"Enjoyed lunch, Jamie?" asked Amelia, smiling fondly at her
grandson. The youngest Potter had decided to spend the day with
his paternal grandmother while his siblings spent the day with their
maternal grandparents at Greengrass Manor, where Astoria was
resting. Sirius had been unexpectedly whisked away to Australia for
a meeting with their Minister and with Rigel at Hogwarts, Amelia
didn't mind looking after James. She could certainly use the
company.
"Uh-huh," nodded James excitedly. "They had all my favourites! I
loved it!"
Amelia chuckled. "Well, I have a lot of paperwork to finish, so what
are you going to do until then? Maybe play with someone –"
"No, no, no, I'll read my book," said James. "Mummy and Daddy
recently gave me another book on Ancient Runes. It's fascinating
and I want to learn more about it."
She blinked in surprise. The book he was holding was the Ancient
Runes textbook a third-year Hogwarts student would have. And ever
since McGonagall became headmistress, Runes was a subject that
was taught since first year, so an eight-year-old child reading an
advanced textbook startled her.
"You can understand that?" Amelia asked incredulously.
"Sure," shrugged James. "It's kind of simple."
"Wow," muttered Amelia under her breath. "Wish I had brains like
yours."
Kissing his head affectionately, she sat behind her desk and was
soon lost in the mountain of paperwork that lay before her. One hour
later, her secretary announced that Algernon Croaker wanted to
speak to her. In less than a minute, he was ushered inside.
"I'm afraid I'm not here for a social call, Amy," Croaker said hurriedly.
"Sirius received a message from the Muggle Prime Minister.
Strangely enough, Harry received a letter too. My intelligence wing
thought something was fishy and decided to investigate. Apparently,
the Prime Minister wants to discuss something very important about
the magical world. He's demanding that they meet him this evening."
"Why?" asked Amelia, sounding surprised. "Algernon, ever since the
amendment to the Statute of Secrecy, there is no need for us to
interact with anyone in the Muggle government. Who cares if he
sends a letter?"
"Normally, I'd agree with you. But my spies have told me that there
are people who are not happy with the amendment. They seem to be
working with the Prime Minister. I'm not sure who is involved, for my
agent couldn't gather names, but the Muggle's role in this is
confirmed. I really don't want another Obscurial incident, Amelia.
With everything going on right now, that's just not something we are
equipped to handle."
"You want to get to the bottom of this," sighed Amelia. "I'll come with
you if you agree to do half my paperwork. Some idiot decided it was
a good idea to interbreed a Crup and a Kneazle. The said dog-cat
hybrid is now in high demand, but not registered or cleared by the
Ministry. Since it violates the Ban on Experimental Breeding, Amos
Diggory is on my head, demanding that I take action against this
person."
Croaker smirked. "Hagrid?"
"Well, at least this dog-cat hybrid is not dangerous! Apparently,
they're very cute and cuddly. Rigel mirror-called me last night and
demanded I buy him one!"
"I want one too, Grandma!" chirped James from behind a thick book.
"See what I mean?"
Croaker laughed. "Well, if this meeting with the Prime Minister works
out well, I'll help you deal with Amos Diggory. There is a certain
knack to distracting him."
"Oh, there's no knack to it at all. All you have to do is mention his son
and he'll forget what he's talking about and start boasting about
Cedric Diggory's achievements. How his son ended up so humble
and down-to-earth is beyond me!"
James looked up from his book, observing the two curiously. A
mischievous smirk formed on his face.
He loved watching his grandmother turn into the strict Auror. And if
she was going to threaten this Muggle person, he would surely have
to watch! It would be downright hilarious … and educational. Yes,
educational. That was definitely important.
Hmm … now how to go about doing this? James eagerly flipped the
pages of his book and his eyes lit up when he found the runic array
that mimicked the effects of a notice-me-not charm.
Charlie and Bella would be sorry they missed this!
The royal palace, Terkum
"Your Majesty, my chela is most curious about the alliance humans
and elves have shared for millennia. I was hoping you could shed
some light on our history."
Harry eyed the Queen introspectively.
"I'm sure you all know about the ice age," the Queen said. "The
planet has undergone several ice ages in its lifetime. The most
recent one ended about twelve thousand years ago. You might
already know that most of the world's population at the time perished
due to rising sea levels. Unfortunately, that's only half the story."
