Awakening of An Empire

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Disclaimer: See the Prologue if you wish to read this.

Story info

Title: Awakening of an Empire

Author: SilverDagger

Chapters: 4 of  ?

Rating: Rating has been raised from PG-13 to R for violence, cursing, and mild sexuality. May be raised later in the story

Chapter Summary: The Order of the meets with Harry as Sauron attending.

Story Summary: HP LOTR crossover - A ring is stolen… A man is thought to be dead… A war begins… An ancient Empire reawakens… All Hell breaks loose… Darkness is on the horizon, yet hope remains… Action, Adventure, Romance, and so much more… H/Hr pairing

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Awakening of an Empire

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SilverDagger

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Chapter 3

Order Meeting

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Hermione sat at the large dining room table with, Molly, Arthur, Ron, Ginny, Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George Weasley, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Nimphadora Tonks. Many of them had arrived that evening, saying that they would be coming that evening for an Order meeting, and that Mrs. Weasley had invited them for dinner beforehand.

 Just as the meal was coming to a close, Professor Dumbledore stood and tapped his wine glass lightly with a spoon. The talk between the various people at the table immediately ceased.

“First of all, I would like to thank you, Molly, for the excellent meal that you have provided us all.” Mrs. Weasley fumbled with her fork, trying and failing miserably to hide the grin that was crossing her face at these words.

“And now, down to business. Tonight is, as many of you already know, a meeting for the Order at which many of you will be present. Therefore, I expect the three of you,” he pointed to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, “to be out of the way while the meeting is underway. The only reason I am bringing this up is that I wish to bring something to your attention. Tonight, Sauron will be present at the meeting-”

A gasp went up from all present at the table except Dumbledore himself, and Remus looked questioningly at the old man in front of him.

“-so I would like all of you to be here to welcome him when he arrives at eight o’ clock. That will be in…” He looked at the watch on his wrist. “…twenty minutes, so I suggest we all help Molly here clean up all of our dirty dishes, after that, we can all wait in the hall until he, and then the other Order members, arrive.”

They nodded and left the table carrying their things with them to the kitchen. They took up a sort of assembly line, one of them cleaning, drying, putting things away, storing extra food, etc. It took no more that a quarter of an hour and Mrs. Weasley was pleased by their effort.

The adults stayed in the kitchen afterward, while Hermione, Ron, and Ginny left to go and wait in the drawing room until they were called. They sat down on one of the large couches by the fire before looking at each other, wide eyed, not saying anything.

Ron finally broke the silence. “Why is he coming here?”

Hermione thought for a moment before speaking up.

“Dumbledore must have asked him to come. I mean, he is the Light Lord. It makes sense to have him at a meeting of people working for against Voldemort.” Ron flinched at the name. “Oh, Ron, grow up. When are you going to say the name?”

Ron gave her a ‘what-the-hell-do-you-mean’ look before looking down in shame. Ginny got up from her seat and went to look out of the bay window, checking her watch as she did so.

“. ‘Started raining to.” She stared out of the window for a moment more before beckoning them over to here frantically. “He’s here! Look!”

*~*

With a flash he appeared in the trees across from Number 12. He walked over to the curb before thinking of what the Muggles might think if they saw a robed and armored man across the street that had appeared out of nowhere. He quickly raised his right hand and pointed it at the nearest transformer on the many telephone poles that stood by the road.

A flash of blue light went off from the ring on his hand. The transformer exploded with a sound like a gun shot, sending a shower of sparks down onto the street below. The lights on the street and in the houses immediately went out.

He saw that in the bay window on the first floor, three people watched him, he did not know who. When he looked over at them, they quickly disappeared. He walked briskly across the street, his metal boots clanking when the met the hard road surface. He walked slowly up the walkway, and knocked sharply on the door. He heard a flurry of movement inside the room beyond and stepped backward a few feet waiting for the, noticing vaguely that the rain and wind had increased, making his cloak billow out to the side and his hood drip slightly.

The door opened and he heard a scream and a few intakes of breath. He heard Mrs. Weasley comforting Ginny, who he supposed was the one who screamed. As soon as he did, however, a shrill cry of ‘BLOOD TRAITORS. FILTH. SCUM OF THE WORLD. GET OUT!’ met his ears. He walked into the house and turned his head slowly to the painting of Sirius’s mother that was hanging on the wall near the door.

“SILENCE!” He yelled at the painting, but she continued to scream.

Remus began to move forward to close the curtains, but he kept him back. “No need.” He said before moving over to the painting and forcing one of his clawed hands (A/N: remember, the armor he is wearing include gauntlets. The tips of the fingers are clawed) into the top of the paintings frame and the other on the bottom, before pulling. The entire portrait ripped from the wall behind it, pulling some of the plaster with it. He through it out of the door before pulling out his wand and pointing it at the canvas now face down on the side walk outside of the house.

