Harry Potter and the Hall of Justice

Chapter 37 The Greek Raid


Within the hour, Athena members were dressed in their invisibility garments and ready for their unforeseen mission. Snape immediately left for Eagle’s Nest so his men could prepare. He outfitted himself for the trip, too. He was frantic over Ginny’s current precarious state.

When Sirius and Athena arrived at Eagle’s Nest, Snape had already formulated a simple plan. They would use the portkey, which would bring them within about ten miles of the dungeon, fly directly to the underground cavern and rescue the girls. No other actions were to be taken. They must avoid being seen at all costs.

Snape ran about hastily giving orders. “Vlad! Get everybody together! Where are those cloaks? Damn it, hurry along!”

One of Snape’s men entered the operations room carrying four large invisibility cloaks to cover the girls with. Vlad told Snape he knew where the ring of keys was kept to unlock the cage. If they were to make it look like they were helped to escape, they would have to use the key to open the locked cage for it to be believable.

Without any more delay, the wizards used the portkey link and were soon deep within a stand of trees in high mountain country. Vlad turned on the beacon at the top of his broom handle, visible only with the aid of the night-vision goggles and took to the air. Within a short time, the rescue team landed outside one of the entrances to the large dungeon.

Vlad, Harry, Ron, Fred and George entered the dungeon as planned. Vlad went directly to the ledge where the keys were kept, after they assured themselves no one was around. He unlocked the cage and dropped the keys to the rock floor. The four invisible wizards then hurriedly rushed inside the cage and grabbed the girls.

Roused out of their sleep, the girls became hysterical when they felt invisible hands grasping at them. Vlad quickly called for them to calm themselves in Romanian but none of them understood him. However, Ron told Ginny to stay quiet.

“Ron! Is that you?” Ginny screamed out and began crying.

“Yes! We’re here to rescue you. Can you get the girls to shut up?” Ron cried out.

Ginny rolled over and calmed the hysterical girls, running her hands over their faces to get their attention. They saw she was not afraid, which quieted them but they fought being brought to their feet. Ginny, however, had grasped Ron’s invisible shoulder and she quickly came to her feet. The girls noticed this, and they, too, stood up but were still scared out of their minds. All were injured and unable to walk very fast, but the wizards helped them along as swiftly as possible. Time was precious. They had to hastily leave before an alarm went out about the escape.

“How did you know I was here, Ron,” Ginny asked out, sobbing so hard she could hardly be understood.

“Quiet, Ginny,” Ron whispered out. “Wait till we get you out of here.”

As soon as the girls exited the dungeon, other members of the rescue team were waiting to quickly cover them with the invisibility cloaks. Soon all had taken to the air. The young muggle girls again cried out when they felt themselves being flung up into the air. The wizards carrying them, however, had them firmly gripped and soon they were back at the portkey.

In a series of flashes, they began appearing at Eagle’s Nest. Professor Dumbledore, Hermione and Drucila Priest were awaiting their return.

Ginny collapsed into Hermione’s arms when she saw her. The other girls ran to her, too. They had no idea what was happening to them, but they were staying close to the redheaded girl.

Drucila and Hermione grabbed the girls’ wrists and disappeared in a flash to Falcon’s Lair. Within another ten minutes, they were at Hogwarts headed for Madam Pomfrey. Professor Dumbledore had already sent word ahead to Professor McGonagall. Plenty of assistance was on hand.

Hermione then went straight to the Burrow to fetch Arthur and Molly Weasley. Within the hour, Ginny’s parents were at her side.

Ginny couldn’t stop crying. Her crying made the other three girls start crying. Exasperating the problem even more was the fact the girls didn’t understand English or Romanian. Hermione rightly guessed they must be Greek. As soon as she mentioned that, Professor McGonagall ran off to find Professor Flitwick who could speak the language.

Soon Professor Flitwick was at the girls’ bedsides. He calmed them down and ascertained them to be three runaways. They had been within the dungeon for a week. Flitwick told them everything was going to be fine, and their injuries were going to be treated.

