Extreme Means

November 24th, 1977

"Please, let us all be seated so we may begin!" Albus had to repeatedly pummel the gavel on his small podium in an attempt to silence the crowd of scandalized Lords and Ladies, many of which looked like they had fallen out of bed mere minutes ago: "I hereby open the 129th emergency Wizengamot session on November 24th, 1977."

He paused briefly, waiting until he had captured the attention of everyone.

"This emergency meeting was called in by Bartemius Crouch in his function as the Head of our Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Barty- " The Chief Warlock gestured to the grim-looking, mustached man next to him: " - the floor is yours."

Albus sat down himself on the small bench behind his podium, feeling a tad anxious to learn about the reason for the gathering himself. 'It must be rather serious if there wasn't even time to brief me on anything.'

"Thank you, Albus." Barty nodded and stood up from his seat, letting his hard brown eyes roam over the fully occupied benches in the extensive Chamber deep underneath muggle London: "I called for this meeting so spontaneously because around 3:00 am this morning, there was another attack, presumably by the same organization that has performed raids on various muggle villages over the last few months. However, this time, a wizarding settlement has been attacked and every casualty is of magical blood..."

'We can't help but think ourselves superior, can we?' Albus silently shook his head.

"What do you mean presumably, Lord Crouch?!" Francis Longbottom shot up from where he was seated among the more progressive families, face distorted in anger: "It's high time we finally call these cowardly terrorists by the pathetic name they have chosen for themselves. The Death Eaters!"

His accusation was met with cheers of approval from the Lords around him and indignant shouts from anyone opposing the man politically. Albus pounded his gavel on the podium until the noise died down in the chamber.

"I will now hand over to Senior Auror Captain Alastor Moody, who led the Ministry's counterattack in the early hours of the morning." Bartemius shot his colleague a short nod and took a seat: "He will brief you on the details."

'Not many could pride themselves in landing a strike against Alastor Moody.' Albus watched his friend walk up to the podium. The man's leg was heavily bandaged as was part of his head: 'Either the Death Eaters had the numbers advantage or there was a seriously skilled witch or wizard in their ranks.'

"Let's get this formal nonsense over with, I've got work to do!" Alastor cursed his injured leg under his breath as he steadied himself on his armrest of the podium: "At around 2:55 am, the Auror Department received an emergency floo call from a wizarding family in Ottery St. Catchpole. Reportedly, there was a large fire burning close to the village. Our informant also reported hearing shouts and spellfire, therefore we assumed that another raid was taking place..."

Albus' old friend shifted some of his weight on the healthy leg: "Only a dozen Aurors were on active duty, however, they immediately made the necessary floo calls to contact any colleagues available. Since we didn't know the exact size of the raiding party, I gave orders to remain in the headquarters until our force reached a total of 23 Aurors and 14 hit wizards. A decision that proved to be wise..." Moody grumbled under his breath.

"Why did you decide to wait for such a large force, Captain? Wizarding lives were in danger. Shouldn't you have gone out immediately?" Lord Abbot spoke up, receiving nods of agreement all around him: "How large was the number of opposing men?"

"By the time we arrived, roughly 15 of them were left." Moody barked: "Not that their numbers mattered..."

"What do you mean 'were left', Captain?" Lord Parkinson raised his voice: "And how can it be that we need over 30 Law Enforcement officers to subdue 15 criminals? Do we need to worry about the capabilities of our Ministry's staff?"

"No, my Lord, I needed over 30 officers and I lost half of them fighting while you were presumably sleeping on a soft mattress because the bloody Dark Lord himself was there!" Alastor growled like a threatened dog.

Shouts of scare and nervous whispers echoed through the Wizengamot chamber. Albus' stomach plunged: 'Tom was there? Why would he be there?'

"Moody, that's enough!" Bartemius snapped at his subordinate.

"Fine." The Auror flared his nostrils: "Bloody pureblood gits." He cursed under his breath, luckily the level of noise in the chambers was too loud for anyone to hear him.

"Please, calm yourselves, my Lords." Albus pounded the gavel desperately.

"How can you be sure it was really You-Know-Who you encountered last night, Captain?" Lord MacMillan inquired.