“Incendio!” he whispered. A jet of white hot flame shot from the end of his wand and ignited the portrait. It crumpled under the heat before the paint burst into flame. In a matter of seconds, all that was left it were a pile of smoking ashes. He lowered his wand and slammed the door before turning around again.

He pocketed his wand inside of his robes and concentrated for a second. His armor glowed dark blue for a split second before dissolving into thin air. The ring on his right hand glowed for a second longer before fading as well. He pulled off his cloak and hung it up by the door before turning back to the silent crowd behind him.

“I’m sorry about that, but I got the feeling you didn’t like the hag hanging there. Am I right?”

They nodded before Dumbledore put out his hand in greeting. “You are forgiven. To be honest, we never thought of using brute force to get it off. I am Albus Dumbledore. Who, may I ask, are you?”

“My name is Alexander Seleftzkie Sergetov, otherwise known as Lord Sauron, but you may call me Alex. It is a pleasure to meet you all. May I ask who you all are?”

Dumbledore smiled. “Well Alex, these are Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and there sons Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George. Also, there are Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, and Remus Lupin. They are all members of the Order.” He shook all of their hands quickly. “Also, the other two Weasley children, Ron and Ginny, are here, though they will not be present at tonight’s meeting.”

He shook their hands as well. “Ah. Two of the six at the Department of Mysteries last month.” They grinned nervously at him and he smiled.

“Also, we have Hermione Granger, a friend of the Weasley children.”

He smiled at her and she giggled nervously. “No need to be nervous. I’m only a few years older than either of you.” He said, pointing at her and Ron.

Dumbledore spoke up quickly. “We should proceed into the kitchen. Many of the Order members will be here soon.” He led Alex into the large kitchen at the end of the hall, followed by all of the Order members present. Mrs. Weasley stayed behind to greet other members. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all directed up stairs.

*~*

Twenty minutes later, all of the order members had arrived and were sitting in the kitchen, all of them eyeing the new comer sitting next to Dumbledore with apparent interest.

After they had all filed in and taken seats, Dumbledore stood and banged a small gavel on the table.

“I call this meeting of the Order of the to order. Tonight we have a distinguished guest with us. I would like to introduce you all to Alexander Seleftzkie Sergetov, i.e. Lord Sauron, who has agreed to attend tonight’s meeting and may offer some suggestions or help, and, of course, may ask for some of his own.”

At the mention of his name, there was an out brake of muttering at the many tables and chairs in the room. After a few moments, Snape stood, and Dumbledore acknowledged that he had the floor.

“Many of us here,” Snape said in his oily voice, waving his arm around at the rest of the people in his vicinity, “would like to see some…proof…that he is who he says he is.”

Alex stood to face him. “What kind of proof do you want, Severus?”

Snape did a double take at the sound of his name. “How did you-”

“That is not the point. Answer the question.”

Snape looked at him for a moment, and said slowly, “Tell us something that only four of us know in this room.”

He looked at Snape and concentrated. The room around him darkened. A flash of images and names sped before his eyes. Snape’s hands gripped the table hard, his knuckles growing white. He clutched his forehead suddenly, before falling into a kneeling position on the floor.  Dumbledore looked at him with surprise bordering on horror. Snape let out a howl of pain before it came before him. Five names and a subject.

Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, James Potter, Minerva McGonagall, and Alastor Moody

The Prophecy

He looked away from Snape and looked straight at Dumbledore. He turned slowly from Dumbledore and straight at McGonagall, then Moody, and finally at Snape again, who had seated himself back in his chair. He turned back to look at the room in general.

Snape spoke up suddenly. “He didn’t get it, Albus.”

Alex shot a malevolent look at Snape before saying slowly, “Didn’t I? The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...” He looked down at the pale form of Snape sitting at the back of the room, and at Dumbledore sitting next to him.

“Didn’t I, Dumbledore? Have I proved who I am Snape? Good.”

He sat down while the other members looked at him with amazement, horror, surprise, or just blank incredulousness. Dumbledore looked at him for a long time before finally turning away from him.

“It seems that all of you know, now, what I have refrained from telling you for almost 18 years. Alex, here, has told you the Prophecy.” More muttering.

“As you all know, the Order of the was created during the first rising of Voldemort.” A collective intake of breath occurred from around the room at the sound of the name.

“As you know,” he repeated, “the Order was founded for one purpose.  That was, as you all know, to protect, aid, and help the Defender.”