All four girls drank a potion Madam Pomfrey had fixed for them. Within minutes, they were fast asleep.

“They will sleep through the night. It may be noon tomorrow before they wake,” Madam Pomfrey said. “I will go about treating their injuries while they are unable to feel any discomfort.”

Arthur and Molly Weasley stayed with the four girls. Hermione and Professor Dumbledore stayed long enough to explain what had happened. Ginny’s parents cried in each other’s arms when they realized they had nearly lost their daughter a second time.

“You’re going to deal with the cult, Professor?” Arthur asked, in between his sobs.

“Yes, Arthur, we are - - - tomorrow night, in fact. That is, if we haven’t scared them off by taking the action we did tonight. But we had no other choice but to rescue these girls,” he said.

Molly and Arthur nodded their heads in thanks. They held each other for hours, looking down upon their young daughter sleeping peacefully within the safety of Hogwarts.


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


Shortly after daybreak, a young wizard ran frantically out of the Dionysian dungeon. He hurried to find his master with terrible news.

Melampus struck the young man hard across his jaw when he said the girls had escaped during the night. He then grabbed the young wizard who he had knocked to floor and shook him.

“What has happened?” he screamed. “Where are they? Go find them now!”

The young man ran off and gathered a group of cult members to begin a search. By noon, however, it was obvious the girls had escaped.

Melampus sent the young man to find Kathryn. When she appeared before her master, his rage was evident.

“What did you do? Where are the girls?” he screamed.

“I do not know, Melampus. I had nothing to do with their escape,” she cried out in fear, knowing the beast of a man was capable of anything.

“You will pay, bitch!” he screamed. He then called out to three of his large henchmen. They dragged her down to the dungeon and locked her in the cage.

Kathryn began hysterically screaming. She knew if she was locked in the cage, it could mean only one thing: She was to be sacrificed. Her screaming continued for hours, but no one seemed to care.


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


Early the next morning, Professor Dumbledore took his breakfast at the Hall of Justice. Chief Justice Daniel Webster told the old professor he was angry with himself for not checking on Ginny again by using the Orb of the Oracle. Webster believed he could have easily prevented the girl from going to Greece.

“It isn’t your fault, Dan,” the old professor said, troubled that he was accepting the entire fault. “Ginny should never have accepted young Kathryn’s offer to join the cult. But if anyone is to blame for this whole sordid affair, it is I. Many weeks ago, I should have removed her from the Hall of Justice. The charm had too great of an affect on the young girl’s mind. I now see, too, that the power of the ring Harry had given her might have also twisted her mind while under the powerful influence of the charm. There is plenty of blame to go all around, believe me.”

“What are we to do with her now, Albus? What will become of her?” Webster asked.

“I gave that question some thought late last night. I’m going to have a talk with Drucila at Falcon’s Lair. I’ll see if she is willing to take Ginny under her wing, so to speak. Drucila is a very strong-willed old witch. I should have considered that before ever sending her to the Hall of Justice. I believe Drucila’s the answer to that question,” the old professor replied, nodding his head and reaching for his glass of Merlin’s Special Brew.

“Albus, I’m thankful so much good has been done. However, there are moments, I must confess to you, I worry we might be too arrogant with the power we wield. We must promise each other, old friend, no matter what happens, if either of us should ever feel we are overstepping our authority, we must confront the other immediately,” Webster said with a troubled look upon his face.

“I promise I will do just that, Dan. What you’ve just said reminds me of something Lord Acton once wrote in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton. He wrote ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men’. Yes, I agree, we should always be ready to challenge one another, if we cross that line.”

“How are you planning to proceed tonight? Do you believe the cult will be warned off?”

“There is that possibility. However, they too have been quite arrogant with their power. They have conducted their rituals for years with total impunity. For that reason, I believe their immoral rites will go on tonight as planned. We will be there in any case.”

“And if they don’t show?”

“We’ll return every month, every full moon, until we’ve cleaned out their little nest,” the old professor said with conviction.

