- 1 month later -
I sat inside my quarters within the Malfoy Compound, sitting behind a desk. With two individuals sitting before me, Sander and a new arrival. Harald Vigdal, the leader of a Norwegian Mercenary Company.
The Vigdal Family was once a prominent family within the Norwegian Magical Families, but due to a Harald's fathers extreme anti-muggle beliefs and attempted coup of the Norwegian Royal Family, who were magicians and ruled the country. They were forced into hiding, with the Vigdal Family bringing all their wizards to the Balkans, where they served as mercenaries in the very open war between Dark Wizards and Governments.
"How is the situation down in the Balkans?" Sander asked, he had heard very little except for the news here and there. But Sander had served there for a time, and knew very well how bad it was. Though he operated alone.
"Bad, we've lost some 120 wizards these past 6 months. It has turned into a true battlefield, wizards dying by the minute. We really appreciate this opportunity we recieved, we have yet to recieve payment from the Bosnian Government." Harald spoke with a semi-rough voice. Similar to Sander he was in his early fourties, though he seemed to have already developed some gray hair.
Harald had blonde loose hair, and a few centimetres of beard on his face. He had broad shoulders, and a viking like build. But I am fairly sure I'd hit a brick wall if I punched his stomach.
"They are being overwhelmed, slowly but they are. Even the local muggle Governments have gotten involved, 'test' strikes of missiles in wizard territory. They are breaking every wizarding rule set in place to not be discovered." Harald spoke and I sighed. Dark Wizards was a problem everywhere, Dark Magic had a natural advantage against average wizards. Only Aurors or further trained wizards could compare.
"What is the status of your mercenary company?" I asked, and Harald handed over a folder.
"73 operatives, all field capable. We divide into tiers, 1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest. I am the only one ranked as a first tier, we have 3 operatives as second tier, 13 as third tier, 48 as fourth tier and eight as fifth tier. But we are all veterans of the Balkan Wars and hold a natural advantage over civilian fighters."
I continued to read the files for a few moments, quite impressed by the number which Harald was showing. A fourth tier seemingly equalled a Magistry Security Agent, while fifth tier seemed similar to the lowest of the grunts under Voldemort.
"We'll divide most of these men, but the remaining 18 will be paid by the Malfoy Household and remain as 'security' for the manour." I spoke and Harald nodded. "The details shall be settled for now, but currently we have our first assignment." I spoke, bringing out a folder.
"The Minister of Magic recognized Pirus's position as our man, which we expected to happen at some point. And has hatched a plot to assassinate him. The man has been semi-intelligent and will only bring forth the Aurors Office." I spoke and Sander laughed. "Never liked this new minister, claiming a staunch fight against Death Eaters- but utterly lack combat power compared to the other candidates, he just had better promises." He spoke and I nodded.
"He has grossly underestimated Voldemort, although we have no agents amongst the first 7 aurors, but the eight is ours. He's warned us of the attack, and the Minister is going in with full power. All top seven aurors will be sent. Kingsley serves as the Minister permanent guard and, alongside the eighth auror, is guarding the Minister while the remaining 8 aurors are on stanby and protection of the ministry and its officials." I spoke; the Aurors ranked their men in a very simple matter. 1 through 16. In the Aurors Office, strength was everthing except for the Head Auror, though even he needed to be amongst the top 4. And that was previously filled by Madeye, and they have yet to find a replacement.
"Sadly, or luckily. The assassination is set at the same date as the Weasley Event- which has been a high priority for a long time. Voldemort has ordered an assault on both events. The man himself, Bellatrix, Travers, Fenrir alongside my own father and Augustus Rookwood will counter the assassination attempt, attempting to kill the Aurors with a single blow."
"Corbin Yaxley will lead the assassination on the Minister alongside Severus Snape and Dolohov, and Pirus will take charge and shut down all defenses of the Ministry and thereafter Nott Sr and Rodolphus Lestrange will oversee the aftermath," I spoke, as the severity of the situation settled into both of them.
"And thereafter, comes our task for the day." I spoke, as I handled them a new pair of files. "The 4th Inquisitoral Company is tasked with inspecting a party suspected to be harbouring Harry Potter, Remus Lupin, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley."
"Fancy words for a Dark Lord." Sander said with a chuckle while Harald flicked to the next page. With up-to-date intelligence on the suspected members.
"Remus Lupin is perhaps the most dangerous, but both the 10th and 11th Auror will be on scene as well. Alongside a dozen of hired sellwands, and that is excluding the otherwise strong guest-list. Bill and Arthur Weasley, tested magicians in their own right. The 16th Auror Tonks, Delcaour and her father- a renowned french wizard." Harald spoke and I nodded.
"Sander will need to handle Remus, I suspect you will be evenly matched?"
"Aye, I can take him. But I need to be cautious, I cannot rush it." He responded, and I nodded at his response to my questions. "Acceptable, my knowledge of the Golden Trio and the Order leads me to predict them escaping near-instantly, but if not- I shall handle them. Harald, you need to handle Delacour's father, he's second in strength overall." I spoke as I brought up the roster of the Vigdal Company.
