Harry Potter and the Hall of Justice

Chapter 21 The Cetus Raid


Professor Dumbledore was at his desk long before daybreak the next morning when Professor McGonagall opened his office door.

“Good morning!” he said to the old witch, when he noticed her head peering around the door. “Up early again, I see.”

“You know me, Albus. I haven’t slept well in years. How was your night?” she asked, worried as ever about her old friend.

“A very good night I had, Minerva. I must say the strain and lack of rest had really caught up with me. Thankfully, I slept more last night than I have in weeks,” he replied, smiling over her concern.

“I’m very glad to hear that. Have you another busy day?” she asked.

The old headmaster nodded his head. His expression turned serious and contemplative. “We have our first proactive raid in the works. If you should have a chance later today, please come down to Falcon’s Lair, and we’ll catch you up on the latest developments,” he told her. “Have you noticed anything peculiar around the school?”

“No, I haven’t. But I’ve cautioned Professor Flitwick, Hagrid and Madam Hooch to be very alert. So far, thankfully, nothing seems amiss,” she informed him. “I’ve noticed you’re keeping Severus out your inner circle. Is that wise, Albus?”

“Yes, Minerva. For the time being, it is best. Though, if you should notice him acting strangely, more so than normal, of course, please let me know at once. I expect he’ll be able to give us fair warning when Voldemort becomes strong enough to call his servants together. It will be extremely important to have that information immediately,” he told her.

The old witch nodded her head in agreement, but the very thought of the vile lord calling his disciples together made her shiver.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Professor Dumbledore returned to Falcon’s Lair as soon as McGonagall left his office. Professor Priest and Minister Grime were talking quietly at the head table when he arrived. No students were about, as it was still very early, and they were most likely still sound asleep.

After good mornings were exchanged, Grime was the first to speak. “Albus, I looked at the site on the other side of the mountain you told me about. It should do quite nicely for training our young wizards to use those muggle weapons,” Grime related. “With Professor’s Priest consent, I will take the lot up later to begin their practice sessions.”

“Fine, fine. Yes, we’re rushed in that way, are we not?” Dumbledore agreed.

They went on to discuss how the minister would go about teaching his course of instruction. The old headmaster was pleased to hear Grime’s estimates on just how short of time the training would take. The learning curve was such that proficiency could be gained very quickly. But mastery of the weapons, allowing for utmost precision and greatest proficiency, could take years. The minister went on to explain that that level of expertise was not an absolute requirement for how they intended to use the weapons.

The old wizard, after being contented with Grime’s assessment, turned to the old witch. “Drucila, did Oliver find the Cetus estate?” he asked, anxious to find out the success of that mission.

Professor Drucila quickly stood up, as she had noticed Oliver walking along the second floor landing with Lee Jordan. “Oliver! Please! A moment of your time!”

Oliver Wood jogged down from the landing and over to the table. He bid them a good morning before turning to the old witch. “Yes, Professor?”

“Professor Dumbledore would like a briefing on what you found yesterday,” she informed him.

“Okay,” he said. He sat down at the table and pulled a rolled parchment out from inside his sweater. “We didn’t get back until late last night. I’ve made a map, Professor.” Wood unrolled the parchment and gave them a very detailed briefing of what had been found.

“It’s a large estate, larger even than Malfoy’s. But it’s very secluded, and, due to the vast acreage, there are no neighbors for some long distance. Here,” he said, pointing down at the map. “This is the closest, and it’s some miles away. There’s an ideal location for our portkey behind this large mass of trees, here. Also, Cetus has a large building some distance behind the main residence. It looks like a fancy country club on the outside. That might well be where he holds his meetings. It was obvious, though, from any direction we approach the estate, we will need to wear our invisibility gear. It’s all open country from the trees here, up to and around the property for some distance.” Wood moved his index finger around the map, to point out the important details.

The old headmaster moved the map closer to his face and studied it for a short time. “Well done. We should plan on having at least two of our Athena team there in the trees by noon tomorrow, and you must be one of them, Oliver. You will be in charge of our advance scouting party,” Dumbledore said.

The old professor then reached into his robe and pulled out an old weathered shoe. “Take this with you. This is our portkey. Place it well. Remember, we must conceal its flash from view.”

Dumbledore paused, looking back down at the map. “Tonight, we’ll gather our team together and go over our preliminary plan carefully. Also, everyone must be made completely familiar with everything you have seen. I’ve already placed another old shoe on the table in the conference room. The two shoes are linked and ready for use. And finally, I will expect you to give us any updates tomorrow as your situation changes. That includes any comings and goings. But it especially includes anything you sense out of the ordinary.”