The three of them leaned forward with interest.
"The history of wizards and Elves date back to one hundred
thousand years," she explained. "Many magical empires rose and
fell during this period. They were an advanced society, and unlike
today, there was no division in species. There were many other
problems, but this was not one of them. Humans and Elves were the
two dominant magical species that existed at the time. We have
plenty of proof for this. Sculptures and stone manuscripts that
survived the end of the ice age were collected and preserved by
Elvin historians. I assure you, I'm not lying."
"We would never accuse you of that, Your Highness," said Daphne.
"Please continue."
"Prophecies about the impending rise in sea levels did not sit well
with the human and Elvin royalty," said the Queen, frowning slightly.
"From what our ancestors told us, there were three factions – the
first, who believed in the prophecies and wanted to escape the rising
seas by seeking refuge near the mountainous areas; the second,
who believed that there was nothing to be worried about, and that it
was all a hoax; and the third, a large group led by a human who
believed they were powerful enough to stop nature from completing
its cycle."
Harry frowned and turned to his master. Nicolas nodded discreetly,
telling him that it was true.
"You have to understand that these people were not primitive. They
were advanced and had a firm grasp on magic. It may not be similar
to what we use today, and the humans back then most certainly did
not have wands, but they were still very skilled in magic. They found
a way to tap into the planet's core and believed they could
manipulate it in order to stop the rise in sea levels. The proof? We
have stone manuscripts that give explicit detail on how this is done. I
assure you, the present day Elves did not create such a complex
ritual."
"Did they succeed, Your Highness?" asked Dylan. "Since we know
they perished, something must have gone wrong."
"Something did go wrong, yes, Lord Lestrange. You see, nature gave
them plenty of warnings. They had time to evacuate. Their Seers
and magical theorists had warned them about the calamity, but they
chose to take a drastic action. They chose to defy nature by trying to
alter the planet's life cycle. Their ritual was able to reach the planet's
core. They weren't able to stop the rise in sea levels, but they
certainly managed to harm themselves. There was an unexpected
secondary effect on those who participated in the ritual. Since the
ritual was powerful, tens of thousands of humans and thousands of
Elves had to pour their magic in order to stop nature's fury. What
happened was that there was an inverse magical pulse directed
towards them from the planet's core. It affected their bodies – or
more importantly, their magic. The ancients called it the curse of
Mother Magic."
Harry's eyes widened. Daphne and Dylan realised it as well.
' The ones cursed by magic have begun their path to chaos …'
"These people survived, didn't they?" asked Daphne, going by a
hunch. "Their magic was affected during the ritual. They were the
ancestors of the Muggles we see today."
"May Lady Athena be merciful," muttered Dylan. "The original
Muggles were all once wizards! "
"And the Elves who took part in the ritual were turned into houseelves?"
asked Harry.
The Queen nodded solemnly. "Nature does not differentiate between
good or bad, Lord Potter. What is good for one will be bad for the
other. A tiger will appear to be a bad creature from a deer's point of
view, but to the tiger, the deer is food. Without food, it'll die. Checks
and balances exist everywhere. That's how the universe continues to
exist. And should the balance tilt either way, it will lead to
destruction."
"Before the ritual failed, once their magic reached the planet's core,
the humans believed they could exploit it for their own benefit,"
explained Perenelle. "In retaliation for their goals, nature snuffed out
their magic instead. This was the 'curse'. What happened to the
Elves is not seen as a curse because they could still keep their
magic. These ancient Elves wanted to control the planet's core to
stop the rise in sea levels. As punishment, they were forced to bond
with magical humans in order to live. They grew smaller and weaker,
until they were mere shadows of their former selves. They can't exist
without their human masters."
The Queen continued. "After the ice age ended, the cursed humans
lived with their magical counterparts with relative ease, but
unfortunately, things weren't rosy for long – 'Those who take nature
for granted and use its resources for one's selfishness without a hint
of remorse will not be spared.' That was actually a prophecy that was
recited by an Elvin Seer soon after that incident. We can see the
effects of it today. With rifts beginning to occur with the humans, we
decided to stay away, mostly because our population was
decimated. Millions of Elves had perished. Millions of humans had
also perished. Our Elvin ancestors decided to cut off all contact with
other magical species, trying to rebuild our culture and civilization. At
that point, the future of the Elves was very uncertain. We did interact
with humans, but as the population of non-magical humans grew, we
decided to keep to ourselves. We had our own problems to face."
