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February 16, 1945
Tuesday Morning
"Come along," Elaine said, gesturing for Harry to follow her into the main hall of the second floor and out of their bedroom now that he was completely dressed. "They'll be over within the next thirty minutes. It's only proper if we greet them, all of them, and we both know who amongst those invited will arrive first, don't we?"
Aster, Harry thought as he got to his feet and ran his hands down his shirt to clear away any of the wrinkles that had settled in the half an hour or so that he had been seated in silence. Aster would be here within the hour… I still don't know how I'll face him after everything that happened. I should have better protected him, and if I had, Reinhard and I would have had his brain when we needed it most. I know with Aster alongside us, he would have thought of something. There's never a situation that he doesn't have a plan for.
"Who else did you invite? Sorry, I don't… I don't recall it all that well, I might have taken too much dreamless sleep the night before, or that potion you brewed that cleared my headache," Harry shook his head to get rid of the fog that had begun to settle, and after doing so, he slid his arm through Elaine's so that they could better walk with one another. It never occurred to him that it was her favourite way to travel, rather, it was something that had just stuck with him over time by this point in their relationship.
Elaine cocked her head at him, but she didn't remark on his words. Whilst she had said one day of overwhelming gentleness was all that he would receive from her before they would train harder than ever before, she had lied. Instead of those words ringing true, she had invited their closest friends over for a celebration of Reinhard — a memorial, if you will. For Harry, the passing of his friend and the dozens upon dozens of other Aurors was still too fresh, and the Ministry being in shambles didn't help, but Elaine assured him that one day wouldn't make a difference. He figured after everything that he had seen, that she was right. There was nobody at the Ministry or in the entirety of the commonwealth aside from himself and Elaine together, that could defeat Grindelwald. The best of the best throughout all of Europe had tried and failed to contain the man, but now, they did have an advantage, she stressed to him.
Grindelwald had possessed the Elder Wand, the greatest wand ever created, and when he had been felled the first time, it fell into Harry's possession as he had been the one to kill the man after one last spell had struck Dumbledore. It was rightfully his by way of being the only living Peverell anyhow, but now it was firmly in his possession alongside the Stone, and should they get the cloak, their dreams could be realised; Elaine wanted it more than she said she did, but currently, it wasn't the highest priority. All that mattered was Grindelwald being killed, again, and this time, killed enough that he didn't make a second return. In regards to that, Elaine hadn't said all that much, she was simply silently contemplative. It was unnerving, and she seemed to have a great deal of thought put into how he had made his return, but nothing was 'concrete' as she'd said.
"You're zoning again, aren't you?" Elaine asked after he felt a pinch on his buttocks, one that broke him free of his brain so that he could see her before him rather than the faces of the dead and the smugness of Grindelwald. "I'm not cross with you, far from it. You have to understand, even if you and I try to avoid looking into one another's minds for the sake of privacy, there will always be a modicum of emotions and thoughts that reach me when your brain is especially active. It's the main reason I haven't pushed you, my love. You complete me in a literal sense you're as of yet unaware of, but that doesn't matter. Your happiness and well-being are far more important… which is why I'd like for you to consider staying back when we cross wands with him. Avoid risking yourself, fill where you deem fit and allow me to do the bulk of the work. I'll kill that man for you, and many more."
Harry smiled and felt his chapped lips crack in various places in doing so. "Later. We'll talk about him and everything else pertaining to him later. Today is his day, Reinhard's day, remember?" he smiled as he looked towards the sky, and then chuckled when he looked down, at the ground. "Who's coming, again? I'll pay attention, I promise."
Elaine pressed further into his side and wrapped her arms completely around him, and then she spoke again; as she did before, she let go of his lack of attention and contented herself with his presence. "Corene will be coming, my cousin would like to apologise to you and see how you're doing — she's more attached to you than I enjoy, but I'll save that for another time. I trust you. Aster and Druella will be joining us, Druella insisted that she be here for Aster and you both. Emiline and Daphne, for both of them knew Reinhard well and would like to pay their respects. Finally, and at your request, I saw to it that Ashley Hawke and Joseph D'Magi were invited."
He wrinkled his eyebrows at that. "I don't recall asking you to invite either of them."
