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zelda_queenZeldaQueen: Annnnnnd faith and trust onward!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 3: Tactics To Win (Part 3)
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
May 29, 1978
Harry was amazed at how little the timeline had changed.
ZeldaQueen: Given how he's been wandering around helter-skelter, so am I
The warfare had gone considerably worse for Voldemort this time around, but he was still recruiting heavily from Britain, France, and Eastern Europe. The key for Voldemort is that it seemed like his campaign of terror was working: people 'died,' manor houses burned to the ground, the Dark Mark was seen several times a week. He was now at the height of his power and influence. (It began to wane a bit after the prophecy had been made originally, as Voldemort had become erratic and unfocused because of his pursuit of the Potters and Longbottoms.)
ZeldaQueen: Um DW? You do know that it's mostly the Death Eaters who do the recruiting and burning and killing, right? Voldemort only gets involved in the really important stuff
Tonight Harry had made the final decision on how to acquire the final horcrux and when he was going to destroy Voldemort. He would give himself a few weeks to acquire the locket, destroy all of the vile devices, and kill Voldemort on June 17, 1978 (the next time on Harry's timeline that Voldemort was known to personally attend a raid).
ZeldaQueen: And why would Voldemort personally be attending a raid? It was considered to be quite a sign of skill if you were good enough for Voldemort to have to kill personally. Who wants to bet the raid doesn't fit that bill?
That day also happened to be four days before his parents would graduate from Hogwarts. Harry thought it a fitting gift.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, multiple murders and desecration of bodies (you'll see). His parents would be so proud!
He could no longer wait to make sure he had dealt with the final horcrux. Harry wanted to ensure some kind of peace in the British wizarding world before his parents graduated from Hogwarts.
ZeldaQueen: Look Harry, you've already admitted to only doing this for your unborn-self. Stop pretending to be noble, I ain't buying it
Harry, if he needed, could track down the final horcrux later and then deal with the Voldemort wraith that would inevitably make its way to Albania.
ZeldaQueen: "Wraith"? What? Does he mean the spirit of Voldemort? Because if so, that only shows up after Lily and James died. Phail
He was willing to compromise on his original plans, if he needed to, in order to be sure the Potters saw their son graduate from Hogwarts. The idea had been on his mind for some time.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, so his grandparents and parents are in his favor and it's everyone else who can go hang. Nice to know
His only fear about giving his parents this gift of peace was that he was mucking around in the timeline too much.
ZeldaQueen: You think?
That his parents wouldn't marry on time – or wouldn't have Harry on July 31, 1980 – or that Harry would be someone else entirely.
ZeldaQueen: Holy hell, he's only thinking about this now? You know, I'm pretty sure that Ron and Hermione could have reminded him about it if they were here!!!
Harry Potter had done everything, including technically killing himself, to ensure that one unborn child would grow up in a world of peace.
In Harry's mind, there was no 'greater good.' There was what was needed for Harry James Potter, infant extraordinaire, to grow up in the loving family he deserved…
ZeldaQueen: And the author checks yet another trait removed from canon Harry off of his list. Lovely
And is it just me, or is this sounding like Harry Potter as written by Ayn Rand?
He hoped all of this would work…and Harry would grow up the way a child should grow up: normally.
ZeldaQueen: And normality is what? Especially in the wizarding world
But, first, Harry had to focus on today…not on the day Voldemort died or the day he would be born. He needed to make some more changes right now for the better. Tonight was the night that the Prewett twins would get themselves killed if Harry didn't help things along.
ZeldaQueen: Because the past sucks and there's no way anyone could get anything done without Harry running around and sticking his finger in the pie
According to the timeline, they were to be a part of the response team to a Death Eater attack on the Bones Mansion in Kent.
ZeldaQueen: NOT EVERYONE HAS MANSIONS!
The sadly ironic part was that Edgar Bones had already fled the place with his wife…and the response team was unnecessary.
Zeldaueen: The way this author goes on, It's a miracle anything got done in the first war. Although given how the author also makes Voldemort himself utterly incompetent, maybe that makes sense...
Harry apparated to the place. The wards felt stale and unrefreshed, as if no one had cast any magic nearby for some time. Harry thought it was obvious the place was temporarily abandoned.
