Chapter 154

Rebellions are built on hope

As Lily sat in a café in Birmingham, she smiled at Ginny, both of them enjoying a glass of orange juice as they looked around carefully. They had been waiting for thirty minutes, just to make sure they weren't being watched, whilst preparing to make a start on their plan.

"Are you sure this will work?" Ginny asked softly, meeting Lily's gaze.

"No, but it's the best plan we've had in a long time. Even if it doesn't quite go how we want, it'll show people that we're still around," Lily said. "I'm just worried about the statute of secrecy; even if this works as we want, muggles are going to ask questions."

"You heard the Minister; for the moment, the statute is suspended. This doesn't just affect our people; it affects the muggle population as well, and Dad would never forgive me if I didn't fight for them," Ginny said, with a small smile.

"Valid point," Lily agreed. "I know we can do this. We have to do this. It's why the minister approved it, right?"

"Damn straight. You ready to start us off?" Ginny asked. Lily nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Let's see what hope we've got left to win," Lily said, standing up and exiting the café with Ginny. Walking down the street, the two of them took a breath, and looked at each other.

"Voldemort is an asshole!" Lily said, before she and Ginny ran into a shop, keeping themselves hidden from the sight of the outside. As they expected, several men came out of an alley, looking around intently, just as Lily's phone beeped. She checked it, seeing a message from Sirius, showing they were succeeding in luring Death Eaters into the open.

At the same time, in ten different cities, every group was using the taboo word to lure more Death Eaters into the open, wanting them to reveal themselves so they could be taken down. Whilst it was dangerous to do so during the day, everyone had agreed with Lily that they could blend in easily with muggles.

Ginny, after all, wasn't looking like herself; she was looking like a different muggle, and Lily had used her Metamorphmagus ability to look like one of her alternate selves.

"Ready for part two?" Ginny asked. Lily nodded, and the two of them walked out of the shop, smiling but ignoring the Death Eaters, who didn't pay attention to them, seeing them as just muggles.

"How the hell can they just disappear? There's magic everywhere, and yet just muggles," one of the Death Eaters said angrily, as Lily and Ginny neared them, walking as though they were going to just walk right past them.

"It has to be Potter and his friends," another of them, who Lily recognised as Crabbe Senior, said angrily. Lily felt anger rising within her at the misgendering that Crabbe Senior was doing, and looked at Ginny, who nodded. They both passed the Death Eaters, before turning, their wands extending.

"CRUCIO!" both witches called out, with the four Death Eaters falling to the floor in agony, screaming in pain as Lily and Ginny glared at them. Lily smiled as she shifted her face back to look like herself as she used her magic to tie up the four, whilst Ginny took their wands and snapped them in half.

All around them, the muggles were staring, some were running, and there were screams. Lily smiled as she crouched down in front of Yaxley. Their spell had stopped, and they weren't crying in pain, but Lily was smirking. None of them could release themselves, helpless as Ginny had snapped their wands in front of them.

"You'll pay for this, Potter," Yaxley snarled.

"No, you and your boss will. This world isn't yours, and it isn't his," Lily replied. "As long as we have hope, we'll keep fighting."

"With hope? What good is that?" Yaxley demanded.

"Rebellions are built on hope, Yaxley. You underestimate muggles, who have so much beauty to share with the world. But don't worry, you're not going to die by my hands. You're gonna take a message back to both of your bosses. Tell them I'm still here, and I'm coming for them," Lily said, before standing up.

"YOU'LL LOSE, POTTER!" Yaxley shouted.

"Oh, shut up," Ginny said, flicking her wand and gagging Yaxley. The two girls took each other's hands, and waved at the Death Eaters, before pointing their wands upwards, sending a message in the sky.

It was an image of Voldemort's symbol, but with a blade sliced through it, cutting it in half. Lily and Ginny waved at the Death Eaters, before disapparating. The message was clear for all who saw it; the fight against Voldemort was going strong, and the time to rise up had arrived.

