The place was deathly silent. The people gathered there were
dressed in simple white cotton garments, symbolising purity and
peace, showing that one entered the world with nothing and left the
world with nothing but their deeds. There were here for the funeral of
Amelia Black. Algernon Croaker had already been cremated by his
family members earlier that day.
Rigel felt his father squeeze his shoulder. The fifteen-year-old boy
pursed his lips, lest everyone witness his emotional breakdown. His
mother's body was laid to rest on a pyre in front of him. Tradition
dictated that he, her son, send her off with honour.
Harry and Dylan were standing on either side of him, both of them
silent. Rigel knew that they were upset. They were all devastated.
He had never seen his father this shattered before. The only reason
Sirius still remained standing was because of his young son.
Following the instructions of the druid, Rigel pointed his wand at the
ground and walked around the pyre, sprinkling water. Once he was
done, he took his place next to his brothers once more.
Sirius collapsed on the ground. Harry and Dylan rushed to help him,
but the man continued sobbing heartbreakingly. Rigel didn't turn to
his father. Instead, he pointed his wand at the pyre.
" Incendio!"
Fire burst from the tip of his wand and slowly consumed the body of
Amelia Black, one of the finest women the world had ever seen.
Rigel continued to stand, his eyes brimming with tears as he said
goodbye to his beloved mother.
Charlie and Belladonna rushed forward and wrapped their arms
around his waist. Rigel allowed the tears to fall as he whispered, "I
won't fail you, Mum. I promise. I love you."
The flames from the burning pyre seemed to be dancing in the eyes
of everyone present.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
Hermione Granger ignored the chaos all around her. She was
focussed only on her work. More than one hundred witches and
wizards were now members of the D.A., also known as
Dumbledore's Army. They were the rebellion; the last hope to stop
Harry Potter from destroying the world as they knew it.
But that was not all. Four days back, the Prime Minister's residence
had been bombed in an effort to rid the world of the Dark Lord known
as Harry Potter. Unfortunately, their plan hadn't worked. Not only had
Potter not been in the country when the attack took place, his mother
and son were caught in the blast instead. That only seemed to anger
the Supreme Chancellor of the International Confederation of
Wizards.
He had taken spectacular revenge on them all. So many politicians
had died due to his attack on the British parliament. The entire
country was in chaos. The Prime Minister was running himself
ragged due to the stress of maintaining order. How would he govern
the country when there was no government left? Shockwaves of this
brutal attack had spread throughout the world. No one in recent
times had dared to openly launch an attack such as this. Terrorists
usually targeted the common man, not the head of the government
itself.
But that was not all that Harry Potter had done. He had once again
managed to destroy her life. Hermione's heart was in pieces.
Whispers had reached her ear that she was now wanted for
questioning. Aurors everywhere were searching for her. If not for
Krum teaching her how to mask her magical signature, Hermione
was sure that she would have been found.
Thinking about Krum made her choke back on a sob. The Magical
Daily News had reported that along with the Muggles, Ivan Krum had
also been part of the plot to assassinate the Supreme Chancellor. He
was now reported dead. There was no word on Percy, but Hermione
knew in her heart that Potter had killed her husband too. Whether he
had been directly taken out or had been imprisoned, Percy's fate
was clear.
Daphne Potter had been responsible for the deaths of her parents.
And now Harry Potter was responsible for the deaths of her husband
and the man she looked up to as a father.
She would not let them win. Both the magical and the Muggle worlds
depended on her. Krum had instructed her to carry on if something
were to happen to him and that's what she was going to do.
But before she could seek the help of the Muggles, she had
something else planned.
"Gather around, everyone," announced Hermione. The members of
the D.A. all stopped what they were doing. There were people here
from all communities around the world. Not all of them were Muggleborns,
Hermione realised that. Blood-purity was a thing of the past.
"You all know what is at stake," she said, trying to sound confident.
"Potter has already launched an attack on the Muggles. Hundreds of
Muggles died when the Palace of Westminster was destroyed. But
he did not stop there. He killed our leader, Ivan Krum, the greatest
wizard we have seen since Albus Dumbledore. Mr Krum died
selflessly so that our world would find peace."
