The Battle Standard
by Jardyn39
Chapter 22 - Seeing the Light
Harry Apparated back to Grimmauld Place from a dingy alley at the back of the Embankment Tube Station and found Hermione's parents having morning coffee with Kreacher in the kitchen.
"Hi!" he said with relief. "Thank goodness you're here. I could use some help."
"What is it, Harry?" asked Mr Granger.
"Here," said Harry unfolding a card map of the London Underground on the table that he'd obtained from the ticket office.
"Would Master like some coffee?"
"Oh, yes please, Kreacher."
"I'll make it," said Mrs Granger at once, getting up. "I was about to make some fresh anyway."
"I need to locate Miss Alice. She left a clue in a pattern of lights that exactly matched the centre part of this map. You see, I thought that a missing light might identify the place I need to look next."
"Okay, so what's the problem?"
"There wasn't actually a missing light. There's an extra one and some don't really match at all. I'm worried this is the wrong map."
"Mark the positions of the lights as closely as you can remember them," suggested Mr Granger, handing him a pencil.
Harry marked the stations he knew to match exactly and then placed crosses on the ones that didn't match.
Both Mr and Mrs Granger studied the marked up Tube map.
"You've marked up the centre of the map," said Mr Granger. "These are mostly Circle and District Line stations. These are some of the oldest on the network."
"Quite often stations are closed for long periods for refurbishment," said Mrs Granger. "They often take the stations off the maps then."
"Great," said Harry. "So, is there a station between Knightsbridge and Gloucester Road?"
"Yes, South Kensington, but that's on your map. I think you are looking for a station between Knightsbridge and South Kensington."
"Um, okay," said Harry. "What's that station then?"
"Well, I don't ever remember there ever being a station between those stations, Harry," said Mrs Granger.
"Don't you, dear? It only closed in the Thirties," he teased.
Mrs Granger's eyes narrowed, much like Hermione's did when she was annoyed.
"Brompton Road. Piccadilly Line. Opened December 1906, closed July 1934," said Mr Granger.
"How on earth did you know that?" asked Harry incredulously.
"Don't get him started, Harry," warned Mrs Granger.
Mr Granger grinned at her and said, "Go on, ask me another."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but what's at Brompton Road?" asked Harry.
They both shrugged.
"There are quite a few disused stations and tunnels under London. There might not even be anything of the station left above ground after all these years."
"Let's go and look!"
"Er, hang on," said Harry. "Hermione won't be too pleased if I allowed you to be placed at risk."
"So, let's not worry her then. Where are our coats?"
*
They travelled by Tube to Knightsbridge and walked along the Brompton Road towards the museums and South Kensington Station. Mr Granger had an anxious moment as they passed Harrods and Mrs Granger paused to look longingly in each of the windows.
When the crowds began to get a little thinner, Harry asked, "Where to you think the old station was?"
"It was right on the corner of Cottage Place," replied Mr Granger, "but they demolished part of it."
"How do you know all this stuff?"
"Well, the history of the Underground has always fascinated me. As a boy I subscribed to various newsletters published by real enthusiasts, and I suppose some things stuck. The idea that under our very feet are spaces not disturbed for decades is just amazing. Of course, when they publish the London Underground version of Trivial Pursuit I'll expect to have a slight advantage!"
They crossed the road and quietly observed a white fronted building as they walked slowly by.
"Yes!" said Mr Granger. "See the original glazed bricks down the side? This is it!"
"This is a TA building now," observed Mrs Granger.
"TA?" asked Harry, looking up at the sign that read, "Territorial Army."
"Let's go back to the main road a moment and look like lost tourists for a while and think what to do next."
"Good idea," agreed Harry.
They spent some time pretending to argue over a free guide map they'd picked up while Harry looked around.
"How are we going to get in?" asked Mrs Granger quietly. "That's an MOD owned building. They are hardly going to believe any of us have any business there, are they?"
Harry shook his head and said, "Miss Alice intended us to follow. I know she could have got access inside, but I'm sure she would have left a more accessible clue."
"Well, I think we should walk on. We look like we're taking too much interest in this place," said Mr Granger.
"Okay," agreed Harry.
They walked on but crossed over to the other side of Brompton Road before walking back in the direction they'd came.
"These are certainly lovely properties around here," observed Mrs Granger.
"Lovely prices too," added Mr Granger in an undertone.
"Yes, but even so. I love this part of London."