The Company possessed three two-tiers, foremost on that list was Erik Vigal. Haralds own little brother by eight years, a far more 'normally' built man but was enroute to surpass his older brother within a few years.
Herman Klauman, the Klaumans were a butler family to the Vigdals, and Herman was the last butler. The same age as Erik, and slightly weaker. Extremely professional and loyal, a fully tuned solider.
Henrik Torensen, Henrik was the exception. Just as strong as Herman, but was picked up by the Company along the way. Far more ruthless, and his loyalty was not as unshakable as the other pair. But he would complete any mission tasked to him, no matter the consequence. A dangerous, but useful ideology.
"Erik and Henrik will be tasked with handling the 10th and 11th Auror respectively, while Herman shall handle the Weasleys. Tonks will be handled by me if Potter escapes, and shall be otherwise handled by Secondary Inquisitors."
"Let's settle for the lowest amount of possible losses, it is very unlikely that we will strike a decisive blow to the Order. Most will be gone by the time the battle begins, so let us not suffer casualities towards civillians armed with an Avada Kedvra." I spoke, and the pair nodded. "I expect a detailed action plan on my desk by nightfall."
And with that we left the room, Harald to inform his men. Who were sleeping in a hastily built barracks right inside the castle walls, while Sander and I walked to the courtyard to continue training.
"You have improved by leaps and bounds in spellcasting speed and arsenal, and we've seen clear improvement in spell quality. But it is still not enough, you have yet to gotten the feel of how to manipulate energy through your wand- every wand requires a different flow to acquire mastery of said wand. And though you could fight a secondary Inquisitor, you are still far from core fighters."
"Mastering your wand is something I cannot help you with, but sharpening spells is something I can. Now, let us begin with this 'Caelum Ignis' of yours."
...…
Lucius felt a drop of sweat run down his forehead as he fingered his new wand cautiously. These past few days he had been desperately attempting to connect further with this new wand of his, as Voldemort had destroyed the previous one- but he barely felt his connection stronger than when he first recieved it.
If Draco and Ollivander was correct, the wands had their own 'life'. And they did not enjoy being a wizards second wand, even though most wizards burned through one or two wands during their time.
Lucius stood on an open field beside Pirus, they were on official ministry buisness to greet an incoming french diplomat. Though they both knew it was a trap. Pirus had brought a disguised Travers and Fenrir, while Lord Voldemort would arrive later with reinforcements.
They had originally wanted to set the trap inside a safe house to prevent the Aurors from escaping, but this rapid-deployment task had ruined that plan. However, suddenly a pair of individuals in french clothing appeared from the keyportal.
"Greetings mon ami, we are here from the French Ministry of Magic to assist in apprehending traitors, oui?" One of them asked and Lucius's eyes widened as he drew his wand. 'How the fuck had they gotten the french aurors included in this clusterfuck.' And before Lucius could react, as seven men appeared around us in very clear tactical formations. And a man stepped forward, the man Lucius remembered having fought Sander earlier.
"That is correct, by order of the Minister of Magic- Deputy Minister Pirus, you are under arrest for terrorism, level 7 degree spying and betrayal at the highest level. You are sentenced to immediate execution." And with that, everything became a blur. Fenrir and Travers dropped their disguise, and formed up. Lucius pressed his wand to the mark on his forearm, before barely evading an Avada Kedavra from the fourth auror.
Everything happened so fast, and the next second a black tornado appeared behind the British Aurors. Before exploding into half a dozen tenticles that attacked 3 British Aurors. The 1st - Jack Black, The 2nd - Davis Dower and the 6th Auror.
Travers engaged the third auror by unleashing a Fiendfyre that forced said Auror to retreat via apparaition and Travers followed. As they prepared for their duel.
Bellatrix Lestrange neé Black appeared out of apparition with an Avada Kedavra aimed at one of the French Aurors, which was soundly blocked by a water spell. As she began engaging both at the same time, though clealry struggling. These were no low-level Aurors.
Fenrir engaged the fourth Auror by leaping on him and sending him flying with an enhanced magical punch, that was blocked via a Momentum Protego- but he was still sent flying, as they too seperated from the battlefield.
Before Lucius could even comprehend further action, he was fored to block a well-performed magical Petrificus Totalus and countered with his own "Bombarda Maxima", though that was also blocked, as he turned to face the fifth auror. As they engaged in a rapid duel of simple, wordless spells. Lucius felt himself faring slightly worse in magical consumption and speed, as the wand rejected him at every turn. Yet his quality was higher than the fifth auror.
Lucius knew very well that the difference between the fourth and fifth aurors were massive, the third even rumored to be able to handle two fifth aurors at the same time. But that did not make this auror any less dangerous.
Augustus Rookwood meanwhile engaged the eight auror while Pirus shut down the keyportal before dissapearing to prepare for the takeover of the Ministry of Magic.