Many began whispering heatedly. They were all furious about Krum's
death.
"Potter only seeks vengeance for his unhappy childhood," spat
Hermione. "He doesn't care about wizards or Muggles; only himself.
He has brainwashed everyone in the magical world. The members of
the I.C.W. are simply his minions to do his bidding. If he attacks once
more, the Muggles will stand no chance. Mr Krum knew this. That is
the reason we are going back in time to magically enhance the
military equipment of the Muggles."
"Miss Granger, how far back will the time-turner take us?"
"Joao," said Hermione, pointing to a wizard in the corner, "believes
that he can send us to the year 2016 – two years back in time. With
all of us working together, that should be enough to prepare for what
is to come."
"What exactly are we to modify?"
"Focus on the military fighter jets," answered Hermione. "The air
force is your first priority. Do everything possible to shield them.
Weapons are the next on the list. Enhance them with magic so that
we can obliterate Potter's forces as quickly and efficiently as
possible. Don't forget to use glamour and translation charms while
shifting between countries. Focus your efforts on the top ten military
powers; that should be enough."
"What about nuclear weapons? Potter would surely use them should
he find out where they are!"
Hermione smiled grimly. "Don't worry about that. Before his death,
Mr Krum and I had been working on a way to protect them and keep
them out of Potter's reach. We already have a plan in place and my
team will take care of it. The rest of you need to focus on the air
force and their missiles. With Potter's top brass destroyed,
everything can go back to how it was. Potter is the only enemy."
"Yes, ma'am."
"To Dumbledore's Army!" she cried.
"To Dumbledore's Army!"
Joao, their sole expert on time-travel, cast a spell around the room.
All the members held hands, with Hermione touching the time-turner.
Joao spun the hourglass.
The one hundred and twenty-four members of the D.A. seemed to
shimmer as they disappeared from view. Just a second later, they
reappeared, all of them looking slightly older.
After all, the past two years had been extremely stressful.
"Report," said Hermione. She looked haggard and sickly, with dark
circles under his eyes, as if she had not gotten much sleep over the
past two years.
"My team couldn't get access to all the fighter jets in different
countries, but we managed to shield nearly seventy per cent of it all,"
one of the members answered.
"Our team decided that the smaller bombers alone would not be
sufficient. We charmed the bigger ones too. These were previously
used mainly for transport, but I think we managed to convince the
Muggles to use them as attack vehicles too."
"Their weapons have been modified. Their missiles and torpedoes
are enhanced with magic. Potter will stand no chance, I assure you."
Hermione nodded. They were prepared for war. She was not
surprised that no one here asked her about nuclear weapons. They
couldn't, as they didn't remember the fact that such weapons existed
in the first place.
Since the start of the Voldemort war, Dumbledore had always been
wary of nuclear missiles. Should Voldemort get his hands on one of
them, it could tip the scale of the war in ways no one could imagine.
In order to stop that from happening, the late headmaster had then
researched methods to hide the dangerous weapons. His research
over the years had led him to a modified form of the Fidelius Charm.
Instead of hiding just the location of the many weapons,
Dumbledore, with the help of Ivan Krum, had designed a spell to lock
the secret of the knowledge of nuclear weapons in the mind of the
Secret Keeper. It was an infinitely complex spell, but Krum had
managed to teach it to Hermione.
When Krum had proposed the idea of going back in time, he and
Hermione had prepared for this mission. They knew that Potter
would use those dangerous weapons for his own benefit, so the
knowledge of them had to be wiped from the minds of everyone.
Unfortunately, after going back in time, Hermione realised that the
theory behind the charm and the actual implementation were quite
different.
They had identified one place of launch in the U.K. However, after
her companion had cast the charm, with her as the Secret Keeper,
Hermione realised that the knowledge of nuclear weapons had not
been contained as she had hoped. Instead, only knowledge of this
particular launch pad had been erased. It was no different than the
unmodified version of the charm itself. After a week of research, she
realised that for the charm to work, she would have to find every
nuclear missile on the planet and link them together with magic. Only
after they were all tied together would their attempt to cast the
Fidelius and erase the existence of the weapons from the minds of
everyone be successful.