ZeldaQueen: Because he's perfect and everyone else is a moron
He risked a quick jaunt over to one of the windows…and saw a large, empty room. The Bones' had even taken their belongings with them. Perfect!
ZeldaQueen: How is it that everyone is able to pack up everything so nicely and conveniently in this thing?
Harry stepped back outside the wards and waited.
"I wonder exactly how the Order gets the message to come and assist," Harry muttered to himself. If it had been ward-triggered, Harry's exploration of the estate should have brought members along. It had to be something else…
ZeldaQueen: Like the Patronus messengers maybe? Or something akin to the gold coin charm that Hermione (whereissheandRon???) used for the DA? God, this version of Harry is dumb!
Harry looked up when he heard apparition. Dark robes and masks: Death Eaters. But then Harry saw something he didn't expect, a Patronus-based messaging spell. It was an application for the Patronus Charm that Dumbledore himself had created. He certainly wouldn't have intended to teach it to Death Eaters…
ZeldaQueen: Jesus. H. Christ. NOTHING IS EVER JUST INNOCENT IN THIS, IS THERE? Oh what do you know? The Death Eaters picked up the Order's Patronus message system! Whatever shall we do?
Had a traitor in the Order just called for victims?
ZeldaQueen: Just wait until we find out more about this "traitor". Ohhh, just you wait...
Traitors made Harry think of that woman…and it made Harry seethe. There was nothing Harry hated more than betrayers.
ZeldaQueen: Yes author, remind us that Ginny is evil (even though I believe the implication was that she was crazy, and thus not in control of her actions) and thus deserved to die. I'd compare this version of Harry to Sweeney Todd, but Sweeney's far more noble and honorable
Whoever the traitor was would die this night, Merlin willing and the Code of Harry be damned.
ZeldaQueen: Because Harry knows exactly who gets to live or die, ignoring the fact that they might be brainwashed or Imperiused (seriously, he never suspects this until much later)
Harry watched as the crew of five Death Eaters quickly set to destroying the Bones Mansion. They'd obviously come expecting more of a fight. It was a few minutes before it arrived, however.
Gideon and Fabian Prewett, plus Alastor Moody, Dedalus Diggle, and Aberforth Dumbledore, arrived just outside the Bones wards. The Death Eaters pivoted and began a brutal assault. Moody, who still had his natural eyes and appendages, was knocked unconscious with a dark bludgeoner.
ZeldaQueen: Huh. You'd think that having his original limbs would make him more efficient in combat
Diggle was hit with a flame cutter and only a hastily thrown up shield saved his life.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, because the Order members all suck in battle and of course stand no chance until the almighty Harry saves the day!
Harry moved, under his Disillusionment spell, quietly near the Death Eaters. He didn't know which one had sent the Patronus spell, but he was going to find out.
Aberforth sent an oddly colored yellow spell at one of the Death Eaters. The recipient promptly fell over shrieking in pain. 'Good one,' Harry thought. He resolved to try to figure out what spell did that.
ZeldaQueen: This version of Harry ought to hook up with Rose "Main, Kill, And Torture" Potter. Be just like Patricia and Johnny from The Frighteners
Then Harry did a little bit of magic. He had earned his Dueling mastery while competing on the professional circuit after Hogwarts (in the Quidditch off seasons while he played for Puddlemere), but he was most proud of the Mastery he earned in Spell Design.
ZeldaQueen: Hogwarts isn't a college! You don't get "Mastery" in anything there!
And is "Spell Design" at all like "Fashion Design"?
His Master's project was a nonverbal spell that bent magic in a specified direction: it was in place of shielding or dodging, of course. It worked on all spells, even the Unforgivables which still were unblockable via direct magical shielding.
ZeldaQueen: Um, no, nothing except for actually moving can protect you from the Unforgivables. It doesn't work like that
Harry used his magic bending spells in slight ways to ensure that Death Eater spells hit other Death Eaters. The tallest cloaked man sent off the Cruciatus Curse – which Harry forced to miss one of the Prewett twins – and then a Cutting Curse which seemed to fly out of his wand at a weird angle. The Cutting Curse sliced off another Death Eater's wand hand.
ZeldaQueen: Again, if the Order members are this bad, how in the bloody hell does DW think they made it through the first time around?