The Chief Justice nodded his head and smiled. The old wizard would do just that, he thought to himself, without any doubt.


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


Shortly after noon, Dumbledore had a briefing with Sirius, Snape, Harry and Vlad. They again went over the latest intelligence. Vlad informed the men the scouting party would be returning in relays with up-to-the-minute updates throughout the day. If anything changed, they would know it quickly.

The first Romanian scout to return with a report was Sandu. The young wizard had become Vlad’s second. He was a tall and well-built lad who was known for his mental and physical agility. His report shocked the men around the conference table at Falcon’s Lair.

“The young dark-haired witch who speaks English has been locked in the cage. She is by herself and has been crying and yelling hysterically all morning,” Sandu related.

“That must be Kathryn, Professor. She was the girl from Ravenclaw that Hermione spoke to me about. She is the member of the cult who lured Ginny there,” Harry said.

“I see. Well, she made her own bed, as our non-magical brethren are fond of saying,” Professor Dumbledore coldly replied.

“She’s not be rescued, Professor?” asked Snape.

“No, Severus. She falls under the mandate of the first decree. She will be eliminated with the rest of the vermin.”

Snape’s raised eyebrows were noticed around the table. But he too nodded his head, realizing her placement in the cage was not to be considered a mitigating factor.

Sandu immediately returned to his scouting mission. The rest of the afternoon, at intervals, the Romanian Coeus team members continued their relay of information. It didn’t take very long for them to realize the cult’s ceremony was going to go on as planned.

An hour before the sun set over the Romanian mountains, the entire team from Falcon’s Lair had already arrived at Eagle’s Nest. The final briefing lasted only ten minutes. Everything that moved in and around the dungeon was to be killed. There were to be no exceptions. Before the bodies and gore were turned to dust, Minister Grime and Graciela Calderon were to make a count.

The large assemblage of witches and wizards began approaching the portkey, as they had been assigned. In flash after flash, they began appearing at a new and closer site to the cult’s dungeon. All around the portkey, the sounds of ammunition being racked into shotguns could be heard, followed by the unique sound of an extra round being pushed into the magazines.

Professor Dumbledore pulled off his hood so that all could see him. “Again! Wait until you hear or see me begin the action! Take up the positions you were assigned! Many of you will be well away from the dungeon, but hold your positions! And we may have some hours to wait before we begin! Do not get overly anxious!”

After he again put the hood over his head and pushed it down into his garment at his chest and back, the old wizard took to the air. Soon the air was full of invisible broomsticks flying the short distance to the cult’s dungeon and surrounding grounds.

Indeed, as Professor Dumbledore had suggested, their wait was long. The old wizard entered the cavern with Snape, Sirius, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Vlad and Oliver Wood. All around the outside of the dungeon for miles, witches and wizards took their assigned positions in two person teams. Every trail and building was covered.

After the moon had risen above the mountains, a long procession of cult members began winding their way down trails toward the dungeon. At the head of the largest group was a huge man draped in animal skins and carrying a large phallus in his right hand.

Prior to their arrival, several male cult members entered the dungeon and lit fires at various places within the large chamber. The man with the phallus held high entered the dungeon slowly and walked reverently to the large rock slab. Once there he turned and faced the long lines of like dressed cultists entering behind him.

He soon began chanting and the others joined him. Cult members continued to file in and began sitting on various rock hewn and wooden benches. Thirteen maenads came to the large rock altar and knelt before it. The large, disheveled man walked slowly around the altar, chanting and lowering the large phallus to the mouth of each woman, who each kissed the massive head in turn.

Another large, wild-looking man opened the cage and pulled the screaming Kathryn to the large rock slab. He threw her upon it and the maenads instantly attacked her savagely with their hands, ripping and clawing at the young witch’s flesh.

Professor Dumbledore removed his wand and unleashed a massive blast of energy, throwing Melampus into the back wall of the dungeon with such force his body was crushed beyond recognition. All around the dungeon, shotguns exploded with devastating might.