“Yes, sir. I understand. I’ll take this back up to my room for now,” Oliver said, hurrying off with the old shoe.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Ron was roused from sleep by a light knock at his door. He rolled out of bed and noticed Grace had left. But when that was, he had no idea. He quickly pulled on his sweatpants and drunkenly walked to the door, still half asleep.

“Aren’t you up yet?” asked Harry, smiling at his sleepy old friend trying his best to steady himself. He looked as if he’d been out on an all-night drunk.

“Sorry! Yeah, I guess I had really crashed. What time is it?” he asked.

“Almost time for breakfast. Most everyone’s down at the tables already,” Harry anxiously informed him.

“Go on then! I need to take a quick shower. I’ll be down in a few,” Ron replied, closing his door in Harry’s face.

Before Ron left the third-floor landing, he saw Grace sitting at one of the tables far below. Even though the girl was seated with her back to him, her height and raven black hair would forever give her away in a crowd. He smiled to himself wondering what time she had left his room. I hope nobody saw her, he thought. As he walked over to Harry, he looked her way, and she gave him a big smile and a wink. He sent the same to her in return.

After their morning meal, Remus Lupin came to his feet. “Before Coeus begins its training today, Professor Priest will have an individual meeting with each of its new members. All Coeus team members will follow me to the large training room where we will begin. Professor Priest will use one of the inner offices there for what she’s to do. Is that understood?”

Quiet nods and large, uneasy eyes couldn’t help but be noticed all around the tables. “Very well, follow me!” he called out loudly. The twelve new Coeus members quickly came to their feet and made their way to the training room.

Professor Priest stood and watched Lupin close the training room door before she began speaking. “Coeus, as you all know, will train behind closed doors - - - at least for the near term. I will join them shortly, as Professor Dumbledore has given me instructions to complete the interview process he began yesterday. Because of that, we’ve amended our training schedule today,” she nodded to Minister Grime and left the table, walking towards the training room where Lupin had taken Coeus.

Minister Bartholomew Grime came to his feet and proudly surveyed the faces around the table. Professor Dumbledore remained seated but shifted himself in his chair to allow him to more easily look up at the large Defense Against the Dark Arts Minister.

“As Professor Priest has other duties, we’ve decided to begin your familiarization and training with the muggle weapons this morning. Professor Dumbledore has suggested a site, which is remote enough for our training to go unnoticed by prying eyes. Please return to your rooms and put on your invisibility garments. Also, bring your muggle weaponry and your brooms. We will leave shortly,” he commanded the group.

The Athena members excitedly jumped to their feet and ran off to do his bidding. Minister Grime reached down into a chair and lifted a belt to his waist, which had an automatic weapon in a nylon holster, extra clips of ammunition and other small items attached to it. He then began pulling on his own invisibility clothing.

The old headmaster regretted his young Athena team was being rushed into their first action. It unsettled the old man, leaving him feeling anxious and somewhat hesitant. After all the years he had spent carefully planning and considering what the encounters with the Dark Lords’ would most likely be like, the present scenario was never foreseen or anticipated. As the thought ran through his mind, he rightfully concluded the evil beings themselves would be the ones most unprepared. “Yes, indeed,” he thought. “That will be their undoing.”

The old wizard brought his mind back to the present. “Bartholomew, timing will be crucial tomorrow night. Nothing we do will be more vitally important than the absolute elimination of every evil associate present at that meeting. That’s our highest priority. Everything else we wish to accomplish will be secondary to that task,” Dumbledore made clear, watching as parts of the large minister began disappearing from view.

“I agree, Albus. That’s why I want to make sure Athena learns to use those muggle weapons as quickly and as best as they can. The dark lords will not expect their use against them. I don’t believe they will have any charms to defeat them, either - - - at least not these particular cretins. Voldemort might be another story. Only time will tell,” the minister replied. He stopped and looked into the old wizard’s eyes. “And, Albus, I’m very impressed with these amulets you’ve given us. I’ve never felt so much a part of something in my life. It’s, as you said, becoming part of me. I feel it and sense it always. It’s amazing, and I can\'t wait to see how well mine works when I’m faced with a task such as the one confronting us at the Cetus estate.”

“You’ll be truly amazed, Bartholomew, I assure you. Now, good luck on your training today, I must return to the Hall of Justice. There are a few details I must speak with our Chief Justice about,” the old professor informed him.

