Harry Potter and the Hall of Justice

Chapter 29 Nott’s Castle


Harry awoke the next morning early enough to take his breakfast at Falcon’s Lair before Professor Priest began the days training in Apparition. He sat down next to Ron who couldn’t keep his eyes or mind off of Grace White.

Several times Harry had to punch him to listen when Professor Priest was passing on some very important information. “You better listen up, Ron,” he scolded him a number of times.

Over the next week, Harry was Apparating and Disapparating at will. Hermione and Captain Stran had joined the lesson the second day, and Hermione almost immediately mastered the technique. This frustrated the hell out of Ron who was having one heck of a time. Professor Priest put him in her remedial class of six students who failed to grasp the concept and began teaching them apart from the others.

Apparition was not possible within the Hogwarts school grounds, nor was it possible within Falcon’s Lair. Therefore, the young witches and wizards employed the remote training site, which they used to conduct their firearms training. They were soon making a game out of Apparating and Disapparating throughout the high hills and mountains surrounding Hogwarts.

As Professor Priest checked off the students as being proficient, they were released for immediate service to Sirius and Remus. They then began tracking down the most wanted fugitives on Graciela’s list. Over the next two week period, twenty-four more Death Eaters and associates were located and eliminated. The teams struck suddenly and lethally the moment one of the evil beings was located.

Harry had been assigned to only two of the missions. His main responsibility was to provide the Chief Justice with an update of the day’s activities and pass on information from the High Court to those in Falcon’s Lair.

Athena was broken up into four three-person teams, after Sirius and Remus agreed to shift the majority of the most aggressive Coeus members to Athena.

Sirius Black headed the Alpha Team, himself. Ron Weasley and Preston Kelley, from Coeus, were assigned to it. Whenever Sirius was not able to go on a mission, Ron was put in charge, and an alternate Coeus member was attached. Blond-haired and blue-eyed Preston Kelley was a very stout and rugged individual who had proven his abilities on numerous Coeus missions.

Fred Weasley was put in charge of the Bravo Team. He had Seamus Finnegan, along with Paul Montrose from Coeus. Paul was of medium build with brown hair and eyes. He was best known and respected for his physical and mental agility.

George Weasley was chosen to head the Charlie Team with Dean Thomas and Marti Mathis who had been with Coeus. Marti had blond hair, green eyes and was of medium build. She was also the strongest of the young witches and her quickness closely matched Montrose.

And finally, Oliver Wood headed the Delta Team with Lee Jordan and David Parker from Coeus. David was the tallest and strongest of them all. Brown hair, hazel eyes and quick of wit would best describe him. His personality and demeanor made him a fast friend of Fred and George Weasley.

Cynthia Pierce, Sandy O’Leary and Susan Coldwell were trained as alternates. Harry was also an alternate, but he was able to join any team he chose. His schedule was left open, but he was asked to constantly remain ready to assist any of the teams going up against a known formidable foe.

The former Coeus members were also issued and trained in the use of the muggle weapons. Until they became proficient team members, they were only to act as security while the two Athena members eliminated those targeted.

The former Coeus members had several things in common: All had had family members killed by the Dark Lords - - - both parents’ of Grace White and Preston Kelly had been killed when they were children - - -; not one had the words ‘mercy’ or ‘clemency’ in their vocabulary; not one ever spoke of arresting or taking into custody anyone targeted; and none showed any remorse for their actions.

Captain Stran and Professor Dumbledore interviewed and approved eight more candidates for the Coeus Team. Remus went about training them with Grace White’s help. They all knew it was extremely important to get the young wizards and witches out in the field quickly, confirming the intelligence information received before an Athena team was assigned a target. This seemed the most efficient and effective way to use Coeus.

Remus asked Grace White to be his second in command. She was also asked to assist Graciela Calderon with her intelligence work. Graciela and Grace were both meticulous in all they did. They never took shortcuts or looked for an easy way out. Both had raven black hair. Both were very beautiful young witches. The only contrasting characteristic was their heights; Grace was much taller than Graciela.

Professor Dumbledore was thankful the teams were completing their assigned missions without mishaps. He constantly stressed the need to carefully choose the time of each attack to insure the greatest possibility of success. “A target,” he had said on numerous occasions, “must never be allowed to escape.” But, most importantly, innocent persons were not to ever be hurt or killed, which was his only absolute rule.


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


During the first week of December, Harry was asked to help the four Athena teams on a joint mission against August Nott, after his grand estate was located in the North West Highlands of Scotland. Nott, a most secretive wizard, had once been one of Voldemort’s most powerful underlings. However, when Voldemort appointed Lucius Malfoy as his second, August’s ego was crushed. He had immediately disassociated himself with the evil lord.