A number of male cult members ran wildly out into the night and were immediately cut down by unseen assailants. Harry and Oliver Wood, who had been assigned to take up positions nearest to the large rock slab, fired round after round of heavy lead shot from the shotguns into the maenads. In seconds, all were dead or dying.

As soon as all had fallen within the dungeon, Ron, Fred and George pulled off their hoods and walked to the large rock slab where Kathryn lay on her back, dying from the multiple wounds and lead shot she had taken during the attack. They looked down into her face. Her eyes blinked and focused on their faces. She tried to say something but only frothy blood escaped her mouth, as she desperately gasped for air. Her mouth opened and closed twice more, before her pupils became fixed in death. The three young redheaded wizards turned around and walked away without uttering a single word.

Minister Grime and Graciela Calderon began the grisly task of making the body count. Forty-eight cult members had been killed within the dungeon. Another fourteen were killed fleeing or were found in or about a number of dwellings in the immediate area. The Athena members quickly went about turning the mutilated bodies to dust.

The teams were then divided up to search the large number of associated dwellings and barns. Finally, after all members reported back, Professor Dumbledore gave the order to set fire to all structures in the area. Everything was to be burned to the ground.


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


The next morning, Professor Dumbledore returned to the Hall of Justice to give Chief Justice Webster an after action report. As much as the two men should have been pleased with the outcome, Ginny Weasley’s near fatal contact with the cult dampened their enthusiasm.

“Some would ask, Albus, if there ever will be an end to it all,” Webster said. The two men exchanged knowing glances.

“They must know evil will be with us always. However, we must continue to keep it in check with all our might. And you and I know there is much yet to do. We’ve hardly even begun,” the old wizard said. Their eyes met again, and they saw the truth of it in each other’s eyes. Both men sat silently, sipping large glasses of Merlin’s Special Brew, lost in their own thoughts.


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


Harry went to Hogwarts to see Ginny but Hermione stopped him. “Not yet, Harry,” she ordered.

“Why?”

“She needs time. I want you to move back in with Deborah and me. Professor Dumbledore has made plans to have Ginny begin work at Falcon’s Lair under Professor Priest. He doesn’t want her to spend any great amount of time within the Hall of Justice ever again. He told me the charm, coupled with the ring you gave her, might have twisted her mind, causing her strange behavior,” Hermione explained to him.

“It was all my fault, then,” he replied.

“I believe you would get quite an argument out of Professor Dumbledore, if he heard you make that statement. He’s blaming himself for not seeing the change in Ginny sooner. But no single person is to blame, Harry. Not you, not him, not Ginny - - - no one.”

“And her working at Falcon’s Lair will change that?”

“Who can say? Professor Dumbledore believes it will help her come around. It will take a long time, however. A very long time - - -,” Hermione said, shaking her head and staring at the floor.

Harry wrapped his arms around his dearest friend and lover. Both of them felt so horrible about Ginny and realized their grieving had only just begun. Harry knew, though, the largest amount of blame sat directly upon his shoulders, no matter what Dumbledore or Hermione said.


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


Late that evening, Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk awaiting his late night visitor. Over the last weeks, Minister Bone’s investigators at the Ministry of Magic had become aware of an undercurrent of evil activity centered in Belgium but encompassing a large area of northwestern Europe. He was scrutinizing a map of the region when Professor McGonagall entered.

After sealing the room, the old professor reached under his desk and withdrew the large phallus he had seized in Greece. He walked around his desk and presented to his old friend.

“I thought you might like this, Minerva,” he said, smiling, as he handed the huge phallus to her.

“Albus! It is grand!” McGonagall exclaimed, with a large lustful grin upon her face. “It appears to be exactly as used by the female votaries in their worship of the phallus god Bacchus. I’ve only seen one other like it in my lifetime, as a young girl during my mother’s instructions. She was a maenad, if you remember, whom my father stole from a cult in Italy when she was only fourteen. Later in her life, she became friends with an old witch, after I was born. The witch had once been a maenad herself and possessed a phallus exactly like this.”