The Athena members soon gathered around Minister Grime and he led them to the ventilation shaft. On the floor were a large number of boxes containing ammunition for the muggle weapons. He had each of them put a number of boxes within their robes before mounting their brooms and heading up the ventilation shaft into open air.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Professor Priest went about her physical examinations of the eight young witches and four young wizards. Though very embarrassing to most of them, the old witch was getting her task done and done very thoroughly. One of the young wizards had cringed and actually cried when she reached down to his flaccid organ and began manipulating it to arouse the smallish member, which allowed her to better inspect its full length. She had then gone about pulling and stretching the organ looking carefully for a mark she did not really expect to find.

Her task finally completed, the old witch walked out into the large training room where Remus Lupin was talking to the group. He noticed her walk up to stand at his side and yielded the floor to her.

“I apologize for the embarrassment my examination caused each of you. It had to be done, and I’m sure you all realize the truth of that. I am pleased to say my inspection revealed that none of you have the mark of the evil lords, and I must say, I did not expect to find any. But now we all know the truth, and that should be very comforting all around. I turn the floor back over to you Remus,” she said, taking a seat and looking up at the very capable team leader.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Over two hundred miles south of Hogwarts, in the Lake District of England, an ugly, plump old wizard smacked an old witch across the head with a heavy cane.

“If our master wasn’t returning, this would be the last time I’d have put up with your insolence, you old hag!” the wizard shouted out, his face red with anger and his eyes tearing from rage. “You are a worthless bitch, Hannah!”

“Please forgive me, master! Please! It isn’t my fault! I don’t know where it is!” she cried out. “It’s missing!”

“That damn idiot Dumbledore must have made of with it! I can’t believe the fucking luck of that old bastard!” Drago Cetus shouted out.

He had sent Hannah to Malfoy Manor to find the portkey Malfoy had used to link his manor and an old cabin in the Carpathian Mountains. It was their only link between their Supreme Lord and his second in Western Europe, Lucius Malfoy. Only Malfoy had known the location of Voldemort’s clandestine retreat. The master had refused any other means of contact, as he was in a greatly weakened state and trusted no one except Malfoy and Pettigrew to be in his presence. Drago Cetus turned away from the old witch he had beaten to the floor and stomped out of the room.

“Catian! Where are you?” he yelled out.

An old house-elf appeared before Cetus, clinching his hands at his chest and shaking in fear. Catian had known the man to lash out during such rages with horrendous results.

“Yes, master?” Catian said, whimpering.

“You’ve finished the preparations for tomorrow night, I expect?” Cetus demanded.

“Yes, master. Exactly as you wished it done. We are prepared for forty-eight guests. Has that number changed?” the little house-elf asked, looking down at the floor, too afraid to look up at the evil wizard.

“That’s correct. We have a number of very important guests joining the festivities, Catian. I hold you personally responsible. Everything will be made perfect. You understand?” he asked, bellowing out his question.

“Of course, master. It will be exactly as you requested,” came the reply from the trembling house-elf.

“Leave me!” Drago Cetus commanded.

The little house-elf disappeared in a flash. Cetus had been beside himself and in a very foul mood ever since being told what Malfoy had attempted to pull off at the Ministry. “What a fool!” he yelled out. It was obvious Lucius would have been better off leaving the task to another. “He should never have left us in such a precarious state. The bastard!” he thought to himself. “What a piece of work you were, Lucius Malfoy. The master must now call on me to be his replacement. Of that, I am sure. There can be no one else. It’s my destiny. I should have been the one placed in charge from the very beginning. Voldemort will see that now. Yes! He will beg me to take Malfoy’s place.” Cetus had often fantasized about serving the Supreme Lord in such an influential capacity, and salivated thinking about the power it would give him over the mudbloods and muggles he had detested his entire life.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Minister Grime was very pleased with how quickly the young Athena members were becoming familiar with the muggle weapons. Once they became used to the noise and the recoil, it became a game. Grime had prepared a number of moving targets he magically swept back and forth in front of them. He taught them how to point and fire instinctively, automatically, without conscious effort. They learned to load and clear their jammed weapons quickly and how to use the most powerful and lethal weapon of them all: the pump, 12-gauge shotgun, which had combat modifications, including extended magazine tubes.

Professor Dumbledore spent most of his day equally divided between Hogwarts and the Hall of Justice. Webster agreed with and supported the Professor’s overall operational plan for the Cetus raid.

At lunch, after Athena returned from the firearms training, Ron told Harry about his encounter with Grace White. Harry noticed his old friend could hardly contain his excitement. Ron was in love - - - or was it lust. Whatever it was, it greatly pleased Harry to see him so damn happy. Harry had noticed the girl, too. She was really a beautiful young woman, and when he told Ron that, it brought a large contented and proud smile to his face.

