His eyes were covered in soot yet his mind was clear. Time slowed to a crawl. Musket balls and bayonets stilled, leaving only him. Brown wings floated down from the Gates. He had another mission for him. Why could he not just kill and be killed? Why must he have to endure more pain and suffering? What new quest could possibly renew him in his fathers eyes?

Team 53 Arc

~ Chapter 3: Cadet Pt. II ~

March 22nd, 840

They followed the Commander to the trenches, climbing into the dirt-filled valley to find as Harry suspected. Dozens of injured and dead soldiers, as well as dead rats, squirrels, and other creatures native to the region. It disgusted him how unclean this place was, and it made him particularly sad to see all of the bodies lying around them. But the Commander took no notice, and so Harry too decided not to notice. Grabbing the Commander's attention, Harry decided to answer his previous question. "Sir. About your question before. I lied when I said I didn't have an answer,"

The Commander smiled. "I am aware,"

Harry's eyes widened. "Y-You knew?"

"Of course. You're not that good of a liar, son," The Commander replied, shaking his head slightly. "So, tell me that idea of yours,"

Shaking himself, Harry stood up straight and began. "If an invasion of the Middle-Eastern Alliance were to occur, we would first need to launch an attack on Hizuru. But not just any attack. A massive invasion carrying most if not all of Marley's forces in the east. If we utilized all of the Titan's powers, we could crush the Hizuru government in weeks, if not days. And once we do that, it would be down to a crushing maneuver to finish off the Middle-Eastern Alliance,"

Pieck frowned. "Crushing maneuver?"

The Commander grinned. "Cadet Potter is suggesting surrounding the Middle-Eastern Alliance and crushing them in between their eastern and western borders. And what of their navy?"

"The navy of both empires could be annihilated quite easily if the Colossal Titan was used. With the use of a strategic distraction, we could lure the entire Hizuru navy into one spot small enough to be eradicated by the Colossal Titan's transformation. The same thing could be done two or three times for the Middle Eastern navy," Harry explained.

"You've got a bright future ahead of you, boy," said the Commander, who grabbed hold of Harry's shoulder and pointed towards the enemy trenches just less than a mile away. "And what are your thoughts about gaining ground against them here?"

Harry frowned. He took a step forward, moving out of the Commander's grasp as he tried to examine the enemy trenches across from 'No Man's Land'. "How many guns and soldiers do they have?"

"They have roughly seventy-two heavy-barrelled machine guns, sixty fast-loading cannons, thirteen catapults, and twelve mortars. As for enemy personnel, their forces seemed to range between twenty to thirty-five thousand," The Commander supplied. Harry stared blankly at the enemy line, his eyes searching for something. Those were a good set of armaments, and it made him question if it was even possible to break through that kind of defensive line. But then Harry smiled. Turning back to the Commander, he spoke.

"A direct assault is impossible. No matter how much force we throw at them, they'll just retaliate quickly and effectively. No one would survive. So we need to be strategic. Sneaky. We need two things. A distraction, and an undercover force," Harry explained. His eyes glistened in the sunlight, his excitement visible on his face. "We could do it today. A select group of individuals could go towards the enemy line pretending to be captured refugees that escaped Marleyan grasp. Once they reach the trenches, they can throw in a bag of explosives,"

"And the distraction?"

"An attack on the trenches. As suspected refugees, the Middle-Eastern Alliance will be desperate to get us on the other side of the line. When the 'refugees' cross the line, they can place remote charges along specific sections of the trench. And then the second distraction comes in,"

Harry Potter stood in the center of No Man's Land wearing nothing but his boxer shorts, with Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie following in the same condition, with Annie wearing a dirty sports bra that appeared to not fit her well. They were moving towards the enemy line, trying their best to stay composed as they drew closer and closer. "Are you sure this is going to work, Harry?" Bertholdt asked, exchanging nervous glances towards Annie, who was staring blankly ahead of her. Harry didn't look back at them.