That, however, turned out to be harder than she thought. After two
weeks, Hermione had begun to panic due to the loss of time. Without
any option available, she used the Imperius Curse on various top
military and secret service heads of different nuclear-armed Muggle
governments. Using their knowledge and making them extract topsecret
intelligence that was stored in secured computer servers, she
and her team tracked down every single nuclear warhead. It had
taken them almost all of two years, working every single day, eating
on the run with only a few hours of sleep, as they did their best to
stop Potter before he got to the missiles first.
Finally, only two days before she had to head back to their base, she
had managed to do it. After successfully linking every nuclear missile
that existed, her team had cast the modified Fidelius Charm on their
original target – the launch pad in the U.K. It had worked. When
Hermione had tested it, asking one of them about nuclear weapons,
her companion had been confused. That's when she finally breathed
a sigh of relief. Potter would never get his hands on those weapons.
Albus Dumbledore and Ivan Krum would have been proud. Their
mission had been a success. Her only wish was that she could have
used that time to stop Potter before he killed her mentor and
husband. Unfortunately, Krum had been right. Any major events that
had already occurred could not be stopped by the time-turner. She
had tried and failed every single time. But after her mission had been
completed, Hermione consoled herself that it would not matter,
because Harry Potter would soon meet his end.
The D.A. was ready. It was time to stop Potter in his tracks once and
for all.
Sowilo City
"We've managed to speed up the process, Harry," said Padma Patil.
"The temporal runic array will be ready in two days. We can then
begin charging them with magic. By my estimates, it should be
complete in about two weeks."
"All those who'll be a part of Operation 24 have been contacted,"
Dylan informed him. "Many of them have already shifted here.
Accommodations are being provided to them as we speak."
"Good," said Harry. "Daphne?"
"All the required materials have been brought to the city," she
answered. "We shouldn't find any resources to be scarce during our
time here."
Harry nodded in satisfaction. He had already met the leaders of
various other magical species over the past few days. They had
agreed to support him during this conflict. Not all of them would fight,
but as long as they didn't rebel, Harry was satisfied.
Speaking before the Security Council of the United Nations was
certainly a situation Hermione Granger did not think she would find
herself in. The room was in chaos, mostly due to the attack on
London. The Prime Minister was seated, simply observing the
proceedings, letting his delegates handle the matter.
"Hermione, I need you to step out of the room for a few minutes,"
said the Prime Minister quietly from beside her.
"Sir?" she asked in surprise. "I thought we were going to tell them
about Potter?"
"We are," the man replied crisply. "But I'm afraid that your sudden
presence will confuse them. We don't want things to get out of hand,
do we? Let me handle it. I shall call you when they demand proof
that magic is real. Allow me to do the talking, Hermione. Is that
clear?"
Hermione nodded slowly. She didn't like it, but she could understand
where the Prime Minister was coming from. She had no experience
dealing with the Security Council; she would only be a hindrance.
Once the witch had left, the Prime Minister stood up.
"I know many of you are wondering what exactly is going on," he
said, his voice loud and clear. "Over the past two weeks, the United
Kingdom has experienced tragedies that are horrifying, dealing with
situations we never expected to find ourselves in. My home was
attacked, and so was the British parliament during an active session.
Nearly all my colleagues were killed during the explosion that
obliterated the Palace of Westminster."
He paused, taking in the scrutinizing expressions on many of the
members' faces. Boy, were they in for a surprise.
"Most of you are labouring under the delusion that this was a terrorist
attack. But let me assure you that we are facing a threat far greater
than such extremists. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my sad duty to
inform you that our entire population has been deceived for
centuries; there is a massive cult underground that seeks to destroy
us. These beings – for they cannot be called human – call
themselves witches and wizards. They have control over an arcane
power they call magic."
Utter chaos gripped the hall as the British Prime Minister finished his
speech. Many heads of state were laughing openly. The French
President, however, was grim. The rest were questioning the man's
sanity.