At the afternoon training session, Professor Priest gave Athena a complete review of the incantations she had taught them over the last several days. The young witches and wizards were quick with their answers, as she went about presenting problem after problem and situation after situation to them. “What would be the result of - - -, what should you do when - - -, how do you do - - -?” and on and on she had gone. Everyone was quick and accurate with their responses.

Early evening, Professor Dumbledore returned to Falcon’s Lair. He brought with him Captain Stran and two other Hall of Justice security officers. Professor Dumbledore had Remus Lupin sequester Coeus in their large training room.

Lupin gave his team an assignment to occupy their time while Athena went over the next evening’s operational plan. He had written out a number of problems involving intelligence gathering and provided a number of texts for them to read and memorize.

Professor Dumbledore gathered Athena around him, along with the Hall of Justice security officers. He asked them all to take be seated.

“Minister Grime told me you enjoyed the morning training session with the muggle weapons?” he asked out, looking around at the grinning faces and nodding heads. “Yes, that is good. You will use them tomorrow night.”

The old wizard moved over to a large easel, which he had brought with him from Hogwarts. He withdrew a large muggle writing instrument with a black felt tip.

“Oliver, come take this, please. I want you to draw out your map and explain to everyone in detail what you told us earlier this morning,” he directed the young wizard.

Oliver Wood went about laying out the large Cetus estate and objects of interest on the map. He pointed out the distances involved from the trees where the portkey would initially be to the various buildings on the property. When he finished, he brought the large writing instrument back to Professor Dumbledore and took his seat.

“Thank you, Oliver. Nicely done,” the old wizard said, again walking up alongside the large easel. “Oliver and Lee Jordan will return to the Cetus estate by mid-day, tomorrow. They will place the portkey somewhere within this grouping of trees. Up until we depart on the mission, one of them will use the portkey to report any developments, as they happen. The rest of us, when it is time, will depart using the portkey I have placed in the conference room. It is linked to the portkey deep within the stand of trees. Are we all on the same piece of parchment so far?” Professor Dumbledore paused momentarily before continuing.

“Our raid will be divided into three distinct actions: The first, and the most important, is to enter the meeting completely outfitted in our invisibility garments. I will use my wand to strike out at Drago Cetus. It’s important he be captured alive. At the very moment of my action, you should withdraw the muggle weapons and drop all present. Give no quarter! Absolutely none! They will strike out with lethal force the very second they realize they are trapped. No witch or wizard is to be allowed to escape. Not one!” the old wizard said loudly.

“Second, Professor Priest and our security team will come up to the meeting hall from the trees. She will bring with her the portkey and, using her powerful incantations, will then clear out the hall, leaving not one shred of evidence behind suggesting foul play. And lastly, I will divide you up into groups. We will do a complete room-to-room search of the entire estate. All documents, ledgers or anything else you feel needs to be further scrutinized, will be taken to the portkey and on to the conference room. All valuables, jewels, money or whatever else you encounter of value is to be seized in the name of the Lord Chief Justice and transported back to Hogwarts, too. Is everyone still with me?” he asked all around.

Sirius raised his hand. “Professor? How will you know whether all our people have made it inside the meeting before you begin? What if we have a number still outside or out of place?” he asked.

“Yes, fine question, Sirius. I am much more attuned to my amulet than are you, at this time. Even though you all will be fully cloaked with the invisibility garments, I will see you well enough to know exactly who is within the area and who is not. You must trust me on this. Also, I will not wait. Once I know there is enough of us present within the meeting room, I will begin. I will not hesitate when the time is right. It’s important I drop Drago Cetus to the floor immediately so he will be out of your lines of fire. We very much want him captured alive. He will have much information we will need,” the old wizard pointed out.

“How many do you expect at the meeting, Professor,” asked Harry.

“I should think there will be more than forty, maybe more,” he answered.

“What do we do with the wounded, Professor?” Lee Jordan asked.

“There will not be any wounded, Lee. You are to fire one or two of the muggle bullets into each witch or wizard after all have fallen. You will shoot them in the head. Is that clear? If you can’t do this, step aside and another will. It must be done, however cold and callous that sounds; it must be done,” he reiterated.

All around the tables, the members of Athena winced and cringed at his statement. Several puffed out breaths of air and raised their eyebrows at the thought.

Remus Lupin jumped to his feet. “They have killed a great number of good witches and wizards in our world. In my new team,” he spoke out to the group, “every single member has lost family members to the dark lords. Two had both their mother and father killed. It must be done. And I totally agree with Professor Dumbledore. If any of you do not wish to do it, call me over and I will!”