"I know it was him because I've fought Dark Wizards for over 30 years of my life and I've never seen anyone save Albus Dumbledore using magic like that before!" Alastor growled: "He snapped the neck of one of my most experienced colleagues like it was a bloody toothpick!"

"How many losses did the Department suffer last night, Alastor?" Albus inquired gravely.

"We lost eight Aurors and five hit wizards in the skirmish against the Dark Lord and his followers," Alastor reported, his painful expression revealing how much he mourned the loss of his colleagues: "Three more of my men succumbed from their injuries. There are five others in critical condition. This wasn't a brawl with criminals; it was nothing short of a massacre. If it weren't for the Aurors Bones and McKinnon arriving with some reinforcements, I wouldn't be here sharing my report."

"Good Merlin." Lord Bones gapes in shock, apparently only learning now that his daughter had been called in as well. Albus glanced over to the Head of the McKinnon family, watching the usually composed man's face shift into a mask of freight.

"What about the scum that our forces were called for?" Arcturus Black threw the next question into the chamber. He said as per usual next to his brother-in-law, surrounded by the more moderate families: "How many of them died or were incapacitated?"

"Well, we can't really tell, unfortunately." Alastor shrugged: "The clearing in front of the village was already looking like a battlefield and littered with smoldering corpses when we arrived. I'm pretty sure someone was putting up an impressive fight against them right as we came. By the end of the night, after the Dark Lord fled, we counted roughly 25 dark-robed, silver-masked bodies, or at least whatever was left of them..."

'But who was the one that took them down? Could it be?' A sharp pang of dread spiked through Albus. A deep frown marred his face: "Did you manage to identify this individual by chance, Alastor?"

"No, there was just too much going on to worry about that." The Auror growled, shaking his head: "The Unspeakables are trying to isolate their magical signature right now, but with all the spells that have been cast after he left, it's unlikely to bear fruit. All I can tell you is that they conjured some of the most unnatural fire I've ever seen at the Dark Lord. I'm assuming that the same fire was the one that burned everything else, including the many corpses."

'A fire spell.' Albus' mind went spinning and hurled him back roughly a year ago to the balcony of the Bones Manor. 'A very certain fire spell had been used back then as well. Either by Peverell or Tom: Fiendfyre.'

"This is outrageous!" Lord Lestrange cried as he stood up: "We cannot have some unknown individual going rogue in our society. The guilt of those who died before our Aurors' arrival has never been proven in court. They could've been completely innocent!"

"Innocent people don't just suddenly join a group of silver masked terrorists at three in the morning, Lestrange!" Lord Black scolded him: "I don't necessarily agree with what this person did, but if it wasn't for him, I bet we'd have even fewer Aurors and hit wizards at our disposal now, wouldn't we Captain?"

"He got more of them than my entire squad combined." Alastor admitted somewhat ashamed: "If I ever meet the lad, I'd shake his hand before making sure he gets a comfortable cell as far away from the Dementors as possible..."

A few people murmured their agreement while others shook their heads.

"And still an official warrant should be put out for this unidentified individual." Lord Malfoy said diplomatically: "We cannot tolerate someone taking the law into their own hands and potentially worsening a situation such as last night the next time it happens."

"What about the fallen Death Eaters?" Charlus Potter spoke up next: "Have some of them been identified already?"

"Our autopsy team is working on it. We've asked Garrick Ollivander to help us identify them because oftentimes all there is left are splinters of their wands." Moody grimaced. Then he shot a short glance at Albus: "However, on a hill roughly a hundred meters from the main battleground, we found the bodies of two boys around Hogwarts age. Both were killed before our arrival and had identical silver masks within their robes. They were later identified as Eric Silverthorn and John Urquhart."

The noise level that followed was like someone had fired a cannonball in the middle of the chamber.

'How could I let this happen?' Albus felt sick to the stomach; a torrent of guilt swallowed him into its depth: 'Now two more of my students had lost their lives in this war.'

"MY SON!" Lord Urquhart, head of a very old and proud family, jumped up: "Whoever this bastard is, I want him kissed by the Dementors for killing my son!"

"How could you let this happen, you idiotic old fool?!" Aldrich Silverthorn joined the uproar and screamed his accusation, finger pointed at the Headmaster: "You're supposed to protect our children and ensure they stay safely within the Castle!"

