War Against Magiterran

Chapter 14: Prelude to a War

A few hours later, a blizzard was blowing through Durmstrang, burying everything under snow. Harry and Hermione were keeping shelter in a small cave located on the edge of a rocky mountain. The entrance to the cave was long buried under seven feet of snow, effectively secluding the couple from the rest of the world. Harry and Hermione had decided to stay hidden for a few days as they thought of a way to return to their homeland and staying in a cave buried under snow was just perfect.

Harry and Hermione were sitting along the wall and warming up by a magical blue bell flame conjured by Hermione. They were wrapped up in a couple of blankets Harry had conjured up.

"I can't believe it. Voldemort is alive," said Harry. He buried his face in his hands. "Things just get better and better, don't they?"

Hermione leaned her head on Harry's shoulder. "I'd rather not think about what happened at that place," she said. A few tears streamed down her eyes as she remembered what Krum had nearly done to her; it was still hard to deal with even with the knowledge that he was under the Imperius Curse.

Harry knew what she was thinking about as he wiped away her tears. "The next time I see the people hurt you, I am going to kill them," he said. Hermione said nothing and just buried her face into the nape of Harry's neck. Harry wrapped her into a tight embrace. They remained in that position for a few minutes.

"I missed you," said Harry. Hermione drew closer to Harry.

"So did I," she said. "I miss James and Lily."

"They're safe at Hogwarts."

"I know, but I still miss them."

"So do I." The two quieted down for a minute. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Harry." The couple shared a very passionate and intimate kiss as the blizzard raged outside, isolating the two from the world.

* * * * * * * * * *

Back at Hogwarts, the Mage Knights were bracing for the coming invasion. Ron was sitting with the chief of militaries of the Alliance. Ron was impressed by the way his second in command, Oliver Wood had run things while he was away.

"Here," said Remus pointing to a map of the kingdom of Hufflepuff. "This is where the enemy is going to land: at this ravine here, between the cliffs of Little Hangleton. There's no place else where you could land an entire army."

"So they don't know that we know they're coming right?" said Sirius. "How do we use that to our advantage?"

Ron stared at the map for a moment. "Think of it like chess," he said. "At the present, the enemy is moving his pieces into our territory in an attempt to check us. However, when our turn roles around, we can place our pieces in areas where we can capture all of the enemy pieces and thus turn the tide to our side. The key is where to place the pieces."

"So, what does that mean?" asked Sirius.

"The cliffs," said Remus.

Ron nodded. "We split our forces in two and place them on the edges of each cliff overlooking the ravine. Then, when the enemy soldiers march through, we can attack them from both sides and catch them by surprise."

"Ah, but how can you assume such a plan could work coming from your brain?" said a drawling voice from the entrance of the room. The commanders looked up to see Sir Draco Malfoy enter, wearing his Mage Knight armor and green cape.

"Well ferret boy," said Ron, looking not too pleased. "I see you've remembered where your loyalties lie."

Draco sneered. "I never forgot them, Weasley. I just had other things on my mind."

Ron shrugged. "If you say so. Of course I think I need to remind you that you hesitated backing Harry when Krum insulted us."

"I made a mistake, OK!"

Sirius butted in. "OK, forget about the past and lets concentrate on the present," he said. "We need the support of the entire Alliance to win this war."

"Well you have all of Slytherin's support," said Draco looking smug. Ron glowered at him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Outside of the castle, Margaret was talking with Hagrid and playing with little James and Lily.

"How's it feel ta be back 'ome, eh?" asked Hagrid. Margaret beamed at him. She had taken an immediate liking of him as well as Harry and Hermione's children.

"I never thought it would be possible," she said. "I long gave up on my prospects of ever coming home to Magiterran, and yet here I am at Hogwarts." She let a tear of joy slide down her cheek. She started cooing little James who was in her arms.

Hagrid smiled. "Ah, there's no place like 'ome. Well, lassie, you're welcome ter come aroun' any time you like."

"Thank you," she said.

At that moment, Severus Snape came by looking as greasy as ever. He sneered at Margaret before turning to Hagrid.

"Hagrid, Dumbledore needs to see all Hogwarts trainers now," he said. Hagrid stood up.

"Well, gotta go," he said. "Lassie, do me a favor and look a'ter James an' Lily fer me."

"OK," said Margaret with a smile. She cradled the twins in her arms as Hagrid left with Snape.