Professor Dumbledore was anxious ol’ Nott get his due, but he realized the old man was a very formidable opponent. Many good witches and wizards had lost their lives at his hand. With Malfoy, Cetus and the other Dark Lords now gone, the old headmaster thought it prudent to pay the evil old wizard a call.

Drucila Priest was the first to give voice to their mutual trepidation. “If and when Voldemort next becomes a problem, it will be old bastards like August Nott who’ll help him along. He’s an evil, wicked old man. He’d like nothing more that to realign himself with Voldemort.”

August Nott lived lavishly from the proceeds of his centuries old family fortune. At the center of his estate was the family residence, a medieval castle, set against tall, rugged mountains deep within the Highlands. Numerous homes, outbuildings and stables were on the extensive property.

A small number of related families comprised his fiefdom. He was the grand old warlock of his clan and was feared for his quick temper and sadistic cruelty. Thirty-six wizards and witches lived about the estate and served him as their lord and master. They also shared his evil cravings and lustful perversions.

Due to the immense size of the estate, both Athena and Coeus members spent more than a week gathering information to assist in the preparation of an attack plan. During that time, numerous conversations were overheard and family relationships verified.

August Nott had one living sibling, Priscilla Beatrice. She was half the old wizards age and was described as a very attractive woman in her early thirties. However, she carried August’s evil genes right down to the depths of her very bones. Ron and Preston Kelley witnessed the lashing of a young female relative with a small, black leather whip by Priscilla’s own hand. She was also observed forcing younger family members to satisfy her lustful cravings. From what had been seen, all agreed Priscilla was much more dangerous than her older brother.

Professor Dumbledore asked the team members to especially listen for any mention of a family gathering. The answer finally came late one Saturday. August Nott followed the family tradition of gathering all adult family members into the castle each Saturday evening for a family feast. Children too young to attend were left sequestered in an outbuilding. August Nott cared not for the screaming, undisciplined munchkins and didn’t allow any within the castle for whatever reason.

Dumbledore was very pleased. He immediately tasked the scouting parties to plot out the room used for the gathering in the greatest possible detail. The planning involved was much more complex than their last two raids had been. It would be hard to enter the castle without alarm. Therefore, he tasked Sirius and Remus to pool the ideas of their members to decide upon their best strategy.

Harry was the one who stated the obvious, after he was asked to lend a hand on one of the scouting missions. “The large gathering room is along one whole side of the castle,” he had said. “Why not blow in the huge windows and go straight into the room. The explosion and blowing glass will startle them so bad they won’t have time to react.”

“Shit!” Sirius had shouted out. “Of course! What the hell were we thinking?”

Remus laughed out. “Outstanding idea, Harry!”

Professor Dumbledore was not present at the meeting but shook his old head and grinned when told of Harry’s idea. “So simple and so obvious! Yes, indeed! Harry has just given us our master plan!”

Professor Dumbledore again asked the Chief Justice’s permission to use Hermione, Captain Stran and three security officers, as he had done for the raid in Wales. Webster promptly agreed.

By early Saturday afternoon, Dumbledore’s full complement was again gathered at Falcon’s Lair, excluding Oliver Wood, Lee Jordan and David Parker, who were again assigned as advance scouts to bring back status reports.

Much to everyone’s great surprise, Professor Priest and Minister Grime arrived about two o’clock in the afternoon. Both had been asked to assist the teams by Professor Dumbledore. Their presence added greatly to the confidence of the endeavor.

A portkey was again to be used to facilitate the transfer of everyone and any valuables seized. It was quicker and more precise. It also allowed the untrained participants, such as the newest Coeus members and Captain Stran’s security officers, to also make the trip.

Oliver Wood placed the portkey in a large shed used for the stacking of chopped wood, which was near one of the back doors to the castle.

At their initial meeting, Professor Dumbledore positioned the large easel in front of the seated group. Dean Thomas had expertly drawn out the castle from the perspective of an overhead view. The exits to the castle, the location of the large room used for the family gathering and the location of the shed had been accurately drawn on the map.

The old wizard approached the easel with the muggle-marking device. “Once again you have been called upon to face a very evil group. As you are all aware, August Nott is one of Voldemort’s original henchmen. He is personally responsible for taking a large number of innocent lives in Voldemort’s name. A few of you in this room lost family members by his very hand.”