"This is going to work. It has to,"

"Or else we die," said Annie. They were silent after that as they continued their walk. It took them another ten minutes to get close to the enemy line. The shouting had erupted around them, and then it happened. A massive explosion to their right indicated that the diversion was taking place. Harry examined the enemy line and smiled as a large squad of soldiers ran toward them. The squad was made of eight soldiers, four of whom had large rifles while the other four carried small bags of what looked like clothes. They were being rescued. All was according to plan.

"This is where acting comes in. Act distressed. You've just escaped kidnapping from Marleyans," Harry took on a look of extreme panic, his hands shaking as he began to stumble forward. He needed this to work. It had to work. Peering back at the others, he noticed that they too had gained certain looks. Annie had pulled her hair out of its ponytail, rubbing it frantically so that her hair appeared crazy. She was mumbling to herself while scratching her stomach. Reiner was completely rigid with fear as he stepped forward, his dark gaze falling on the ground as they moved. And Bertholdt was whispering about how dead they were, his hands fidgeting as he looked nervously everywhere. Yes. This was going to work.

"COME THIS WAY!" Shouted one of the Middle-Eastern Alliance soldiers, extending a bag towards Harry as he drew closer. And then the two teams merged. The soldiers with guns swarmed behind the kids, aiming their rifles toward the Marleyan trenches while the other four soldiers tended to Harry and the others. "Are any of you hurt? What happened?"

"They took us...Marolie," Marolie was the name of a city not far from the border on the Middle-Eastern side, a city that had been recently raided by Marleyan troops before being retaken by the Middle-Eastern soldiers. The soldiers bought it instantly it seemed, and they quickly hurried the children into the trenches. They were given fresh clothes and were told to take a seat in one of the enclaves. Eventually, the Middle Eastern General stepped into the enclave.

"You four are from Marolie, yes?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes...s-sir," said Harry, his voice trembling as a cup of milk offered to him by one of the soldiers shook violently in his hands. The General's eyes widened as he examined them. Annie had her head rested on Harry's hunched back, her eyes half-opened as she continued her mumbling. Bertholdt was crying in the corner, burying his head in his arms after pulling his knees up to his chest. And Reiner was staring blankly at the wall, his drink having been spilled on the floor. Harry couldn't be more proud of his friends. Their acting gained the immediate sympathy of the General, who apologized for the questions before telling them to make themselves at home. He left soon after.

When they were alone, Annie whispered from her place against Harry's back. "How did they not notice the bag you were carrying?"

Harry wasn't entirely sure. He had strapped it across his waist and had been hoping the entire time that they wouldn't question it or take it. But they didn't seem to notice the bag at all and ignored it just like he wished. The bag was filled with timed explosives, which would be used to take down the trench once and for all. Harry sighed, remembering his training as he turned to the others. Annie chose to instead lean on Harry's shoulder, something that Bertholdt didn't seem to appreciate. But Harry didn't bother to notice and spoke. "Remember the plan. We stay here for as long as possible to ensure we aren't suspected. Once I feel the time is right, I'll give you all the signals to start. From this enclave, Annie and I will go right. Reiner and Bertholdt are to the left. Understand?"

"Yes," Everyone answered together in hushed whispers.

"Take this bag, Bertholdt," Harry pulled a smaller bag from the bag around his waist, handing it over to Bertholdt while holding onto his bag. Bertholdt studied the bag for a second, unsure what to do with it before tying it around his waist. "Remember the plan, and this should work," Harry whispered. He leaned back, resting his head against the dirt wall of the enclave while Annie sighed against his shoulder. She seemed tense, no doubt anxious about what was coming. Harry felt the same. The entire plan depended on their actions. If they didn't succeed, the rest of Team 53 would be left defenseless. Their entire team would be wiped out in less than a day. "This will work. It has to,"

Washington led the charge. Rochambeau led the charge. Cornwallis waved his flag. And yet here He was, running through the battlefield with his swords in hand. Fire danced around him as he jumped over bodies and ruin. Waves from the river flooded the fields while the rocks beneath their feet shifted with every step he took. His eyes glowed an emerald green as he took off to the sky, his eyes on one thing and one thing only. Death.