"The shops, you mean?"
"Not just the shops," said Mrs Granger with a laugh, looping her arms through both Harry's and her husband's arms. "There are museums and parks so close. You can hardly go fifty paces without coming across some token of history. Look, see that plaque?"
Harry started.
"There was another plaque set in the pavement outside the old station," he remembered. "Should we cross over now?"
"Do we think anyone is watching?"
"We should be cautious and that plaque isn't going anywhere," said Mr Granger. "Let's get something to eat and then catch the tube back from South Kensington. We can walk past again then."
Mrs Granger's face lit up when Mr Granger guided them into Harrods for lunch. Although Harry was sure he'd never again eat a more expensive sandwich, he did rather enjoy the experience.
Well, he had enjoyed their lunch up until Mrs Granger said, "Hermione seemed a little upset."
Harry sighed and nodded, stirring his coffee.
"I know. The worst thing is we haven't had the chance to really talk about it," said Harry. "No, that isn't quite true," he added, correcting himself. "I think the worst is still to come. I've a feeling she'll be just as upset after we talk too."
"Why, Harry?"
Harry tried to find an answer, but Mr Granger said quietly, "Let's not discuss this here."
*
They each tried to memorise the plaque and Mrs Granger drew a large copy from memory on the journey back to Grimmauld place that they all agreed was an accurate representation. It had actually been a brass commemorative disk marking the completion of some building works, but there were several numbers around the outside circumference that looked out of place. At first glance they had just looked like a decorative border because the digits overlapped.
Mr Granger seemed to know what the figures might represent and bought a number of Ordnance Survey maps before they left.
Once home, he immediately began marking the exact position of the plaque followed by a series of zig-zag lines over the maps. Kreacher sat next to him, following his calculations with interest.
While he was engrossed in this, Mrs Granger decided to pick up their previous conversation.
"Hermione said how upset you were over what happened in the valley," she said gently.
"It seemed so needless. I still can't believe she allowed families to live in the village."
"Yes, Miss Alice seems to be quite ruthless when she needs to be."
"Oh, yes," agreed Harry, nodding slowly.
"We are terribly grateful that you came back for us."
Harry shrugged.
"I keep wondering if they would have evacuated us if you and Sergeant Bateman hadn't come when you did."
"Bear and those soldiers did it all," said Harry. "I was just along for the ride."
"And fight a couple of giants," said Mrs Granger with a smile. "We were watching, remember?"
"I still can't figure out how I was able to do magic there, though," said Harry. "I know it was almost at the edge of the clearing, but I thought you couldn't perform any magic in the camp."
"Well, I'm glad you found a way."
They were quiet for a moment and then Mrs Granger said fondly, "Bear. I'd forgotten that was his nick-name. We rather missed Sergeant Bateman's visits while we were at the village. He always used to pop by to make sure we were okay before then, no matter where we were."
Harry smiled and nodded.
"Ha!" said Mr Granger. "I've got it!"
Kreacher cleared his throat and tapped a piece of paper on the table.
"Oh, right. Hang on a moment."
Mrs Granger smiled and said to Harry, "Hermione usually helps with the maths problems."
Harry smiled back, but his smile faded slowly as Mrs Granger waited expectantly.
"Hermione is upset because of me," said Harry quietly, pulling the heavy gold ring off his finger. "I've been feeling a little strange, lately. See this ring?" he asked, handing it to her.
Mrs Granger took the ring and examined it closely as she listened.
"That ring used to belong to Salazar Slytherin. He has a reputation as being one of the darkest of wizards of all time. It was worn by Albus Dumbledore a few months before he was killed, and for a long time I kept the ring because it reminded me of him.
"Just lately, though, that has changed. I've always thought that Dumbledore represented the best Gryffindor traits. He was always fair and just and never abused his powers. Slytherin represents almost the exact opposite. Why use restraint when force will achieve your objectives?"
Mrs Granger frowned slightly.
"Recently, I've wondered if the Gryffindor approach isn't just giving too much advantage to Voldemort and his followers."
"Yet you were upset when a Slytherin approach was taken in the valley?"
"Yes, that's true. It's also true that I fully intended to finish them off myself this morning."
"What stopped you?"
"I saw for myself how pitiful they were. They weren't Death Eaters at all."
"So, maybe you are less comfortable with a Slytherin approach than you think?"
"That's the problem, and Hermione knows it. I could so easily be capable of the same outrages that Voldemort and Miss Alice are both now pursuing. Worse, possibly."