The battle turned from there. Two Death Eaters down, three remaining. Three Order members remaining. Harry ensured nothing the Death Eaters cast hit the Order, while the Order had free reign on the black-robed attackers.
The battle ended without additional Order casualties five minutes later.
Aberforth unmasked the Death Eaters. Antonin Dolohov – he who had nearly bisected Hermione at the Department of Mysteries battle so many decades earlier in Harry's remembering – had lost his wand hand. Aberforth staunched the flow. Another was Lucius Malfoy. The surprise member was Sturgis Podmore, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, the traitor.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, I'm going to rant about this in a second. Let's just finish this bit first
One of the Prewett twins was the first to react. "How did that blasted Phoenix let Sturgis in if he's sold us out to the Death Eaters?"
Aberforth offered an angry shrug. "My brother never has been too concerned with security. God only knows what foolish thing he'll conjure up to say about this."
ZeldaQueen: Alrighty folks, let's take a look at this. First of all, let us examine the character of Sturgis Podmore - in Order of the Phoenix, he was arrested for trying to break into the Department of Mysteries. It later turns out that he only did this because he was Imperiused. In other words, he was mind-controlled by a Death Eater. Since we as readers only know what Harry knows, Harry of course learned this himself.
And...that's it. That's all of the information we get on him. Well, we also know that he fought with the Order in the first war, but that's it. No evidence whatsoever of him being a traitor either time. I can only assume that DW was skimming the fifth book and only saw the part where Podmore was arrested and thus figured "Oh hey, he's a traitor! I'll use him!"
I might also add, in regards to the "Dumbledore sucks at security" thing, I suspect this is another jab at Pettigrew getting into the Order. Let the jury be reminded that not everyone is Evil and Bad when they join the Order and it's entirely possible that the betrayal happens too late or quickly to be detected. Let the jury also note that Dumbledore himself admits in the fourth book that he makes mistakes, so this really shouldn't be a revelation
The other twin shook his head in disgust, but was more concerned with Moody and Diggle. "We need to get them to a Healer, gents."
Aberforth nodded. "You lot get them mended. I'll stay here with our friends, especially this Mr. Podmore. Foolish bunch can't even aim their wands, can they?"
ZeldaQueen: (Disobedience Writer) "Insert ironically amusing line here..."
Harry just smiled. He hoped his revision of history this evening would hold. He hoped Molly Weasley would have her elder brothers for a long time to come.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, again I have to ask - how in the hell is this not completely screwing up the future? The reason Mrs. Weasley was so upset and worried about her family dying in the books was because her family members died. In other words, you're going to be changing her character!
Harry stuck around the Bones Mansion even after two Order members Harry didn't know came to collect the five Death Eaters. Aberforth went with them.
Harry wanted to see when or if the Aurors would show up to a burning Mansion. He wanted to continue his evaluation. So far very few Aurors looked like decent people in any respect.
ZeldaQueen: Yes Harry, we know you hate the Aurors despite having no reason to. Please shut up
Finally, fifteen minutes after the battle had concluded, Harry heard more apparition. Four Aurors, including one strangely familiar female Auror, came into view.
"Three false alarms and then this. The ancestral home is a wreck. There's tons of scorching and even a goodly pool of blood – and, oh my, a severed hand…"
Harry tuned out the rest. He had finally placed the Auror's voice: Amelia Bones, sister to the Edgar Bones who had owned this Mansion. Poor lady.
ZeldaQueen: I swear, if the author makes Amelia also evil and corrupt...
Harry was getting ready to apparate back to his flat when he heard something most interesting.
"Dodo, mark down needing to investigate who put in those false alarms. It stalled us by a good fifteen or twenty minutes."
"Amelia, don't call me Dodo…" That clinched it for Harry. It was a name he was ashamed of. But it wasn't terribly embarrassing. It was highly confidential.
The word Dodo, Harry knew, was another name for the Diricawl. And that was the name of an Unspeakable working on Slytherin's locket. Had the man's Auror nickname followed him to the Department of Mysteries in a morphed form? It was the best line Harry had into getting inside information on the Chamber of Unraveling.
"With a name like Disraeli Dreckmuller Doge, you object to the nickname Dodo? I see," said Amelia Bones with a high level of amusement in her tone.