Dumbledore turned to look at the map for a short time before continuing. “You have all been made aware of the manner in which we will attack. I traveled to the large estate myself, yesterday, to make certain there was no charm protecting the castle, which we would first have to overcome to blast in those large windows, as Harry suggested. Thankfully, no charms are present.”

The old wizard raised the marking device and placed a small “x” at each corner of the structure. “Fred Weasley! I want you here. And George Weasley! I want you to station yourself here,” he exclaimed, pointing to the marks. “Keep well above the top level of the castle. Professor Priest, Captain Stran and the three security officers will again take up positions outside the castle near these exits,” he went about making marks on the parchment. “And Hermione and Harry! I want the two of you to take control of the group of children we believe will be sequestered in this building. Be extremely careful, some of the young wizards and witches might strike out. If any do, they will die by their own hands.”

The old wizard then looked around at the group once again before turning back to the map. He placed small marks on the parchment along the whole side of the building where he expected the Athena members to position themselves. From the names he called out, he excluded four members: Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, David Parker and Preston Kelly, who were not called.

“Ron Weasley and Preston Kelly will knock down the main door here when we begin our actions. You two will quickly hurry through the residence and clear the first floor of the building. Dean Thomas and David Parker will blow in the large window located on the second-floor of the castle at the rear. You will both immediately go about clearing the second floor. Do you have any questions?” he asked.

Heads shook all around and the Professor continued. “All Coeus members will gather in the conference room with Grace White, except Graciela Calderon and the two Coeus members who are to assist her here, within Falcon’s Lair, with the seizures we will make. Grace, I will send someone through the minute we are ready for you. We will need your help searching the large castle. I’m afraid we will all have our work cut out for us there.”

“Now, to those of you with me at the windows, we must act extremely fast. We expect over thirty, and maybe as many as forty, within the large dining hall. As before, once your shotguns are emptied, drop them and pull the automatic weapons,” the old wizard emphasized.

Oliver Wood came through the portal one last time. Due to the time of the year, it was getting dark quite early. It was darker still because of the weather conditions. A light snow had started falling and the sky was heavily overcast. Oliver also confirmed to Harry and Hermione where the children were being kept. It was exactly as they had anticipated, he told them. There appeared to only be one witch old enough to cause them any trouble, though. The rest were younger children who obviously were not carrying wands or other devices to cause them harm. He said there appeared to be about a dozen children in all.

Professor Dumbledore wished them all Godspeed. In small groups they began shuttling themselves to the estate by way of the portkey. Shortly all had gathered at the back of the castle. All were completely invisible, except Professor Priest, Captain Stran and the three security officers. They remained within the shed awaiting the start of the attack.

Harry and Hermione made their way to the building where the children were taken and soon entered without being noticed. The youngsters were apparently being watched over by an attractive young witch who Harry believed to be at least seventeen or eighteen years old.

Within a few minutes, Professor Dumbledore and his team were positioned at the large windows looking into the gathering. A quick count verified that thirty-six were present. The huge windows were over twenty feet tall and came nearly to the ground. As had been planned, the assault team walked up to within twenty feet of the windows, and, on Professor Dumbledore’s command, blasted through them and immediately rushed the room.

A number of the witches and wizards were killed by the initial blast. Shotguns fired away, exploding in thunderous wallops of instant death. Several had jumped up from the table and were making to run toward exits. They were instantly cut down. Loud pops of the automatic weapons quickly began filling the room, the empty shotguns having been dropped. As quickly as it began, it was over.

The entry teams had broken into the castle at their designated points of entry and began scouring the castle, room by room, for any signs of living beings. Professor Priest and the security guards held their positions, though no person attempted escape. George and Fred Weasley, too, held their positions, waiting for someone, somewhere to flee but none did.

The children began screaming from the noise they heard. The young witch Harry had been watching made a run for the door and fled outside before Harry could react. He had not expected this. He chased the girl, who was running away from the castle toward a home in the distance. He soon caught her and tackled her to the ground.

“Stay still!” he commanded. “Stop fighting!”

The girl was hysterical, fighting out and grabbing at the invisible monster attacking her. Her flailing hands accidentally grabbed Harry’s hood, which she pulled off his head in during the struggle.

“Stop it!” Harry growled, grabbing the girls swinging hands and pushing them into the snow above her head. He lay atop her, trying to catch his breath, as her struggling slowly subsided.

Harry looked into her eyes in the dim light and was captivated by their beauty.

“Get off me, you bastard!” she bellowed, nearly out of breath herself.

“Not until you stop fighting me,” Harry commanded.

“Who do you think you are!”

“Who do you want me to be?” he asked back, smiling at the beautiful girl.