"You made mention of them yesterday, and perhaps throughout the day the pair of them were on your mind, as were Aster, Reinhard and Clifford," Elaine shook her head at the lattermost name and looked out of one of the large bay windows as they descended the stairs to the first floor's parlour room. "Yaxley hasn't been seen nor heard from since the last time I spoke with you about him. I had hoped to give you news with good tidings on that front, but it's as if he's simply vanished off the face of the earth."
He could very well be one of the wizards we fought and killed, or he fled rather than face Grindelwald's rath… Walburga, she's probably going to do the same now that the tide has turned again. I'd like to speak with he—
"Walburga won't be leaving the country," Elaine said promptly, her eyes and voice both sharper as she met his eyes. "I personally saw to that, my love. You may feel merciful for the woman, but she betrayed Hogwarts, she betrayed us, and she betrayed all those that were killed throughout the entirety of the conflict. I would pick those I pity more carefully."
Harry nodded a few times, more so for his own benefit, and then they entered the parlour room. It felt warmer and more personal than it had only yesterday thanks to the redecorating that Elaine had done with the aid of Laddey and the other house elves. For him, it felt as if Christmas was right around the corner, such was the feeling the home was giving off.
He was thankful for that. It made him feel… normal. Almost as if the world wasn't likely ending in the next few weeks if they failed to stop the newly-risen Grindelwald.
Surprisingly, Aster hadn't been the first to arrive. It hadn't been one of the girls either, but Ashley Hawke, one of Harry's friend group of five blokes and shortly thereafter, Joseph, became the first of the guests to show up. They barely had a chance to speak before the Floo went off again, nought but a minute or so later from Joseph's arrival, and the person that popped out of the fireplace was the one that they had been expecting early; Aster, and where he was, Druella followed almost immediately.
"Harry, if you and the others would like, you could lead them to the dining room whilst Druella and I wait for the others to arrive," Elaine said with a look shot at the other girl in the room, one that was very purpose-filled as Aster moved with a slight limp towards the three other boys.
He nodded, smiled at her, and gestured for the others to follow him. Harry paused and turned back to Aster, and when he saw the boy taking far longer than was usual of him to walk, Harry moved over to offer him what looked to be some much-needed assistance. It was then, finally, that Aster made to speak and when he did so, his voice wasn't half as horrible-sounding as Harry had expected.
"Thanks, Pev," Aster said, his voice nasal-sounding and with an odd quality to it, the smile that followed further perplexed Harry, but he didn't comment on it as he aided his friend in walking. "I'm glad to see you. All three of you. This doesn't feel real, still."
Oh. Right. He's just come free of the Hospital Ward for this, he's not fully himself yet and the potions they gave him, I think one of them was meant for a lot of pain… that makes sense now.
"I'm glad to have you over, all three of you," Harry said, including the other two as they slowly strolled towards their destination of the dining room, where a bountiful amount of food and drink waited for them. "How're you doing, Aster? Really?"
Aster drew in a deep breath, and then he exhaled with the slightest rattle-like quality heard. "I've been better. Those spells that struck me did quite a bit of damage all throughout my body, but thanks to you, Pev, I'll be fine. If it weren't for you and how fast you got me out of there, I don't think I'd be where I am right now," he shook his head and rolled his shoulders, grimacing despite the many potions he had drunk only an hour or two earlier.
"How about… you know?" Joseph offered up with a nod back to where they had come from. His question was obvious, but he hadn't the heart to truly ask it. Harry doubted any of the four of them did, for their group had always been five — practically six — thanks to the giant that wa- had been Reinhard, and now there was a void whence he had been. It would never be filled, no, Harry knew there would never be a new bloke in their friend group.
"I've made my peace with it. We all knew Reinhard, he loved a good fight and if he went, he would always say loudly that he'd want to go down fighting. Sometimes, I think he'd pick fights just for the sake of having one. I wish it could have ended differently, I think we all do, but it would have happened this way eventually. It's not like we won't ever see him again either. We will, all of us, one day. I just can't tell when that'll be and please, we all know he wouldn't want us crying. He'd be laughing at us all if we did — now, lead on Pev, I'd like to get to the part where we all start drinking and telling stories about him if you'd be so kind."
Harry reckoned he could do that if nothing else, and so he did. He led his three friends the remainder of the way in silence, stopping only when the four of them reached the dining room where four tables lay in wait with all manner of foods and drinks that any sane person could think of; no, that wasn't right, it was far too much for any sane person, but the four of them started in on it anyhow.