“Yes, thank you, Remus,” Professor Dumbledore said, nodding at the wizard but maintaining a very serious look about his face. “You must not hesitate. If you do, we stand the chance of having some of them get away. That is absolutely unacceptable. This evening, therefore, I ask you each to search your hearts and souls. If you cannot do this, let me know. We will assign you to outside, perimeter duties. Does everyone understand that?”

The group was soon excused. Professor Priest put the large easel away, and Professor Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts after telling Priest and Grime he would be back early the next morning.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Even as pleased as the old professor was with his young Athena team, he had a very restless night. Several times, he awoke with a start from terrible visions, which had streaked through his unconscious mind. That deeply troubled him. “Were they too late? What would the delay cost them in human lives? When would Voldemort return to seek revenge for the many deaths of his associates? Where was Voldemort? Why hadn’t they heard something, anything?” All were questions without answers. Too many questions and too few answers, this was not the way to begin a crusade. But they had no choice. Absolutely none.

When Professor Dumbledore returned to Falcon’s Lair the next morning, he was told Oliver Wood and Lee Jordan had departed a couple of hours earlier. Shortly before noon, Lee Jordan returned and informed them they had seen a number of witches and wizards walking around the large building behind the residence. Also, it appeared Cetus had posted at least four wizards on top of the building’s roof to obviously act as lookouts. Jordan left immediately after his report.

Athena, in the meantime, went about readying their weapons and equipment. Each member, exclusive of Professor Dumbledore, carried an automatic weapon and four full clips of ammunition. Four team members were assigned to also carry the 12-gauge shotguns. They also readied their brooms, which would be taken and used for the trip between the trees and the meeting hall.

Coeus had again been sequestered and was being taught defensive tactics and various security topics by one of Captain Stran’s own instructors. This would also serve to keep them out of sight of activities being performed by Athena in the open cavern.

A couple of hours before dark, Oliver Wood returned to Falcon’s Lair with the latest intelligence report. “Professor, we believe there are over forty individuals there now. The residence has no activity at all. Everyone we saw is in or around the large building at the back of the property. It appears they are waiting for others to arrive.”

“How are they arriving, Oliver? Could you tell?” Dumbledore asked.

“They must be using a portkey inside the large meeting hall. We’ve seen no one walk to or from the residence. Also, the same four Lee told you about are still on the roof. They are clearly lookouts,” Wood told him. “Also, the only doors leading into and out of the building, from what we can tell, are the two large double doors facing the residence. Just as I drew on the easel.”

“Very good, thank you, Oliver. We will soon be departing. I want us there before dark,” Professor Dumbledore said. “Is there any danger the flash of the portkey will be seen?”

“No, sir. Especially if you all leave before it gets dark. I put it in a depression well back into the trees. However, after dark the flash might be seen through the tops of the trees,” he added.

“We will not wait that long then. Thank you. You should hurry back to Lee. We will begin arriving within the hour,” the old wizard told him.

After Oliver Wood left, Professor Dumbledore called the Athena members to the tables. He noticed all had donned their invisibility garments, except for the hoods. It looked somewhat amusing to see only heads bobbing all around in front of him.

“We leave within the hour!” he exclaimed. “Oliver reports more than forty are now at the large building.” The old professor walked back over to the easel, which Professor Priest had brought back to the floor. “Fred and George Weasley! You two will very slowly, very quietly approach the four wizards who have been posted as lookouts on the roof. As soon as you hear the firing from within the building, you will kill every wizard on the roof of the building. All of them will have brooms at their side. Strike fast and hard! Do not let any escape!”

“After we arrive on site, we will leave for the meeting hall in short intervals of one another. I will leave first, Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Ron will follow closely behind me. I will make the other assignments after we get to the site. Sirius and Remus, I assume you both will be carrying shotguns?” Dumbledore asked the two heads floating off to his right.

“Yes, we are,” replied Sirius Black.

“If you see any of the wizards making as if they are hurrying for a portkey, drop them first. If you identify the portkey, destroy it quickly if you cannot keep it from being used,” the old wizard told them. “Very well, Sirius and Remus lead off!”

The men quickly went to the portkey to transfer to the conference room. Once there, they immediately used the old shoe portkey and were almost instantly standing in a depression within a small forest of large trees. Two by two, the rest of Athena left for the Cetus estate. Professor Priest, Captain Stran and the security officers traveled together bringing up the rear.

Lee Jordan met the Athena members after they appeared in the depression. Jordan found the old professor and told him it appeared the meeting was about to get under way, as all were now inside. There also looked to be as many as fifty witches and wizards from what they could tell. As luck would have it, the two large doors of the building had been left wide open due to the warm weather. It was a perfect time to enter.