Harry then did something he would never have done just two months before, he leaned forward and kissed the girl squarely on her mouth. She started squirming again but didn’t scream out.

“Settle down,” he ordered. “What’s your name?”

The girl eased under him, too tired to continue the fight. “Denise,” she breathlessly replied.

“I’m Harry.”

The girl moved her head back and forth, again tensing under him. “What are you doing here? What was that horrible noise?” she asked.

“We work for Chief Justice Daniel Webster. We’ve been hunting down some of Voldemort’s people. That’s why we’re here,” he replied. “Are you one of Nott’s family?”

“No! Why do you ask, as if it’s any of your damn business!” she exclaimed.

“What are you doing here then?” Harry asked.

“My mother and dad were killed by August Nott several years ago. I was brought here and forced to work in the household of Nott’s daughter,” she replied.

“Well you don’t work for her anymore,” Harry said flatly.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, the only Nott family now alive are the children back in that building there,” he told her.

“What did you do?” she asked, looking horrified.

Harry got off of her and helped her up. He pointed back to the building and they started walking. Hermione met them at the door when they entered. She had settled the children down and had bunched them all in a corner of the room.

“Whom do these children belong to?” Harry asked the girl.

“Only four of them are Nott children. The rest are young girls stolen from wizard families across Great Britain and Western Europe,” she explained.

“What?” Hermione asked. “What are you talking about?”

“They were stolen. August Nott decided it was time to introduce new blood into the family. The Nott women were all having trouble delivering healthy children. These girls were to be used for breeding when they reached the proper age.”

Harry was shaken by the beautiful young girl’s statement. “Your parents were killed so he could get his hands on you?”

Tears filled the young witches eyes. “August Nott demanded they give me to him. He killed them both when they refused. He’s not one to take no for an answer.”

“Have you been bred?” Harry asked, instantly resenting he’d asked the question.

The girl looked up to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “They didn’t want me to have children until next year when I was eighteen. I was used by all the men, but the witches did something to me to prevent me from becoming pregnant.”

Hermione shook her head and turned around. She walked to the door to look out and see if she could tell what was happening at the castle. She caught sight of Captain Stran and called her over.

“Deborah, we need to transfer these children to Falcon’s Lair first,” she ordered. Stran nodded and ran to the shed to get the portkey.

Within minutes, Captain Stran returned with the three security officers. She had them take the children to the conference room for transfer to the dungeon.

“Tell the Coeus members not to start through until they have been asked by Dumbledore. You three return, however, as soon as you take the children to the conference room. Tell Graciela to have someone watch over the children until we return.”

After the transfer was complete, Hermione asked Harry if he wanted to send the young witch, too. Harry looked at the girl, shook his head, and told Hermione she would stay with him.

They all walked over to the castle and found Professor Dumbledore had already reduced the rabble to dust. The snow outside the blasted windows was brown with the remains.

All throughout the castle, Athena and Coeus members began their searches. Soon, a number of items were being carried outside of August Nott’s large office and library and stacked in the floor of the large entrance hall.

Professor Dumbledore, Priest and Grime first concentrated their efforts inside the library. A large number of ledgers were found but none looked to contain incriminating evidence. Many did contain financial records and inventories. These the old wizard pointed out for seizure. After the first items were marked, the awaiting Coeus members began steadily shuttling the items to the conference room and on to Falcon’s Lair.

Remus found a hidden entrance to a large basement. Professor Dumbledore, Minister Grime and Hermione went below and soon found a large cache of valuables within a vault. The old wizard called up for the portkey. Professor Priest and a number of Coeus members went below to assist them.

“Here’s the portkey, Albus. What have you found?” she asked.

Dumbledore stepped to one side so she could look into the large vault.

She was amazed. “It’s larger than the one Cetus had, Albus. Is there as much inside?”

The old wizard looked down at the old witch and winked. “I wrongly thought Cetus to be the richest wizard in our world, Drucila. Look at this!”

There must have been more than fifty large chests of gold Galleons inside the vault. One side of the room had shelves full of muggle money, most in U.S. dollars and British pounds. Another large safe was opened by Dumbledore and was full of precious jewels and bearer bonds of extremely large amounts.

“There must be over twice more here than we found at the Cetus estate. Easily!” exclaimed Grime.

“Gringott’s couldn’t begin to touch the wealth we’ve seized over these last months,” Professor Priest laughed out, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all.

The Coeus members and security guards went right to work transferring the large cache.