Many nodded, while others watched Dumbledore intently. “This Prophecy, which until today only four of you knew, told me who the Defender was and is. It told me that our Order would be devoted to none other that Harry Potter.”

At these words, more muttering. Mrs. Weasley stood and the room quieted.

“Albus, how could you? He is just a child! He is no older than Ron or Hermione. How could you let him bear a weight like this when he already has so much to cope with?”

It was his turn to speak, and he spoke quietly. None the less, everyone heard him.

“Mrs. Weasley, he has been through mush more that any of you have ever been through. He has faced Voldemort five times and he has always escaped leaving Voldemort without a plan, and each time, fewer followers. He has known what he must do for a few months now, and he can cope. Kill or be killed, you must agree, is not the best destiny for one to have in life, but it is the only way. As for his being a child, I expect you to remember that he is much more experienced than any of you, and that, considering his past, he has more of a right to call you a child in comparison to him than you will ever have of him. You need to give up this petty image of him being you child. He is not, and never will be. What Albus sees fit to do is good enough for me, and it should for you as well.” He turned back to Dumbledore, who smiled at him half heartedly.

“Thank you, Alex. I could not have said it better myself. I do not know how you know what happened between him and myself at the end of the last school year, though. Please tell me.”

“Afterward. Carry on with the meeting, please.”

Dumbledore studied him for a moment before turning back to the room at large. “William, could you report on the goings on at Gringotts, and after that, your progress on trying to ally them with us?”

Bill Weasley stood and the many people in the room turned to watch him.

“I spoke to their union leader today. They are, unfortunately, a little against humans in general at the moment because of Willy Fabershom’s little trips there on behalf of Fudge. Apparently, the Ministry’s funds are hitting rock bottom. Fudge wants to confiscate all contents of vaults whose owners are in Azkaban on life sentences. The goblins don’t want to do that, of course, because it goes against some of their banking laws. They did say, however, that they will meet with a representative of ours as well as Sauron, if we could get hold of him. No idea why, really. That’s all.”

Alex raised one of his hands, “That would probably be because I made a few transactions there early this morning. They seemed rather impressed with me. I was in disguise, of course, but I think they saw this.” He pointed at his ring.

Dumbledore nodded. “Ok. Kinsley, Tonks, could you two please tell us all what your progress is with recruiting Aurors from you department?”
                Kingsley stood. “We have been working lately on collecting recruits. So far we have gotten six to agree. One of them is John Gatwick, the second in command of the entire force. We told them we would notify them of when to attend a meeting for initiation.”

He sat down and Dumbledore nodded. “Keep up the work. Tell them we can swear them in next meeting. Severus, could you update us on the insides of Voldemort’s inner circle.”

“I was, unfortunately, late for today’s meeting because I was working on a rather complex potion at the school. When I did arrive, however, the Dark Lord seemed to be furious about something that had happened earlier that day. He was putting memory charms on all of the Death Eaters. By the time he was finished, he had made sure that no one remembered what happened before I came in. I was unable to find out what had happened. Other than that, there hasn’t been any Death Eater activity to speak of.”

He sat down and Dumbledore nodded. “Very good. Next up…Amelia, would you please tell us what is going on in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, and, after that, do you have any possible recruits for us?”

“Nothing is going on of importance at the moment except some Auror recruit training next week at the Academy. No Order recruits to speak of, either.”

“Ok. Next on the agenda is to find one of you to fill this years Defense Against the Dark Arts post. Any takers?”

He raised his hand. “I’ll do it. I need to have access to the Hogwarts archives to find out how to raise my…assets…again. It would give me a good cover, and, of course, a chance to teach the students a little something for when they graduate. Who knows? It might give me a few future members…”

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment. “If you’re going to be covering the DADA position, would you mind giving special training cessions with our three student residents? They have been among the most active against Voldemort in the last few years, do I think they could use it.”

He pondered the request for a few moments before nodding. “Alright.”

“Could you begin tomorrow morning?”

He nodded. “Would you mind if I stayed here then? It would be easier if I did.”

“Of course. Is there anything else? No? Ok. You can all pick up this weeks assignments by the door. Alex, could you come up to the drawing room to talk for a moment.”

He nodded before standing and following Dumbledore out of the room. They walked up the stairs and into the drawing room. Dumbledore closed and locked the door before sitting down across from Alex.

“Could you please tell me how you knew?”

He looked at Professor Dumbledore for a long moment before answering slowly, deciding carefully on what he should say.

 “Because someone I know told me a while ago.”

“Who?”

“You.” He said simply.

“I did no such th- Harry?”