Before Professor Dumbledore donned his hood, he gave his final instructions. Sirius and Remus would be left and right, respectively, as they entered the room and would position themselves as far forward in the room as possible. Harry and Ron would do the best they could to position themselves towards the middle of the room. Oliver Wood and Lee Jordan would cover the back half of the room with Graciela Calderon, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. Finally, Minister Grime would stand at the two large open doors and prevent any from running out of the meeting hall.

“Walk slowly! Walk quietly! If you must walk close to anyone inside be very careful not to make any sudden movements. Even though you are invisible to the naked eye, your movements can still be felt, as air will still flow around your bodies. Remember to wait for my stunning incantation. Take your time and good luck,” the old wizard said, pulling on his hood.

“I’m leaving now, each of you sound off as you follow,” the old wizard knew he had uttered his last words until after the operation was completed. For good or for bad, they were now committed.

The sun was sinking low in the western sky as Professor Dumbledore lightly touched down and lowered his broom to the ground outside the large meeting hall. He looked behind him, and his amulet allowed him to clearly see the others closing in on the large building. There was so much raucous noise being generated by those inside the building he no longer worried about the small amount of noise his troop would make.

The old professor slowly approached the large open doorway and saw the two large doors had been chained back. As he looked into the building, he saw a raised stage at the back of the room. Several old wizards and a witch were seated there, talking amongst themselves and laughing out at something the rotund wizard in the middle had just said.

Two long tables ran down either side of the room leaving a clear walkway of almost twenty feet down the middle. A large number of evil associates were seated at the tables, eating their evening meal, laughing and joking loudly over stories being told.

As the old professor slowly walked down the length of the room, he recognized three men he had always known to be associated with the dark lords: McNair, Crabbe and Goyle, who all had also been very close allies of Lucius Malfoy.

The professor turned to his left and slowly negotiated the steps up to the raised stage. He stopped when he was at the back of the portly wizard he was sure to be Drago Cetus. Looking back down the hall, he noticed every one of the Athena members he had wanted inside the building had taken up their positions.

“Drago,” Dumbledore heard the old witch say, looking at the portly man. “You know our master will appoint you to fill Malfoy’s vacancy, I have no doubt of that.”

Dumbledore quickly withdrew his hidden wand and the air exploded at the head table. The portly man was instantly slammed hard into the table before falling unconscious to the floor. The old wizard then executed the three others seated at the table. Inside the hall, the room erupted into huge explosions and screams. Sirius and Remus, after expending the shells in the shotguns, quickly reached inside their invisibility garments and drew their automatics.

A number of witches and wizards tried to rush the door but were knocked off their feet by the relentless fire coming from the shotgun Minister Grime was wielding. Some tried feebly to draw their wands to lash out with deadly incantations but fell before wands cleared their garments.

As quickly as it had begun, just as quickly was it over. Around the room the Athena members pulled off their hoods and went about the gruesome task of verifying the deaths of those on the floor before them. They each moved quickly, making sure death was the only thing at their feet.

Dumbledore jumped around when a wizard appeared in a flash at his back. The old professor instantly killed the man. He then had Sirius come up on the stage with his shotgun. As Sirius went about reloading, the old wizard ordered him to guard the portkey, which was a crystal globe sitting atop a credenza at the back of the stage.

“Do not destroy it yet, Sirius. It appears there may be some who are running a bit late,” Dumbledore said with a grin.

Within a short time, Fred Weasley came down to inform the professor the four lookouts were dead on top of the building. The old wizard had him return to the roof with instructions for George and him to act as lookouts until they finished their operation.

Sirius had soon killed two more wizards and a witch who had appeared at the portkey. Within minutes, Professor Priest walked into the meeting hall with Captain Stran and the other security officer. After Dumbledore assured her they were through inside the hall, he had Sirius destroy the portkey and levitate the portly Cetus. Before he walked out of the meeting hall, the professor also informed Priest four more wizards where dead on the roof.

He and Sirius then moved the rotund man to the residence while Professor Priest went about sanitizing and repairing the large meeting hall with powerful incantations. Captain Stran and her officer stood guard over the old witch as she went about her task.

Upon entering the residence, Professor Dumbledore sent Athena off to begin their searches inside the large edifice. Sirius dropped Cetus into a large chair in the man’s library. Professor Dumbledore awoke him and immediately put him into a deep trance.

“Where is your master?” the old wizard asked.

The man tried to fight against the spell, but it was useless. “In the Carpathian Mountains,” the man replied. His face contorted in pain; drool ran from the corner of his mouth. .