ZeldaQueen: They're investigating a Death Eater attack and there may or may not be more DEs hiding in the area and Bones is conveniently dropping the name of an undercover guy for no reason? Wow, these people are terrible agents
Harry decided he would be making friends with this Mr. Doge. Very good friends.
ZeldaQueen: Great, sounds like he's going to rape him
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
June 8, 1978
Years into his work as an Auror, Harry had given up on his prejudices concerning the Dark Arts. He'd had to learn the damned things, hadn't he? Even the Unforgivables. So he didn't feel particularly upset or nervous when he put his final horcrux recovery plan into effect.
ZeldaQueen: More Rose Potter and her "it's the intent that matter, not the spells themselves" bull. Lovely
His revised plan was safer and much more likely to work than the earlier ones he'd conceived of… It wasn't legal, but Harry didn't care at this point. He just wanted Voldemort dead and the killings to stop. There was a world to secure.
ZeldaQueen: In other words, he's going to do whatever he damned well pleases, as per usual
Harry had discovered where Mr. Doge lived in London. The man didn't even use wards. Harry arrived at the man's home before sunrise and walked inside. His wife and two children were put into deep sleeps. Mr. Doge was put under the Imperius Curse.
ZeldaQueen: DW, you do realize that the fact that Harry used that curse in the final book was meant to show his divergence from morality, don't you?
"You will go to work early this morning because of an experiment you must oversee. Then you will procure the Slytherin Locket and feign an illness. You will bring the locket to this flat. You have until nine thirty to return."
ZeldaQueen: (Evil Harry) "Or else you will die a fiery, painful death"
The man hopped to his task, dressing rapidly and with no useless motions. Harry felt Doge's will trying to fight with his own, but Doge really was a weak wizard.
ZeldaQueen: Because everyone else sucks before the awesome might of Harry Potter
Harry felt very good about this plan. The Ministry – even after numerous pleas through the next two decades, in the original timeline – wouldn't erect anti-Imperius wards until 1999. What a ridiculous bungle of bureaucracy.
ZeldaQueen: Anti-Imperius wards? What? Hello? Where did those come from?
Also, why on Earth would the Ministry protest something like that? The author's basically stating here that the Ministry was fine with potentially letting brainwashed people leak information and spy on secret stuff. There's a fine line between disorganized and completely lobotomized. And if they're supposed to be corrupt, that still doesn't explain it since they still ought to be working towards their best interests
Harry sat patiently and was rewarded. At eight fifty, Disraeli Doge returned with the locket. Harry had part two already to go.
"Tomorrow you will return to work earlier than normal. You will look pale, but not nauseous. You will catch up with your other duties. Then at ten o'clock, you will conduct an experiment on this locket. You will cast any four spells on it and record them in your research journal. The fifth spell will be the Dark magic cleansing spell Amplector. The locket will explode. Once that happens, you will pass out for five hours. When you reawaken, you will no longer be under my control. Nor will you have the last two days worth of memories. You will forget them forever."
ZeldaQueen: Okay, let me see. First of all, how can you order a person to look "pale, but not nauseous"? That's not really something a person can control. Second of all, if Harry is going to order him to destroy the thing at work, why make him bring it back to the house first? Third of all, "Amplector"? Really? You can't just add Latin words to make them spells! Anyway, if such a safe and convenient spell could be used to destroy horcruxes, why didn't the trio know about this before when they were hunting for horcruxes the first time around? The entire point was that anything powerful enough to destroy a horcrux beyond all repair was either too difficult to get or too dangerous to carry around
Harry walked out of the flat clutching the last horcrux. He had spent many months chasing it originally and had added about another two years in this timeline. Harry was looking forward to the final resolution.
ZeldaQueen: Wait, what? He took the locket with him? Didn't he just tell the guy to bring the locket back to work with him? I don't understand! MAKE SENSE, DARN IT!!!
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
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Onward to: Chapter 4: Endings Are Easy (Part 1)
Back to: Chapter 3: Tactics To Win (Part 2)
Back to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 3: Tactics To Win (Part 3)
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
May 29, 1978
Harry was amazed at how little the timeline had changed.