"My dear Prime Minister, forgive me, but are you drunk?"
"I think this latest tragedy has gone to your mind, sir!"
"What in the world –"
"He's telling the truth," the French President cut in. "The reason why
none of you know about this is that the freaks didn't reveal
themselves to you. They have their own government and whatnot.
Millions of such beings live all over the world, right under our noses."
"I can prove it to you," continued the Prime Minister, before anyone
else could question his sanity. He signalled his bodyguards to open
the door.
Hermione Granger entered the room. She pointed her wand at the
centre table and chanted, " Wingardium Leviosa."
The members of the United Nations Security Council watched in
absolute shock and fascination as the table floated in mid-air, defying
the laws of gravity. Hermione flicked her wand, transfiguring the table
into a dog and then into a horse. With another flick, the table
returned.
"Thank you, Miss Granger, you may leave now," ordered the Prime
Minister. Hermione hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. The
door closed behind her.
"Your eyes are not deceiving you," said the French President quietly.
"This is real."
"Why were we not informed about this sooner?" roared the U.S.
President.
"Would you have believed us if we had?" snapped the Prime
Minister. "Just a minute ago, everyone here questioned my sanity.
Do you have any idea the danger the world is in, being surrounded
by freaks like Hermione Granger? There are millions of witches and
wizards – abominations – all over the world. They are the cause of
our suffering! They destroyed the British parliament!"
"And what proof do you have?"
The Prime Minister was ready. For the next hour, he explained in
detail, with various photographs, recording devices and witnesses,
how the magical world had remained underground, creating chaos
from within. The existence of Dark Lords like Grindelwald and
Voldemort was revealed. The tension in the room was growing.
"These freaks have been the cause of so much destruction. No
longer will they harm us! What if they are the reason the Second
World War began? I have reason to believe that they helped Hitler
during the war as well!"
"Should I find that they caused the attack on 9/11 …"
"For all we know, they did!"
"These creatures have their own government?!"
"They should be brought under our control. We can't let such power
go unchecked!"
"Who represents these freaks?"
The Prime Minister's lips curved into a sneer at the last question. "A
man named Harry Potter. He and the freaks have declared war on
the United Kingdom by attacking us! From this moment onwards,
those freaks are our enemy!"
Many others stood up, declaring their support, but unfortunately, it
was not as easy as the Prime Minister had hoped. Even within the
Security Council, the contempt the member countries held for each
other ran deep, hidden by a façade of peace.
It would take time for them to unite under a single banner. But if he
were to take a stand, others might follow, mostly due to their own
interests and self-preservation.
That was all he could hope at the moment. He quickly strode out of
the room.
"Any progress, sir?" asked Hermione hopefully.
"Yes, Hermione," he replied. "I've warned them about the danger
known as Harry Potter. But politics is murky, as you know. They
won't accept it until the truth is shoved in their faces."
"But there's got to be something we can do!" Hermione protested.
"Not to worry," he smiled. He was happy that the entire meeting
before the Security Council had been recorded. "Within a few hours,
every person on the planet who has access to the television will
know about Harry Potter," and about freaks like you who need to be
eradicated for the good of the world.
After all, no one with such power should be left unchecked,
especially if the wizards did indeed bring chaos to the normal beings.
In his mind, it mattered not whether the magical races were the root
cause of all their problems. The Prime Minister, for one, couldn't wait
to experiment on the creatures and find out exactly how they wielded
magic. The power he and his countrymen would hold would be
limitless and they would once more be a global superpower – with
him leading the world.
Besides, the freaks were just filthy creatures. The normal beings
would only try to save them by making them fall in line.
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister was not aware that many a
politician from different countries was thinking along the same lines
as he.
Sowilo City
Supreme Chancellor Harry Potter watched the news with unblinking
eyes. The wizarding news channels had caught wind of the change
that was gripping the Muggles and were quick to broadcast it
worldwide.