Hermione walked through the large basement and found other items of interest but none worthy of seizure. She cataloged many of the odd instruments she saw in her mind for future reference. Remus called her over to a large wine cellar. She couldn’t even begin to count the large quantities of bottles it held, as it opened up into another large cavern.

Harry began questioning Denise at length. She showed him around the castle, pointing out things of interest. She took him upstairs to August Nott’s large bedroom and showed him the amazingly large closet the man had filled with expensive clothing from around the world.

“He spent much of his time in London and in the United States. The Nott family has many holdings and investments,” she told him.

“Did you spend a lot of time with him?” Harry asked.

“Yes. He didn’t allow anyone else to touch me for the first two years. I lived here in the house. Come with me. I’ll show you the room I was locked in each night,” Denise said.

She walked out of the large bedroom and on down a long hallway. She came to a door, slid back a large steel bolt and opened it. There was little in the room except for a bed, chest of drawers, a small closet and a door leading to a bathroom.

“I lived here for two years. Whenever he was away, I was locked in here for days at a time. The house-elves would bring me my meals. As you can see, there are no windows. And there is no sound. None! I almost went mad in this room. It was horrible,” she confessed.

Harry walked over to look in the bathroom. “When did he send you to work for his daughter?”

The girl had walked over and put her hands along the top of the chest of drawers. “Last year. She kept bugging him about wanting me to help her. She wasn’t too bad to work for but her husband was a real bastard. He feared the old man, though. He knew if he hurt me too bad, August would kill him in the wink of an eye.”

Harry watched the girl closely. She was very beautiful and had full, pouty lips. Her hair was light blond, her eyes blue but her skin tone was slightly darker than one would expect of such a light-haired girl. It was her eyes, though; her eyes were the most striking part of her anatomy. They were amazing to look into.

Soon, Professor Dumbledore sent someone to find Harry. He wanted to question the girl he had found. Harry took Denise back downstairs, and they found the old wizard sitting at August Nott’s desk.

Harry introduced the girl and told the old wizard about her family. Dumbledore began questioning her further and believed every thing the young witch said. He recognized her name and believed Graciela had records concerning the death of her parents.

“Are there any other family members scattered about, Denise,” Dumbledore asked.

“No, sir. The only ones I ever saw or heard them talk about in the three years I was here are those living on the property in the various homes.”

Professor Dumbledore nodded his head. “And do they have outside visitors very often?”

“No, sir. None. August Nott has always been a very secretive man from what I could tell. He did leave frequently to conduct outside business. He had a large quantity of holdings. He often bragged about them and fretted over them to other family members.”

“To your knowledge, other than house-elves, are there others about the estate?”

“No, sir. Everybody was either in the castle or in the building out back with me.”

“Very well. Thank you, Denise. I’m sure there will be other things I wish to ask you. Harry, what are you to do with her?” Dumbledore asked, raising his head and looking up into Harry’s face. The old wizard had noticed the way Harry had been watching the girl.

“I’m taking her with me, Professor. I’m keeping her,” he said, smiling at the old wizard.

“I see. She suits you, does she?”

Harry looked at the girl who had raised her eyebrows at what was being said. “Yes, Professor. I think I’ve found an assistant.”

Denise didn’t know what they were talking about, but she saw the way the two men grinned at each other. “Your assistant?” she cried out huffily.

“Yes, my assistant,” Harry replied with a devilish grin.

Oliver Wood and Lee Jordan stepped into the library, interrupting the vexing stare Denise was burning into Harry. “Professor,” Oliver began. “There’s an unbelievable amount of stuff here. You want all of it transferred?”

“No, Oliver. Not at this time. Once the vault in the basement has been cleaned out, I wish to have a chat with everyone. Would you please check on their progress for me?”

Oliver and Lee ran off to the basement. They found the Coeus team and the three security officers finishing up the awesome task they had been assigned. In ten more minutes, the vault was totally emptied. Oliver took the portkey and asked all to follow him up to the library.

When they arrived, Oliver noticed everyone had been standing around waiting on him. “Here’s the portkey, Professor. The vault is empty.”

The old professor walked over and laid the portkey on a table. “Coeus members! You will return first to Falcon’s Lair! Begin!”

The members walked to the portkey and began disappearing instantly.

“Athena members! Begin!” he exclaimed.

Harry, Hermione and Denise left next, followed by Dumbledore, Priest and Grime. Within minutes, they were back at Falcon’s Lair. Graciela Calderon met them, informing the professor the items had been taken to another room apart from the caches from the Cetus Estate and Malfoy’s Manor to allow her to better inventory it.

“Thank you, Graciela. There was plainly much more seized, wasn’t there?

