through." Harry ordered and Nimitz parroted the word back.
"But sir, a private spoke up. We have lost 90% of our force on the walls, we will surely be killed inside." He whimpered.
"Avada Kadevra!" Harry coldly said and felt pain erupt through him as his core whined.
"Adjutant?" one of the men questioned in shock.
"The General's orders are absolute. Fulfill your oaths to Grindelwald and the Empire. Defend your lord. Charge the fortress!" "Adjutant" Harry yelled, and the troops nervously followed. Almost 30 died on the way there. Some were ripped apart by words that triggered when physical presences were near. Some fell prey to muggle-esque land mines but magically designed. The team followed the path of corpses as they navigated around depleted traps and found their way inside the castle.
Harry couldn't help but smirk, this really was working out.
Final Frontier
They stood before a set of large, imposing wooden doors. The intricate carvings on the surface easily broadcasted a not so welcome message. The team exchanged a weary glance. Their quarry lay just beyond this door. Unfortunately, there was a problem.
In front of the doors stood four vampires, their presence radiating a feral hunger. They were clad in crimson suits and robes, their eyes glinting with a dangerous agression. Harry knew that these would not be ordinary combatants or guards. In all honesty they were an elite crop of House Giovanni.
Harry reached into his pouch and pulled out a few pepper-up and health potions. The vials clinked softly as he handed them out to his companions. They downed the potions in silence, the rejuvenation coursing through their veins like virgin blood in a vampire's veins. The lead vampire lowered his spear at Harry and the team readied for battle.
No words were exchanged. They were too far along in the battle for words. The sheer hatred in their eyes for each other was sufficient to convey a message.
The mages scrambled first, their wands raised, spells at the ready. The vampires followed in response, moving with preternatural speed and grace. The air crackled with magic and tension as each mage engaged their foe.
Harry squared off against the lead vampire, whose cracked moon-like skin and ruby red eyes glinted with a malevolent hunger. The vampire sneered, a sinister smile curling his lips. With a flick of his wrist, it summoned a blade of crimson energy, the very essence of blood magic. An impressive bit of transfiguration.
Harry grinned at the challenger. Psi energy crackled around his eyes as Harry readied himself.
The vampire lunged, his blade slicing through the air. Harry dodged, the blade grazing his side and drawing a thin line of blood. He retaliated with a burst of psi energy, aiming directly at the vampire's mind. The force of it caused the vampire to stagger, but he quickly recovered, his eyes blazing with fury.
"You'll need more than tricks to defeat me, boy," the vampire hissed, his voice like gravel.
He raised his hands, and the blood from Harry's wound lifted into the air, forming tendrils that whipped toward him. Harry countered with another psychic lance, but the vampire resisted it.
He fed off the blood, his strength visibly increasing. He surged forward, his speed almost too fast to follow. And struck Harry. A punch to his gut and a slam into a wall followed by being thrown across the room. Harry tried to conjure another lance, but the vampire was faster and threw a tendril of crystalized blood that Harry dodged.
Simply brute forcing wouldn't work. The ancient vampire was far too smart for that.
"Scared little boy? You should be!" The vampire mocked.
"Your taunts need significant rewrite old one." Harry said. Meanwhile, he pulled out an energy crystal and focused on that. One of Morrigan's excellent works to store excess energy for emergency use. Harry focused on the vine outside and reached out to it. Harry also took a flas of Edurus potion and completely emptied it. His skin turned to rock as a defensive coating encased him.
The vampire chose this moment to strike and pummeled Harry with his heightened strength. He also struck with bolts of raw chaotic energy and Harry knew his potion wouldn't last long against such an onslaught. The ground shuddered beneath them, but the vampire paid no mind. Probably a remnant of some other fight.
"Your potion is giving away, little boy. Any last words?" The older vampire hysterically laughed at that. He raised his fist to strike down again but a stream of wood, plants, and thick vines burst the from the ground beneath him and impaled the vampire through the chest. He shrieked as his body began suddenly paralyzed. Harry spat out a goblet of blood from his mouth, "Just one actually, old timer."
Harry forced the mans to look inti his eyes and whispered, "Now justice."
The vampire screamed in agony as a psychic lance tore through his unsecured mind and injured body. He screamed till his eyes rolled and they went limp.
"Incednio" Harry whispered and walked away as the vampire on fire suddenly turned to ash.
Harry glanced around his team and proudly noticed that none of them had been seriously injured and all had won their fights on their own.
Factory of Horrors
Before him stood rows of massive glass tubes, each one filled with a viscous, white goo. Suspended within the goo were children, their eyes closed, and faces twisted in expressions of torment. Strange contraptions were affixed to their heads, pulsing with life. They occasionally twitched as if having a bed dream.
"Noble, Lion – turn this place upside down. Grab all documents, records, and evidence. Tag it and bag it. Move!" Harry ordered. "Cho there's the fortresses's private floo on second floor get it working on our coordinates. We need these children at their final destination right now!"
"Aye" Three different voices said, and they got to work.
Are you really going to do it? His inner voice said and Harry ruthlessly quashed it. Now was the time for action, not monologuing. Top of Form
Later
THE DAILY PROPHET
Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald Suffers Unthinkable Defeat
Series of Mysterious Explosions Rock Axis Empire; Revolts Reported Across Three Continents
In a stunning turn of events that has reshaped the global landscape, the Axis Empire, led by the notorious Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald, has been dealt a devastating blow. Reports flooding in from multiple sources confirm a series of mysterious explosions near Grindelwald's military bases and industrial strongholds, plunging his once-unstoppable war machine into chaos. Initial civilian death toll is estimated to be at 300,000 people with unconfirmed sources citing even higher.
Witnesses from Europe, Asia, and Africa, previously under Grindelwald's tyrannical grip, are now speaking out about open revolts erupting in major cities and strategic locations. Citizens long oppressed by Grindelwald's regime have seized the opportunity to rebel, sparking widespread uprisings that threaten to dismantle his empire from within.
Meanwhile, in the theater of war, Allied forces have capitalized on the Axis Empire's weakened state. In Africa, where Grindelwald's troops were spread thin, Allied offensives have pushed as far as Italy, liberating the nation from Axis control. The streets of Rome are reportedly filled with jubilant crowds celebrating their newfound freedom.
In Eastern Europe, occupied Russia has achieved a monumental victory, reclaimed all its lost territories and launched a formidable offensive from Poland. With the German heartlands now vulnerable, Russian forces stand poised to strike deep into Axis territory, marking a pivotal moment in the war.
The rapid succession of these developments has left military analysts and political leaders alike scrambling to comprehend the full implications. The once-unquestioned dominance of Gellert Grindelwald now appears to be in jeopardy, with the Axis Empire facing unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts.
As the world watches with bated breath, one thing is certain: the tide of war has shifted dramatically. The defeat of Gellert Grindelwald, once thought inconceivable, now looms as a distinct possibility, signaling a potential turning point in the struggle against tyranny and oppression.
For further updates and analysis on this breaking story, stay tuned to The Daily Prophet, your trusted source for magical news and events.
Bottom of Form
Author Notes: Please read and review.