The drinks flowed freely, the smiles came out and the stories started as they should. There were too many to recall, truth be told, but there was one that Aster had told from a time before he had come to the world that was too enjoyable to forget.
Reinhard had loved women before he came to love fighting more than them. It was in their fourth year, the year before Harry had come to greet the lot of them and get to know them as the brothers he now thought of all of them, and during that year, Reinhard had asked to date no less than thirty witches throughout Hogwarts. One after the other after the other denied him, each for his size, his attitude, his clumsiness or what have you, but there was one that played a trick on him rather than the other way around as it had typically been.
She had told him that if he shaved his facial hair off, then she would give him a chance and since he hadn't been overly attached to it, Reinhard had done just that with a giddiness that nobody would have expected. For whatever reason, however, he couldn't shave his moustache or a bit of the hair under his bottom lip, and try as he might, nothing would work — still, he tried to speak with the girl again, but she denied him, laughing and pointing at his chin where the remainder of the hair had been.
Druella, it had been Aster's sister, and she had charmed it so that he couldn't shave his face clean unless he knew the counter to what she had done, and if he had, she would have allowed him to take her out. It was then that the younger boy truly began to like her, and after all of this time, from what Aster had said, that was the reason that Reinhard hadn't shaved; the spell had still been on his face and he was adamant that he would see it removed so that he could date Druella. Unbeknownst to all of the others, that 'deal' was the reason Aster didn't want anybody else hitting on his sister, for between his best friend and his sister, a deal had already been made.
That brought Harry's mood down for the remainder of the evening, at least until he spoke with Corene an hour or so after.
"Hello, Harry, Aster, Ashley, Joseph," Corene greeted each boy in turn as she seemingly appeared from out of thin air over the former most boy's shoulder. "My condolences for the loss of Reinhard… may I please steal Harry away from this conversation for a few moments?"
It was clear that Corene didn't know exactly what to say or how to say it, but the fact of the matter was, she tried. He couldn't complain that she had, and so he shrugged, nodding at the boys as they carried on with their conversation whilst he stood up to walk away with her.
"Thank's for coming, Corene," Harry said by way of greeting, smiling at the girl and dipping his head in a respectful manner as they moved further out of the dining room, where everybody now sat about eating and drinking whilst discussing various topics, Reinhard the foremost amongst them.
"As Elaine has likely said, I would like to offer up an apology. If it hadn't been for the information that my father passed along to me from sources unmentioned, the attack that the Auror Corps and Department of Magical Law Enforcement launched would not have taken place," Corene cocked her head with as close to a frown as he had seen on her face, her steps slowing as they moved. "From this moment on, I would like to avoid being utilised as a source of information on account of this mistake. It cost you a friend dearer than I can fathom, and as far as I'm aware, the last count of dead Aurors was seventy-four. All could have been avoided had I kept silent or gave an opinion that differed from that of my fathers."
Harry shook his head. "It was my choice, it was the Director's choice, and your information was more accurate than any other source that we had — how could you have known, or anybody have known, that all of them were setting a trap for us? You couldn't have no matter what you say."
Corene blinked at him in silence for all of a few seconds and then she dipped her head politely, not speaking further in regards to that, but she did have more to say. "Should you need my assistance in any issue as it arises, please, come forth and speak it. I feel as if I've let you down regardless of what you say, and as such, a debt is owed."
"There's no debt, but really, I'd be glad to have your help whenever you can offer it," Harry smiled at Corene and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back lightly. "You're a good friend, Corene. I should've said that and hugged you a year ago or even a few months ago, but Merlin knows you're a good friend."
When he pulled back, he saw her smiling at him. It wasn't large, and her teeth weren't showing, but as far as she went, it was a Corene smile that was practically blinding. He could tell now that he wasn't the only one that felt as if he had failed and while that sucked, it made him feel less alone in the loss of his friend. He hoped all of them, every person with Abraxas included could get past this for the better, for the sake of a better world and a stronger bond.