Seconds turned to minutes as no clear winners seemed clear, both sides were evenly matched. But the Dark Side was clealry struggling, Voldemort for all his power was seriously struggling to overpower the three aurors. Jack Black was an incredibly strong Auror, known for his mastery over a very difficult element- namely lava. His burning power was devestating and Jack was far stronger than Voldemorts greatest ally, Bellatrix.
Davis too was equal to Bellatrix, their battle would be difficult. And the sixth Auror was very effective at supporting his allies while also remaining out of strike distance, but often interrupting or halting Voldemorts counter attacks.
Bellatrix too, was struggling. The pair of French Aurors had an almost impeccable teamwork, and they both could rank as fourth aurors. Bellatrix was using every trick in the book to hold on. And neither Fenrir nor Travers seemed close to finishing their opponents, no matter how hard they tried. The Aurors had picked their lineup well, clearly prepared for it.
Meanwhile with Lucius, he was struggling to gain the advantage. As they were extremely equal, when suddenly Lucius began unleashing bombardements of spells, flying around in semi-apparaition and launching explosive spells all around the fifth auror. Said Auror had shifted a defensive stance, clearly on guard for whatever trick Lucius was playing. As well as being aware that Lucius would rapidly burn himself out.
For nearly 30 secods this passed as the author performed a half-circle rotation from where he stood unknowingly, where a little suprise lay.
Suddenly, Lucius appeared out of apparition. Panting slightly as both he and the auror stared each other down. And Lucius raised his wand in the very familiar notion of Avada Kedavra- as the auror prepared to move. When Lucius pressed a button with his left hand, and electric currents suddenly sprang up from the floor. The mud around the aurors feet transferring the electric current far too fast for the auror to react, as he was paralyzed for half a second.
Which was enough for Lucius as with a familiar "Avada Kedavra", a green bolt flashed and the man fell towards the ground. Dead. No scream, no explotion. He was simply and disturbingly dead.
Lucius did not remain still, and with a sudden apparition he appeared behind the eight auror. And the man was caught between the onslaught of both Lucius and Rookwood, and did not last long. And after 4 failed attempts on a short-range apparaition for a temporary retreat. Was caught in the open between a Bombarda sent by Lucius that hit the ground, throwing the Auror into the air and interrupted an attempted apparition- before the remaining death eater finished him off mid-air with an Avada Kedavra,
Augustus nodded roughly, before both Lucius and he charged for Bellatrix.
The French Aurors, seeing the battle turn with the death of two Aurors, instantly fled. As both of them short-apparitioned to the nearby keyportal before dissapearing completely. And that was what turned the battle, with Bellatrix free she engaged the Davis, leaving the 1st and 6th to Voldemort while Lucius and the other Death Eater headed towards the sixth auror, but was suddenly interrupted by a massive buildup of magic.
Turning towards the source, Lucius spotted the sixth auror desperately defending against Voldemorts black magic with a protega maxima, while Jack gathered immense power. "Great Eruption." he spoke, before unleashing a tsunami of lava straight into the air, covering the entire battlefield.
"Interesting..." Lucius heard Voldemort said, as the dark lord also began gathering magical energy. But the remaining wizards did not even dare consider facing that wave of lava head on, and apparated out of there.
All of the death eaters appeared on a nearby hill overlooking the battlefield. As the tsunami of lava crashed into the ground, though a large portion of it was blown away by a extremely dark-red fiendfyre that pierced through it and slammed into Jacks previous position. But he was no longer there.
"They have all left the premises, apparated right outta here the instant the spell was formed." Travers spoke, only for a black swirl to form before them. And they all fell to their knees. "Jack Black has proven himself a…. capable opponent. We will need to watch him more intensely in the future." Voldemort said as he fully formed. "You all did well, especially you Lucius….. perhaps I have misjudged you."
And those were the last words spoken to them as Voldemort dissapeared, and Travers stepped forth. Bellatrix cared little for leadership and apparated out of there as well. "Head for the ministry, battles are still unfolding down there. But the Magister is dead, and Draco is on the move."
'Make me proud Draco.' Was the last Lucius thought before he dissapeared into an apparition as well.
....
Arthur Weasley stood cautiously before a magic blue ball, it was radiating magical energy and showcasing pictures of death across the ministry for magic. "The Ministry has fallen…."
"The Minister for Magic;... dead."
"They are coming."
"They are coming.." Now slighty weaker.
"They are coming…" Even weaker.
"They are coming…." And with that it died out, and chaos befell the wedding. And Arthur couldn't help but feel sweat drench his back, and the wedding had been proceeding so nicely until then. "GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!" Remus shouted to nobody in particular. But Arthur guessed it was directed at a young Harry Potter.
The man did not get to speak any more as a man appeared through an semi-apparition, launching a well-placed Avada Kedavra. Forcing Remus to perform a 'Reflexio' to redirect it to the right, slamming into an unprepared guest. Old Farring Gump, poor guy. Arthur thought before 13 more men appeared by the outside of the tent. Engaging the hired sellwands.
They all wore the typical Death Eater outfit, but 4 more appeared inside the tent. Including the first one that Arthur did not recognise, but all these men did not carry the typical death eater outfits. And a familiar white haired face appeared, as he launched a green bolt Tonks. But was barely avoided.