"– I.C.W. intelligence tells us that the witch in question is Hermione
Granger, a woman from Avalon who had been involved in the attack
on Algernon Croaker, Amelia Black and James Potter. Her current
location is unknown, but the Confederation has sent most of its
Aurors to the Muggle New York City to apprehend her."
"We believe Miss Granger's actions have irrevocably destroyed the
International Statute of Secrecy. Due to the technology invented by
the Muggles, which is similar to the E-Mirrors used by witches and
wizards, nearly the entire non-magical population is now aware of
the existence of magic. It is unknown how this is going to affect the
lives of various magical races around the world, but it has been
advised that no one is to enter a Muggle-populated area. Even
though most are in denial, experts say that violence could break out
at any moment. Tensions between the two worlds haven't been this
high in centuries."
"The International Confederation of Wizards has convened an
emergency session to deal with this pressing matter. The Supreme
Chancellor has been unavailable for comment."
"The shroud of darkness has fallen, Lord Potter," Perenelle Flamel
said from beside him. "We must take action or we might lose
everything that we hold most dear."
"I understand, my Lady."
Perenelle nodded and walked out of the room. Dylan, who was
standing next to him, was frowning.
"You knew that she would do this. You had spies reporting to you.
Why didn't you stop her?"
Harry paused. "Yes, my spies indeed told me that the Prime Minister
would speak before the Security Council today. I knew for sure that
Granger would make this move. After Krum's death, she was
cornered. Had she not revealed us to the Muggles, I would have
been downright surprised."
"Then why –"
"Why didn't I stop her?" Harry finished sharply. "Dylan, think from a
tactical point of view. I messed up big time. I killed Ivan Krum without
interrogating him. He was the leader of the resistance movement,
the only one who knew exactly what was going on. Krum knew that
should I read his mind, his campaign would be over before it began.
So, he taunted me instead. I was grief-stricken after the attack. My
mother was killed, my son was as good as dead, my father was
heartbroken and my wife was crushed! Worse, there was absolutely
nothing I could do to help them. I didn't like that feeling of
helplessness at all. This was worse than the time you and Daphne
were kidnapped by the Death Eaters! I lost it and killed him. My
actions nearly cost us victory over the Muggles."
Dylan remained silent. As a military leader, he knew that Harry was
right but didn't want to openly admit it. He loved his brother too much
to do that.
"Master Nicolas was correct. We have to remember what we're
fighting for. Open warfare is now our only option. We aren't trying to
crush the Muggles. We only want them to stop destroying the planet.
We have the resources to cast the Imperius Curse on the head of
every Muggle government in the world. We could move them like
pieces on a chessboard. But what will that achieve? Nothing!"
"Why?" Dylan asked curiously.
A hint of a smile formed on Harry's lips. "I sometimes forget that you
have no experience with politics. Most of the time, the top leader is
nothing but a puppet, Dylan. Some of them have control, but never
enough to actually make a difference, at least not in the scale we
want it to happen. There are always those in the shadows,
controlling them. Other politicians will influence them. Military aids
and heads of secret service departments will always whisper in their
ears. Rich, influential people can buy politicians. Underground
organizations will, more often than not, have a say in government
policies. This is apart from the corruption that nearly always exists in
government bodies."
"How do you think the former goblin king Ragnuk managed to hold
on to his crown until he was replaced? A gangster that ruled the
underworld managed to keep him in power for several years.
Cornelius Fudge was nothing . People like Lucius Malfoy, who
worked behind the scenes, kept moving him around the way he saw
fit. Had Dad not replaced him, the war with Voldemort could have
been far, far worse because he was just a rag doll, his arms and
mouth moving just the way Lucius told him to."
"How many Muggles can we control through the Imperius Curse
before our soldiers themselves lose their minds, huh? And
remember, not everyone can cast the Unforgivable Curses
successfully. To be honest, I do not want them to. Even though I
have taught you that those curses were originally invented for
medical purposes, at this time, they are not used for good. They are
illegal for a reason. I don't want the citizens of the I.C.W. to use
those curses, even for us to win the war. If it is absolutely necessary,
the elite group of the army can do it, but not the rest."