He concentrated for a moment and his face reverted to its normal look. “I thought you were a little suspicious at the meeting. I tried to give you hints. First, my reply to your note. Second, my comments just now. And third, I thought you might get a little hint by the looks I was giving you.”

“How?”

“A few days ago, I had this dream, and suddenly, I knew how to get hold of it and why, so I did. When I put the ring on, I was flooded with images, information, everything. And after that, I could feel this…electricity…going through my very veins. All of a sudden, if I wanted to do something, it just seemed to happen.

The one thing I do know is this: I need to raise the empire. It has all of the resources we need to finally take down Voldemort before he takes control of the Wizarding world. I don’t know of any other way, Professor. If we don’t use Mordor’s resources to combat Voldemort’s ever increasing army, we’ll never survive.”

Dumbledore was silent for a moment before saying quietly, “Harry, now that you seem to have asserted yourself inside the Order, please call me Albus. As for your situation, I am prepared to commit the entire Order’s resources to completing your goal. Is their anything you know you have to do at the moment?”

“No, I don’t think so. It may come to me at night, though.” He massaged his temple and yawned. “What I need right now is sleep, that’s all.”

“Go on up to one of the guest rooms on the third floor. The second one on the left is free at the moment. It really is a good thing that this house has so many bedrooms. Thank you for getting rid of that portrait. She hasn’t been giving us any peace lately. Good night.” He shook Harry’s hand before standing and leaving the room.

He sat on the couch for a moment before sighing. He got up and went upstairs.

When he got up to his room, he pulled out his wand and flicked it absently at the trunk he had pulled out of his pocket. It enlarged itself back to its normal size. With another flick it opened and its clothing contents organized themselves and put themselves away in the various cabinets, drawers, and closets around the room. The books then soared across the room and settled on the large bookcases at one end of the room.

He shut the trunk and shoved it under his bed irritably. He looked over at the mirror on the door of the large wardrobe and noticed he still had his Harry features on. He quickly changes them back to that of Alex’s.

He turned back to his bad, and, after stripping down to his boxers, got into bed, falling into a slumber that would eventually reveal something to him that would put him on a path that would change his life forever…

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PLEASE READ

Authors Note: I hope you liked the chapter. Sorry I’m a little late on this, but I had a bit of writers block. That and I have a lot of work to do lately. I will be referring to Harry as ‘Alex’ in this fic while his is assuming that identity in front of Ron, Hermione, etc. When he is eventually discovered, I will revert to ‘Harry’. Obviously, Dumbledore already knows, but I’ll wait until everyone knows.

Review Responses Check to see if there is one for you if you reviewed me on the last chapter. If you did and there isn’t one for you, sorry but I probably didn’t catch you when I was writing this chapter.

FROM Portkey

James – Were you reviewing me, or just passing on a message to E.C.R. Potter? Thanks for saying it shows promise, though.

shawnpickette – Thanks for the rating and the history thing. I am still standing by what I have said, and disregarding all LoTR history, people, events, etc. except what I want in the story. This, I am afraid, is not one of them.

Nathan – thanks. Will do.

harryherm84 – Thanks. Next time you review though, please put in a rating.

Tristen – Thanks.

flaming aussie – The galleon sign is actually the Cyrillic capital letter E. I just thought it looked like a backwards G with a bit of a change, so I put it in. I won’t be changing it, so bear with me.

FROM FanFiction

Virusgod – You spelled interesting wrong. Will do.

Nimohtar – You’re welcome. To answer your question, yes, he is just going to assume the identity of Sergetov a.k.a Sauron for a while. Hermione will, of course, find out while Ron is blissfully blank. I may have Hermione smitten with Sergetov, have them get together, and then him reveal himself to her, but I don’t know. You’ll see how it turns out.

AJaKe – The ring is not evil. It is only as evil as its master who wields it. If Harry is not evil, then neither is the ring. Besides, in this fic, I am having the whole history of the ring thing on the side of good.

alphabet-psycho – Sorry about that. I’ll try to explain that for you here. The ring, as I said in…what was it…the first chapter that with his vision, he gained some simple knowledge about magic. I did not, however, explain what it was. What it was is basically this: The ring passes on an extensive knowledge of magic in all of its many forms. Therefore, he would know how to do these spells. The ring will also amplify magical ability in certain areas by far, namely wandless magic. Since he knew how to perform the spells, and that they are relatively simple, he would be able to do them, and they would come naturally. Does that explain it? Tell me whether or not it does in your review and I can explain further later if necessary.

NEXT CHAPTER: Alex begins his training with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. Hermione and Ginny talk about Alex. fly between Alex and Ron.

Next chapter will be up soon. Until then, read another fic…review them…read another…review them…you get the idea…blah, blah, blah…etc…

SilverDagger