"Draco Malfoy?" Arthur wondered outloud, but was suddenly too forced on the defensive as another man launched a wave of fire towards Arthur, and he performed a hasty Protego Maxima to defend, as Arthur struggled under the onslaught. Feeling his defensive spell slowly break, though suddenly a wave of water slammed into the fireball. As Bill and Delcaour appeared beside him. "Let's get this fucker." Bill spoke, but was suddenly shut down as the initial assaulter turned into a semi-apparition state and grabbed both of them and flew away.
Arthur felt colour drain from his face, as he considered what to do. Should he chase his son, or protect his wedding- but was interrupted by Delcaours Father. "Go now monsieur, I will handle this." And with that Arthur followed with a short-range apparition.
...….
I dropped into the venue with an Avada Kedavra aimed at Tonks, a simple gesture that had high reward, low risk. It was a spell that Sander had taught me prior to the Ambush on Potter in the skies, but I had not yet gotten to use it. I was no sadist, I did not enjoy killing people- nor did I especially want to kill Tonks. But I had finally gotten the opportunity to rise above anything I had dreamed off before, a life of vast luxury. And I was not going to waste it on some hero mentality.
These people had entered a war, whether for the good side or bad- they were prepared for death. And they would not hesitate end my life, so sparing theirs was nothing I saw as a necessity.
For all the 'light' and 'dark' and all the 'Unforgivable Curses', there were green bolts flying around from both sides. Avada Kedavra was not a 'dark-side spell', it was a normal spell focused with the intent to kill. And like the rest of the world, war = killings. And although some naive individuals would prefer to use stunning, paralysis or sleeping spells- most members of the Order and Death Eaters used Avada Kedavra.
Tonks dodged it, and did not exactly look happy at the Unforgivable Curse sent her way. But I gave a shrug smile before transforming into a semi-apparition state and flying straight towards Potter, who had joined Ginny in a duel with one of my men as Remus was currently occupied and could not force the young Potter to escape.
I raised my wand and with a simple 'Momentus Explodus' while in a semi-apparition state sent the young 'prophet' flying out of the tent, and I followed right after. Sadly, Momentus Explodus was a relatively unharmful spell except for when sent flying off great heights. And thereby the young Potter simply slid through the mud a few metres before standing up, just as I exited my semi-apparition state and appeared before him in all my great stature.
"Well, nice meeting you again Harry." I said, as I saw raw rage explode from behind his glasses and he exploded into a fury of stunning spells.
"Stupefy, Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus, Stupefy" Back to back to back, as I continued blocking with soundless Protegos, as it was a rather simple affair- blocking the reckless spells of one young Potter. He was no Combat Specialization Master, he was just flinging simple spells with no thought for spell theory, magical channeling or precisison.
"You are weak, Harry. You cannot possibly hope to defeat him in this state." I spoke calmly, as Harrys never-relenting barrage continued. "You are one to speak, the only thing you can do is stab someone in the back."
"Reducto!" He shouted, as I sighed in dissapointment. I knew he would develop through the war, but to see rage affect him this much was tiring. Especially when I knew of his potential. Potters magic was far more dense than most normal magician, his spells were superior by nature. Yet he had assumed he had 'great talent' for his magic surpassing others, and the absurd amounts of luck he carried, boosting his ego on the matter. And I would promptly shut him down.
"Protego Reflexio" I spoke as I redirected his strike back towards him, it was a difficult spell and one that I had been working on recently. It allowed you to redirect strikes and although I was still barely a beginner, I redirected it close enough to Potter that it exploded on the ground beside him. Sending him flying.
A soundless, rope spell and he was dead on the ground. "He is far stronger than you can imagine, do you not realise the gap even between us?" I asked as I slowly walked towards him, crouching down infront of him. "You are this worlds last hope, Potter. Please, for gods sake. Train, learn, surpass him. Luck will not bring you victory." I said before my magic sense picked up something and I turned around, and performed a simple Protego- blocking an abnormally fast Stupefy.
And behind me stood Tonks, Hermione and Ron. "You have always been better Potter, but this war has forced me to train with a new intensity and it has forced me to this level. Now watch, and realise how utterly undergunned you are." I spoke calmly and almost in a whisper. But he heard well enough.
"Okay then Tonks, let's see what Remus has taught you."
"We don't need her to defeat you!" Ron shouted as he launched a Petrificus Totalus at me, which I blocked with a simple Protego. "Always the arrogant weasleys, thinking you have a better 'mentality'. Then you don't have the power to back it up!" I spoke as he unleashed another Petrificus Totalus, as if it was going to work. And I quick-countered, pre-firing a Bombarda Maxima that I could fire an instant after blocking, catching him off guard- and though he could block it. The Bombarda landed right beside him, it's shockwave flinging him into the air, the perfect target for another rope-spell- this one trying to choke him to death at the same time.
Two rats with one trap, as Hermione jumped beside Ron desperately trying to free him, leaving just Tonks and me. "You are quite strong for a seventh grader. Malfoy I assume?"