Harry took a deep breath. "Essentially, the Elves were right. They
had already tried mind control and it didn't work. They managed to
create awareness but that's about it. The people have to believe
what they're doing is wrong, Dylan. The government, as much I hate
to say it, will not able to change the minds of the people unless
drastic steps are taken."
"And us coming into the picture is a drastic step," Dylan said softly.
"But what if we simply force those governments to pass laws that will
help? We can order them to stop using oil and stop cutting down
forests."
"The Muggles will not follow that because, all of us, in our own way,
are selfish," Harry exhaled. "From the intelligence the Department of
Mysteries has gathered, I've found out that the oil business is huge
in their world and generates a lot of money. The global economy will
crash without it. The Muggles will be in turmoil without oil. Electricity,
communication, mobility, everything will be affected. Unless they're
cornered, they will never give up oil, even if it's destroying the
planet."
"So open combat is the only option at the moment," said Dylan,
sighing in resignation. "So much for trying to prevent war, huh?"
Harry smiled grimly. "I guess so," he replied quietly. "We did
everything possible to prevent exposure, only for me to actually allow
Granger to expose the magical world. How ironic. I knew where she
would be but I wasn't stupid enough to capture her there."
"Yeah, Granger isn't an idiot. She would have contingency plans in
place in order to escape. Don't worry, Harry. We'll catch her off-guard
some other time."
Dylan then checked his watch. "Come on. They're waiting for you."
Nodding, after stealing a final glance at the E-Mirror, Supreme
Chancellor Harry Potter walked out of the room for the most
important meeting of his life. It had the potential to change the
magical world as they knew it.
The meeting place for the delegates of the I.C.W. was much larger
and spacious than any building that housed the legislative body in
the various magical countries. The building itself was massive and
seemed to be built like a trapezium, with mammoth statues of
various great visionaries of the past from different magical cultures.
Great care was taken while designing Sowilo City so that it would be
a welcoming place to all magical species and not only humans.
After all, they were fighting for magic. Magic was what linked them
together. There would not differentiate between humans, goblins,
elves, veela, vampires or any other species.
The inside of the hall was filled with circular pads where the
delegates were allotted individual seats. They were evenly spread
out from top to bottom, with dim light from above shining on them.
The podiums were enchanted so that they could detach from the wall
when necessary. In the centre of the room, was another podium,
rising from beneath the ground, from where their leader would soon
emerge from.
Two thousand people began whispering about the sudden change
the magical world had experienced in a short amount of time due to
Hermione Granger's betrayal. The Statute of Secrecy was in
shambles for the first time in three centuries and no one knew how to
handle it. The safety net had been shot.
The podium rose from the ground and lights flickered into existence.
The Supreme Chancellor of the I.C.W. raised his head and observed
the audience.
"My friends," Harry Potter said in a deep voice. "Today is a day that
shall be remembered for all eternity. The shroud of darkness has
fallen. The International Statute of Secrecy, our most sacred law,
enforced by every magical species on this planet, lies in ruins. We
have been betrayed."
"Move it, come on, quickly!" Dylan ordered.
It was nighttime. Many people were still entering Sowilo City. It was
already populated by tens of thousands of men, woman and children
from all over the world. As soon as the last of the politicians would
leave after the emergency session, the gates would be sealed.
"Monitor all communication channels," said Dylan. "We need to know
the status of the Muggles."
"Yes, General. I'm on it."
"One of our own has revealed the existence of magic to the
Muggles," continued Harry. "And this time, we cannot simply wipe
their memories and be done with it. No, this was recorded and
broadcasted all over the world. Every Muggle government is now
aware of the existence of magic. More importantly, their people are
aware of the existence of magic. And you know from your own
experiences that they will not accept it."
"They won't, because we are, according to them, abnormal. To the
Muggles, we all are freaks of nature, an abomination. They believe
the existence of magic is a lie and would do everything possible to
destroy us, mainly because they can never understand . It is beyond
their comprehension. What they don't understand, they fear."
"The British Prime Minister, along with Ivan Krum and Hermione
Granger, are behind this. They launched a cowardly attack on me
and my family. It was a trap to assassinate me, but innocent people
paid the price instead."