"Understandable," nodded Harry.
"For you to understand Muggles, you have to understand the nature
of the ritual that failed," said the Queen. "Their magic was sucked
out, but as you know, nothing in the universe can exist without
magic. Only a minuscule amount was left in them, just enough for
them to live. Very soon, it was clear that the ritual did more than just
drain their magic. Humans who were supposed to live for two
hundred and fifty years or more died a natural death at the age of
eighty. Their growth slowed down. Puberty that was to start at the
age of eight or nine began to manifest itself at the age of twelve or
thirteen. Their mental growth slowed down. A child that was to start
walking at the age of two to three months started doing so only at
about ten to twelve months."
"What was stranger still," interrupted Nicolas, "was their near
fanatical hate for anything magical. Our theory is that the failed ritual
sucked out their magic in an instant. Our bodies are not used to
living with such low levels of magic. Healers have a theory;
sometimes, a pain can manifest itself purely because you are
thinking about it. You are actually perfectly healthy, but since you
believe you are sick, you really are sick. In such cases, Healers also
treat their patients by convincing them that they are being given
medical potions, which truthfully, will probably be a fruit drink instead.
The corollary also holds true. The sick patient, thinking he is being
fed treats instead of medicine, feels better due to treatment. The
mind believes what it chooses to believe. The same concept applies
here."
"Their DNA was altered due to the incident. Our magical theorists
believe their brains programmed themselves to adjust to the sudden
lack of magic. In order to preserve their bodies, the brain reacted in
the only way it knew to save itself – by hating the very thing it needs
to survive. By hating magic, Muggles are able to think of newer ways
of innovation. Look at what they have achieved! It certainly is no
easy task, living without magic. Meanwhile, as they reproduced, the
mutated DNA passed down to the descendants as well. They could
not give birth to magical children unless they had a child with a witch
or wizard."
"That's why you're facing so many problems with abused magical
children, Lord Potter," the Queen said. "They are conditioned to hate
magic. Some parents of Muggle-borns, however, have their magical
DNA awakened. Not enough to use magic actively, but enough to
keep their brains from hating magic."
Harry couldn't help but think of his maternal grandparents, Andrew
and Rosemary Evans, who absolutely adored their daughter Lily, and
had been completely fine with magic. And if one was to believe her,
even Hermione Granger's parents were the same.
"We have been observing this for thousands of years. Over the last
fifteen hundred years, the tides have not been in your favour.
Muggles have grown in size exponentially! They outnumber wizards
twenty-to-one. More, if their population is bigger than we anticipated.
Their era is coming to an end, Lord Potter. That's why such
prophecies that hail you as the saviour of magic exist in the cultures
of so many magical species. The Muggles are destroying the planet.
It was foretold that you would restore balance."
Harry was breathing deeply. "Please excuse me, Your Highness.
Master, may I please speak with you in private?"
Nicolas nodded. Bowing to the Queen, the two of them left.
"General Lestrange, I think you might want to speak to our military
chief. Lady Potter, there is something Perenelle and I would like to
show you. Please follow me."
Daphne and Dylan looked at each other in surprise. Each grabbing
the other's hand protectively, they followed the Queen who led them
deeper into the palace.
Harry sat on the ground, taking deep breaths. He hadn't felt this
agitated in a long time. His master calmly sat next to him, waiting
expectantly.
"Was all that true?"
"What would the Queen achieve by lying to you, Harry?"
"But Master! Complete separation is fine, but the moment we
interfere in their affairs, it will most definitely lead to war! War is what
we're trying to avoid!"
Nicolas smiled faintly. "How is it interference when we're trying to
save the planet from destroying itself? War is the only option
available to us."
"No Master, it's not," Harry shot back. "I agree that we should be
prepared for such an event, but I will not take any action that could
have real consequences."
"Muggles sealed their fate when they built so many nuclear
weapons. You read their news regularly. Don't you honestly believe
that it'll happen sooner or later?"
"Oh, come on, Master! Even Muggles are not that stupid to use
those weapons again!"