"Hermione always said you were growing up to be a powerful wizard, Harry. Still, that's not why she admires you so much. She said so many times how often you showed restraint, when she expected you to do the exact opposite."
"She always called me reckless, actually."
"Well, perhaps that's not quite the same thing."
"We're done!" interrupted Mr Granger.
They got up and went over to join Mr Granger and Kreacher at the table. Spread out before them were several maps, most with lines drawn over them.
"The figures around the plaque were polar co-ordinates. That's compass bearings and distances," explained Mr Granger. "There were a couple of tricky points, though."
Mrs Granger picked up their calculation sheet and said, "Is that first angle correct?"
"We think so. The first angle wasn't the topmost figure; otherwise you'd end up in France. No, the first angle and distance are part of the commemorative text. See the date?"
"Okay, but what about the units of measurement?"
"Well, the distances can't very well be in yards, or we'd get hardly anywhere. Here, in fact," he added, pointing at a point on the map.
Harry smiled and said, "It isn't there. That's just about the exact spot where the cauldron is, under the Thames."
"Really? Well, in that case perhaps we can be sure about the angles being in degrees."
Mrs Granger nodded.
Mr Granger took then through each of the seven angles and distances, following the drawn lines on the map.
Finally, Mr Granger discarded the three used maps to reveal the final point a few miles north of London.
"It's a very interesting location. The County is actually quite heavily populated in parts and there are quite a few roads and train lines. However, at that exact end point it is completely cut off. You probably can't even see it from the public roads and there are no train lines for miles."
Harry looked closely at the map.
"What is that square?"
"I've no idea," admitted Mr Granger. "It could be a building, but it would have to be massive at this scale and it would look pretty strange in the middle of nowhere."
"Could it be an underground bunker?" asked Mrs Granger, checking when the map was printed. "We were lucky. This is a very recent re-print and it looks like it was updated too."
Mr Granger just shrugged.
Harry straightened himself and said, "Thanks for your help. I'll go and take a look."
"Can't we come?" asked Mrs Granger hopefully.
"Not until I know it's safe. Brompton Road was different because there were plenty of places or crowds you could escape into. That place looks like it is very exposed."
Mrs Granger looked like she was about to argue but Mr Granger stroked her back gently and she relented.
"How will you get there?"
"I'd like to fly over to see what's there first, but I think I'll have to Apparate and see from the ground."
"Why not fly?"
"I think I lost my invisibility cloak in all the excitement," Harry admitted sadly.
"No, you didn't," said Mrs Granger. "Hermione brought it back with us."
*
Harry flew to Miss Alice's last co-ordinate following a series of landmarks that Mr Granger had plotted for him. When he finally approached the area, he climbed high, thankful for the low cloud cover that day.
He spotted it at once.
What had been just a large square drawn on the map was actually a multi-storey building. He could see it clearly from several miles away.
Harry flew closer, looking for any signs of activity around the area, but he saw nothing.
The building was right in the middle of a green field. There were no roads to the building at all, something Harry considered very strange, since they must have needed access to build it. He could clearly see long abandoned cart tracks running across the crop fields, so there should have been something there.
He got closer and realised that the building appeared to have very few windows, and those were very small.
There were arches all around the base of the building, perhaps leading to access doors.
By now, Harry was more or less convinced that the building was of wizard construction. Perhaps it was designed to look like a Muggle building, except with the fairly fundamental mistake of looking out of place because of being isolated.
The flat roof had a wide parapet all around and a small plant room in the middle. As he got closer he saw that the plant room had a pitched roof with clay pantiles. Harry knew this was very unusual for a modern Muggle high rise building.
He also noted that there were no aerials or satellite dishes on the roof.
Harry decided to see if he could gain an entrance from the roof. He flew down quickly and hovered for a few moments before placing his feet on the roof, trying to decide what security features they might have employed.
He found that the plant room also doubled as a wide access staircase. The doors were unlocked and he found a dark corner to leave his Firebolt before venturing down into the building.
*
He followed a long narrow corridor and came to another set of stairs that went down only two more flights. Cautiously, he opened the door and ventured outside.
The door opened out onto a balcony about ten feet wide that looked out into an Atrium. He crouched down and approached the upstand opposite before peering under the railing.
The entire building was before him. The whole thing was almost one enormous hall. One of the few floors was the balcony he was standing on, and that looked like it ran around the entire perimeter.