Cries of agreement echoed from the walls of the Chamber while Albus swallowed a heavy lump of shame.

"No doubt the Headmaster failed in his responsibility and he will ensure that never again, students under his protection find themselves in such a situation!" Arcturus Black rose from his seat, his strong voice drowned out the chaotic noises. Light gray eyes turned hard as steel as they shifted from Albus to Lord Silverthorn and Urquhart: "However, we've all heard what Captain Moody reported was found next to them. Any dimwit will have gathered why those two sneaked out of school last night! The even bigger failure lies with fathers such as you for teaching your offspring the wrong set of morals!"

'This will escalate things.' Shouts of outrage or agreement were thrown in the chambers.

"You will die for that insult!" Lord Urquhart blustered, desperately trying to shake off the people who attempted to calm him and keep him seated: "Let fucking go off me! I will see your entire House burned to the ashes, Black!"

"Tell me, is that a blood feud or an honor duel you're proposing?" The other wizard asked dangerously. A sharp, cold smile graced his lips: "If it's the latter, then go ahead and name your champion so I can reveal mine. I don't take kindly to threats against my family and I guarantee that even more of your brood's blood will be spilled by the end of the week if you go through with this!"

The Lords and Ladies in the chamber held their breath, all eyes were on Urquhart; one could practically see the tiny wheels spinning in his mind. The man grid his teeth, fingers twitching in irritation.

'If he backs out, his House loses the respect he worked hard for.' Albus sighed, hoping to avoid the unnecessary violence: 'But his champion will not win, simply because there was no doubt who Lord Black implied his own fighter to be...'

'Harry Peverell, a young man who will take great pleasure in taking another pureblood house down a peg.' Shaking his head Albus pushed the thought of the boy aside. He would deal with him later.

The pressure seemed too much for Lord Urquhart. With one last hateful glare at his adversary, he tore his shoulder free from his companion's grip and strode out of the chamber, leaving behind a smugly grinning Lord Black.

"Now that any further loss of magical blood has been avoided, perhaps we can allow Captain Moody to finish his report?" Abraxas Malfoy, ever the diplomat since the loss of his son, suggested once more: "I'm sure we've occupied our Auror's time for long enough already..."

"Yes, Alastor, if you would." Albus nodded.

"Are the lofty Lord's finally done then..." The Auror grunted and heaved himself up: "Well, luckily I was almost finished anyway." He turned to the stands: "My squad got decimated last night and is now licking their wounds. We didn't stand a chance, which is why something has to change now." He finished with a short nod to his superior.

"Indeed it has to." Albus frowned when Bartemius stood up in determination to address the Lords: "We are slowly but surely losing this war, my Lords; this latest blow against our forces will only accelerate our country's fate unless we change something fundamentally. We're fighting a ruthless and merciless enemy; to overcome them we need to adapt our current strategy."

"What is it you propose?" Lord McKinnon asked curiously.

"Our Auror squads' current response to the raids is highly ineffective." Crouch scowled: "By the time we arrive on the scene, the damage has already been dealt, innocent lives have been lost, and the Death Eaters are on the retreat already. The reason why not a single terrorist has been captured yet is that any spell we use to capture them has simply been undone by their companions. It allows them to rejoin the fight at full strength, using nothing but highly lethal spells themselves."

"My Aurors and I are forced to use schoolyard charms, knowing fully well that if the opponent is revived or carries a secondary wand, our lives might be over within the blink of an eye." Alastor snorted angrily: "I received more letters of resignation in the last three months than during my entire career because our officers realized they either risk their lives during the confrontation or they risk their freedom for using spells that are actually effective."

'He wants to fight fire with fire.' Albus frowned deeply. 'Until the entire world burns.'

"That is why I have drafted the following bill for us to vote on." Bartemius held up a roll of parchment: "This change in our laws will shift the balance of the war in our favor. It protects our Aurors from prosecution should they use lethal spells and curses in a situation that was deemed necessary; including all three unforgivables."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Not surprisingly, most of the opposition stemmed from the more conservative Lords. "You cannot do that!"

"My Lords, please calm yourselves." Albus pounded his gavel.