"They are conditioned to hate magic. Remember that. Such hatred
shall overrule all morality and logic. We will defend ourselves, chela .
But should they use those weapons, it'll be their doom. I'm not
saying that they should be completely exterminated; I'm not Mother
Magic to decide their fate. As long as they stop destroying the planet,
they can continue to live their lives as they wish."
"Environmental pollution?" asked Harry sharply.
"Do you even know what their pollution is doing to the planet, Harry?
How many animals have they hunted to extinction? I'm not saying
animals shouldn't be hunted. We do need food to live. The
ecosystem has to be kept in balance. But hunted to extinction? Just
for sport? That's a trait that was recently seen in wizards a few
hundred years ago. Thankfully, your people were quick to stamp out
such rubbish and such thoughts disappeared from their minds before
it could change wizarding culture. The Muggles have destroyed the
forests, destroyed the soil and destroyed the rivers. You've lived in
Inbu-Hedj for a long time. How wide is the Nile River? Do you know
how wide it was one thousand years ago? Rivers are considered
sacred by all magical cultures, used in several magical rituals. How
else would you witches and wizards celebrate your solstice festivals,
hmm ? Tell me rivers drying up and being polluted doesn't make your
blood boil!"
" Terkum has been the home of the Elves for one hundred thousand
years. A huge part of it disappeared at the end of the ice age. But
you know what? Sheets of ice in Terkum and Udichum are melting!
All due to their environmental pollution! And the Muggles are not
willing to do anything about it. In fact, they're increasing the levels of
pollution day by day! We know what will happen should sea levels
rise drastically. Tsunamis will swallow our landmass. Massextinction!"
"Summers are getting hotter, winters are getting colder. Their
problems are our problems, chela , because we live on the same
planet! The Earth does not belong to them alone! Why should the
rest of us suffer because of their arrogance? Yes, they were cursed.
Yes, they too were once wizards. But right now, they are forcing
nature to destroy all life. Begin from scratch. It's not something to be
concerned about from the universe's point of view. A few species die.
Not a big deal. Give the planet a couple of million years, and new
species are born. It's a cycle. However, nature is not cruel. We have
been gifted with sentience so that we can think and act. Mother
Magic warns us through prophecies so that we can save ourselves.
If we ignore the will of magic, then there's no hope of saving our
people. The entire magical world is united in this cause. We can't let
all life on the planet be destroyed! Our way of life is at risk, all
because of their selfishness. Believe me, we've masqueraded as
Muggles and tried reasoning with them, but it doesn't work."
"They just don't care! The planet just can't support their population
anymore. They've destroyed so many natural resources that it'll take
a long time for us to correct the damage! Rains are not frequent,
droughts are more common, and the number of natural disasters is
increasing. That's nature's way of trying to curb their activities, but
they still don't listen! Worst of all, these idiots are destroying the
atmosphere! I don't know about you, Harry, but I don't want to live in
a magically conjured bubble, just to breathe oxygen!"
"Didn't you see the Elvin citizens of Terkum welcome you? They all
believe in you, Harry! They all trust you to save their lives! Are you
going to turn your back on them?"
Harry remained silent for several minutes. He closed his eyes and
meditated. The voice in the back of his head began whispering
again. He listened to it, argued with it, but there was no doubt about
it – the Queen and his master were correct. The voice of the Deathly
Hallows was telling him that. And he knew from past experience that
the voice did not lie.
But he was still not convinced.
No matter what Nicolas Flamel or Luna Lovegood might say to
convince him, Harry didn't want war. The whole point of achieving
complete secrecy was so that conflict with the Muggles could be
avoided.
"Give me some time, Master," said Harry quietly. "I need to think
about this."
Nicolas smiled sadly as he watched his apprentice walk away. The
poor boy carried the burden of the deeds of their ancestors. He knew
that war was imminent. There were signs all around them. Various
magical and non-magical animals had sensed it and were moving
deeper and deeper into the forests; or what was left of forests,
anyway.
"Ignoring the warnings of nature will never do you good, my child,"
whispered Nicolas grimly. "It always comes at a cost. I was trying to
help you realise that before the truth is forced upon you. I didn't want
to see you in pain. You are destined for greatness, but greatness
comes at a cost of personal suffering. Correct your mistakes before
destiny takes a different course of action to make you see the light."