The night went by far faster than he would have thought it would, and following that, so too did the early morning. Perhaps it was the drinking that he and the others had done, maybe it was solely the company and the quality of it, but one way or another, the night of remembrance was over and a new day had dawned. This day would see him and Elaine both return to work, as unfortunate as that was, for it was necessary if they wanted some form of work to return to. Elaine may not truly care for it, but if she ever wanted to be the Minister, it was a job that she simply had to do.
"Today was the first time that you showered with me that wasn't my idea," she said in the quiet of the elevator as they started towards the floor where the Aurors were stationed, a sly playfulness in her tone that he hadn't known he had missed. "I think you're beginning to get used to me, aren't you? Maybe next time you'll wash my front for me, though I suppose we'd have to miss work… if only we ruled already, we could set up a puppet whilst we enjoyed ourselves as we're meant to be doing."
He snorted. "When this is all over and dealt with, I agree, let's see our plans through and be done with it. There's no reason to beat around the bush like we've been doing, not when we both know we could see everything set right — you wanted kids before we reached twenty-five too, so I figure we could get one or two in before then if you're up for it."
Elaine turned to him with a not-so-surprising quickness, her arms finding purchase on his shirt as she pulled him close and pressed her lips against his. From there and in the privacy of the elevator, she began to force him backwards until his feet pressed against the boundary, but he wasn't to be outdone. Harry flipped the script, he turned them around and pressed her against the wall of the elevator, one hand coming up to caress her chest while the other wound its way into her long, flowing hair.
When he pulled back after nearly half a minute of snogging her, he pressed his forehead against hers and smiled at the blush on her face and the wild look in her eyes.
"You're not the only one that can play like that, Elaine. When this is over, I promise you, we'll see just how strong and in charge you think you are," Harry closed the distance again, her eyes closing and her lips rising to kiss him, but he moved to the side at the last minute, kissing the corner of her mouth before he made his way over to her left ear and biting the lobe of it gently, just enough to make her shiver and squeak in a manner that was very unlike herself.
He pulled back, a smirk on his face as he began to reset his tie and smooth the wrinkles of his clothing.
Elaine started towards him, but just as she did, the elevator dinged and she shot towards him, using his body as cover as she ensured she was presentable. Messing around in Hogwarts as they had so often done was one thing, but doing so in the Ministry where many of those who lived an older, non-playful lifestyle, was another.
"Here's your stop, my love," Elaine said with eyes darker than night and a tone that promised much and more for the evening when he returned home. "I'll see you tonight."
For those that entered as he made to depart, it was more than likely viewed as an intimate moment between two young lovers and to some degree, it was, but not entirely. Her voice spoke of promises the likes of which most women, if not all of them, would blush. Elaine's mind was full of magical knowledge, but he knew there was a portion that was dedicated to figuring out how to 'play' with him… when he returned home that night, he reckoned he might just see what she had in store for him. He could turn the tide if he had to but letting her think she was in total control as she had so often been in their earlier relationship only to flip her over mid-snog or during other activities would be very amusing.
The squeak she made… Merlin. If I can get that sound out of her again, I'd never have a happier moment in my life.
"Deputy Director Peverell, there you are!" said the voice of a cadet Auror, Urban's son, again. "The Director and my fa— the Head Auror would like to see you in Mac's office… sir. Please, come right this way, it is urgent."
Harry nodded and did as the boy said, following after him with a sense of urgency all the while he thought that everything was urgent nowadays. There was nothing that anybody else outside of Elaine's group could handle, or so it seemed, and while that was an unfair thought encouraged by the previous night, he truly did find that it seemed to ring true, by and large. McMacson was an important friend and ally to have, though, and truth be told, it was very likely something that involved new Aurors or Grindelwald.
If it was the latter, there was nothing that any of them could really do. Not unless he presented himself for Elaine and Harry to handle, and the man wasn't stupid despite his ego. He would only attack with all of his people at his back and if he did, the fight would be up in the air… perhaps not, there wasn't really a true Auror force left.
"Deputy Director Peverell," Urban's son, Artur as Harry had come to learn the boy's name, said as he opened the door and gestured to him.
Harry smiled at the younger boy and entered the office, closing the door as soon as he did and after doing so, he looked at Urban and McMacson both. "What is it?" he asked as he noticed the stack of papers on McMacson's desk. "Tell me that isn't a new problem for us to deal with while we already have our current one. Please."