"At your service madam, and war tends to do that." I spoke before unleashing a Lightning Arrow at her, that she met by lifting a bike-wheel sized boulder from the ground and throwing it at me. Piercing through the lightning and heading straight for me, but disentigrated at a simple 'Reducto' and grey smoke filled the air.
I burst through the smoke with a explodus momentus aimed at myself, my wand raised as I spun around- flames gathering as I unleashed a 'Ignis Serpent', the same spell Professior McGonnagal used on Snape to force him out the castle.
And the same spell worked for me, as I rapidly began putting her on the defensive as she shifted between blocking and dodging the unrelenting barrage of serpent-like flames. Briefly I shifted my attention towards the Golden Trio- that had just finished releasing Harry and was discussing amongst themselves. Trying to decide what to do.
That brief shift in focus gave Tonks the ability to dodge, as she began unleashing an identical 'Ignis Serpent'. Thinking herself capable of outlasting me as I had already extended myself quite a bit. But it was also clear that the spell was not her most used one. But still, if this continued she would beat me.
"Oh, using my own spells against me? Won't work sadly." I said with fake arrogance, as I was struggling quite a lot to keep up with this. "Caelum Serpent" I uttered as my previously red flames turned blue, and they instantly changed the battlefield. The blues flames were naturally superior, and coupled with Draco's mastery over the element allowed him to turn it around.
"Leave now! I can handle him." I heard Tonks say, and less than a second later. Hermione forcefully grabbed a Ron and Harry that were making their way towards us, and apparated out of there.
"Now, I can fight you without problem." She spoke, as she suddenly dissapeared in a short-apparition that was far faster than anythin I expected, appearing behind me as a lighting strike struck out, a strike I only countered by unleashing my own blue flame. But she continued the barrage, sending low level strikes that I was forced to intercept with pre-powered flames that I prepped while she was teleporting around.
But I was rapidly exhausting myself, the already large magical expenditure was not made any better by this terrible situation. And after half a minute of this, I was forced to cease the spell, yet she did not stop. Actually, she sped up. As my magical sense and sight worked overtime to predict and defend against the strikes with Protego. But every 3rd slipped through my guard and zapped me, and eventually one paralyzed my wand-wielding wand and Tonks appeared directly behind me. A stupefy sent my way that I barely blocked by forcing the lightning out of my system but then she dissapeared and appeared behind me.
I barely turned to see a massive fireball half a metre away from me, it was too powerful for a simpe stupefy. And too close for a apparition. Time slowed, as I struggled to come up with any solution for this.
I'm going to die. I thought, but suddenly instincts kicked in. I raised my wand, and instinct took over- channeling magical energy into my wand. Like water flowing through a river, the magical energy travelling along the wand's wooden intricate details, before exploding out of my wand with immense power. Blue flames enveloping the red as I instantly stopped the fireball, allowing me to apparate ten metres back.
I appeared with a heavy breath, both my hands firmly placed on my knees as I panted heavily. Meanwhile Tonks stood there amazed. "Mastering your wand- at that age? It's almost unheard of- only Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Vold-" She spoke, before her eyes turned deadly. "You must die, I cannot permit another dark lord." As she dissapeared, but this time it was different.
The lightning strike was not offensive, the second it left her wand it was almost instantly intercepted by my own lightning. "I have always been able to sense you, I always knew where you were, and I could react. It was that I could not form powerful spells quickly enough to meet them, but now. It is different." I spoke, as I too dissapeared into apparition and an even more dangerous duel began. This one with clear green bolts flashing between us as we jumped in and out of the battlefield with apparition.
...…..
Harald Vigdal stood over the French Official, whom was paralyzed and bound, both spells. This man was powerful, a masterful elemental master- unleashing majestic dragons, serpents, and other structures of various elements. Water, fire, lightning, wind. Yet, he was on the ground- and Harald stood above him.
The Frenchman sacrificed magical energy into massive AOS attacks, which were destabilized by simple spells, and the rare elemental spell that countered the attack. Like Earth on Lightning, or Water on Fire. And Harald conserved his energy, until the Frenchman faltered for half a second and Harald began his counter.
Harald was a specialist of explosive magic. Reducto, Bombarda Maxima, Shockwave Magic and Earth Magic. And he had learnt to initiate his splells early, letting him explode his spells before they were blocked, and coupled with his speed let him quickly take down the frenchman. Someone who Harald had been ordered to take alive, but anyhow. Harald pressed his wand to a mark under his forearm, a mark personally given to him by Draco.
Apparently, Voldemort only gave the mark to his direct subordinates- who in turns passed it on to their subordinates. Though Voldemort had less connection to the weaker subordinate mark.
A second later, two of the fifth-tier mercenaries arrived. And soundlessly grabbed the frenchman before too dissapearing. As Harald turned to the remaining battle. The Weasley Manour had been utterly destroyed, and most guests had already left with the except of a few especially loyal ones. The sellwands were still fighting, proving typical stereotypes regarding them wrong. Harald had met a few in the Balkan Conflict, and had to admit they were the worst of the worst. Often soul-less, greedy and uncaring for their comrades or civillians. But Arthur had obviously found the good ones.
