The Hidden Army

The Hidden Army: by Darque Queen7

Chapter One: Setting Up The Meeting

Albus Dumbledore stood steeped in thought at the entryway of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was summer finally, but no matter how warm and wonderful it was outside, he could not escape a slight chill from entering his heart.

The war against Voldemort was not going as planned. The Ministry had acknowledged the Dark Lord's return, but still did not have definite plans as to deal with him and his Death Eaters. 'Death Eater Hysteria', as one wizarding newspaper had dubbed it, had reached a fevered pitch as witch and wizard alike were accusing friends, family and enemies of being Death Eaters. The Ministry was quite bogged down with complaints and accusations which had the Auror forces tied up running down investigations on the hundreds of allegations. Nymphadora Tonks had groused during one Order meeting that the real Death Eaters must have been laughing themselves silly at the Ministry's current predicament.

This left no time to truly investigate if the Ministry was out on their own to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or if they could find help within other 'sectors'. It was well known that thanks to many laws passed recently by the Ministry, several 'fringe groups' were quite angry with them. It was also well known that these said groups had gone to Voldemort's side, hoping to fare better with him then the current Ministry. Many of the laws had been rescinded - but the damage was already done.

So Fudge had asked Dumbledore if perhaps he knew of any - army - that was willing to fight. Dumbledore chuckled, remembering Harry Potter's D.A. - short for 'Dumbledore's Army'. But then another thought occurred to him - one of a long ago student and what had become of her. After a few discreet inquiries, his research was complete. He returned to the Ministry with the story of the Hidden Army. Fudge was worried, but after a few discussions with Dumbledore - he knew the best way to deal with the coming war was to hire an army. It had been done before; he only hoped this wouldn't come back to bite him in the rear later on.

So Dumbledore now stood in the great entryway of Hogwarts waiting for his former student. A student that he hoped could help in this war against Voldemort. He was surprised when his correspondence to her actually received an answer. Usually she would send him his letters back rumpled and torn with the words Sod Off scrawled across the more legible pieces. He knew she had been angry at him for not taking her side after her attack. He was just as incensed as she - but he knew a Muggle-born witch would find no justice where the gold of Lucius Malfoy had been. Even now, all these years later this still held true. But he had heard rumours of an army that would put Voldemort down if asked - and paid well for it. He felt Harry needed help...and perhaps...well, perhaps seeing Harry would help Aliannas Darque come back from whatever emotional precipice she was hanging from. He only prayed she hadn't fallen in. A golden eagle soared in through the great doors and dropped a letter unceremoniously on his head before taking off, not waiting for a reply.

Leave it to her to have a bird as rude as she, he thought, chuckling as he opened the correspondence. His smile wore away as he realized the letter she sent was not on wizard parchment, but an actual Muggle letter complete with envelope. The letter itself was of machine milled Muggle paper - and had been typed, not handwritten.

Headmaster Dumbledore,

As much as you would like for me to walk through the doorways of Hogwarts and come to you on bended knee asking for forgiveness for these years of unadulterated hostility towards you; dream on. I have business in London that I can not get away from as I had originally planned. And after careful consideration, Hogwarts is not neutral ground for me. Nor is Muggle London neutral for you - but I believe I can provide a clandestine meeting here far better than you can in the Wizarding World. A flat has been secured for this meeting as well as dinner. I ask that you Apparate to King's Cross Station near the entrance for Platform 9 ¾ at 5:30pm. An armed escort will be awaiting you there and will bring you to me.

Make no mistake, sir. This meeting is not for us to reminisce over old times or to catch up like old friends. I am a business woman. You said you had a proposal that I would be interested in. My time is money. Be prepared to pay 50% up front once I give a set fee for our services. We do not negotiate our fees. You are paying for the best mercenaries that the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds can offer. Take it or leave it. The remainder is due when your proposal is accepted.

If your proposal is not accepted, a 50% remittance fee will be kept. The remainder will be returned immediately and our business will be concluded. Wizard gold will be accepted as payment. It can always be melted into Muggle gold buillion at a later date. After I have relayed your proposal and considered all the options with my associates, they will then charge me to deliver you their final answer 24 hours after I have presented them with your proposal.

Until then you will make no mention of this matter. The people I associate with are very guarded when it comes to their privacy. It is what keeps everyone safe. This letter has wards within it to insure that the information herein remains clandestine. The wards will remain in effect until our business is concluded. You may bring a second with you if you so wish. Know that this person is also under the same instructions as you.