Harry choked as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Just thinking
about Amelia and James was enough to make him break down. The
entire chamber was encompassed with a deathly silence, those
present trembling slightly due to the rage and sorrow that was
radiating from the Chancellor's body; magic seemed to be sizzling in
the air around him.
"Their attempts will not stop here. What if they decide that magic is
the cause of their problems? Or worse, that since we have powers
they don't, we are obligated to help them because they consider us
inferior beings? Do they expect us to become their slaves? "
"Never!" shouted Harry, over the din that sentence had caused. "We
shall fight for our people. We shall fight for our children! We shall
protect our planet! It is our duty as the children of Mother Magic to
protect her!"
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
"The temporal runes are ready," said Padma.
"Admiral," a soldier saluted smartly to Daphne. "The latest transport
has arrived. The materials you ordered are in the warehouse. We are
good to go."
"What about the new citizens of Sowilo?"
"Every member of the city has been accounted for, my Lady. Your
family members have arrived as well and are presently residing at
Number One, Republica ."
Daphne nodded. Her blue eyes fixed themselves on the magical
computer screen. The Varasma levels were stable.
"Start charging the temporal runes, Padma," she said quietly.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
"This attempt by our enemies has led many to believe that the
magical world is on the brink of disaster. But this is far from the truth.
The future is uncertain, but they will not break us!"
"My mother was killed because of their lust for power," Harry spat
bitterly. "My son is in a coma that he may never recover from
because the Muggles cannot bring themselves to share and accept
the fact that there are others who are simply different . They speak in
the only language that they know of – utter destruction. They
targeted my family to destroy me, and as an extension, all of you. If
you look into their actions over the past several centuries, you'll see
that they are no strangers to eradicating and decimating entire
cultures of native worlds and their people, all because they have a
strange sense of superiority and entitlement. Who is to say that they
don't wish the same fate upon us? "
"The attack on our son has left me and my wife crippled. But I assure
you – the rest of the magical world, all of our people who I consider
to be my family – shall never undergo the same torment of having to
witness their child's suffering. We shall not back down! Our family, all
of us, shall rise above this pain and hardship!" Harry shouted
passionately amidst cheers.
"Dark times are looming over the horizon and the future is uncertain.
Therefore, in order to ensure the safety and stability of the people of
the magical world in these dire times, I propose that the International
Confederation of Wizards and all its allied government bodies of
various magical species be consolidated to form the first
INTERNATIONAL MAGICAL REPUBLIC!"
Harry's heart was thumping in his chest as the members of the
Republic cheered and applauded for his decision. He had done the
impossible.
He had united the entire magical world together for the first time in
history.
"The Republic will fight for our magical brethren," announced Harry.
"We shall try to negotiate with the Muggles and restore the Statute of
Secrecy, but should our efforts fail, then we shall prepare for war; a
war that shall be fought for the future of our children."
Thumping his chest with gusto, he shouted, "With the blessings of
Mother Magic, I, the Supreme Chancellor of the Magical Republic,
on behalf of my people and this Senate, formally declare war on the
Muggles who seek to destroy us!"
Thunderous applause echoed throughout the chamber as Harry
bowed to the Senators and heads of government in respect. As his
podium sank into the ground, he could hear the cries they were
chanting.
"Long live the Republic!"
"Long live the Supreme Chancellor!"
It was past midnight when Harry stepped into his bedroom in the
newly furnished Sowilo Palace , formally known as Number One,
Republica , the official residence of the Supreme Chancellor of the
Magical Republic. It didn't have the homely feeling of Potter Castle,
but for now, it would have to do.
He found his wife sitting on the bed, gently rocking their children in
order to comfort them. James was here too, but it only served to
remind them all of his present condition. However, none of them
chose to give up, evident by the fact that Daphne had all three of
them here, explaining the situation.
"Dad!" Charlie cried, getting to his feet and rushing into his father's
arms. Harry hugged his oldest tightly, inhaling the familiar scent and
made room for his daughter as she too pounced on him.