Speaking of Arthur. He, Delcaour and Bill were still duelling Herman to little avail. Herman was well versed in 3v1 fights, and could probably fight 2 Arthurs easily. And 1+1 does not equal 2 in the wizarding community, more like 1.5.
Remus and Sander was in another section, battling it out. Sander was executing well-timed and strong smaller elemental spells, which made Remus unable to get small gains in energy conservation, which was usually Combat Specialization's 'great' strategy. And they were very similarily skilled, but Sander would likely win if it continued.
Lastly, Henrik and Erik were engaging the Aurors in a 2v2. And although Aurors often worked together, at least in the lower levels. Their teamwork could not compare to one forged in war, and though individually they were fairly equal. In a 2v2 they had fallen behind slightly.
For the general battle, only the top 5 combatants of the 4th Inquisitorial Company had charged in- the rest had hidden in the high grass around the Weasley Manour, outnumbering the Weasleys guests and sellwands 3-1, and using the grass hidden as cover. Which had prevented us from recieving any losses, but that was mostly due to the 13 tier 3's repeatedly exposing themselves to draw fire, and them dealing with the unforgivable spells here and there.
Now, Harald could join Herman in handling the Weasleys, or Erik in dealing with the Aurors. But Harald had his orders, a prediction from Draco's end- one which Harald thought made sense. So he pressed his wand onto his forearm again and channeled magic into his mark, as the words 'Retreat' rang through the head of every Inquisitor on scene. And the magical spells coming out of the tall grass suddenly ceased, and with it came the returning fire from the defensive positions the Weasley Goons had created.
Four dozen 'bangs' rang out across the field, and all of them dissapeared. As Harald saw the battles cease, just in time for 2 bangs to ring out. As two people appeared at the entrance of the tent. Which was now wrecked.
Kingsley and Davis.
Near instantly, Sander, Erik, Herman and Draco dissapeared- their magical footprint being all that remained as Harald turned to face the new arrivals. The sheer aura and magical density that radiated off them made Harald sweat.
'So this is the level I need to reach.' He thought, before he too dissapeared into a apparition. Appearing at a nearby placed keyportal, where the other 4 waited. And Draco nodded towards him. "Good job everyone, the target got away but there was little more we could do. I doubt Voldemort planned this as any more than a show anyhow." And with that they placed their hands on the key, and dissapeared.
...…
Meanwhile, at the fallen Weasley Manors. Arthur, Kingsley, Davis and Remus stood in a circle. While Bill and the Weasley Trio led the reconstruction efforts from the sellwands, one last venture for them.
"Arthur, the Minister was assassinated and Pirus is now firmly placed as the Magister. But we all know who he serves." Kingsley spoke and Arthur sighed, he had trusted the blue ball of magic, but hearing it was another thing entirely. "How'd they get the jump on you?"
"Yaxley and Snape came to visit, somehow none of the security stopped them. Their bodyguards was revealed to be Dolohov, and Yaxley killed him while his bodyguards and I were incapable of helping; I suppose that is what happens when you ignore combat for politics." Kingsley said, trying to joke away the last part but he was clearly disappointed.
"He was a good man, he would have fought to his last breath. We needed him." Davis spoke and Kingsley nodded. "What happens to the Office of the Aurors?" Arthur asked Davis, but Kingsley spoke up.
"Jack Black has taken the entire office, they will continue the fight outside Ministry authority. As it has clearly fallen, but Davis here has decided to join the order." Kingsley spoke and Davis continued next. "There is a certain Death Eater that interests me; he was a very worthy opponent. Plus I believe Potter will contribute significantly to this war." He said and Remus nodded.
"Sounds good, we'll take all the help we can get. And we certainly need it, most members have gone into hiding. But I'm certain we can establish an 'assault' force for some guerrilla warfare. Kingsley, me and Davis should provide sufficient for quick in and out action." Remus suggested and both Kingsley and Davis nodded.
"Then let's begin, can't make this coup too easy for Voldemort."
...….
I stood on a balcony overlooking the courtyard, as I watched three dozen men train. These men had served 6 months in a war zone- and there was little time for training, but this conflict was different. And we rotated the teams, half training, half working.
Tracking down 'dangerous men' was not easy work, we'd been assigned both the Aurors and the Order. Tasked the hunt down as many of them as we could, but the Order was pitifully small compared to the previous one. At least according to the movies it quite literally only consisted of Tonks, Remus, the Weasleys, Kingsley and later the Professors at Hogwarts.
Most men spent their time hunting down leads, checking out civilian leads or hunting down loved ones of the target, or working intelligence. It was not especially important, nor dangerous work. And therefore I took the liberty of giving half of them slack while training them.
Voldemort had been very satisfied with Lucius's performance, and the lockdown had been lifted; he was beginning to be included in the more important meetings- and similarly began training with Sander.