After several hours of waiting, the first half of Team 53 took on a massive transformation in terms of mood and overall happiness. Within the first two hours, the fidgeting and whispering had stopped, and they took occasional sips of milk and tea in silence. After four hours, the group was openly talking, discussing their lives, and the experiences they had with the shitty Marleyan Armed Forces. They spoke of torture. Horrible experiences that would haunt any normal person for their entire lives. And by hour seven, they were openly laughing, enjoying themselves.

On occasion, a Middle Eastern soldier would join in on the conversation, laughing along with them before having to return to his post. It helped strengthen Team 53's appearance as just normal kids, and it made the mission seem even more of a success. By hour nine, they were ready. Harry got to his feet, his legs throbbing from having sat down for so long. He grabbed Annie by the wrist, letting out a laugh as he pulled her from her seat on the bench. She too lost her balance, her legs shaking before she finally stood. "Come on, let's explore the rest of the trench!" He winked at Reiner, giving him the signal before pulling Annie out of the enclave.

They ran down the length of the trench, laughing and pushing each other while onlooking soldiers laughed and smiled, enjoying the sight of children and good-heartedness, something that wasn't seen on the battlefield. By the time they reached the end of that section of the trench, Harry pushed Annie against the wall of the trench, hiding them behind a lone pillar. Whispering so that only she could hear him, Harry explained. "I've planted most of the charges," Opening his bag slightly, he was able to prove that the bag held only the detonator and one last explosive. "I faked tripping a few times and drove my fists through the dirt. They're all planted along the trench. We're just waiting for the signal from Reiner,"

Annie's eyes widened. "So it worked?"

"Our part of the plan worked. If Bertholdt succeeds, then we'll be done with our part," Harry answered, peering over his shoulder to see if any soldiers were nearby. "The signal should be coming any second now..." Silence. Nothing but the sound of distant voices and the sound of occasional mortar fire. And then it happened. An explosion that was different from the sound of mortars. Bertholdt had set off one of the first explosives early. The signal. "Now!" Harry shouted, jumping onto the pillar as he climbed to the edge of the trench. Once he'd gotten over, he reached down and helped Annie up, pulling her away as they ran. Once they were far enough from the trench, Harry used the detonator he was carrying in his hand.

The explosives detonated, with massive explosions ringing out from behind them as they ran. "The transport is on the other side of the river! If we can make it there, we should find them waiting for us!" Annie nodded, running towards the nearby river where they hoped to find Reiner and Bertholdt waiting. From there, they would cross the river and wait for the rest of the team. After a while of running, the two made it to the river. Harry spotted Reiner and Bertholdt on their way and turned to Annie. "The bridge is lowered. I'll have to jump,"

"No. Don't. You won't make it over," Annie said, peering down the river wall. It was a forty-foot drop, and if Harry fell, he wouldn't be able to make it back up. They had no rope or ladder to drop to help him. And there were fifteen feet between them and the other side of the river. They had only ever practiced jumps on the training course, and those were only five feet.

Reiner and Bertholdt made it, breathing heavily as they all turned back to the trench. Smoke was rising from their work, the entire trench had been blown to hell. The sounds of screams and war cries told them that the Marleyan soldiers had advanced. The trench was theirs. Turning back to Annie, Harry sighed. "I need to try. If this bridge doesn't come down, our forces can't cross into the enemy's camp,"

Annie shook her head. "It's too dangerous. Let me go. I can make it,"

"No. I'm the wild card. If I don't make it, nothing is lost. If I do make it, then all the better," Taking several steps back, Harry took a moment to examine the river in front of him. It wasn't too wide, and any normal adult could jump across it. But as a child, it would be harder for Harry to cross. So he needed to look at this from a geometric standpoint. The best place to cross. The best place to jump. How much power he needed to put into jumping. If he could make it work, Harry could cross the jump with ease before lowering the bridge. All he needed to do was jump. Jump. Jump.