"I for one second Lord Crouch's motion." Charlus Potter spoke up: "This bill will not only signal our Law Enforcement officers that we stand behind them, but it will make a decisive statement to any coward that thinks about putting on a silver mask when their time comes. No longer will they have the assurance that their ruthlessness isn't met with equal force. The Death Eaters will think twice about participating in a raid when chances are they won't be the ones returning."

"It has my support as well." Alfred McKinnon joined in: "My son, my only remaining heir, is with the Aurors and swore an oath on his magic to protect this community. I can only thank Mother Magic and his sharp skills for letting him survive his encounter with the Dark Lord when so many of his colleagues didn't get as lucky."

His sharp blue eyes turned cold as ice, just like his daughter's anytime Albus approached her and Peverell: "Still. I will not have my heir risk his life night after night just to eventually get shipped off to Azkaban when he defends himself in a life-or-death situation. Anyone with relatives and friends in law enforcement will understand how I feel."

Many Lords nodded their agreement, including Bones, Longbottom, and Davies.

"With the motion being second by two Lords already we will discuss it in more detail and cast a vote on it." Bartemius declared: "Thank you for your report and service, Captain Moody."

Muttering something incomprehensible under his breath, Alastor stepped from the podium and limbed towards the exit while the Lord and Ladies applauded politely.

"I need to ask you for a favor, old friend." Albus approached the man under the pretense to offer a helping hand: "I'd like a memory of the night if you don't mind. I'd also hope you might be able to share if the Unspeakables find any clues as to who our unidentified individual is..."

"What are you meddling with now, Albus? You must know that you're asking about highly classified information." Moody growled in a whisper, glancing over his shoulder to see if his superior was still occupied: "I will give you what you asked for, but only because I still owe you a favor, old friend." He finished with a painful wince.

"Thank you." The headmaster sighed in relief. "How is the leg?" Albus inquired, studying the thick bandages.

"He hit me with a nasty withering curse." The battle-hardened Auror glared: "The bloody healers said it's not certain whether I'll be able to keep it. I've got an appointment with them now."

"I wish you all the best." Albus gave the deeply scarred hand a short squeeze: "Thank you, my friend. Your help might take me one step closer to unraveling yet the latest mystery."

Moody nodded and limped out of the chamber.

'I hope it's not you that is behind this, my boy.' A pair of emerald green eyes danced through Albus' vision: 'Otherwise you're giving me no choice but to pull through with my threat.'

Great Hall, Hogwarts

Thick clouds in the stormiest gray hung low above them, perfectly mirroring her mood and the turmoil of emotions she was feeling.

"It's going to be okay, love. I'm sure he's fine." Harry whispered as he slipped in next to her on the bench. He reached for a bowl of fresh fruits and started preparing a plate for her: "I didn't see him among those that arrived on the scene anyway."

'Kill them!' A pair of crimson eyes widened in rage: 'Kill them all!'

"You heard what he said before we left, Harry!" She snapped at him; her trembling fingernails dug through the skirt of her school uniform into her thighs: "He didn't intend to let anyone live."

'Especially if he recognized Matthew... Someone for him to take away from Harry...'

Her fiancé sighed and let his wand slide into his palm. He muttered a few incantations under his breath until Marlene felt a ripple of magic tickle over her skin: "Okay, now we can talk. Look, even if your brother joined the skirmish at a later point, he wouldn't risk his life recklessly."

"You saw the manner in which Voldemort killed the first two Aurors; it was child's play to him." The unease bubbled in her stomach, threatening to spill: "I just want to know if he's fine, Harry... I have to know."

"I understand; I really do." His green eyes softened and he took her hand: "But until we receive news of what happened, we can't reach out to him. We were never even there, remember."

"Doesn't bloody feel like we weren't there..." Marlene winced as she shifted her torso on the bench and brought a spoonful of breakfast to her mouth.

"Are you still in pain?" The concern was evident in his voice: "I tried to mend your ribs as best as I could, but we can go to Madam Pomfrey if you wish and just say it was a dueling accident or something..."

"And that wouldn't look suspicious at all, would it?" She snorted.

"I don't bloody care how it might look from the outside." Harry brushed a stray golden curl behind her ear, examining the glamor charm on the small cut underneath her hairline: "Screw Dumbledore and his empty threats, your health is more important to me than anything else."

'So is yours; my love.' Her heart squirmed in her chest.