Less than 2 weeks had passed since the coup successfully started, and our hold on the ministry had only improved- but the hold on Britain had been weakened. We held the daily prophet and the legal authorities in hand- but only the area around central magic britain and major industry and habitation areas had surrendered. Northern Ireland had all but declared independency, and with the support of Ireland they had become a haven for refugees of the dark wizards- and it had infuriated Lord Voldemort more than anything.
Ireland itself held 2 wizards on par with Davis- the Ministry and Head of the Aurors- with other Aurors being sadly weaker, but still one with the power of the British 5th Auror and one with 6th, while the rest were under 10th. And combined with the remaining British Aurors having escaped to Ireland, they held the power to combat Voldemort.
I had been in multiple meetings where they attempted to discuss an assault plan- as my fathers shadow. But the Irish Island had settled their defenses well, it was impossible to apparate into the country- which was standard practice in all wizarding countries. And all other forms of transport had been shut down to a few well-defended stations, only vanishing closets- but we knew of none that led to Ireland.
And although Lord Voldemort had been convinced by Pirus to focus on strengthening their own forces, the Irish were fighting a propaganda war. And Voldemort did not exactly have the greatest of reputation amongst the wizarding community. So it had currently been at an impasse.
Local resistance was also a difficulty; I'd come to learn from my investigation that Remus, Davis and Kingsley had taken lead of the order- which had slowly been expanding. And they now were fielding sabotage missions throughout the country. Killing Death Eaters and hitting major industries of the Great Houses that supported us.
They had not hit Malfoy Industries yet, but it would not be long before they mounted a major strike. I did fuck up their wedding after all. And similarly, intelligence had spotted Arthur Weasley in France, talking with the government of said country. Which would be bad- France rivaled Britain before Voldemort, and overall the country had been weakened by the coup. But we'd most likely be capable of surviving- there was only 2 wizards in this world capable of single-handedly fighting Voldemort. And they would most likely be unable to kill him.
But if France joined with the Aurors and Phoenix Order- then we would be seriously struggling. And Voldemort understood this, for even though he was an arrogant, selfish and cruel motherfucker. Losing a war, getting killed by a child and getting all your followers imprisoned- taught a man something. Yaxley and Pirus- although weak in personal strength compared to his usual council- had gotten a lot of power.
And both of them, for all their ambition and desperation- were smart and capable men. At least politically, and they had been working around the clock to stabilize the economy and unite the country. And I had also played an important role in it, I was no genius propagandaist. But 30 years later the world had understood what worked, and what didn't. And I knew of some simple psychological concepts- and played towards it.
There was a lot of honest wizards, and no matter how we tried we would never win over them. And therefore, we instead aimed the propaganda at those who felt wronged- those who wanted to live in luxury instead of working in factories. For why should 'we' work, that's what we have muggles for?
I sighed as I wondered at what life was throwing at me- and I was seriously conflicted at the situation I found myself. Advocating for the enslavery of myself in another life- for simply not being capable of wielding magic.
But I also knew that such a paradise for wizards- was impossible. Even if I desired it with all my might- which was something I did not want. What I needed was for the Death Eaters and Dark Wizards to expend all their strength fighting Honest Wizards- weakening both parts in the process. Which would allow me to swoop in- seize the crown and build my magical empire.
I was ambitious; it was an ambitious plan. But my limits did not halt at killing muggles for fun and leading mercenaries- my word will be law. And I will see to it that it becomes that way.
And with that, I turned around. I wore the same suit the Draco would use when asked to identify Harry Potter and the Golden Trio. A simple dark suit with high collars, and black pants. My wand was in a holder on the inside of my suit. And my hair was slicked back, not extremely tight but a mix- and as I began walking. Harald and Sander followed me.
Lord Voldemorts rage was getting increasingly worse, and he had even killed a low-level Death Eater yesterday for giving him light milk instead of the heavier one he usually preferred in his coffe- for Voldemort was human. He ate and drank, and needed coffe just as much as the rest of it.
I touched both of their shoulders as we disappeared- before reappearing before a massive castle. It was and eerie, with 4 men standing on guard outside the gate. All wearing the simple hooded cloak and a silver mask- each with their own details. And as we appeared, they went on guard. But as we lifted our sleeves and showed the mark, and pushed some magic into it- they relaxed and the doors opened automatically.
The castle was magnificent- the last stronghold of the Black Family. Where Bellatrix had lived prior to her arrest- and was now Voldemort's castle. As he did not come from any great families of great riches, and he cared little for owning one himself.
We began walking, and were soon met by the little rat that always followed Voldemort around- having revived the man himself and was therefore the only man slightly immune to being killed for mistakes- which was lucky as he committed quite a few of them.
Soon enough, we reached the great hall. And as we walked in, I spotted a figure flying through the room. Almost hitting me if not for me moving to the side, and I recognised the person who got sent flying as the second son of the Flints. "Ah, young draco. What can I help you with?" Lord Voldemort said as his face twisted from raging anger to a more calm intrest. Meanwhile, the poor guy who got flung limped away.
Nagini slithered around the room as I walked towards a massive throne that was placed in the back of the room, with a set of stairs leading up to it. "Lord Voldemort." I said as I bowed, and my entourage did the same. "Rise, young Draco. What do you have for me today? A request by you is never boring." He spoke and I rose, before sighing mentally. This was gonna be risky.