Sirius watched as the Death Eaters were looking around through all the muggles, seeing Rudolphus Lestrange leading the group. He looked angry, and ready to attack anyone. Lily's job was to send the message to Voldemort; he, Remus, and Minerva were ready to kill.

As the three of them walked down the street, disguised, Sirius smirked at Remus. "I guarantee you it'll work," he said, as they neared the Death Eaters.

"I'd make a wager with you, but I know you'll win," Remus said, as they could hear the Death Eaters, all four of them, talking.

"Think it's some kids messing around?" one of them asked.

"The Dark Lord thinks it's Potter and his friends," Rudolphus replied. "Who else would be dumb enough to use his name?"

"Why though?" one of the men asked. "Why would they lure us here? This has to be a trap."

"Potter is a petulant child. You overestimate him," Rudolphus said angrily.

"Actually, he doesn't," Sirius said, before a green light shot from his, Remus, and Minerva's wand, killing everyone but Rudolphus. The people around them screamed, running away from the scene as Sirius and Remus both restrained Rudolphus. Minerva looked at the body of the Death Eater who had correctly predicted that it was a trap.

"An intelligent Death Eater. Didn't see that one coming," Minerva said, rolling her eyes, as she sent up the same symbol that Lily and Ginny had sent up.

"You're going to pay for this, scum," Rudolphus snarled, as Remus gathered up the wands of the Death Eaters, snapping them in half, including Rudolphus' wand.

"No, your boss is gonna pay for this," Sirius replied, as the sound of police sirens could be heard. He could tell that the man was trying to disapparate. "Wondering why you can't disappear? Those ropes are making it so you can't. When you get free, after the muggles remove the ropes, take a message to your boss; tell both of them their time's up, and we're coming for them," Sirius said, as police cars came into view. Sirius, Remus, and Minerva disapparated quickly, leaving Rudolphus alone with the three dead bodies.

"Okay, not gonna lie, that was fun," Ron smiled, as the group were gathered in the hidden school area, in the meeting room of the large cavern. "I'm fairly certain we took down a lot of Riddle's forces."

"And now both of them are going to be worrying about the rebellion we're building here," Minerva agreed. "We've already managed to recruit two hundred people to our cause."

"It's a start. The muggles are confused, but right now, that's for Pius to deal with. Minister Blair knows to complain about it, and to act like he doesn't know a thing," Rufus explained. "I've got a couple of guards in his office, just in case Pius tries something, but I don't think he will. Riddle won't want that happening."

"Neither of them will," Lily agreed.

"From what we're hearing," Fred began, looking at the group.

"People are asking all the right questions," George added.

"They've all deciphered the symbol as a call to arms against You-Know-Who," both twins said at the same time.

"Good, it means people are starting to understand who's really running the ministry," Lily said. "Minister, the next step is to make sure people know you're alive and well and fighting against Thicknesse."

"Do you have an idea about that?" Molly asked.

"I was thinking about the radio. Wizarding radio might work on magic, but we can do what muggles have done. They have technology to hijack signals. We could find somewhere secluded and use both muggle technology and magic to hijack their signal, then have you spread a message," Lily said.

"An excellent idea, Lily, but I think that if we're going to do that, you should be the one to spread the message. Let's face it; by now, people know you're the one fighting against Riddle and the Death Eaters. You're the symbol of hope," Rufus said.

"And as you said to Yaxley, Rebellions are built on hope. If we're going to start a full blown rebellion everywhere, then we need to give people hope," Ginny said. Lily nodded.

"Alright, let's make this happen," Lily said. "Uncle Sirius, you, Aunt Minnie and Hermione, you three know most about Muggle tech, so you need to find us the equipment we need."

"I can help," one of the newer members of the rebellion, Alex Davies, spoke up. He was a half-blood wizard, and had joined because his daughter was there, having been due to start at Hogwarts. "My cousin and I ran a muggle electronics store. He's still there; the Death Eaters have left him alone. I've been in touch using our mobile phones. I can get him to prepare everything we'll need."