Until this evening,

A. D.

Dumbledore sighed. She makes Severus look positively cuddly, he thought to himself. The years away had not softened her...if anything, they had made her edges as sharp as samurai steel. He sighed again. It didn't take a genius to see that she was still angry at him - and the world. The Wizarding World, he corrected himself. His thoughts then suddenly went to Harry. What if Harry became like her? What if one day he simply stopped caring and decided to take matters into his own hands?

He resolved to see if he could remove the boy from his Muggle relatives to be amongst them for a bit. Perhaps he could remain at Hogwarts until the end of summer and his friends could visit him here. After all, this was his 7^th and final year at Hogwarts. He needed to make sure Harry lived to enjoy all of what life had to offer him.

As he walked back to his study, he looked back down at the letter she had sent. A second? Once he entered his office, he immediately threw some Floo powder into the fireplace and called out," Severus! A word if you please?" Immediately the Potions Master stepped through out of the fireplace, wiping soot dust from the cuffs and lapels of his customary black robes.

"What is it you want now, Albus?" he asked none too gently as he regarded Dumbledore with his customary scowl. Dumbledore regarded the Potions Master with an uncharacteristic tight lipped look. Severus swallowed suddenly, wondering if he had gone too far this time.

Albus rose from his desk and handed Severus the letter A. D. had sent him. A. D.... She smiled at him once when he called her that while visiting her at St. Mungo's after she had awoken. Her eyes then took on a gleam he would see in them often when she returned to school more than a year later and for the two years that she remained. It was something that always left him feeling unsettled.

"A. D.," she had whispered softly. "No...Not Anno Domini...Annum Destructus."

"She has agreed to meet us...but as usual, she doesn't trust me," he explained as soon as Severus finished reading the letter. "She doesn't want the meeting here in the Wizarding World...or anywhere near it. We are to be met with an armed escort that will then take us to her location. It appears she has also secured dinner for us."

Severus looked up from the letter again, confusion quite apparent on his face. "We? Us?" he asked. The old man couldn't possible be suggesting....but one look into Albus' eyes and he knew he was exactly suggesting this.

"In the letter she states I can bring a second. I choose to bring you," Albus said evenly. "We are both bound by this letter now, Severus. By you accepting to read it, you are charged to be silent of its contents until our business has reached its conclusion."

Severus sat silently in a plush chair by the fireplace. Aliannas, his mind whispered. Aliannas Darque...her beautiful laughing green eyes that could turn as soft as milk jade or as hard as Brazilian Emeralds depending on the situation. Her hair was dark and oh, so soft. She had been a comfort to him when he was a student, suffering the jibs, hexes and insults of the Marauders. But after her attack...he realized the last place on Earth that he wanted to be was anywhere near her.

"I cannot be a part of this, Albus. She...saw me there. She....knows! She will hex me three thousand different ways to Sunday. She will make what the Dark Lord can do with a Cructatious Curse look like a Tickling Charm!" Albus put a hand on Severus' shoulder. He knew Severus felt guilt over her attack...he suspected that Severus may have even had feelings for her before it...and perhaps that was the reason her family had been targeted by Malfoy.

Severus was a closed man - from the world, from the kindly Headmaster, even from himself. But this one act festered on his psyche like an open wound. It was six months after this act that Severus went before the Headmaster asking for forgiveness, pleading for death - for some kind of release.

For nights he had dreamt of her cries as one of his fellow Death Eaters were on top of her - violating her. It was Nott who has taken extreme and sick pleasure in breaking some of her bones with his wand while he was on her. It was Avery who, after finishing with her brutally, then pulled out his favored knife. He allowed her to see the blade tip gleaming in the magical fires that were already consuming the house before he brought it down across her neck, her face and body. Severus prayed silently to whatever gods that were listening that she would close her eyes and simply die then. But she hadn't. Her blood-shot eyes were wide open as she gazed at him. He waited until the others had left before he removed his mask. Her eyes grew wide and then finally closed. He placed a barrier charm over her before he Disapparated. It had saved her life. To this day he wondered at the intelligence of that decision.

"She will do nothing of the sort. We are her guests for the evening. We are simply putting forth a proposal, nothing more. We should get ready. She's wants us at King's Cross by 5:30," Albus said softly, removing his hand from the Potion Master's shoulder. Severus took in a deep breath.

"I will be here by 5 sir." With that, he strode to the door of the study and quickly let himself out.