Voldemort was a man of might, and he cared little for economics or politics and had been getting annoyed at the increasing talks of using those two concepts to fix our current situation, which was why his nerves had been getting increasingly worse.
"I have a simple fix for our current problem, and if you'd be interested, I would be willing to lead this operation," I spoke and Voldemort leaned forward in his seat, it was a risky endeavour to ask for command of it. But I felt Voldemort would give it to me, if only for the joy of the game.
"Of course, if it has merit you may do it."
"You are the strongest Dark Wizards to live, and thousands of Dark Wizards across the world adore you. And I'm certain that if we help them out of their….. predicament. That they would follow us." I spoke, and Voldemorts eyes narrowed. "All Scandinavian Dark Wizards are sent to Svalbard, and the only entrance is through the Longyear City. There is no other entrance or exit, with a suprise assault we can take the entrance and shut it down. Which will leave the prison open to us, and reinforcements will be 6 hours away by even the fastest broom."
"And you are comfortable and being able to handle this, alone? Surely your father or any other wizard would improve the chances immensely? If this is as important as you describe it." He asked, intrigued beyond what I deemed as healthy.
"I must do this myself, if not for testing my company, then for testing me. I am not content with being an average wizard in your army, as you probably have noticed. I wish to be a general, to rise the Family of Malfoy to lengths it has never risen to before." I said, before adding. "Plus I will have Sander and Harald with me, together they can fight even the strongest wizard in all of Scandinavia for a time."
"Very well, young Malfoy. You have my permission, now leave. And do not disappoint me. High risk, high reward."
"Yes, My Lord." And with that, we left.
——————
"So, what is the game plan?" Erik Vigdal said as we sat in a room with a single round table in the middle. Where I, Sander, Harald, Herman, Erik, Henrik and Kristoffer. Kristoffer was the strongest of the tier 3's, although not yet tier 2. But he had been given command of the 44th Battle Group.
"Coldfront Prison is one of the largest prisons in the world, with prisoners arriving from 5 countries: Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The island is owned by the Norwegian Government, but every country maintains it. Each country rotates their 3rd and 4th Auror on a permanent basis, alonside the guards hired to serve on the prison. Numbering 132." Sander spoke, being responsible for intelligence gathering on this matter.
"Finland, Iceland and Sweden currently have their 3rd Auror on-scene, while Denmark and Norway have their 4th. And with their placement, the only one capable of handling the 3rd Swedish Auror is Sander. While the Finnish Auror is also too strong for any of us, and we will need Harald for the Danish 4th, Erik and Kristoffer for the Norwegian 4th, Herman and Henrik for the Iceland 3rd. And all our forces will be occupied by 2.3-1 odds." I continued, before speaking up again.
"Essentially, we are extremely outmatched. The current lineup is not 'secure' and we remain at a disadvantage with the single lineups- not to mention the numbers. But I would never gamble on these odds, so we have an outlier that we need to include." I said before nodding towards Harald and he took over.
"The Dahl Family; one of the 10 royal houses. And they remain as the 4th most powerful House within the Norwegian Magical Society- but they have one black stain on their record. Their second son is currently locked in at Coldfront- due to the murder of a rival familys son. And that same son is reputedly the Lord's favorite, and they've had 12 retrials, none work." Harald said, being the most politically aware of the Norwegian Political Situation.
"Lord Lars Dahl is arriving within the hour, and our job is to ensure he supports this endeavor. We need their forces to handle the Finish Auror and provide manpower- and perhaps some coin for mercenaries." I spoke when suddenly Erik spoke up as he read the intelligence folder I had handed him. "There is one slight problem: they can turn off the floo network at any moment, and they will at the slightest danger."
"We will not arrive by the floo network. We will need a...sacrifice. But the main force will arrive by an assault via broom." I spoke and Erik nodded. We spent a few more minutes discussing the details before they left to prepare the mansion for the visit.
And 52 minutes later, authorities informed me that Lord Lars Dahl had landed alongside his son and heir, Jørgen Dahl. And half a minute later, they appeared outside the villa. And we had put on quite a show. The Inquisitorial Uniform consisted of a blue outfit, pants and shirt. But I had also ordered a new fit for the troops under the Malfoy Banner- or more specifically mine. As father had also recruited a few, but they wore the standard one.
The uniform was finely made, black padded upper. Focused around the shoulders and right above the hearth, with a fine faceless mask with a pair of eyeholes. The mask and reinforced padding was made with acromentula carapace, and enhanced with various anti-heat, severing. While the mask was reinforced by several anti-psycological spells. To prevent Occlumency or other spells that included mental manipulation.
It was quite expensive, but it was extremely professionally looking. And the men I commanded were soliders. Not Death Eaters, and they handled themselves as soliders as well. With men stationed in every key defensive position, hidden by camouflage spells, shadows or by being out of sight. But a man of Lars's stature and skill could sense the hidden spells instantly.
.........
påetron: Pondsfyre
+6 chapters
6 additional books.