* * * * * * * * * *

All Hogwarts trainers and Mage Knights were crowded in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. The Gryffindor Mage Knights sadly noted that two of their number, Harry and Hermione, were missing. Fred and George Weasley, the Gryffindor court jesters were also there, trying to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere by testing their joke products on various people.

"I sure hope Harry and Hermione are alright," said Ginny. "Do you think they're together now?"

"Don't worry about it," said Ron. "Harry and Hermione have been through even worse times and they've always come out OK. They'll be alright." He took a sip of his butterbeer and immediately spat it out as roses started blossoming out of his ears! "FRED! GEORGE!" he yelled. The Mage Knights surrounding Ron all burst out into laughter as Fred and George gave each other a high five. McGonagall glared at them, but as they were only court jesters, she couldn't really do anything to them.

Finally, Dumbledore spoke up over the crowd. "Mage Knights of Hogwarts," he called out. "It is my duty to inform all of you that we are going to war. Early tomorrow morning, invading soldiers from Durmstrang will land at the ravines of Little Hangleton on the coast of the Kingdom of Hufflepuff. Therefore, the militaries of the Four-kingdom Alliance must camp out on the cliffs tonight so that we can fight off the enemy. The Alliance military is marching there even now as I speak. Will any of you rise to join the Alliance military to defend our homeland?" The Mage Knights all shouted a cry of agreement. Dumbledore beamed. "Then, we shall march immediately to Little Hangleton where we shall fight for Magiterran!"

* * * * * * * * * *

Within an hour, all of the Mage Knights were astride their horses and preparing to gallop toward the site of the coming battle.

"You look a little gloomy, Ron," said Ginny as she had her horse trot alongside her brother's.

"Really? Well I don't think I've felt any better, Ginny."

"Cheer up. You said yourself that Harry and Hermione will be alright."

Ron sighed. He couldn't help but be worried about Harry and Hermione and being anxious about the coming battle did not help calm his nerves. He caught sight of Margaret bidding farewells to the Mage Knights she had grown close to. Ron suddenly had the urge to go do one last thing before he left. He stepped off his horse and made his way back to Margaret.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Well, I suppose I'm going off now."

Margaret remained quiet for a split second before she let out a sob and rushed into Ron's arms. He let her cry into his shoulder for a minute. Finally, she looked up into his eyes.

"I can't convince you to stay, can I?"

"No I'm afraid not," said Ron. Margaret hesitated before she brought her lips to Ron's. They kissed sweetly for a minute before Ron finally parted.

"I need to go," he said.

"OK." Tears were streaming down Margaret's face.

"Take care of Lily and James, alright?" Margaret nodded mutely. Ron climbed back on his horse and went to join Ginny. Within minutes, the Mage Knights had galloped away from Hogwarts into the night.

Chapter 15: The Invasion of Magiterran

There had possibly never had been a more tension filled night as hundreds of Durmstrang war ships sailed across the calm sea. Thousands of bloodthirsty soldiers huddled in the bows of those ships ready to bring death and destruction to the lands of the great continent of Magiterran. For these soldiers were conquerors, whose only wish was the destruction and the suffering of others. That was the way they had been trained by the Dark Lord and they were his tools for revenge against the Alliance.

Soon, the dawn sun silently crept up over the horizon, and the Durmstrang soldiers were able to catch a glimpse of the shores of Hufflepuff. On top of the deck of the flagship stood Igor Karkaroff. He anticipated the invasion with glee.

"Soon, master. Soon," he muttered into his arm. "Soon, revenge shall be yours, and I will be the one who carries it out for you." Although he couldn't be seen, Karkaroff was positive that Voldemort was grinning.

Within two hours, the ships were in sight of the cliffs of Little Hangleton and the ravine in between. This was the only place where an entire army could be landed on the coastline of Magiterran other than perhaps Beauxbatons. Surprise was a key issue and the last thing the Durmstrang military wanted to do was attack a major metropolitan port city and reveal their presence to the Alliance before they had even landed.

Finally, the ships anchored on the beach. Thousands of Durmstrang soldiers left their ships and started organizing themselves by rank. The foot soldiers came first organized into battalions. They were followed by archers right behind them while the cavalry flanked each battalion. Finally, came the heavy artillery, which was dragged by many men. Karkaroff himself rode on his horse with the officers who rode at the head of every battalion.

Slowly, the Durmstrang armies marched through the ravine. The echoes of thousands of footsteps rang through the air as the armies began their invasion...

Suddenly, a large war cry rang out from above the heads of the Durmstrang armies! The soldiers stopped to look up and see Alliance soldiers perched at the top of the cliffs! Karkaroff looked up at them in horror in astonishment. 'The Alliance?!' he thought. 'How did they know we were coming?'