“Much more, Professor. Maybe twice or three times as much,” she said.

The old wizard wrapped a long arm around the little Hispanic witch and walked her over to one of the tables. “I apologize for dumping such a large load on you.”

The young witch smiled up at the old professor and wrapped one of her arms around him. “I’m glad to do it,” she replied, giving him another big grin.

Dumbledore waited until the Athena and Coeus members found seats at the tables before beginning. “There’s much more to do, I’m afraid. However, we will not transfer any more items until after I have a talk with the Chief Justice in the morning. It appears we virtually eliminated the Nott family bloodline tonight. In fact, I’ve just been told that four young children who have been brought here are the only remaining Nott’s. We will see they are raised away from the evil that bred them. The other children, I pray, will be placed back in the homes they were abducted from.”

The old wizard reached down for a large glass of tea and drank several large gulps. “My, my that is good,” he said with a large smile. “Now, I have a question for you! Minister Grime made a suggestion to me not an hour ago. I thought it was a damn good idea. He suggests we seize the Nott property in the name of the Lord Chief Justice, in its entirety. It would make a splendid base of operations and a fine training center for the Department of Special Investigations, meaning you.”

The young witches and wizards at the table jumped to their feet and applauded loudly at the suggestion. The months and months spent deep in the dungeon was wearing on them. The very idea of having fresh air and wide-open spaces appealed greatly to the whole lot.

“I take that to mean you think it a good idea?” he yelled out.

“Yes!” came a loud cry.

“Well then, we should all thank our good Minister Grime and hope our Lord Chief Justice will approve!” Dumbledore yelled out.

Again they broke out in raucous applause. Several ran up to the table and shook Minister Grime’s large hand.

Professor Dumbledore flapped his two hands up and down demanding their silence. “That settles it then. I will do my very best to convince our Lord Chief Justice to approve Minister Grime’s suggestion. Now, first thing tomorrow morning, I want the four Athena Teams to split up and carefully go about clearing the other homes and buildings on the property. I will be along later in the morning to take control of the house-elves. If we are to use the property, we’ll need their services and loyalties. Until then, I release you. Have a good night!”

Professor Dumbledore, Priest, Grime, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Graciela Calderon remained at the head table for some time. All agreed excitedly with Grime’s suggestion.

The old wizard nodded his head and smiled at his old friend. “I must agree again, Bartholomew. That was an excellent suggestion. This dungeon, with as many new faces as we now have, is really getting cramped. I believe we could continue to use it, though, to store our seizures and the special equipment we will need from time to time.”

“Good idea, Albus! I never have liked having to live in a hole. Not smelling fresh air or seeing blue sky from time to time really wears you down,” Priest said.

They sat and talked for an hour. Finally, only Dumbledore, Priest and Grime remained at the table.

“Albus, I have a proposition for you,” Priest said, smiling cunningly at her old friend.

Dumbledore arched his old eyebrows, not knowing what to expect from the old witch. “And what might that be, Drucila?”

“As I’ve told you many times before, I’ve been debating on whether I should retire. Being a headmistress for all these years has really taken a toll on these old bones. The most fun I’ve had in a long time has been with these young men and women, helping them along and preparing them to do battle. If the Chief Justice approves Bartholomew’s suggestion, do you think he would let me sign up as a permanent, on-site instructor? Nothing would make me happier?”

The old headmaster slapped his hands down on the table. “Ha! That’s an even better suggestion than Bartholomew’s,” Dumbledore laughed out. “Nothing would make me happier, Drucila, than to see you take charge of that castle. And no one would be better suited for the job, either. Are you sure you’re ready to retire?”

The old witch bobbed her head. “Yes. Whether or not he approves the suggestion, the matter has been pressing hard on my mind, Albus. I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a long time,” she admitted.

“Then expect a visit from me early tomorrow morning, Drucila. I’ll come to the school as soon as I find out what Webster has to say. It might be better if you handle those house-elves, anyway. I’ve become much too short of temper the older I get. And they would be working for you, anyway.”

All had been decided. Professor Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts and had a peaceful nights sleep. He was extremely happy with Grimes suggestion and even more so with Drucila’s request.


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


Harry, Hermione and Denise returned to the Hall of Justice and found the Chief Justice waiting for them in his chambers. He welcomed the young witch to the court and walked with them up to the third-floor where dinner was waiting on the tables. Without saying the obvious, he nodded his head as both Hermione and Harry told him what had happened at Nott’s Castle. It went without saying; they both realized he had seen everything.

“Harry, I understand Denise is to be your assistant?” Webster asked.