She pulled his head down to hers and brushed her lips against his for a gentle kiss: "It's okay, really. I'm healing much quicker now. Besides, you took the full brunt of the force anyways." She tentatively reached out, acting like she simply fixed his color to run her fingers over his shoulder: "How are you?"

"Healing..." A small grin played on the corner of his lips: "Some would say at an unnatural speed."

Marlene let out a small chuckle, followed by a sigh of exhaustion: "I wish my magic would recover just as quickly, I still feel drained."

"Sorry about that." Harry grimaced: "Sidealong apparating someone that rapidly is not exactly healthy. Add to that all the spells you cast in between and before..."

"I didn't hold back anything and it paid off for us, didn't it? I doubt that anyone I hit will ever wake up again" A small shiver ran down her spine: "There were so many bodies last night, Harry. So many lives I've taken from people whose names I never knew."

"Their names aren't important; they are nothing to us." Dark shadows twisted in Harry's eyes: "They sealed their fate the moment they joined Voldemort."

"It was the first time I really saw him." Marlene swallowed a heavy lump of anxiety, burying the crimson eyes underneath a pair of emerald ones.

"He's still more powerful than me." Harry clenched his jaw, glaring down at his reflection on a silver plate: "It seems no matter what I do and how far I push myself, he still holds the advantage."

"I know you can defeat him, and you will eventually." She pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek: "Things will be different once we destroy his last Horcrux. Right now, he fights with the knowledge that he's still anchored to this world. He will be easier to anger, more prone to mistakes, once we take that advantage from him."

"It will also make him even more unpredictable and ruthless." Harry sighed: "I wish I had been able to destroy it last night but at least we now have reason to assume that he will look for a hideout for his final Horcrux. He got a taste of how risky it is to carry it around, dangling from his neck for the world to see."

"Especially against an enemy that is well versed in controlling fiendfyre." Marlene nodded thoughtfully: "Do you think he will hide it in the cave again?"

"Perhaps he will. Thanks to my little stunt last year at the Gaunt Shack, he won't choose any location that might be traced to his lineage. The Cave is a remnant from a childhood no one else should know about. It does make the most sense" Harry frowned: "Only that this time around he won't be using Kreacher as a test subject. Our safest bet will be to check the cave every few weeks and see if he deposits it."

"Sounds plausible..." Marlene stabbed a piece of banana with her fork, the unease concerning her brother's fate still twisted her insides. Her gaze swept up to the staff table, taking notice of a missing person: "Most of the professors are here already. Where do you think the Headmaster went?"

Harry glanced over his shoulder: "We did cause quite a scene last night. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of meeting at the Ministry."

"Once the public receives notice of what happened I will contact my brother and you should ask Charlus for a memory," Marlene suggests, tossing her braid over one shoulder: "The reactions of some of the Lord might indicate how much they know and if they were involved."

"Anyone involved, follower or sympathizer, will pay for it," Harry murmured, his eyes drifting to the source of some noise at the entrance to the Great Hall. "Let's continue later."

Marlene turned to see the head students arguing with Professor Slughorn and Flitwick before they headed to the Gryffindor table with the Marauders tagging behind them. She felt Harry lift the privacy wards as they approached the couple.

"Will you finally tell us what happened now, Prongs?" Sirius asked, sliding onto the bench beside Harry's father before his mother had a chance: "We're your best mates, why all the secrecy?"

"Morning, Harry, Marlene." The Potter heir sighed, ignoring his friend.

"Something going on?" Harry asked casually.

"I, well- " James exchanged a short look with Lily who bid her bottom lip before nodding: "You haven't heard this from me, but we just confirmed with Slughorn and Flitwick that another pair of students is missing."

"Slytherins again?" Remus inquired curiously.

"No, this time one of them is a Ravenclaw." James glanced at Marlene: "Eric Silverthorn from our year. He and John Urquhart from Slytherin went missing."

"Eric?" Marlene feigned surprise, pushing away the image of the young wizard's broken and bloodied body as he dropped to the ground at her feet: "I would have never thought that- "

"Nothing is confirmed yet, they are just missing right now." Lily interfered, squeezing herself in between Sirius and her boyfriend by pushing the latter away with both hands on his chest.