ZeldaQueen: Given how he's been wandering around helter-skelter, so am I
The warfare had gone considerably worse for Voldemort this time around, but he was still recruiting heavily from Britain, France, and Eastern Europe. The key for Voldemort is that it seemed like his campaign of terror was working: people 'died,' manor houses burned to the ground, the Dark Mark was seen several times a week. He was now at the height of his power and influence. (It began to wane a bit after the prophecy had been made originally, as Voldemort had become erratic and unfocused because of his pursuit of the Potters and Longbottoms.)
ZeldaQueen: Um DW? You do know that it's mostly the Death Eaters who do the recruiting and burning and killing, right? Voldemort only gets involved in the really important stuff
Tonight Harry had made the final decision on how to acquire the final horcrux and when he was going to destroy Voldemort. He would give himself a few weeks to acquire the locket, destroy all of the vile devices, and kill Voldemort on June 17, 1978 (the next time on Harry's timeline that Voldemort was known to personally attend a raid).
ZeldaQueen: And why would Voldemort personally be attending a raid? It was considered to be quite a sign of skill if you were good enough for Voldemort to have to kill personally. Who wants to bet the raid doesn't fit that bill?
That day also happened to be four days before his parents would graduate from Hogwarts. Harry thought it a fitting gift.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, multiple murders and desecration of bodies (you'll see). His parents would be so proud!
He could no longer wait to make sure he had dealt with the final horcrux. Harry wanted to ensure some kind of peace in the British wizarding world before his parents graduated from Hogwarts.
ZeldaQueen: Look Harry, you've already admitted to only doing this for your unborn-self. Stop pretending to be noble, I ain't buying it
Harry, if he needed, could track down the final horcrux later and then deal with the Voldemort wraith that would inevitably make its way to Albania.
ZeldaQueen: "Wraith"? What? Does he mean the spirit of Voldemort? Because if so, that only shows up after Lily and James died. Phail
He was willing to compromise on his original plans, if he needed to, in order to be sure the Potters saw their son graduate from Hogwarts. The idea had been on his mind for some time.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, so his grandparents and parents are in his favor and it's everyone else who can go hang. Nice to know
His only fear about giving his parents this gift of peace was that he was mucking around in the timeline too much.
ZeldaQueen: You think?
That his parents wouldn't marry on time – or wouldn't have Harry on July 31, 1980 – or that Harry would be someone else entirely.
ZeldaQueen: Holy hell, he's only thinking about this now? You know, I'm pretty sure that Ron and Hermione could have reminded him about it if they were here!!!
Harry Potter had done everything, including technically killing himself, to ensure that one unborn child would grow up in a world of peace.
In Harry's mind, there was no 'greater good.' There was what was needed for Harry James Potter, infant extraordinaire, to grow up in the loving family he deserved…
ZeldaQueen: And the author checks yet another trait removed from canon Harry off of his list. Lovely
And is it just me, or is this sounding like Harry Potter as written by Ayn Rand?
He hoped all of this would work…and Harry would grow up the way a child should grow up: normally.
ZeldaQueen: And normality is what? Especially in the wizarding world
But, first, Harry had to focus on today…not on the day Voldemort died or the day he would be born. He needed to make some more changes right now for the better. Tonight was the night that the Prewett twins would get themselves killed if Harry didn't help things along.
ZeldaQueen: Because the past sucks and there's no way anyone could get anything done without Harry running around and sticking his finger in the pie
According to the timeline, they were to be a part of the response team to a Death Eater attack on the Bones Mansion in Kent.
ZeldaQueen: NOT EVERYONE HAS MANSIONS!
The sadly ironic part was that Edgar Bones had already fled the place with his wife…and the response team was unnecessary.
Zeldaueen: The way this author goes on, It's a miracle anything got done in the first war. Although given how the author also makes Voldemort himself utterly incompetent, maybe that makes sense...
Harry apparated to the place. The wards felt stale and unrefreshed, as if no one had cast any magic nearby for some time. Harry thought it was obvious the place was temporarily abandoned.
ZeldaQueen: Because he's perfect and everyone else is a moron
He risked a quick jaunt over to one of the windows…and saw a large, empty room. The Bones' had even taken their belongings with them. Perfect!
ZeldaQueen: How is it that everyone is able to pack up everything so nicely and conveniently in this thing?