"Archers, fire at will!" yelled Sirius. Arrows started raining down on the Durmstrang forces. Durmstrang soldiers raised their shields over their heads so as to defend themselves from the lethal missiles the Alliance soldiers were showering them with.

"Charge!" yelled Remus. With a mighty cry, Alliance footmen ran down the cliffs on both sides of the ravine and dove into the forces of enemy forces. Pandemonium erupted as every soldier started fighting his enemy with whatever weapon they could get a hold of. Swords clashed, battleaxes hacked spears, arrows flew toward shields, flails beat on helmets, and maces and war hammers collided. The Alliance also fired their on artillery of catapults and cannons from atop the cliffs, destroying the Durmstrang artillery before most of it could even be used.

Karkaroff was starting to think that things possibly couldn't get worse when the Alliance cavalry, led by the Mage Knights, charged at them head on through the ravine.

Still, through some sort of sorcery of the Dark Lord, Durmstrang soldiers turned out to be far tougher than anticipated. They were incredibly bloodthirsty and had the stamina about three times the average man. When angered, they went absolutely berserk and many an Alliance soldier fell while fighting them in mortal combat. Despite the surprise attack of the Alliance, it was still conceivable that Durmstrang could overcome them with the sheer toughness of their soldiers.

As fighting raged on, Karkaroff decided it was time to release their secret weapon. He hadn't planned on actually using it until they attacked the major cities but the surprise attack had forced him to change his plan. Karkaroff blew a shrill whistle and hell was unleashed. Hundreds of dementors came floating out of the ships sucking all sense of hope out of the Alliance soldiers and they even managed to perform their lethal kisses on a few. Soon, moral went to an all time low as despair settled on the Alliance soldiers: the handy work of dementors.

The presence of the dementors was the cue for the Mage Knights. Thinking of the happiest thoughts they could imagine, the Mage Knights all bellowed, "Expecto Patronum!" Hundreds of silver animal images shot toward the dementors. They all combined into a single patronus stream: a silver river flowing through the air. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing in existence, for the patronus-river shone like the stars and gave a dazzling glow that blinded the enemy soldiers. Whereas one patronus simply drove dementors away, a powerful patronus-river was outright fatal to the dementors! They faded away, screaming in pain.

Soon, the Mage Knights were in the forefront of battle. Ron and Ginny were fighting side by side, each hacking at their enemy while making sure the other was all right.

"How are you holding up?" shouted Ginny as she bashed one enemy with the hilt of her sword.

"Doing like I'm the king of the world," answered Ron sarcastically. He swiped at three enemy soldiers.

"Need any help?" asked Ginny as she chopped an enemy spear in half.

"Nope, I've got it under control," said Ron, and he meant it. He yelled "Expelliarmus!" and sent the mace of one enemy soldier flying into the face of another.

"Good for you. Accio!" Ginny summoned one of the enemy's swords and started fighting with two blades.

Ron suddenly felt a presence behind him. He spun around and used his momentum to swing his sword. It hit the blade of Sir Draco Malfoy.

"Watch who you're fighting," he drawled. Draco flicked his sword behind him and stabbed an enemy soldier who was creeping up behind him.

"Nice to see you alive as well, Malfoy," said Ron. He and Ginny yelled, "Reducto!" and blasted an entire battalion of enemy soldiers away. Draco picked up a discarded flail and started bashing enemy soldiers with it while still slicing with his sword at other ones. His right hand carried his sword and his left hand carried the flail. By this time, the Mage Knights were the dominant force on the battlefield.

Karkaroff still had a number of tricks up his sleeve however. He placed two fingers on his lips and blew a shrill whistle. Suddenly, hundreds of trolls came running across the cliffs! Apparently, Karkaroff had the ability to control trolls for these were Magiterran trolls. The trolls attacked the sparsely defended areas of the Alliance forces on the tops of the cliffs, which was also where they kept their artillery. The Alliance artillery was lost to the trolls while the surviving soldiers escaped to the heat of the battle in the ravine. After disposing the artillery, the trolls also rushed into the ravine.

This proved to be a fatal mistake on the part of the trolls, for as large and strong as they were, they were also incredibly stupid and thus stood no chance against the Mage Knights. Indeed, Sirius even had the luxury to turn into his dog form to snap at one troll's throat. Ron, for one, enjoyed flinging enemy soldiers into the trolls' faces.