Taking a deep breath, Nicolas returned to the royal palace.
London, England
"The Muggle Prime Minister has agreed, my Lady," said the painting,
"but I'm afraid he's insisting on meeting only Minister Black and the
Supreme Chancellor."
"They're not in the country at the moment, so we'll have to do,"
replied Amelia. Taking a pinch of Floo powder, Algernon Croaker
stepped into the Floo in her office and disappeared in a flash of
green flames. She stepped into the fireplace too. Amelia frowned
when she felt something strange. After a moment of carefully looking
at her surroundings, she shrugged. There was no other disturbance.
It was probably nothing. Throwing the powder at her feet, she too
was engulfed by green flames.
She stepped into the Prime Minister's office at Number 10. Suddenly,
her senses were on alert and with a flick of her wand, the Notice-Me-
Not charm came unravelled, revealing a sheepish looking James
Potter.
"Jamie, what are you doing here?" Amelia cried. "How did you –"
"I cast a runic array on my clothes using Parseltongue that masked
my presence," James said smugly. "As for why I'm here … I wanted
to listen to you yell at that Muggle!"
She blinked her eyes and groaned.
Meanwhile, Croaker was looking around the room. He frowned.
"Why isn't the Prime Minister here? Homenum Revelio!"
His eyes widened. "Amelia, there is no one in the building. We're the
only ones here!"
"I sense a Confundus Charm on the portrait," Amelia said quickly,
her pulse picking up pace. There was a shimmer of magic around
them.
"Someone has erected strong Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey
wards!"
"The Floo has been blocked too. House-elves, blocked. We've
walked into a trap!"
Croaker paused as he cast more detection spells. "What in Merlin's
name?" he exclaimed. "There are high levels of chaotic magic in the
air. Is there another Obscurial here?"
James watched with wide eyes as his mother's boss and
grandmother waved their wands in fluid movements. He frowned
when he heard something.
"What's that beeping sound?"
Croaker's face turned milk-white due to panic. With a cry and a
violent slash of his wand, he broke through the Anti-Portkey wards.
Amelia was just as quick to react as she pointed her wand at James.
" Protego Integrum!"
A full-body shied appeared around James' body. Grabbing him and
Croaker, she activated her emergency Portkey when –
BOOM!
Police sirens could be heard everywhere as the city of London was
put on high alert.
The Prime Minister's residence had been bombed. It was reduced to
dust. Within minutes, speculation began. Unrest in the Muggle world
had just increased drastically.
The Atrium, Ministerial complex, Camelot
Samuel Knight sighed as he scanned the wand of another visitor.
"Here you go ma'am," he said, handing the instrument back to her.
Once she had left, he buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"I hate slow days," he muttered to himself.
The Atrium was practically deserted. Only a few people could be
seen milling about in the large room. Just when he was about to
head to the bathroom, he heard something strange .
He frowned and moved to investigate. Just as he turned, Samuel felt
like throwing up. The scene in front of him was gory. He immediately
flicked his wand at them; one of them was dead, the other two were
alive, but only just. His eyes widened when he recognised the
features on the blood-covered face. Reacting on instinct, knowing
that time was of the essence, he acted, recalling the training every
Ministry employee had to undergo before moving to Camelot.
A jet of red light flew from his wand and impacted the ceiling of the
Atrium as he shouted, " Red Alert ! Aurors to the Atrium!"
There was a pause as an enchantment washed over the room, trying
to verify if there was indeed an emergency. Within seconds, an alarm
sounded and the lights turned red throughout the Ministry as Aurors
Apparated at the scene, with wands drawn.
Senior Auror Nymphadora Tonks scanned the three bodies. Her
violet eyes widened with panic.
"Get them to Morgana's, quickly!" she barked orders.
"Yes ma'am!"
Her first instinct was to go after them, but Tonks knew that there was
more to be done. She rushed to her boss' office. Kingsley
Shacklebolt was thankfully present.
"Sir, we have a problem," Tonks said hurriedly. "Admiral Croaker,
Director Black and James Potter have been attacked."