"Harry?" It was Bertholdt. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Harry replied. He slid his left foot back, taking a running stance as he eyed the other side of the river. 'Yes. Focus on that. Focus on the other side. Do that, and I'll make it'. He took off at a sprint, his feet hitting the dirt with extreme force as he put power into each step. When he reached the ledge, Harry slammed his foot into the ground and threw himself into the air. Harry soured over the river, his eyes flashing with joy as their air carried him. He felt nothing but relief. His hair flew back as the wind pressed against him, and for a moment Harry felt...free. Happy. Alive.

But Annie saw something else. The dirt he had kicked from the ground flew after him. Dirt and sand gripping the soles of his shoes as he flew across the divide, as if it was carrying him. And then Harry hit the ground in a roll, sliding against the ground on the other side of the river. He'd done it. He made it to the other side. Reiner and Bertholdt were cheering in excitement, praising him for the jump. But Annie was watching him with her eyes wide. Harry turned to the bridge controls, spotting the rope used to raise and lower the bridge. He grabbed hold of it, pulling it upwards so that the bridge lowered. When it was down completely, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie crossed. They stood at Harry's side as they examined the enemy base not far from them.

"The trench is ours and the bridge is lowered. All we have to do now is enter their base and take over. From there, we'll have complete access to take over this country. We've opened a strategic opening into the enemy's defenses. We have the advantage if the Commander can utilize his forces correctly," Harry examined the base with interest. "It's surrounded by low walls roughly one and a half meters high and is armed to the brim with machine guns, cannons, and weapon slots for enemy snipers. Even if we launch a full-scale assault, the best we could do is settle in for a siege. In that time the enemy could call on reinforcements and wipe us out in hours. We need to bring down this base today,"

"So how do we do that?" asked Bertholdt.

"We take it out from the inside," said Reiner, who stepped forward.

"He's right. If we can get inside under the guise of ambassadors seeking their surrender then we could launch an attack from both the inside and outside," Harry added.

Annie stepped forward alongside them. "So what's the plan,"

"We don't wait. The others are helping them push the trench, and they'll join us within the hour. But we can't wait. Waiting would result in a possible enemy counterattack. So we need to go now. Now before anything else happens," Harry explained. "It has to be us. We're already here. So we need to go before it's too late," Turning away from the base, Harry faced his friends. "Bertholdt. Reiner. Run back to the trenches and explain the situation—request access to service uniforms for each of us. If Commander Kien tries to follow you, tell him that I request he not come. We can't afford to lose anyone of major importance here,"

"Got it!" Reiner and Bertholdt turned and sprinted back across the bridge, heading straight towards the closest trench, where they hoped to find Commander Kien. In the meanwhile, Harry and Annie moved closer to the enemy base, finding a large enough build-up of dirt to hide behind until their friends returned. Harry looked over the dirt, his eyes falling on the base as he thought. Facing them were thirty long-range submachine guns, ten artillery cannons, nineteen mortars, four catapults, and an array of rifles mounted to the walls of the base. He counted the number of weapons peeking through the gun slots along the west wall and counted ninety-four rifles and thirty-one snipers. They were ready for a defensive fight.

Annie tapped him on the shoulder. "Any ideas?"

"A few. But the main priority is making sure Reiner and Bertholdt don't get killed on their way back. They're scanning the entire landscape waiting for an attack, so we'll have to cause a distraction large enough to cover their arrival," He had planned for this, and pulled out the last explosive charge he had kept in his bag. "I'm going to crawl as far north as I can and place this charge far enough away where we won't get hurt. Once I'm back we'll detonate it. The wind should carry it south towards us, covering our movements as well as Reiner and Bertholdt's,"

Annie smiled, nodding. "Sounds good. But what will I do while you're gone?"