Harry stepped back outside the wards and waited.
"I wonder exactly how the Order gets the message to come and assist," Harry muttered to himself. If it had been ward-triggered, Harry's exploration of the estate should have brought members along. It had to be something else…
ZeldaQueen: Like the Patronus messengers maybe? Or something akin to the gold coin charm that Hermione (whereissheandRon???) used for the DA? God, this version of Harry is dumb!
Harry looked up when he heard apparition. Dark robes and masks: Death Eaters. But then Harry saw something he didn't expect, a Patronus-based messaging spell. It was an application for the Patronus Charm that Dumbledore himself had created. He certainly wouldn't have intended to teach it to Death Eaters…
ZeldaQueen: Jesus. H. Christ. NOTHING IS EVER JUST INNOCENT IN THIS, IS THERE? Oh what do you know? The Death Eaters picked up the Order's Patronus message system! Whatever shall we do?
Had a traitor in the Order just called for victims?
ZeldaQueen: Just wait until we find out more about this "traitor". Ohhh, just you wait...
Traitors made Harry think of that woman…and it made Harry seethe. There was nothing Harry hated more than betrayers.
ZeldaQueen: Yes author, remind us that Ginny is evil (even though I believe the implication was that she was crazy, and thus not in control of her actions) and thus deserved to die. I'd compare this version of Harry to Sweeney Todd, but Sweeney's far more noble and honorable
Whoever the traitor was would die this night, Merlin willing and the Code of Harry be damned.
ZeldaQueen: Because Harry knows exactly who gets to live or die, ignoring the fact that they might be brainwashed or Imperiused (seriously, he never suspects this until much later)
Harry watched as the crew of five Death Eaters quickly set to destroying the Bones Mansion. They'd obviously come expecting more of a fight. It was a few minutes before it arrived, however.
Gideon and Fabian Prewett, plus Alastor Moody, Dedalus Diggle, and Aberforth Dumbledore, arrived just outside the Bones wards. The Death Eaters pivoted and began a brutal assault. Moody, who still had his natural eyes and appendages, was knocked unconscious with a dark bludgeoner.
ZeldaQueen: Huh. You'd think that having his original limbs would make him more efficient in combat
Diggle was hit with a flame cutter and only a hastily thrown up shield saved his life.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, because the Order members all suck in battle and of course stand no chance until the almighty Harry saves the day!
Harry moved, under his Disillusionment spell, quietly near the Death Eaters. He didn't know which one had sent the Patronus spell, but he was going to find out.
Aberforth sent an oddly colored yellow spell at one of the Death Eaters. The recipient promptly fell over shrieking in pain. 'Good one,' Harry thought. He resolved to try to figure out what spell did that.
ZeldaQueen: This version of Harry ought to hook up with Rose "Main, Kill, And Torture" Potter. Be just like Patricia and Johnny from The Frighteners
Then Harry did a little bit of magic. He had earned his Dueling mastery while competing on the professional circuit after Hogwarts (in the Quidditch off seasons while he played for Puddlemere), but he was most proud of the Mastery he earned in Spell Design.
ZeldaQueen: Hogwarts isn't a college! You don't get "Mastery" in anything there!
And is "Spell Design" at all like "Fashion Design"?
His Master's project was a nonverbal spell that bent magic in a specified direction: it was in place of shielding or dodging, of course. It worked on all spells, even the Unforgivables which still were unblockable via direct magical shielding.
ZeldaQueen: Um, no, nothing except for actually moving can protect you from the Unforgivables. It doesn't work like that
Harry used his magic bending spells in slight ways to ensure that Death Eater spells hit other Death Eaters. The tallest cloaked man sent off the Cruciatus Curse – which Harry forced to miss one of the Prewett twins – and then a Cutting Curse which seemed to fly out of his wand at a weird angle. The Cutting Curse sliced off another Death Eater's wand hand.
ZeldaQueen: Again, if the Order members are this bad, how in the bloody hell does DW think they made it through the first time around?
The battle turned from there. Two Death Eaters down, three remaining. Three Order members remaining. Harry ensured nothing the Death Eaters cast hit the Order, while the Order had free reign on the black-robed attackers.
The battle ended without additional Order casualties five minutes later.