“Where in the Carpathian Mountains?”

“Only Lucius knows.”

“How do you contact him?”

“The portkey is gone. Lucius had the portkey. It is gone. Dumbledore stole it.”

“Dumbledore stole it?”

“Dumbledore stole it,” the man repeated.

“What object was the portkey?”

“A box. A small wooden box.”

“And what was the incantation for the portkey?” the old professor asked.

“Supreme Lord.”

\"And the incantation to return?\"

\"Snake pit.\"

“What hidden rooms or vaults do you have at your estate?”

“The library.”

“Where in your library?”

“Eagle bookshelf.”

Dumbledore looked around and saw a mounted eagle in a glass case, which had been used as a large centerpiece within one of the bookshelves.

“What incantation opens it?” Dumbledore asked. He knew the man was near to losing his mind. His jaws were quaking, his teeth grinding and his eyes were fluttering in his attempts to resist the strong spell he was under.

“Treasure chest,” the man said with great effort, attempting one last time to resist.

“Are there any charms protecting the vault?”

“No.”

Dumbledore backed away from the man, raised his wand and quickly ended the evil man’s life. He then asked Sirius to take him back out to the large meeting hall so Professor Priest could erase him out of existence with the rest of the trash.

The old wizard walked to the bookcase and pulled it away from the wall. It pivoted to his right and exposed the steel door to the man’s vault. Unlike vaults in the non-magical world, this large metal door had no tumblers, handles or exposed locks. Dumbledore knew it was of goblin design, very well constructed and very strong, almost impenetrable. He raised his wand and shouted out the words Cetus had provided. Locks and bars behind the door began to audibly click and slide. The large door opened inward. As it opened, the room it hid was instantly and brightly illuminated.

Minister Grime entered the room behind him. “What have we found, Albus?”

“His vault. A large one,” the old wizard said, walking farther inside.

To his right, the professor saw four levels of gold bars stacked down the entire length of that side of the room. To his left large chests sat atop two levels of shelving down that wall. And to the rear, the evil lord had stacks of muggle money on deep shelves. But what interested the old wizard the most was a large filing cabinet at the right rear corner of the room. He went directly to it and opened one of its four drawers.

The top drawer contained folders with the names of individual witches and wizards. He pulled one out and began scanning the file for information contained therein.

“Look at this, Bartholomew! This is unbelievable! It appears Cetus has individual folders on hundreds of Voldemort’s people,” he said. He handed the folder to Grime, and the minister began reading through the file.

The large wizard gasped. “Amazing, Albus! It not only contains the biographical information, photographs and such but the history of the wizard’s involvement! It even shows the individuals they helped kill and what evil tasks they were assigned. This is the most incriminating information we’ve yet found!” the minister exclaimed.

“Cetus was a shrewd businessman; of that, I have no doubt. To him information was money. He might have kept such records to blackmail others, too. I’m sure we’re going to be quite amazed by what all we’ve found here,” the old wizard stated with a large satisfied grin.

Dumbledore discovered other ledgers and records in the second drawer. The third looked to contain his personal financial records, account numbers, passwords and other access codes.

“He must have been the richest man in our world,” Dumbledore said, shaking his head in wonder. “There must be dozens of numbered accounts listed here.”

The old wizard reached down and pulled the fourth drawer open. There were bags of various colors and sizes in it. He lifted a hefty black velvet bag, loosened the drawstrings and peered inside. It was full of diamonds of various sizes, thousands of them. He dropped that bag and reached for another. It was filled with what appeared to be rubies. He pulled the drawstrings, dropped the bag and kicked the cabinet door closed.

“There’s much here, Bartholomew! An extreme amount of wealth! It’ll take us most of the night to transfer this to Falcon’s Lair!” the old professor exclaimed.

“We’ve no choice but to get that done quickly, Albus. Once the wizards don’t return to their homes, we will have evil underlings and other vile creatures coming here in droves. And if any knew of the wealth the man had here, we’ll really have a fight on our hands,” Grime rightly concluded.

Professor Priest and the two security officers walked into the library. “Albus, I’ve finished. We left no evidence of anyone even being in the building,” she informed him. “It’s spotless and the damage has been repaired.”

“Excellent, Drucila. Look here at what we’ve found. It looks like Drago was hording a vast amount of wealth. However, our biggest find is in that filing cabinet,” he told her, pointing to the cabinet against the far wall of the vault. “Bartholomew and I could not believe the wealth of information it contains. We must begin transporting all of this back to Falcon’s Lair immediately.”

“I have the portkey with me. If you like, we can begin right this minute,” she told him. “It might be beneficial if we put our Coeus team on the task, too. Would you agree?”