"Stay put and watch the base for any signs of change. When I get back, report anything important," Harry replied before beginning his crawl north. It took quite some time, but eventually, he'd managed to crawl several hundred yards from Annie's position and felt it was safe to plant the charge. He did so, placing it on the ground before activating it remotely. After crawling away, Harry reached Annie in just under five minutes, making it just in time to watch the charge explode. The result was as expected.

Dust and dirt went flying in all directions, with the dust being blown downwind toward Annie and Harry. They were prepared, pulling up their shirts over their nostrils to block most of the particles. They had a short window before the dust eventually faded and their positions were revealed. He hoped Reiner and Bertholdt were on their way back.

"Harry...this is going to work," Annie spoke. "Your plan for the trench worked. This has to, too,"

"I'm still worried. We need this to work. There can't be any mistakes,"

"There won't be any,"

"Right...right. There won't be,"

Annie smiled beneath her shirt. She turned to Harry, turning over so that her back was against the dirt. Her eyes fell on the sky above, and Harry could only begin to wonder what was on her mind. "It's my birthday today," she said. Harry's eyes widened. "That's why I was weird today at lunch. It's my first birthday without my family,"

Oh. Harry should have guessed this would happen eventually. He had gotten so wrapped up in the daily routine of training that he had forgotten that all of his friends had birthdays. And it didn't cross his mind that some of them would be upset that their lives were so different now. Harry watched her for a moment, sympathizing with her feelings as thoughts continued to compile onto each other. Eventually, he let out a sigh and turned over also, joining her in watching the dust-covered blue sky. "My parents didn't want me to come here. Well...my mom didn't. She was afraid I would die. She didn't think I was ready for this. For war. For death,"

"But...you are, aren't you?"

"I...am," Harry replied, unsure. "I think about it all the time, killing people. What it will feel like. If I could handle it. I think about killing someone and I think 'I hate doing this, but it's necessary', and I don't know where that thought comes from. I've never killed anyone. I have no basis for the feeling. But it feels so familiar that dying comes naturally to me...you know?"

"No, not really,"

Harry sighed once more. "I don't know. I just think about the war. About our lives. And I get really sad about it. Because to prove our greatness, we need to kill people and gain the power of the Titans. But once we do, we'll only have thirteen years to live. Thirteen short years to experience everything. We won't be able to grow old. Have babies. Grandbabies. We'll be eaten and killed in our early twenties. All of us. We won't make it to thirty. It makes me angry. Why do we only get thirteen years, Annie?"

She didn't answer. When Harry turned to ask again, he noticed she was crying. Tears were leaking from her eyes and onto her shirt, making it wet. A feeling of regret washed over Harry as he looked at her. In voicing his thoughts, he had no doubt unleashed some of her fears as well. He'd been so stupid. Stupid. Idiot. So he reached out, grabbing hold of Annie's shoulders as he pulled her into a hug. One she hesitantly accepted. But the hesitance disappeared almost immediately, and she grabbed hold of him before burying her head in his chest. Her crying continued, only now into Harry's shirt instead of her own. And Harry? He just held her. Held her while watching the sky. He didn't know what else to do. "Happy birthday, Annie,"

Ten Minutes Later

His eyes had drifted in the time it took for Reiner and Bertholdt to come back. Annie had fallen asleep against him, her eyes still wet from the tears she had shed before. But Harry continued to hold her, frightened that if he let go she would stir and exit her hopefully peaceful dream. His fear nearly came true, however, as Reiner, Bertholdt, Pieck, Marcel, and Porco sprinted through the cloud of dust. They stopped suddenly upon seeing them. They all watched Annie with worry and occasionally peered at Harry questioningly. But their questions were useless right now. In a hushed tone, he spoke. "Get down! Before they see you,"

Despite their worry, they fell to the ground and huddled around Harry. He continued. "I examined the base and here's what I noticed. There are thirty long-range machine guns lined along the wall alongside ten cannons, nineteen mortars, four catapults, and twenty-five rifles all positioned on the top of the wall. Along the base are slots open for weapons to peek through. They're waiting, and so I counted ninety-four rifles and thirty-one snipers. The dust from the last charge covered your arrival. Did you get what I wanted?"