The young girl looked shocked, wondering how the large man knew that. She knew nobody had had the time to tell him. She also had picked up that he was well aware of other things, too, before he was even told about them.

“Yes, sir. I think she’ll do fine,” Harry said, looking at Hermione. He noticed Hermione smiled and winked at him. This relieved him greatly because he wasn’t too sure how she might react.

“Wonderful. Then I should welcome you into our fold, Denise. I hope you enjoy living here,” Webster said.

All that was being said shocked the girl. She wasn’t sure how to react. She hadn’t even been asked if she wanted a job. And she damn well wasn’t anybody’s property. But she liked this young wizard named Harry. In the little time she had been around him, she didn’t want to think about leaving him for even a minute.

After their meal, Hermione and Webster went to his bedroom. Sarah, Martha and the other girls welcomed Denise to the court before hurrying off to other rooms.

Harry stood up and walked the girl over to the edge of the large third-floor patio. She was awestruck by what she saw. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen in her life. Harry then led her to his bedroom and closed the door.

“Where will I stay?” she asked.

“In the morning, I will show you bedrooms on the second and first floor. You can choose whichever you like,” he told her.

“In the morning? What about tonight?” she asked, her eyes large at his suggestion.

“You’re sleeping in my bed tonight,” Harry replied with a grin.

“I am?” she asked out. “What makes you think I will do that?”

“Because I told you so,” Harry replied.

“You’re ordering me to sleep with you?” she asked, faking a look of anger.

Harry walked over to the girl, unclasped her robe and pushed if off her shoulders. He then began unbuttoning her blouse. She stood still as Harry expertly went down the blouse in a flash. He pulled the blouse free from her skirt and lifted it off of her shoulders.

For hours, they went at each other. Harry had never experienced such a marathon session of lustful sex. Sometime well after midnight, he rolled over onto his back. “Damn!” he exclaimed. “I’ve got to get some rest, Denise. I can’t do it again.”

“Maybe in the morning, then?” she chuckled out.

Harry threw an arm around a large pillow and rolled onto his side. “Damn!” he thought to himself. “What the hell did I get myself into this time. And she hasn’t even been here long enough to be affected by the charm. What kind of monster have I brought in here?” He smiled and fell into a deep sleep.


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


Professor Dumbledore spoke with Chief Justice Webster early the next morning. Webster told the old wizard he had been able to see the majority of what was done at the Nott Castle using the Orb of the Oracle. He was greatly relieved none of their people were injured and was as amazed as Dumbledore had been over the quantity of valuables in the vault.

Webster did not know what Minister Grime had suggested, however. But after Professor Dumbledore explained it to him, neither man could think of a reason why they shouldn’t seize the property for their use. Webster did go on to consider the young Nott children. He said he would set up a trust fund for them to compensate them in some small way for what had been seized.

“I would rather think of it as a long-term lease arrangement, Albus. You never know, at some future time we might decide to move elsewhere and obtain other property. We certainly have the means to do that, wouldn’t you agree?” Webster asked.

Dumbledore laughed and nodded his head. “We have no lack for funds, do we?”

And finally, Webster agreed with Dumbledore’s request to put Drucila Priest in charge of the Nott Castle and estate. The Chief Justice then asked the old professor how he wished to proceed with their missions. Dumbledore suggested they continue working at the trickle of information still coming out of the Ministry. Shortly, however, he was planning another break for both teams and Webster concurred.

From the Hall of Justice, Professor Dumbledore went straight to the Druidic School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and found Professor Drucila Priest at her desk.

“Good news, Drucila! As of this morning, our Lord Chief Justice has put you in charge of the entire estate. You can take up residence whenever you like,” Dumbledore said, smiling and hugging the frail old witch as she came to her feet.

Tears came into the eyes of the old witch instantly. “Wonderful, Albus, wonderful. I knew you would do it, you sly old fox,” she said, smiling and patting him thankfully about the shoulders.

Within the hour, Professor Priest asked her deputy to take charge of the school and to schedule a meeting before the school council the next week, where she would formally tender her resignation and retirement papers.

The two old professors made their way back to Falcon’s Lair by way of the Hall of Justice and Hogwarts portkeys. They met with the full Athena and Coeus team to inform them of the Chief Justice’s decision about seizing and using the property.

The teams were then sent back to the Nott Castle to begin a more exhaustive search of the estate. Professor Priest accompanied them and formally took custody of the castle. She willed the house-elves to her and informed them of the change in their employment status. The smallish creatures seemed greatly relieved to be out from under the evil family. They swore their allegiance to Lord Chief Justice Daniel Webster and happily went about the tasks she assigned them.