“Yes, please,” replied the old wizard. “We must proceed quickly.”

Professor Priest and the two security guards transferred the first items to the conference room. Once there, she had Captain Stran and the other officer return to the Cetus vault while she went down to Falcon’s Lair to gather Coeus and the other security guard.

Well within the hour, the vault was nearly emptied of its contents. As the items appeared in the conference room, Coeus members transferred the items to Falcon’s Lair while still others moved the items to a room Professor Priest had designated.

While that work continued, Professor Dumbledore and Minister Grime went about the massive residence checking the progress of the Athena team members. Remus Lupin pointed out an access door he had found to the lower basement and kitchen areas. The three wizards went below. Professor Dumbledore raised his wand and whispered an incantation into the open air. Six house-elves of various ages and sex suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Which of you is the head of his master’s staff?” Dumbledore forcefully asked.

An old house-elf stepped forward, his eyes fixed in a stare at Dumbledore’s feet. “I am, Your Lordship,” he said.

“And what might your name be?” he asked.

“Catian, sir.”

“And these five? Are they also servants of this household?”

“Yes, Your Lordship. They are my family. My wife and four children, Your Lordship,” he said, whimpering and uncontrollably shaking from fear.

“Your master is dead. Are there others in the household you owe allegiance to?”

“No, Your Lordship. The mistress passed many years ago. There were no children from the union,” the old house-elf replied.

“No others live in the residence?”

“No, Your Lordship. None. The master would occasionally have muggle girls and boys brought here but they never lived very long. And from time to time, he would have acquaintances stay at the residence. He was a most solitary man, Your Lordship.”

“You and your family have now passed into the care and protection of the Hall of Justice. Your new master is Lord Chief Justice Daniel Webster. Pack your personal belongings. You will soon leave the residence. Do you understand me?” Dumbledore asked sternly.

“Yes, Your Lordship. Yes, we will do as you ask immediately. Thank you,” the little house-elf said. Dumbledore noticed the smiles of happiness his directive had brought to the faces of the six little elves. “Drago must have been a real bastard,” he thought to himself.

The three men walked beyond the large kitchen area and found a large basement with a number of what appeared to be holding cells. Behind one door, they found a room that Cetus had obviously used to practice medieval torture. After making sure the rooms contained no living beings and nothing of interest to them, they left the basement level and returned to the main floor of the residence.

A number of Athena members had returned to the library and reported having found nothing of any significance. Clearly Cetus had horded his most precious items in the vault.

He then put the members to work scrutinizing the walls of books and objects in the library as their last task. Professor Dumbledore and Grime went to the man’s large office desk and removed items of interest.

“How is it, Professor, that a muggle bullet hit none of us? We couldn’t see one another,” Ron asked. All around him Athena members stopped their work to listen to the old wizards reply.

“Take out your muggle weapon, Ron,” he commanded him.

Ron drew the weapon from its holster and held it at his side.

“Raise the weapon and fire it at me, Ron,” he ordered.

“Professor?” Ron shouted out.

“You heard me correctly. Shoot me with the weapon,” the old professor reiterated.

Ron raised the weapon, his hand shaking uncontrollably. He squeezed the trigger and instantly the bullet fell in pieces at the old wizards feet.

“Does that answer your question?” Dumbledore asked with a smile.

“You mean the amulet did that? Our amulets protected us?” he loudly asked.

“Yes. It would have been very foolish indeed to have invisible wizards firing about wildly if you were not protected,” Dumbledore said. All around him, the young Athena members chuckled; not at Ron, but from relief, as they suddenly realized for the first time what they had just done actually would have been very dangerous and foolhardy without the amulets.

After the last items were transferred with the portkey, the brooms and other personal items were accounted for, the vault was resealed and everything put in order. Professor Dumbledore instructed the Athena members to begin using the portkey for the return trip to Falcon’s Lair.

The house-elves appeared at the library door with numerous bags and boxes of items. They stood humbly and quietly as Professor Dumbledore directed the last efforts.

The old professor turned around at last to face the house-elves. “Catian,” he began. “Are there any items hidden in this residence besides what was in the vault. Are there any other rooms or safe places Cetus used?”

“No, Your Lordship. The vault you opened was the masters only secreting place,” he replied.

Dumbledore then had the six house-elves transferred to the conference room. Minister Grime passed through with them, taking them immediately down to Falcon’s Lair to join the three house-elves working there.

Professor Dumbledore looked around the residence one last time. When satisfied everything was as he wished to leave it, he passed through the portal one last time, destroying the portkey behind him.