"Thank you, Mr. Davies. That'll help us a lot," Lily said. "I appreciate that so much."

"You've made sure my little girl can learn magic, Lily. This is the least I can do. I agree with what Minister Scrimgeour said; you are the symbol of hope for everyone. Even before she came here, my daughter had been told about you. My best friend's daughter, who's also here, came out as transgender two years ago. She's the same age as you, and you've inspired her so much," Alex told her.

"Really?" Lily asked, a tear rolling down her cheek. She could feel her emotions welling up at being told that. Of course she'd been told it by everyone, but to know someone who felt that way was completely different.

"Are you really that surprised?" Hermione asked. "Seriously, you helped me come out as a lesbian, which gave me the courage to be with Fleur. I know I thought I was bisexual, but I don't think I have any attraction to men at all."

"I don't blame you; most men can be idiots," Ron commented. "But as long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

"Thank you, Ron, for always being here. I know things haven't always been easy, but having you as a friend has been amazing," Hermione embraced Ron in a hug, causing him to blush.

"She's not wrong," Lily agreed, smiling as she watched the scene. "And having all of you here has helped me. If it wasn't for your support, we wouldn't be here now. We'd be elsewhere, I suspect, and definitely not doing as well."

"Right now, Riddle has got to be furious. We've definitely shown the wizarding world that we're still here, and now I figure there's going to be a lot of people asking questions," Rufus replied.

"Let's face it; the way things are going, he's going to have a full blown rebellion on his hands now," Sirius said. "We've made the first attack; now let's keep it going."

"I just wish I could see the look on both of their faces," Lily admitted.

A flash of green filled the room as one of the newer Death Eaters, or rather, the Death Soldiers as they were being called, since they were conscripted people, fell to the floor, dead.

"I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THINGS LIKE WE DON'T KNOW!" Lady Voldemort screamed angrily. "POTTER IS MAKING US LOOK LIKE FOOLS, AND YOU'RE LETTING HIM!"

"If anyone fails us, we will kill them without hesitation," Lord Voldemort snarled angrily, glaring around at the others in the room. Whilst he wasn't shouting, he had long since mastered the coldness of voice that Lady Voldemort was still working on. That having been said, her shout was full of darkness, and made people fear her even more than before, so it worked for both of their needs.

"My… My Lord… My Lady…Potter attacked us in daylight, amongst muggles. It seems… that he doesn't care about secrecy anymore," Yaxley said, having disapparated from the scene as soon as the police had untied him. He hadn't cared about the fact that the muggles saw him; he had needed to report back. He was knelt behind the dead man, having taken him into the meeting, knowing that Voldemort would want to kill someone. He was clever like that, after all.

"Neither does Scrimgeour, my Lord," Greyback added, also on his knees. "He was the one that led the attack in Manchester."

"Why those cities?" Lady Voldemort asked, anger clear on her face. "Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton."

"A good question. There are no links there, but it will have been planned by Potter," Lord Voldemort agreed.

"My… My Lord… My Lady… if I might make a suggestion?" Rudolphus asked, holding his new wand that Ollivander had been forced to make for him. Lady Voldemort looked at Lord Voldemort, who nodded.

"Go ahead, Rudolphus," Lord Voldemort said. Rudolphus waved his wand, and a holographic image of the UK appeared.

"We've been searching since August for the location of Potter and his friends, and so far, we've not had any success. Even hunting for traces of magic has led us nowhere. So, these cities," Rudolphus said, marking them on the map. "We can cross them off our list, and I would say a circumference around them of two or three miles," he continued, making the needing markings appear. "After all, he wouldn't really want us anywhere near his safe house, would he?"

"A valid hypothesis, Rudolphus," Lord Voldemort said, with a small nod.

"Agreed. Potter hasn't given us the exact location of where he is, but now we know where he isn't," Lady Voldemort agreed. "Rudolphus, whilst we are gone, you will continue the search. Let them attack, but from now on, send only Death Soldiers to track any who break the Taboo. Mark every attack location, and make sure we narrow their hiding places."