Soon, the writing was on the wall for Durmstrang: the battle was lost and the invasion was a disaster. They had much tougher soldiers than the Alliance, and even had the aid of dementors and trolls. Yet, they still could not beat the courageous Alliance soldiers who were fighting to protect their beloved homeland. Reluctantly, Karkaroff ordered for retreat. Without a thought of regret, the Durmstrang soldiers dropped their weapons and made a mad dash for their ships. A good number were slaughtered by the pursuing Alliance soldiers, but most escaped onto their ships.

The Alliance soldiers stood on the beach as the Durmstrang ships started sailing away. The Alliance rulers had been hoping to wipe out the entire strength of Durmstrang in the battle and end the threat once and for all. Unfortunately, most were going to escape and prepare for perhaps another invasion of Magiterran.

"They're getting away!" yelled Draco.

"Oh no they're not!" shouted Ron. "We only used our pawns, rooks, and knights to fight the main battle. Now as the enemy starts to retreat, we can release our bishops on them!"

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" demanded Draco.

Ron simply grinned and said, "The Gryffindor Mage Knights have a secret weapon." He signaled the herald, Neville Longbottom who was astride his horse at the top of the cliff. Neville caught sight of Ron and blew his trumpet as loud as he could. What followed was one of the most amazing sights ever.

Griffins! Gryffindor Mage Knights were riding hundreds of golden griffins flying through the air! Ron beamed at them as they flew over the heads of the amazed Alliance soldiers.

"This is the secret weapon of the Kingdom of Gryffindor!" announced Ron. "The Mage Knight Griffin Riders! Harry and I have been developing these in secret for the past two years. This is their first try out."

All of the Alliance soldiers stared at the griffins, amazed as they swooped down on the Durmstrang ships. The Mage Knights riding the griffins shot bolts of lightning down at the ships, destroying each and every one of them. Karkaroff perished as his ship blew up from a griffin attack.

Thus, the supposed invasion of Magiterran ended in disaster for Durmstrang and glorious victory for the Alliance.

Chapter 16: Council of War

Hermione was having a nightmare. She dreamt that she was running down the halls of Durmstrang palace in her nightgown. There were hands, rotten hands like those of a dementor grabbing at her from the walls as she ran down the dark hallways. She didn't know what she was running from but soon, the hallway became the Chamber of Secrets located below the capitol of the Kingdom of Slytherin. Suddenly one of the hands grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her around. She stared up into two malicious gleaming scarlet eyes and she heard a high-pitched laugh, "You are mine now, mudblood!"

Hermione sprang up screaming. Her body was shaking and she felt tears fall down her cheeks. She jumped a little when a pair of strong arms encircled her gently. Harry had woken up from her scream.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Hermione's shaking decreased as she buried her face into Harry's chest. She sobbed on him for some time while Harry rubbed her back and whispered soothing words to her. They were still in the cave and were sleeping in the warm blankets they had conjured up.

"I can't believe he's back," she said, still sobbing on Harry.

Harry sighed. "We all thought he was gone. I just suppose evil doesn't die out that easily." He pushed Hermione back so he could look into her eyes. They were puffy and red from crying. "You do know that we're the one's who have to finish him off right?"

Hermione nodded. Harry embraced her again and she melted in his arms. "I'm scared as well," he said. "But we can both be brave if we stick together."

Hermione looked up at him. Slowly, she pulled him into a deep passionate kiss and let instinct take over from there.

* * * * * * * * * *

Back at the cliffs of Little Hangleton, a discussion was taking place between the commanders of the Alliance militaries. The topic was on the next course of action, whether to just head home or to end the Durmstrang threat once and for all.

"Listen to me," said Ron, "When you turn the tide, you don't just sit around and wait for your opponent to get his remaining pawns promoted. You go in for check mate."

"This isn't a game, General Weasley sir," said Oliver Wood.

"Well, maybe I see it as a game," said Ron sarcastically.

Draco stood up. "We've obviously dealt with this threat big time. I just say we pack our bags and go home. I mean, it's obvious that Viktor Krum was just jealous of our wealth and power and wanted it for himself..."

"That's not true," said Ron and Ginny at the same time.

Draco was about to retort when Dumbledore raised a hand and said, "I believe we should hear them out."

Remus turned to the Weasleys, "What makes you so sure that's not true?"

Ron spoke, "We've been to Durmstrang ourselves and I'll tell you now that it's not a nice place. Legalized slavery and oppression is prevalent. But we found out that up until two years ago, Krum was actually a decent guy."