McMacson shook his head. "It's not a new problem, but more of the same that we've been facing for quite some time, Peverell. Our patrols throughout the entirety of the country have begun to be ambushed, and while most of them can escape with survivors, some of them haven't been so lucky. There's nothing we can do to stop this from continuing, nothing that I can think of, at the very least… I want your opinion. How do we stop this and continue to guard the people?"
At that, Urban huffed and folded his arms. "We cannot do both. It's impossible. We attack again with what we have or we give up the countryside and focus on the spots important to our cause, the spots where the majority of the people congregate."
"You've said that already, Max, but you can't seriously expect me to give up nearly the entire country to the likes of him," McMacson shook his head and turned to Harry. "So you see the problem we find ourselves facing. Do we stop the man by attacking him again even though we all know how that would likely go, or do we retreat… temporarily. We're getting more help from the colonies, even the Yankees are sending men to us and the Soviets too, but that will only get us so far, we all know that when faced against the likes of him."
"Elaine and I can handle him again," Harry finally said, speaking up as he moved closer to the other two men. "I don't know where he'll pop up, how he'll do it or when that'll be, but her and I can handle him. I'm not exhausted and wounded, she's fresh as she's ever been and Grindelwald doesn't have his old wand. I'm confident we can take him, we just need to be smart about it."
McMacson looked conflicted, but he slowly nodded before he eventually just shrugged. "We all saw his body even if we don't really know how he's returned. You killed him once before, you and that Fiance of yours, and so we'll leave him to you. That still doesn't explain how we'll see his followers killed, there's at least fifty or so of them left and those fifty seem to be the best out of all of his remaining forces. We have more wands at our disposal, but the others aren't here yet and those that we have are practically kids or people who have no real fighting experience. If they attack us or if they pick the battle, I think it's over, we'll have lost."
Harry looked over to Urban then. "So you think we should go out and fight one last time, or pull back to Diagon Alley? There's no middle ground?" he turned to McMacson. "If we retreat, it would ensure that we could keep control of those portions at the very least, that could be all we need and it wouldn't mean that we have to leave all those folks out in the cold. We could evacuate them and let Grindelwald rule over the insects and creatures that remained behind."
"If we do that, we're weak… but if we don't, we'll just keep losing people. I don't like either option, truth be told, but one is better than the other and we all know that," McMacson huffed and let his head hang low. "Call the patrols back, Urban. Tell them to stick to Diagon Alley and the Ministry, and the other alleys included in Diagon. We can't protect the country anymore, we've failed, but the least we can do is ensure those who want our safety, have it."
Urban nodded, gave a small smile despite the situation to Harry, and took off with speed out of McMacson's office.
"That was the better choice, Director," Harry said as he sat down across from the man who was still looking at nought but the carpeted floor below his feet. "I know it's a hard choice to make, especially for the people we'll be leaving out or the ones that choose to stay in their homes, but it's the only real option that we've got."
"I know. We've lost too many men… men. They were boys, most of them, and they died because we couldn't handle what we should have been able to. We don't deserve half of them that fell for us, but still, they did," McMacson gestured for Harry to leave. "See to it that everything is secure, Peverell. I'll have meetings because of this."
Harry gave one last look to the man who seemed to have aged a decade in a day, and then he left the same way that Urban had. He would help the Head Auror with whatever work needed doing, and he would very likely move himself to Diagon Alley too, for the sake of the people… perhaps he'd see Elaine before then so that she could let her friends know what was happening. If any of them were out in the countryside, they would need an advanced warning of what was to come.
McMacson isn't wrong. We truly have failed so many people by making this decision, but it's the only one we truly could make if all we're accomplishing is losing our people to ambushes in our own country… this isn't over. Grindelwald will get his just dessert, the only thing that he'll change is the number he pulls to their graves alongside him.
Harry hoped that would only be fifty or so, the number of followers that the man had left, but he knew that wouldn't be the case. Some of them would flee so that they could live a life as fugitives and others would kill innocent people or the Aurors that tried to protect them.
It wasn't fair, but that was life, and soon, none of them would have theirs.
February 17, 1945
Tuesday Afternoon
One day had passed since Harry, McMacson and Urban had ordered the patrols cease operating outside of the Ministry and the greater Diagon Alley area. In that one day, while it was true that the ambushes had stopped, crime had surged. There were reports — most of them note remotely conflicting — that attacks were happening all throughout the Magical United Kingdom, there were even a few instances where Muggles or places where large gatherings of Muggles, were attacked. Nothing could be done about any of that, for should the Aurors answer the call, they would be killed.