"Yes, My Lady," Rudolphus agreed, with a smile and a bow. Lady Voldemort turned to Lord Voldemort, with both disapparating.

As the two Voldemort's appeared outside the old building, Lady Voldemort sniffed the air. "The smell of salt water and Death. I must admit, this wasn't his worst idea," Lady Voldemort said.

"You believe we should do something similar?" Lord Voldemort asked.

"Well, we've been using Malfoy Manor for long enough as a prison. It would make sense to have somewhere hidden to keep people. Azkaban would be too well known," Lady Voldemort replied, as they walked into the building, killing the guard without hesitating.

"Perhaps it is something to consider. For now, we have our goal, though we need to discuss who will wield it," Lord Voldemort said.

"Yes, I suppose this is something that we do need to settle. We can't both wield it, and a fight between us would be pointless, since we both have advantages. I have youth, whilst you have experience and some strength," Lady Voldemort agreed. "Have you been considering this?"

"Once we have it, we can have Ollivander study it under our watchful eye," Lord Voldemort said. "After all, the ridiculous myth behind it is just a fairy tale. It is merely a powerful object made by someone very powerful and has gained power since it was created."

"Agreed. However, I will defer to your use of it. My youth is an advantage for me, and I think you have earned the fight against Potter," Lady Voldemort replied. Lord Voldemort stopped and looked at her.

"I confess myself surprised. Whilst I know I am not overly vain, I did not expect you to say such a thing," Lord Voldemort said.

"Likewise, I had considered whether we would end up fighting, but in the end, I knew such an endeavour would not serve either of us. We will be able to duplicate the wand, but for the moment, we need to find it," Lady Voldemort said.

"He will tell us," Lord Voldemort replied, as they began to climb the staircase, leading to their destination; the tallest tower of the building.

"That goes without question," Lady Voldemort agreed, as they walked together. "At least he is still alive, though he won't be for long."

"It seems almost like a mercy for a failure like him. He allowed Dumbledore to defeat him," Lord Voldemort scoffed.

"Yes, well, he wasn't as strong as us, and he used his magic poorly," Lady Voldemort said. They reached the top of the tower, using their magic to remove the door. The room had a bed, a small bathroom, and a chair, with a bookcase filled with books. The only occupant was sitting in the chair, a lamp lighting the room, as he looked up. He had a book in his hands and saw the two of them.

"You certainly don't know the meaning of the word subtle, do you?" the old man asked, before coughing and taking a sip of his water. "I knew you'd be here."

"Then you know what we want," Lady Voldemort said.

"You won't ever find what you're looking for. I knew you'd come eventually, but your journey was pointless; I never had it," the man said, smirking with his teeth showing. He had some missing, and some were crooked; the man had clearly not been treated too kindly over the years.

"You lie," Lord Voldemort hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Tell us the truth, or die," Lady Voldemort replied.

"You intend to kill me anyway," the man said, laughing. "You think me foolish?"

"We will give you great pain, and suffering. I can prolong your life and make you live in pure agony," Lady Voldemort snarled angrily.

"Kill me then, Voldemort. Either of you, because neither of you understand anything. You think rashly, and do not even consider the consequences," the man said. Lady Voldemort met his eyes, glaring at him angrily, but also drilling into his soul with her gaze.

"You lie… of course you do. You hope to protect him, the one you loved, despite how it ended," Lady Voldemort said, chuckling. "You've got courage, but you've failed, Grindelwald."

"Then kill me, but the wand will never be yours," Grindelwald laughed.

"Wrong," Lady Voldemort said, before looking at Lord Voldemort, who waved his wand, a green light shooting out and killing the old man.

"You know where it is?" Lady Voldemort asked.

"I do. Thanks to the foolish old man, our victory is assured," Lady Voldemort said, smiling as both of them assumed the form of smoke, flying from the window and away from Nurmengard.