Two minutes later, after having been informed of the situation,
Kingsley clenched and unclenched his fists. "Send a message to
Minister Black," he ordered. "Unfortunately, the Supreme Chancellor
is out of communications range. So are Lady Potter and General
Lestrange. Tonks, take a team to the Muggle world. Find out
everything you can about this attack. I want to know who is
responsible for this!"
"Yes sir!"
Kingsley tapped his wand on the desk. The wood melted away to
reveal a cavity inside. A metal plate slowly ascended to the surface.
Tapping the runes quickly, Kingsley announced, "Maintain red alert.
LOCKDOWN – configuration Alpha 4-7! "
Various protective enchantments in the Ministerial sector took effect
as he shut the block into a fortress. Other wards activated around
the perimeter of Camelot, Godric's Hollow and Hogsmeade.
The country of Avalon was closed to everyone. No one could escape
or leave without his permission.
This was more than just an attack on their government bureaucrats
… this was an attack on the I.C.W. itself. Once he issued orders to
the Aurors, Hit-Wizards and to the members of the Magical Law
Enforcement Patrol, Kingsley grabbed his communication mirror.
With Croaker dead and Daphne Potter not available, he had to
contact the next in command, for the Department of Mysteries had to
be informed.
"Padma Patil."
Terkum
"What do you think?" asked Harry softly. "Have we become so
dependent on others that we lost the ability to think for ourselves?"
They were standing at the edge of a glacier, overlooking the
crystalline waters of the southern ocean.
"Listening to learned people is not a crime," replied Daphne.
"Besides, he is your Master."
"I know. But that doesn't mean he's always right. I understand that
Muggles are destroying the environment and all, but he, Lady
Perenelle and the Queen seem to be in a one-track mind. They're
convinced beyond belief that a war cannot be avoided."
"Unlike us, they've been preparing for this moment for centuries,
Harry," Daphne pointed out. "After you left, I had more time to talk to
the Queen. It seems the Elves were not quiet when they realised that
Muggle technology was harming the planet. Just like they
masqueraded as wizards, they also masqueraded as Muggles.
Unfortunately, even with magic, they were not able to get into high
enough places to implement drastic changes, but they did manage to
create awareness."
"Yes," nodded Harry. "The Muggles have been talking a lot about
saving the environment. I could gather as much from reading their
newspapers. If what you're saying is true, then the Elves were
behind it. Unfortunately, their actions are not enough; not by a long
shot. I understand that. But if we interfere in the Muggle world, it
would not be handled well, which again would lead to war. We
wouldn't like it if the Muggles interfered in our affairs; wouldn't that
make us hypocrites?"
"The Elves believe that since all possible measures of peaceful
negotiations proved to be useless, forcefully making the Muggles
stop destroying the environment is the only way to save the planet."
Harry remained silent. Conjuring a stone, he tossed it in the water.
He exhaled. "What else?"
"Well, I found a way to enhance Operation 24 . The Elves have an
alchemical potion known as the Elixir of Life and –"
"Wait, you mean the same elixir that was supposed to be produced
by the fake Philosopher's Stone?"
"Yes, only this elixir does not grant immortality. Elvin technology may
not be war-based, Harry, but they're quite advanced. The elixir works
on the fundamental principle of rejuvenation. In primary school, I was
taught that our magic keeps the vital functions in our body active."
"Yes, I remember learning that too," nodded Harry.
"This elixir won't improve your magical abilities, but once you drink it,
it cleanses the magic present in your body. To the body, it's like
replacing an old heart or diseased blood with a new heart and
purified blood. In simple terms, it will make sure that you don't age
for a certain amount of time. It's not immortality; it just keeps you
healthier than normal. Apparently, once they reach their magical
maturity, all Elves are given this elixir so that they can live healthy,
productive lives."
"Incredible!" exclaimed Harry. "How long does this last?"
"Around fifty to sixty years, maybe more," shrugged Daphne. "If we
do go ahead with Operation 24, we don't have to worry about
ageing. That's an advantage."
Harry hummed. "So, what do you think we should do?"
"Look, we're not sitting idle, Harry," said Daphne. "Instead of simply
preparing for war, maybe we can work on fixing the damage inflicted
on the planet."
"If that happens, the Muggles will never realise what their actions
have led to. They'll simply cause more pollution, destroy more rivers
and forests, not to mention the atmosphere. Maybe we can simply
place their oil reserves under a Fidelius Charm."