All that could be said and done, and it was done so repeatedly, is that those interested in their continued health and safety have to withdraw as quickly as they can to the atrium of the Ministry for protection, and if they can't, Diagon Alley would have to do. All of the Aurors that remained and even volunteers that decided to aid the Aurors were on duty for as long as they could be, Harry included. He hadn't returned home since he had arrived yesterday, and Elaine hadn't come looking for him either.
He wasn't a fool, he knew that she had to be just as busy as he was since she made up a good bit of the Ministry's highest government now. Still, there was precious little that he or she could do without the other for the sake of peace; Grindelwald and his fated fifty were all that remained to challenge a world filled with peace, and the former could not be killed without the combined efforts of the two that had defeated him previously.
"Deputy Director, this is Sergeant Elliot with a report from the Director, sir," Came a voice that knocked on the door to Harry's office. "It's quite urgent, Deputy Director. I was told to hand this over to you as quickly as I could before I return to Diagon Alley."
Harry rubbed at his eyes and took a long gulp of coffee before he flung open the door with nought but a gesture from his hand. He was exhausted, he hadn't had any rest since the previous morning and it showed in all of his actions, but there was still so much to see to.
"Come in, please," Harry said with a half-hearted gesture as he rubbed at his eyes, the both of them feeling sore and more tired than the rest of his body did.
As quickly as he had opened the door and gestured for the young man to enter, he did, and the report was handed over to Harry. He checked the seal as soon as the younger man was out, and he nodded when he saw that it hadn't been broken. It was McMacson's sealed letter, alright, and if it had been hand-delivered by an Auror Sergeant, the contents therein had to be as important as the man had said. Without any hesitation, Harry tore into the parchment, eager to get an update from the front whilst he managed the Ministry and her security.
'Peverell,
While I write this letter to you, I do so with growing confidence that an attack will soon be carried out on Diagon Alley, and quite possibly the Ministry itself. Should this happen, the Ministry must not fall, for if it does, Grindelwald may very well proclaim himself the ruler of the country and restart the war that so many had died to stop. You must beg, borrow or outright lie to all who will speak with you on short notice for any amount of manpower that you can get your hands on if we're to survive this upcoming assault. I do believe it will be the last that his side or ours can muster.
In brighter news, the evacuation of the country as you suggested seems to be going better than we could have expected. Many and more of the common folk are appearing in Diagon Alley, and from what I hear, hundreds more at the Ministry. Keep them separated from the typical gaggle of people in the event that they're his followers blending in, though I suspect you've already done as much if you're half as clever as I know you are.
Finally, allow me to impart you with some words of wisdom. When I'm tired and in need of privacy, I find that my desk and the floor under her make for an excellent place to rest. Do avoid telling any press or the like, the floorboards are already squeaky enough and I don't need any of them getting them noisier than they already are. Be safe, rest well for we both know you'll need it, and please, kill this bastard.
Director McMacson'
Harry furrowed his brows at the seemingly random final remark the man had made, but he wasn't given the chance to ponder it before his office door burst inwards and an Auror — Cadet Auror — appeared before him. It was a girl with long, blonde hair and a panic-stricken face.
"They're here, Deputy Peverell! They are at Diagon Alley too!" The young girl, perhaps no more than fourteen or sixteen at the oldest, all but screamed to him as the office behind her went up into pandemonium.
He nodded calmly, numbly, at the girl, and motioned her into his office. "Find the other cadets like yourself, go into my office, bar the door and hide under the bed. If there's too many of you to do that, use my dresser, the floorboards, anything — keep yourselves safe and don't try to be heroes."
Her eyes were wide with fear, but she nodded and after stumbling the first few steps, righted herself and went back whence she came, her arms immediately snagging Urban's son, Artur, as she did so.
Harry, meanwhile, nodded a few times to himself as he observed what remained of the Auror forces and the allies that had arrived since yesterday scattering all about. There were maybe a dozen men with him here and another half-dozen of volunteers that hadn't finished processing yet, they weren't nearly as many people as he needed, but they were all that he had.