Aberforth unmasked the Death Eaters. Antonin Dolohov – he who had nearly bisected Hermione at the Department of Mysteries battle so many decades earlier in Harry's remembering – had lost his wand hand. Aberforth staunched the flow. Another was Lucius Malfoy. The surprise member was Sturgis Podmore, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, the traitor.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, I'm going to rant about this in a second. Let's just finish this bit first
One of the Prewett twins was the first to react. "How did that blasted Phoenix let Sturgis in if he's sold us out to the Death Eaters?"
Aberforth offered an angry shrug. "My brother never has been too concerned with security. God only knows what foolish thing he'll conjure up to say about this."
ZeldaQueen: Alrighty folks, let's take a look at this. First of all, let us examine the character of Sturgis Podmore - in Order of the Phoenix, he was arrested for trying to break into the Department of Mysteries. It later turns out that he only did this because he was Imperiused. In other words, he was mind-controlled by a Death Eater. Since we as readers only know what Harry knows, Harry of course learned this himself.
And...that's it. That's all of the information we get on him. Well, we also know that he fought with the Order in the first war, but that's it. No evidence whatsoever of him being a traitor either time. I can only assume that DW was skimming the fifth book and only saw the part where Podmore was arrested and thus figured "Oh hey, he's a traitor! I'll use him!"
I might also add, in regards to the "Dumbledore sucks at security" thing, I suspect this is another jab at Pettigrew getting into the Order. Let the jury be reminded that not everyone is Evil and Bad when they join the Order and it's entirely possible that the betrayal happens too late or quickly to be detected. Let the jury also note that Dumbledore himself admits in the fourth book that he makes mistakes, so this really shouldn't be a revelation
The other twin shook his head in disgust, but was more concerned with Moody and Diggle. "We need to get them to a Healer, gents."
Aberforth nodded. "You lot get them mended. I'll stay here with our friends, especially this Mr. Podmore. Foolish bunch can't even aim their wands, can they?"
ZeldaQueen: (Disobedience Writer) "Insert ironically amusing line here..."
Harry just smiled. He hoped his revision of history this evening would hold. He hoped Molly Weasley would have her elder brothers for a long time to come.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, again I have to ask - how in the hell is this not completely screwing up the future? The reason Mrs. Weasley was so upset and worried about her family dying in the books was because her family members died. In other words, you're going to be changing her character!
Harry stuck around the Bones Mansion even after two Order members Harry didn't know came to collect the five Death Eaters. Aberforth went with them.
Harry wanted to see when or if the Aurors would show up to a burning Mansion. He wanted to continue his evaluation. So far very few Aurors looked like decent people in any respect.
ZeldaQueen: Yes Harry, we know you hate the Aurors despite having no reason to. Please shut up
Finally, fifteen minutes after the battle had concluded, Harry heard more apparition. Four Aurors, including one strangely familiar female Auror, came into view.
"Three false alarms and then this. The ancestral home is a wreck. There's tons of scorching and even a goodly pool of blood – and, oh my, a severed hand…"
Harry tuned out the rest. He had finally placed the Auror's voice: Amelia Bones, sister to the Edgar Bones who had owned this Mansion. Poor lady.
ZeldaQueen: I swear, if the author makes Amelia also evil and corrupt...
Harry was getting ready to apparate back to his flat when he heard something most interesting.
"Dodo, mark down needing to investigate who put in those false alarms. It stalled us by a good fifteen or twenty minutes."
"Amelia, don't call me Dodo…" That clinched it for Harry. It was a name he was ashamed of. But it wasn't terribly embarrassing. It was highly confidential.
The word Dodo, Harry knew, was another name for the Diricawl. And that was the name of an Unspeakable working on Slytherin's locket. Had the man's Auror nickname followed him to the Department of Mysteries in a morphed form? It was the best line Harry had into getting inside information on the Chamber of Unraveling.
"With a name like Disraeli Dreckmuller Doge, you object to the nickname Dodo? I see," said Amelia Bones with a high level of amusement in her tone.
ZeldaQueen: They're investigating a Death Eater attack and there may or may not be more DEs hiding in the area and Bones is conveniently dropping the name of an undercover guy for no reason? Wow, these people are terrible agents
Harry decided he would be making friends with this Mr. Doge. Very good friends.