"It won't work. They'll simply destroy more forests and oceans to get
their hands on oil. Let's talk practically. In case we do step in, do you
think the Muggles will listen to us?"
Harry snorted. "Doubtful. Impossible, even."
"Maybe not," frowned Daphne. "But we should try for a peaceful
solution before attempting to –"
She was interrupted by a screeching sound. A vortex opened above
them and a large black creature the size of a thunderbird appeared
along with a human male.
"Chāyā?" Harry exclaimed, surprised to see the royal phoenix in
Terkum . "What is it, girl?"
"Harry, she's agitated," said Dylan who was sitting on the phoenix's
back. "I think she wants us to leave immediately. Maybe something
is wrong."
" Expecto Patronum!"
An ethereal silver tigress burst from the tip of Daphne's finger and
flew off into the distance. "It's a message to the Queen, informing her
that we're leaving due to an unexpected emergency … whatever it
is."
"Good idea," muttered Harry. "Grab hold of her."
With another screech, the Royal Phoenix disappeared as if sucked
into a vortex of space.
Morgana's Hospital for Magical Care, Camelot
"Your daughter is perfectly healthy, Lady Lestrange," said the Healer,
smiling. "You can come back for a check-up in four weeks."
"Thank you, Healer Anderson," Astoria nodded, gently picking up her
daughter in her arms, rocking her to sleep.
"She's so cute," Belladonna gushed from beside her aunt.
"Yeah, and she'll probably be a better sister than you," teased
Charlie.
Before she could reply to that comment, the sound of sirens
suddenly rent the air in the peaceful city of Camelot.
"What's that?" exclaimed Belladonna.
"Caterwauling charm; a red alert has been sounded," whispered
Astoria worriedly. "Are we under attack?"
"MOVE!" shouted the Chief Healer of Morgana's Hospital. "Get them
all inside, quickly!"
The injured bodies of Amelia Black and James Potter were rushed
into separate healing rooms.
"She's lost both her legs. Her internal injuries are severe and she's
losing blood fast. Blood-replenishing potion, four doses, now!"
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
Sirius Black was frantic with worry. He had hurriedly Portkeyed to
Avalon the moment he was informed that Amelia, Croaker and
James had been attacked. Rushing towards the Head Auror's office,
he demanded, "Kingsley, what happened?"
"The Muggle Prime Minister of Britain demanded a meeting with you
and the Chancellor, Minister," said Kingsley. "I'm not sure why Amelia
and Croaker decided to attend the meeting on your behalf, but it
turned out to be a trap. They managed to escape but …"
He paused when he saw the panicked and grief-stricken look on the
Minister's face. "Croaker was declared dead on arrival," he said
quietly. "Amelia and James were taken to Morgana's Hospital and
are currently being healed. I haven't received any updates yet."
"Who is responsible for this?" hissed Sirius. "Are you sure it wasn't
an accident?"
"A post-mortem was performed on Admiral Croaker," said Kingsley.
"We were able to extract his memories moments before he died.
They're distorted, but one thing is clear – this was no accident. It was
deliberate and it was a trap set for you and the Supreme Chancellor.
I've sent Aurors to London to determine if –"
Sirius didn't hear the rest. His legs were shaking and grey eyes filled
with tears. The fifty-three-year-old man grabbed a nearby chair to
steady himself as he took deep breaths.
"I'm going to the hospital," he rasped out. "I need to see my wife.
Send one of your Aurors to Hogwarts. Rigel needs to be here."
"Yes, Minister," Kingsley nodded. He barked orders to his
subordinates who escorted the distraught Minister of Magic out of
the room.
Kingsley buried his face in his hands. He too was trembling due to
rage. Was someone in the magical world responsible for this? Or
were the Muggles the only ones involved in this attack? He had to
find out.
Morgana's Hospital for Magical Care
James Potter was badly wounded. Had his grandmother not reacted
instantly and cast a shield around his body, he would be dead, much
like Algernon Croaker. However, the simple shield was still no match
for the destructive bomb. While his limbs were all intact, his internal
organs were a different matter. Unfortunately, since he was a child,
his body didn't have the energy to fight it.