He raised his wand and beckoned the entirety of the room to his person. "Cadets, follow Artur and the young woman beside him, they'll show you where you're wanted," he turned his attention to the others, the adults and teenagers old enough to be outside of Hogwarts. "The rest of you, you'll be following me to the atrium. We're under attack, the invaders have broken through and that means that as we speak, our people are being killed, and our fellow Aurors and allies from across the world are being killed by those who would see whole societies erased. This cannot happen, and with all of us, this will not happen. Now, come with me."
With his impromptu speech finished, Harry turned and started towards the doors of the Auror office. He wasn't sure how many people were following him, he didn't want to turn and look to see who had elected to stay behind. If none came or if all of them came after him, that didn't change a thing. Harry would make it to the atrium, he would reinforce the Aurors and those who joined them in the defence of the Ministry, and with any luck, he and they combined would kill Grindelwald and all those who had joined the man.
It had to be done, and if the man had split his forces, it would be easier than he could have ever hoped for.
Harry arrived at the far side of the atrium to find panic, chaos, and violence. There were hundreds of people still running every which way with spellfire at the farthest side, where the Floos that had been temporarily closed were. It was apparent that Grindelwald was here and simply playing with the Aurors trying to challenge him, for the spells that he was seeing in the distance were flashy and largely unused in combat. Simply put, he wanted attention, he wanted to draw Harry out since he seemed to know the type of man that Harry was… he didn't seem to think that Harry would have the Elder Wand on him, or perhaps he did, but as Harry toyed with the wand in his pocket and looked over his shoulder, finally, to see that all fifteen or so had joined him, there wasn't anything he could do that wasn't all but decided already.
"We drive them out, for our people," Harry said simply before he tore off rapidly and in the direction of the main centre mass of people.
As he neared it and slowed up as a result, he saw that the vast majority of those that were fighting, were volunteers. There were a few corpses on the ground that bared Harry's sigil, perhaps the least skilled of Grindelwald's final followers, but for every one of them, there were ten or more Auror and civilian corpses that scattered this portion of the atrium. Every single body, a person that he and the rest of the government, had failed. It was horrible, truly horrible, and for all of them, they would have their revenge the same as Reinhard by the time he was through. There was no other way.
"There's the man of the decade — Harry Peverell! Finally, come out to pay me a visit, I see, but there's no wife of yours there with you, now is there?" Grindelwald made a tutting sound, one that made his ears nearly burst on account of the harshness of the noise and the sound charm that he was using. "It'll only be you and I then, as it should've been the first time we fought. If you won't surrender, I fear this will be where you or I fall this day, and between you and I, it'll be you."
Grindelwald jumped down from his raised position, and before Harry, a hole in the crowd appeared after an incredibly powerful explosive-like spell went off. Harry had all that he could do to order those with him to get the rest and retreat back whence they had come before Grindelwald was before him, his spell raised and the first chain of spells already racing his way.
He summoned a fallen corpse of Grindelwald's followers and it absorbed much of what had been racing towards him before it imploded, but by then, Harry had already apparated thrice, his body moving so quickly throughout the vast hall that he nearly felt as if he himself was immaterial to the world. Grindelwald didn't seem to think so with how fast his wand found Harry's person, but every time, Harry would apparate away, absorb the spells with a shield or cover and on one occasion, send the spell back to Grindelwald, surprising even the man himself.
It was clear that fully rested and without any wounds, Harry was more talented than Grindelwald had given him credit for. All that seemed to do to the man was make him happier, for it was with a smile on his face that Grindelwald launched a new chain of spells at Harry's person, one after the other, and all Harry could do was focus on his defence. He knew that if that continued, the battle would be lost without a single spell launched at Grindelwald, but there was nothing that he could do. If he stopped countering the man or apparating away, he would be hit, and if he was hit, that would be it.
Elaine on her own would not be able to best Grindelwald, Harry knew that as soon as the man had fought him with Reinhard at Harry's side. It was confirmed right this second, with the man launching a powerful barrage after an insanely fast chain in Harry's general direction, every spell launched silently and with nought but a gesture in Harry's direction. Even without the Elder Wand, the man was truly a force to be reckoned with.
That didn't bode well for Harry, least of all whilst he was without Elaine; the knowledge of their previous fight especially still rattled around his brain… still, he only needed to buy time. He could do that, he had to do that.