“I’m glad you like it. After the leader dropped it, I secreted it away within my robe. I thought it would make a very suitable gift,” Dumbledore said, smiling down at McGonagall whose eyes were lusting over her new possession.

The old witch brought the large head to her mouth and kissed it lightly, reverently. “Yes, thank you, old friend. I do have plans for its use,” she replied, looking up at Dumbledore, who saw the carnal excitement in her eyes.

The old professor walked back to his desk and again took his seat. “I’ve been going over this map of Belgium, Minerva. You are quite familiar with the region, are you not?”

“Yes, Albus. As you know, one of my paternal family lines comes from descendents of Charles the Bold, through his youngest daughter. If you recall, the eldest daughter, Mary of Burgundy, marked the beginning of the Hapsburg rule.”

The old professor nodded his head in acknowledgment, but a history lesson he wasn’t quite ready for. “Bone’s has passed on some disturbing information. The intelligence is sketchy, at best. It is centered in the Walloon Region. It appears they’ve located a couple of Voldemort’s Death Eaters - - - two we’ve been looking for. And they seem to be hard at work recruiting disciples,” the old professor said with a worried look upon his face.

“What is to be done?”

“Bone’s has something in the works with his investigators. I’ll ask Remus to ready his Coeus team to give the Ministry any help they need. But it may take considerable time getting to the bottom of it, I fear.”


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


Ginny and the three Greek girls soon were released to the care of Drucila Priest at Falcon’s Lair. The old witch wasted no time putting them to work. As the days passed, the young girls began picking up bits and pieces of English.

Professor Flitwick tried to make a short visit everyday to check on them. The little old wizard brought special Greek textbooks to assist them with their English. Priest thought it might be best to take them back to Greece, but the girls begged to stay. They had nothing to go home to. Falcon’s Lair seemed like a paradise to them compared to the hell they had left. The old witch noticed, however, the girls began working furiously around the large estate, after she mentioned sending them home. They obviously wanted to prove their worth.

As the Chief Justice’s large resort was nearing completion on the estate, Professor Dumbledore reasoned the girls might be useful to assist the house-elves there. The family group of house-elves taken from the Cetus estate was to be charged with its house and grounds keeping, along with the cooking chores.

Unknown to the old professor, though, was the fact the girls had become the objects of interest of several young Athena and Coeus members. One of the young wizards finding himself in lust was none other than Fred Weasley.

The young girl’s name was Alyssa. To Fred, she was nothing short of a Greek goddess. The girl’s dark head of hair and dark eyes adorned a strikingly beautiful face. She had warm olive skin with golden undertones. Fred was doing his very best in helping her with her English lessons, as he told everyone. Of course, he insisted they had to have their privacy to study. Everyone noticed they were doing a lot of studying.


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


A cold November passed into an even colder December. Minister Grime purchased a new LADAR system, a laser radar system, which instantly produced 3D images on monitors within the castle. Any object, visible to the naked eye or not, was mapped with unbelievable speed and accuracy. This not only provided them a means of detecting intruders using invisibility cloaks but also would detect aerial attackers for a considerable distance.

The Chief Justice had contracted the building of his huge resort to a very old and trusted family of wizard contractors. Using a workforce of men and goblins, the building was constructed in an unbelievable short period of time.

Minister Grime had also assisted in the completion, bringing a renowned interior decorator to the Hall of Justice to meet with the Chief Justice and Hermione to decide on the furnishings. Webster was quite impressed with the witch’s ideas, but it was Hermione who was really in her element. The Chief Justice noticed her enthusiasm and left the task and decisions to her.

Professor Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus and Harry had a number of meetings with Minister Bones. Between his investigators and the Coeus team at Falcon’s Lair, more information about the Death Eaters in Belgium was coming in every day.

Since the raid in Greece, Athena was spending much of its time revisiting the folders of Death Eaters who had disappeared in Great Britain. Not one was located. Dumbledore believed the missing evil associates might be found, however, once they began operations in Belgium.