Reiner smiled, nodding as he held up two bags. "We got uniforms and more explosives,"

"Good. Good. Put on the uniforms, but not the armbands,"

Marcel friend. "Why not the armbands?"

Bertholdt supplied the answer. "Because if we go in there with armbands, they'll know we're Eldians. They'll shoot us immediately thinking we're Titans trying to get inside,"

"Exactly. They won't think that our superiors allowed us to remove them for the sake of the mission. They'll assume we're expendable Marleyan children sent in to ask for their surrender. They won't take us seriously, and that's what we're counting on," Harry explained. Annie - despite the hushed tones of her friends around her - woke up, leaning back as she peered around, trying to gauge her surroundings. When she looked down at Harry, he smiled. "Good timing. I was just going to explain the plan,"

"You've got something for this too?" asked Porco.

"I was thinking about it just now while I was waiting for you guys to get here. I discovered several different entrances to the enemy base hidden along the walls and decided that all of them were useless," Everyone's eyes widened. "So we're going to have to enter through the front door. And we can't do that with these," Harry motioned to the bag full of explosives. Reiner deflated, visibly disappointed by the news. "But we can still use them. That's where you come in, Pieck," At her name, Pieck perked up, her eyes falling on Harry with interest. "You're the smallest of any of us, and you're the best at crawling under mostly anything. The training course proved that. So your job will be to remain outside the compound, placing these charges along the west wall beneath the gun slots. Once you're done, you'll run back to the trench to inform the Commander that he should prepare to fight. Understand?"

"Yes,"

"Right. While you do that, the rest of us will enter the enemy base to force their surrender. But they will not surrender. They've spent too many of their resources here to do that. So they'll likely attempt to capture us or hold us captive. That's alright. If they capture us, we'll break free when the charges go off, giving us enough time to take out as many of them as we can during the chaos. If they try to kill us, then I can use the second detonator to blow a few charges early, causing a commotion,"

"So the objective is to blow open an entrance for the Commander?" asked Marcel.

"Yes. That and take out as many of the enemy as we can. The more the better. Everyone understands?"

"We...have to kill people," whispered Bertholdt.

"Yes," Harry spoke, his voice rough with pain. Annie eyed him sympathetically, remembering their conversation from before. He ignored the pain in his gut and turned to Pieck. "When we approach the gates, you'll hide behind us. When we get close enough, those peering out from the slots won't be able to see you. You'll have a short window between that and the gates opening to slip beneath the slots and begin placing charges. If you get caught, forget the mission and plant yourself against the wall. Don't run, you'll only get shot," Pieck nodded, turning to face the wall of the enemy base while Harry continued. "Because we can't go in with weapons, we're going to have to improvise. Annie and I are the best hand-to-hand combatants, and Reiner and Porco are both strong. The four of us will protect Bertholdt and Marcel as they try to find us suitable weapons. If we can disarm an enemy soldier and take their weapon, we'll do that,"

"Is everyone ready?" Reiner asked.

"We're all ready to go," answered Marcel.

"Then let's do it," Harry, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, Marcel, and Porco pulled on the service uniforms given to them by Commander Kien, pulling off the yellow armbands before discarding them. With their uniforms prepared, Harry created a formation. With he and Reiner at the front, Bertholdt and Marcel would follow, with Annie and Porco behind them. Pieck would hide behind Annie and Porco, using her height to sneak around the wall. With the formation complete, they began their march toward the enemy base.