ZeldaQueen: Great, sounds like he's going to rape him
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
June 8, 1978
Years into his work as an Auror, Harry had given up on his prejudices concerning the Dark Arts. He'd had to learn the damned things, hadn't he? Even the Unforgivables. So he didn't feel particularly upset or nervous when he put his final horcrux recovery plan into effect.
ZeldaQueen: More Rose Potter and her "it's the intent that matter, not the spells themselves" bull. Lovely
His revised plan was safer and much more likely to work than the earlier ones he'd conceived of… It wasn't legal, but Harry didn't care at this point. He just wanted Voldemort dead and the killings to stop. There was a world to secure.
ZeldaQueen: In other words, he's going to do whatever he damned well pleases, as per usual
Harry had discovered where Mr. Doge lived in London. The man didn't even use wards. Harry arrived at the man's home before sunrise and walked inside. His wife and two children were put into deep sleeps. Mr. Doge was put under the Imperius Curse.
ZeldaQueen: DW, you do realize that the fact that Harry used that curse in the final book was meant to show his divergence from morality, don't you?
"You will go to work early this morning because of an experiment you must oversee. Then you will procure the Slytherin Locket and feign an illness. You will bring the locket to this flat. You have until nine thirty to return."
ZeldaQueen: (Evil Harry) "Or else you will die a fiery, painful death"
The man hopped to his task, dressing rapidly and with no useless motions. Harry felt Doge's will trying to fight with his own, but Doge really was a weak wizard.
ZeldaQueen: Because everyone else sucks before the awesome might of Harry Potter
Harry felt very good about this plan. The Ministry – even after numerous pleas through the next two decades, in the original timeline – wouldn't erect anti-Imperius wards until 1999. What a ridiculous bungle of bureaucracy.
ZeldaQueen: Anti-Imperius wards? What? Hello? Where did those come from?
Also, why on Earth would the Ministry protest something like that? The author's basically stating here that the Ministry was fine with potentially letting brainwashed people leak information and spy on secret stuff. There's a fine line between disorganized and completely lobotomized. And if they're supposed to be corrupt, that still doesn't explain it since they still ought to be working towards their best interests
Harry sat patiently and was rewarded. At eight fifty, Disraeli Doge returned with the locket. Harry had part two already to go.
"Tomorrow you will return to work earlier than normal. You will look pale, but not nauseous. You will catch up with your other duties. Then at ten o'clock, you will conduct an experiment on this locket. You will cast any four spells on it and record them in your research journal. The fifth spell will be the Dark magic cleansing spell Amplector. The locket will explode. Once that happens, you will pass out for five hours. When you reawaken, you will no longer be under my control. Nor will you have the last two days worth of memories. You will forget them forever."
ZeldaQueen: Okay, let me see. First of all, how can you order a person to look "pale, but not nauseous"? That's not really something a person can control. Second of all, if Harry is going to order him to destroy the thing at work, why make him bring it back to the house first? Third of all, "Amplector"? Really? You can't just add Latin words to make them spells! Anyway, if such a safe and convenient spell could be used to destroy horcruxes, why didn't the trio know about this before when they were hunting for horcruxes the first time around? The entire point was that anything powerful enough to destroy a horcrux beyond all repair was either too difficult to get or too dangerous to carry around
Harry walked out of the flat clutching the last horcrux. He had spent many months chasing it originally and had added about another two years in this timeline. Harry was looking forward to the final resolution.
ZeldaQueen: Wait, what? He took the locket with him? Didn't he just tell the guy to bring the locket back to work with him? I don't understand! MAKE SENSE, DARN IT!!!
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Onward to: Chapter 4: Endings Are Easy (Part 1)
Back to: Chapter 3: Tactics To Win (Part 2)
Back to: Table of Contents
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 08:14 am (UTC)Also, what is it with his obsession with dates? I'm getting fucking Hogwarts: Exposed flashbacks x-x
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 01:41 pm (UTC)I suspect that the Suethor did it so that we know basically how long this is all taking place. It's yet another canon HP thing tossed out the window though. Rowling was able to get through the books just fine with only about two definitive dates given, I believe.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-12 08:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-13 03:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-13 03:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-14 12:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-14 03:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-30 10:03 am (UTC)