A team of three Healers were working on the boy. Suddenly, all their
wands glowed red. In healing magic, should the scanning spell make
the tip of the wand glow red, it meant death. The Healers did not
panic. Various magical healing instruments kept making soft noises
in the background.
"His heart has stopped beating. Cast the shock spell on my mark."
"Aye."
"Now!"
James' body spasmed but the magical computer still showed no
heartbeat. The wand tips continued to glow red.
"Again!"
The boy spasmed but the result was the same.
"Again!"
"No change."
"Again!"
"Sir!"
"Don't question me; again!"
The tips of their wand glowed white and the computer showed signs
of active heartbeat in the patient. The three Healers mentally
breathed a sigh of relief, but their job was far from over.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
A vortex opened in the middle of the street in Camelot. Harry,
Daphne and Dylan landed on their feet. Only now that they were
close did Harry and Daphne recognise the family bond they shared
with their blood. Their lockets were glowing a deep shade of red.
"James!" breathed Daphne in panic as she rushed into the hospital,
with her husband and brother-in-law hot on her tail.
"Out of my way!" snapped a Healer as he pushed past them, rushing
into another healing room. Keeping his mind calm, Dylan stopped at
the reception.
"Has James Potter been admitted to his hospital?"
The receptionist grimaced when she recognised the man. "Director
Black, Head Unspeakable Croaker and James Potter were attacked,
Lord Lestrange. According to reports coming from the Ministry, they
were attacked by Muggles. Mr Croaker was declared dead on arrival.
Lady Black and Mr Potter are in Healing Rooms 7 and 9. They've
been here for nearly an hour now."
On the first floor, Harry and Daphne spotted Sirius Black sitting in a
chair outside Healing Room 7, crying silently, with Astoria and the
kids trying to console him.
"Mum, Dad!" Belladonna cried. She and her brother immediately
rushed into their mother's arms who hugged them tightly.
"Dad, what happened?" Harry demanded.
"Amelia, Algernon and James seemed to have gone to meet the
Muggle Prime Minister," said Sirius bitterly, tears flowing down his
cheeks. "It looks like that bastard set up a trap for you and me,
Harry. From what I've been told, he specifically asked for both of us.
Since we were not available, he – he – Algernon is dead. Amelia and
Jamie are still inside the healing rooms. What if – what if –"
"Don't say things like that," Astoria said firmly. "They're going to be
just fine!"
"Tori, can you please stay with him?" requested Harry quietly. "I don't
want him to be alone. I'll tell Dylan to join you."
"Don't worry, Harry, I'm not leaving him," she replied. "Athena is with
my mother downstairs. I'll take care of him."
"Thank you."
Grabbing his wife's wrist, Harry marched to Healing Room 9 at the
end of the corridor. Charlie and Belladonna were worried. They had
never seen their parents this angry before.
Daphne looked crazed. She kept mumbling incoherently as magic
sizzled around her body, ready to explode. Harry, on the other hand,
was calm, very calm, which was when things got dangerous. His
eyes slowly turned from emerald green to impossibly jet black.
Seeing that his wife was too shaken up and about to enter the
Healing Room, Harry grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.
"Daphne, you have to calm down!" he hissed, "or your magic could
destroy the building! Do you want to kill everyone at the hospital?"
"Right now I don't care about anyone but my son!" she snapped
back. "Get out of my way, Harry, before I make you!"
"Charlie and Belladonna are here too!" he said quietly. "Should you
lose control, you could hurt them. Do you really want that?"
Her body trembled and Daphne struggled to get her wild emotions
under control. Harry grabbed her in a hug, using their bond to calm
her down further. They sat in silence for five minutes, not knowing
what was going on.
"Dad, do you think Jamie will be fine?" asked Charlie. The normally
stoic boy was reduced to tears.
"I'm sure the Healers will do their best," whispered Harry, hugging his
son tightly. He couldn't help it. His body trembled as warm tears fell
from his eyes and into his son's neck.
"Daddy, don't cry," Charlie croaked out. Harry didn't feel comforted.
He continued to shed silent tears on his son's shoulder.
"Mum, Jamie will be fine, I know it!" said Belladonna, hoping for any
reaction from her mother.
Unfortunately, Daphne was still as a statue, her gaze unfocused,
blue orbs blazing with anger and pain