Within days, the two teams were living and working out of the huge castle. There seemed to be more room than they could ever possibly need. Professor Dumbledore and Priest protected the estate with a number of powerful charms and made it clear to both teams that they were less secure living at the castle but, overall, it would be best for them.


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


By mid-December, with four weeks of work behind them, Athena had eliminated sixty evil lords and their henchmen using the information from the Cetus files and the Ministry. They had finally caught up with the information that had been forwarded from the Ministry, too. Adding the thirty-six removals at the Nott Castle, the total number of eliminations was ninety-six for the one-month period.

Professor Dumbledore gathered Athena and Coeus around him on the evening of the 16th of December. Late fall snows had covered the world outside the castle in a solid, unbroken blanket of white.

“You have eliminated ninety-six wizards and witches this last month! You have done much, and you have done it well! Graciela has informed me you have even exhausted the intelligence information from the Ministry. She has also shown me some forty files of Death Eaters and their evil underlings yet to be closed. They, most likely, have gone into hibernation,” the old wizard laughed out, and the young people joined him.

“Your actions have caused much speculation. Many articles have been written about the mysterious and secretive force the Chief Justice is using to smoke out and destroy the great evil, which plagues our world. The Daily Prophet speculates constantly about a great army of crusaders, wielding swords hammered from Merlin’s own forge and using great powers of witchcraft and wizardry the like of which the world has never before seen. Whatever conjecturing they wish to do is fine with us. For we know the one great truth: Good witches and wizards around the world are safer now than they have been in many, many years. They constantly applaud your efforts, and well they should.”

Dumbledore slowly walked back and forth along the head table as he spoke, pausing ever now and again to face them.

“In honor of the dungeon at Hogwarts where we first began our work, I now which to inform you that this castle and estate will from this moment on be know as Falcon’s Lair! We will no longer use the dungeon for any purpose but storage of our seizures, extra equipment, weapons and the like,” he informed them. “If any of you still have any personal items within the dungeon, you have until noon tomorrow to remove them.”

The old wizard paused again and slowly moved to his chair. “From now until the 8th day of January, you are released. Chief Justice Webster and I wish you a very happy holiday season. Graciela has prepared your pay vouchers, and I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised with the added bonus you will find.”

Dumbledore took his seat and poured a glass of the iced tea, which awaited him on a large tray in front of him. Sirius and Remus thanked the old wizard for giving the teams the holiday break. All around them, the Athena and Coeus members got to their feet and began heading back to the large game rooms or television rooms, of which many had never been around before in their life.

August Nott, however sinister the man might have been, knew how to have fun. He had filled his large castle with the finest billiard tables, gaming tables and muggle machines money could buy. They had a number of huge televisions in the castle, along with video and audio equipment most of them didn’t know the first thing about operating.

Hermione had a great time showing them how the devices worked, and they soon became addicted to the diversions. The old wizard had even had a very powerful and expensive computer network installed within the house. Hermione was soon expertly reviewing the old man’s browsing history and financial records he had put on the computers. It surprised her to think the old evil man had masterfully adapted so well to high-tech living.

After the young witches and wizards left, the old professor leaned over and spoke lowly to Priest, Sirius and Remus. “I’ve just been informed by Minister Bones of a troubling rumor overheard in London. It appears an effort is to be made to abduct someone connected with the Hall of Justice. Certainly, it is something we must not take lightly. Bones has assigned several of his investigators to track down the source. He doesn’t hold out much hope in finding it, though. I didn’t want to inform our young witches and wizards of the threat until I informed you. So before you release any of them tomorrow, advise them of the threat. They must take special care in all they do.”

“We had suspected something like this might happen. What’s to be done at the Hall of Justice?” Sirius asked.

“The High Court has already let it be known no cases are to be heard until the first full week of January. I don’t know yet if any of the Chief Justice’s staff will be returning to their families for the holiday season, but I assume they will. He has informed them of the threat and has also had them notify their families,” Dumbledore related.

“Do you wish us to put on extra guards here, Albus?” Priest asked.

“At the present time, Drucila, I don’t believe anyone knows of our presence. August Nott and his family pretty much went into seclusion after Voldemort chose Lucius Malfoy to be his second. Nevertheless, in time the word will get out. We must all be very aware of the dangers still around us. Even though we have removed so many, the greatest danger will come from those we don’t know of.”

“Right you are, Professor,” said Remus.

“We should think first of increasing the security of our own teams before we again begin our missions in January,” Dumbledore recommended to the three.