"Okay, okay, sweet Merlin, I'm moving already." Sirius grinned: "Is there still some space on your lap, McKinnon? I'm looking for a place to sit."

"Sorry, someone has staked his claim on my lap and everything else on me already." Marlene merely held up her ring finger and let the gold sparkle in the warm light from the floating candles above them. 'And he's all I'll ever need.'

"Wow, you're almost as feisty as the redhead this morning." Sirius chuckled: "Did Harry keep you occupied at night and rob you of your beauty sleep again or why are you so tense, princess?"

'Can he tell I didn't get much sleep?' Marlene schooled her features, quickly forcing an impassive mask on her face: "I'm just not in the mood for jokes now."

"Leave it be, Sirius." Lily glared at him. She reached out with one hand and took the blonde's in hers: "I'm sure your brother is fine. It's all going to be sorted out soon enough..."

"Why- " She opened her mouth in shock, her heart started beating faster, despite Harry's fingers on her thigh: "How did- "

Lily shot her a weak smile: "Well, the last time two upper-year students sneaked out, it was rather obvious to deduct where they went after reading the morning edition of the Daily Prophet. With your brother being an Auror, I assumed you might be concerned that there's been another attack, especially with the Headmaster absent right now."

Luckily for Marlene, Harry saved her from having to respond: "Well, Dumbledore just came back, so let's see what he has to say."

Indeed, when she snapped her head around, she saw the Headmaster approaching the staff table, an expression of sorrow on his wrinkled face. He exchanged words with his deputy and the heads of the other three houses before taking a deep breath and stepping to his podium.

"If I could have your attention please, everybody." Dumbledore amplified his own voice and addressed the entire Great Hall: "I have just returned from an emergency meeting at the Wizengamot. The incident we discussed is also related to the repeated disappearance of two of your housemates, as I'm sure some of you will have noticed already."

"You will learn what happened soon enough from the papers and still, It brings me great sorrow to share the following..." He paused for a few seconds, looking older than Marlene had ever seen him, before forcing his lips apart to continue: "There's been an attack on the wizarding settlement of Ottery St. Catchpole last night."

A series of sharp breaths were sucked in on all four tables, Marlene allowed herself a small glance around, spotting the shock and freight on dozens of students, not surprisingly with how many had family living in the village.

"Thanks to our Auror Departement's quick response, there were no civilian casualties, however, too many of those following the call gave their lives in defense of the innocent." The Headmaster continued, tears welling up in his twinkling blue eyes: "Your two housemates were identified among the fallen- "

'No... Please don't let it be Matthew...' Marlene failed to continue listening. Coldness crept up her lungs, forced her breath out, and tightened until it hurt. Harry took both her hands in hers, giving no reaction when her fingernails bore into his skin.

Despite the anxiety that was eating away at her, she forced her attention back to the headmaster.

" -classes are canceled for today. Please turn to your Prefects or Head students if you have family in Law Enforcement and wish to know about their whereabouts. Your Heads of House will allow you floo home for the occasion."

'My Patronus will reach Matthew much quicker.' Marlene stiffened a pang of pity when dozens of students pushed back the benches to hurry up to the staff table and ask about their relatives'. 'Besides, anyone who knows me would assume I will make use of this method of communication anyways. It would be more suspicious if I actually waited in line.'

She snatched the hawthorn wand from her waist, pulling it back with the incantation on the tip of her tongue.

"Before I let you go for the day, I feel obligated to speak this final warning." Dumbledore's voice boomed through the Great Hall, making her head snap back up once more: "A total of four students have now succeeded in sneaking out of the school. We can only assume what happened to the former pair but the latter's fate is crystal clear. The mental and physical well-being of my students is of utmost importance to me; I even swore an oath on my magic to ensure your safety as Headmaster. I now see that the security measures for your own good have been too slack and watched as you, my students paid the price for it."

"That can never happen again!" The entire Great Hall was silent, all eyes were up on Professor Dumbledore, who let his gaze roam from head to head.

'Does he know?' Perhaps Marlene started imagining things, but she could have sworn that it paused a tad longer on where she and her fiance were standing. 'He knows.'

"And the only way I can make sure of that; make sure that you, the future of magical Britain, will always be protected, is by taking some more extreme means into my own hands."