Hermione and Deborah’s two young babies were growing like weeds. Both were very healthy children whose faces lit up every time Harry stepped into the bedroom.

Ginny kept busy working under the direction of Drucila Priest. She became very good friends with Claire and soon shared her bedroom, which was upstairs at the castle next to Professor Priest’s. Claire had been through a terrible ordeal, too, and was the best thing that had come into the redheaded girls life in many months.

The strong charm began affecting Harry again, as he was again living under its power. Most of his lustful cravings, however, were kept behind the bedroom door he shared with Hermione and Deborah. From time to time, though, one of the witches would trap him and beg for special attention. Harry helped them as best as he could.


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


About the middle of December, a deep blanket of snow covered most of northern Scotland around Hogwarts. After an evening meal, Harry told Hermione to get her heavy cloak. They were soon standing near the ventilation shaft to the dungeon that once served as Falcon’s Lair. The shaft exited high up on one of the highest mountain peaks overlooking Hogwarts.

“What did Ginny say today?” Harry asked Hermione, after he brushed snow off a large boulder to clear a place for them to sit.

“She’s getting better every time I see her. She and Claire are sharing a bedroom next to Professor Priest’s room. I don’t know how long it might take, Harry, but maybe she’ll come around soon,” Hermione said, feeling overwhelmingly sad about her friend but hopeful all the same.

“When will she see me, Hermione? Every time I go to Falcon’s Lair she avoids me?”

“Give her time, Harry. Just let it happen in her time, okay? Don’t try to rush it. She will let you know,” Hermione told him, afraid Harry might make things worse if he tried to force a meeting with her.

“Are you going to keep your job? I know you’ve been kind of frustrated lately,” Harry asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“No, I’m fine. I’m going to do just what Professor Dumbledore suggested. I’m staying until David starts at Hogwarts - - - at least until then,” she replied, laying her head over on Harry’s shoulder.

“How about Deborah? What has she been saying?”

“Can’t you tell? She’s happy as a lark. Little Lily is the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened to her. And she’s very happy with her job, too. I thought she was going to move out of the bedroom, though, until we finished the nursery. And I wouldn’t doubt you already have her with child again, Harry,” Hermione said, laughing out.

Harry grinned at the thought. Deborah had really been going at him since the end of November. “Would that complicate things? I mean, if she had another baby?”

“No, Harry!” Hermione exclaimed, shocked he would even think that. “For all I know, Deborah might be another Molly Weasley. She’s a great mother and pregnancy really agreed with her, too.”

The portkey at the ventilation shaft flashed and startled Harry and Hermione. Professor Dumbledore appeared and had a start himself when he saw the two.

“Harry! Hermione! How nice to see you both. If I’m barging in, I can come back later,” he said.

“Professor! It’s good to see you. Please come and sit down. Harry and I came up for a little chat, that’s all. We’re through. Join us,” Hermione told the old wizard.

“If you are sure? Yes, I wanted a little smoke, you see. How have you two been getting along?” Dumbledore asked, as he reached down to brush away some snow from the spot he choose along the large boulder’s top.

“Everything is grand!” Hermione replied.

“We’ve been taking in the sights. It really looks different after a heavy snow, huh?” Harry said.

“Yes, Harry. Every time I come up here, I believe I see something different. Sometimes, it might be just the way a shadow is cast,” the old wizard said, while lighting his pipe.

“Professor? Right after I accepted the position at the Hall of Justice, I remember Chief Justice Webster asking Deborah Stran where the Hall of Justice actually was located. She said nobody knew. I’ve searched for a text describing it, but I’ve never found one. Do you know where it physically exists?” Hermione asked, turning slightly to look at the old man.

“The Chief Justice asked me that very question, and I showed him. You never asked him?”

“No. I never did. Does he know?”

“Yes, he does. I told him, Hermione.”

“Can you tell Harry and me?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, of course. If you look right at that snow covered plain in the distance. Well past the lake there and to the left. You see what I’m talking about?” Professor Dumbledore raised his arm, pointing a long finger. “If you were standing in the middle of it, you would be right above it.”