"We heard what happened," Belladonna said softly. "Is there really
going to be a war, Daddy?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Harry said after a pause. "But there is more
which you need to know."
Guiding his children to the bed, he sat down next to his wife. Daphne
took their hands in hers and tried to make them understand.
"Charlie, Bella, I know this is a tough time for all of us," she said
gently. "You lost your grandmother and your brother is in a coma, not
to mention we are far away from home. Unfortunately, we won't be
returning to Potter Castle anytime soon."
"Why not?"
"It's because this city was constructed for a reason," explained Harry.
"You see, we've always known that a war might break out any
moment and we've been preparing for this moment for more than a
decade. In accordance, this city was designed with temporal runes
crafted throughout the outer perimeter."
"Temporal runes?" Charlie spluttered in surprise. "Y-You mean – we'll
be – well, will we –"
"Will we be going back in time?" Belladonna finished.
"Not exactly," answered Daphne slowly. "It's more complex than that.
Simply going back in time would not have solved our problems. You
have to understand that just because we have magic doesn't mean
we can win the war with the Muggles, not when there are billions of
them spread across the planet. Also, the devices that help witches
and wizards go back in time are dangerous and also rigid. We
needed something else to help us prepare on a long-term scale."
"In essence," Harry continued, "we won't be going back in time, but
we will simply slow time within the runic circle that surrounds Sowilo
City."
"Slow time?"
"What does that mean?"
"Basically, for every five minutes that passes outside the temporal
runic array, we spend one month inside."
Reality began into sink into their minds as the twins swallowed in
nervousness.
"F-For how long are we going to stay here, Mum?" asked Charlie
hesitantly.
Daphne sighed. "Twenty-four hours," she answered, "which in our
terms, will be about twenty-four to twenty-five years."
"Basically, once we activate the runes two days from now," said
Harry, "the outside world will continue to exist in the same spacetime-
magic continuum as the rest of the planet, but we, in here, will
be spending around twenty-four years together."
"And what are we going to do during this time?" asked Belladonna.
Harry took a deep breath. "We're going to prepare for war," he said
seriously. "Since we don't want anyone to age unnecessarily, the
Elves have provided us with an alchemical potion that will slow down
our metabolism, so that we can lead healthy, productive lives. You'll
be administered the potion once you both turn seventeen."
"What this means for you is that should you choose to stay here with
us, you can never go to Hogwarts like the rest of your peers," said
Daphne softly. "There are many children residing in the city as well,
but they all chose to come here. We didn't give you that choice. Your
Grandfather Sirius will not be joining us, and neither will Grandpa
and Grandma Greengrass. If you want a relatively normal life, we
won't blame you if you wish to go live with them for a day. That's all
it'll be – a day. You'll see us very soon. It won't affect you."
There was silence in the palatial room, with the cool wind blowing
from the massive windows. The Himalayan mountain peaks could be
seen from the palace windows and the twinkling lights of the stars
were a stark contrast to the bright lights of Sowilo City.
"And what if we choose to stay?" inquired Charlie quietly. "What will
happen to us?"
Harry and Daphne looked at each other.
"You'll grow up like everyone else, but once the temporal runes are
deactivated, you'll be fully grown adults, not children. You'll be in
your early thirties. Unlike Muggles, physically, you still won't look a
day over seventeen, and with the help of the Elixir of Life, you'll
probably remain that way for a long time, but the fact of the matter is
that should you meet any of your friends back home, they'll still be
kids. Doing this might take away your childhood and teenage years."
Belladonna shook her head. "I don't care," she said stubbornly. "My
place is with my family, and I'm not leaving you, Mum and Jamie."
"Neither am I," Charlie nodded fervently. "We Peverells always stick
together, and this time is no different, war or not. We'll join the army
and we'll help you. Face it, Mum, Dad, you can't get rid of us."
Those words were enough to make the parents sag with relief. They
knew it was selfish of them to want to keep their children here, but
they couldn't help it. Twenty-four years without them would be
torture. Grabbing the twins in a hug, Harry and Daphne exhaled