Draco was about to sneer but a look from Dumbledore silenced him. Sirius pressed on, "Your point?"

"Two years ago was also when the Alliance defeated the Death Eaters," said Ron.

"That could all be coincidence, though," said Remus. Sirius nodded his acknowledgement while Draco smirked.

"Harry didn't think so," said Ginny. That caught everyone's attention.

Sirius still wasn't quite convinced, "But still..."

"Listen to us," said Ginny. "While we were in Durmstrang, we ran into this mad couple called the Lestranges..."

"Kinda reminded me of the Malfoys," said Ron. Draco scowled at him.

Ginny continued. "They said that they wanted to present Harry to their master. At first we thought he was referring to Krum, but now that I think about it, that doesn't make any sense."

Remus caught on. "Because Krum wanted Hermione. Which would mean that he'd want Harry as far away from him as possible." Ron nodded.

"There is also the fact that the twin royal highnesses were kidnapped by that woman, Flame," said Ginny. "She claimed to be the sister of Icicle, a known Death Eater."

Draco suddenly looked alarmed. "Are you suggesting that some Death Eaters escaped to Durmstrang and took over there after we beat them here?"

"I believe that that is precisely what they are suggesting," said Dumbledore looking grave. "We never knew how many Death Eaters there were all together. It is completely conceivable that some of them escaped and fled across the sea."

"Either that or You-know-who smuggled them into Durmstrang previously for the purpose of wanting Durmstrang as well as Magiterran," said Oliver Wood. "When the Magiterran Death Eaters were defeated, the Durmstrang Death Eaters took over."

"But this all just speculation," argued Draco. "We need solid proof that the Death Eaters have taken over Durmstrang."

Dumbldore, Remus, and Sirius had nothing to say to this. Ron however, was unfazed. "You want proof?" he said. He pulled out a piece of wood and threw it on the table. "There's your proof."

"What is it?" asked Sirius.

"A piece of the mast of the Durmstrang flagship," said Ron. "Look at the markings on it." The commanders all glanced at the markings and gasped. Burnt on the wood was a livid skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth. It was the Dark Mark, the symbol of Voldemort.

"If you're still not convinced, go check out the body of the Durmstrang commander," said Ginny. She was referring to the body of Karkaroff, which they had found amongst the wreckage of the flagship. "We found the exact same mark on his arm."

"But, but..." spluttered Draco. He tried to come off with a retort but couldn't think up any. The other commanders were all convinced of the Weasley's point.

"So I see that it is decided," said Dumbledore. "A remnant of the Death Eaters have taken control of Durmstrang and are probably controlling Viktor Krum with the Imperius Curse." He took a deep breath. "All of us here have a notion that Death Eaters are our responsibility. Though I am not inclined to agree, I still fully realize that we are now that only ones who can free Durmstrang from the yoke of the Death Eaters. Therefore, tomorrow we shall sail our armies to Durmstrang."

All of the commanders showed their full support. Draco was reluctant but he made it clear that he was in. Everyone from Magiterran had suffered from the Death Eaters. Everyone from Magiterran could imagine the suffering the people of Durmstrang went through because they were under the yoke of the Death Eaters. For that reason, everyone in Magiterran fully supported the Alliance's move to invade Durmstrang and wipe out the Death Eater threat once and for all.

* * * * * * * * * *

The following day at Beauxbatons port was quite a sight to see. An entire armada of ships from all four kingdoms set sail that day. Flags of red, yellow, blue, and green were waved as the Alliance military set sail to go to war with their old enemy once more. At the head of the armada was the flagship, flying the flag of Hogwarts. On that ship were Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Ginny, Draco, and all the commanders of the Alliance militaries. Also on the ship were King Justin of Hufflepuff, Queen Penelope of Ravenclaw, Oliver Wood, and all of the Mage Knights. Neville Longbottom, being the Gryffindor herald was also allowed on the flagship.

Hagrid had also come along and had his heart set on joining the Griffin Riders. Sirius had a few words to say that.

"Hagrid, you're going to war riding on Buckbeak?" He was referring to the hippogriff Hagrid had brought with him.

Hagrid beamed. "Course I'm goin' on Beaky. I would a liked 'em griffins fer sure but Beaky 'ere is all ready fer war and 'e's used ta me."

Little did Hagrid know that Sirius was actually referring to his doubt that Buckbeak could carry someone as large as Hagrid. Sirius grinned and said, "OK, Hagrid, if you say so."

Thus, the great Alliance armada set sail that day. It was the first and last time the Alliance ever invaded another country.