“It’s underground?” Hermione asked, shocked at what he had just implied.

“Yes, Hermione. It is well underground. That is why you never see the sun or sky through the atrium. But I’m sure you’ve noticed the light adjusts automatically with the sky outside. That is how Edward D’Mar wanted it to be.”

“Underground! I never imagined! We all thought it was on some island off the coast of Scotland or something,” Hermione replied, still astonished over the thought.

“That’s why the temperature is always so cool, too,” Harry added.

“Right you are, Harry. Yes. Because you are in a cavern - - - an extremely large one. The temperature never varies,” the old wizard said.

“I find it so hard to believe we have been little more than a stones throw from Hogwarts all this time,” Harry said, shaking his head and smiling.

“How long do we keep this up, Professor? I know Athena and Coeus will never run out of things to do, after all, and we will always need them as a deterrence against a rise in evil activity. But really, aren’t the raids about over? Do you expect more of them?” Hermione asked, looking up at the old wizard who was puffing away on his long-stem pipe.

“I wish I could say, Hermione. I wish I could say. There are still so many dreaming and scheming to fill Voldemort’s shoes, so to speak. We have a long way to go yet, I’m afraid,” the old professor said, looking out across the world of white.


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


Professor Dumbledore and Chief Justice Webster ordered another ‘stand down’ on the sixteenth of December. The two teams would return to full duty on the eighth of January. During the long break, Sirius prepared and posted a rotation of assignments for Falcon’s Lair security duties. Each team member was mandated to serve the assigned period during the holiday period.

Severus Snape and his men at Eagle’s Nest finally did go after the Bulgarian wizard and his four henchmen. The wizard had been referred to as the “Butcher of Sofia”. The evil man, a necrophiliac, was thought to have been responsible for the torture and deaths of over fifty magical and non-magical beings. After the Bulgarian mission was completed, Snape gave his men a much-deserved break, too.

Chief Justice Webster, Dumbledore, Harry, Ministers’ Weasley, Bones and Grimes had a number of meetings during the winter break. At the top of their discussions was the upsurge of enlistments by the Death Eaters in Belgium. The investigative team at the Ministry had successfully infiltrated the group with one of its own investigators. The intelligence being sent back was very troubling, to say the least.

The Death Eaters were rallying around one man, Olsto Fierkin. The evil man had a history much the same as the recently deceased August Nott - - - a wealthy financier, from an old wizard family line and a man with a dominating and unforgiving nature.

Years before, he had unsuccessfully argued with Voldemort over the need to have a separate overseer in Western Europe, apart from Great Britain. Voldemort had refused the notion, opting to put Lucius Malfoy over both Great Britain and Western Europe. Shortly thereafter, he withdrew himself from Voldemort’s sight and favor.

“Fierkin is a very unpredictable and dangerous man. From the intelligence our source in Belgium has sent us, there’s little doubt of his psychological instability. Our medical staff at the Ministry says he is clearly schizophrenic, as he suffers repeated bouts of delusions and hallucinations. Most troubling, however, is the fact he has surrounded himself with a number of very powerful and feared witches and wizards who look up to him as their supreme leader - - - a most worrisome scenario,” Minister Bones told the group.

Unlike Nott, Cetus and Malfoy, Fierkin never had gatherings at his castle in Switzerland. His followers, he insisted, would be based in Belgium. Like Nott, he was a very private man who never married. He had a mind for business and had amassed a great fortune over the years - - - most had been old family money he had wisely invested. Like Cetus, Nott and Malfoy, however, he never had enough. If anything, though, the man was greedier and more conniving than the three of them put together.

Next to Voldemort, he was indeed the most formidable foe they would face.

Professor Dumbledore devoted a great deal of time thinking about Fierkin. But other plans were also begging for equal time.

“Yes, much to do,” he said, while sitting in his old rocking chair before his small fire. “Harry must soon begin his next task.”