Far below, a suspended floor jutted out unsupported. Perhaps the building wasn't finished yet, he considered.
He looked up at the underside of the flat roof. Several banners in the colours of the four Hogwarts Houses hung down, fluttering in a non-existent breeze. Many of the banners had House motifs too.
Far below, the sounds of doors being flung open could be heard. This was immediately followed by the noise of people entering the large open space far below.
Harry looked down. It looked like hundreds of witches and wizards were filing out from all four sides. Some were carrying poles with more banners on and most were wearing armour under their cloaks.
Something brushed his ear and Harry automatically swatted it away.
A paper memo dropped down by his side. Harry opened it and read.
"Harry,
I hope you brought your broomstick because there aren't any stairs yet.
See you in a moment,
Mary"
Harry snorted and looked over the railings again. Miss Alice was standing on the suspended floor far below. He took off his cloak and saw her grinning up at him. He knew he must have tripped an alarm when he opened the doors.
Harry stood and waved. He indicated that he was going to get his Firebolt and hurried back to collect it.
*
Harry flew down from the balcony in several wide circles before he reached the suspended floor. As he descended, a great sail was unfurled down one wall.
"Welcome, Harry," said Miss Alice with a warm smile. "I'm about to give the briefing, but we'll talk after. Please take a seat."
"Thanks," said Harry, and carried his broom over to an empty chair behind her.
He sat and exchanged nods of acknowledgement from the dozen or so witches and wizards already sitting. Harry didn't know any of them, but his first impression was that they were powerful and experienced.
Then it occurred to him that these people were Miss Alice's senior staff who would be leading the campaign.
He looked out at the hundreds of expectant faces looking up at Miss Alice.
"Well," began Miss Alice. "Our time has finally come. Voldemort's forces will be here within the hour."
There was a ripple of shudders as she spoke Voldemort's name, even amongst the group sitting next to Harry.
"Our task today is simple. We must reduce their forces to manageable numbers. The Aurors have stayed to guard Hogwarts and there is a Muggle contingent mobilising as we speak to support them.
"You will be fighting some of the Dark Lord's most experienced and ruthless combatants. I urge you to trust in yourselves, your colleagues and your training.
"Many of you have been waiting a very long time to deliver justice to these people," said Miss Alice, and there was a murmur of agreement. "Please, do not submit to mere revenge. You must be disciplined. Stick to your tasks and trust in others to stick to theirs."
Miss Alice paused a moment and looked around the great hall.
"Victory is by no means assured. You are the greatest wizarding army assembled in hundreds of years. If anyone can defeat our enemy, you can. Carry that belief within your hearts and remember what it is that you are fighting for."
There was a loud cheer and Harry turned to see some of her staff join in while others wore satisfied smiles.
"Now," said Miss Alice, "take a look at the map behind you and I'll run through the expected engagements."
One of the staff wizards stood and pointed his wand at the massive sail on the far wall. Instantly a moving map appeared showing Voldemort's forces approaching as a single arrow that then split up into four smaller arrows.
Next to him, a wizard leaned over and said quietly, "My name is Bellick, Mr Potter. May I show you something?"
Bellick was certainly elderly, but he held himself in the manner of a statesman. His grey hair was immaculately cut and we wore expensive looking rings on his fingers. His hands had a slight shake to them that Harry couldn't tell were down to nerves or not.
"Um, sure," said Harry.
They got up and went to the back of the floor where several map tables were set up. Prominent was a copy of the giant map everyone else was looking at.
"It is important to understand," said Bellick, "that we chose the location for this engagement."
Harry nodded.
"We needed a place that would encourage Voldemort to attack us in the open. Realistically, that is the only way we can make significant inroads."
"How many will he command?" asked Harry.
"We don't really know, but I suspect it will be only a thousand. If that's right, we'll outnumber him two to one."
"He'll have Giants and Dementors, though, won't he?" observed Harry.
"He will bring Giants, but not Dementors. They don't like it around here, due to the underground springs. On its way here, the water flows through rocks that are described in Wizard legends as eternally optimistic."
"That doesn't sound like the sort of place Dementors would like."
"Indeed. It seems the water retains some of the rock's properties. As I said, we chose this location."
Harry smiled and nodded. He found he was actually beginning to feel optimistic about this doomed enterprise.
"Now, you are going to be interested in Voldemort's actual movements. Miss Alice has recommended you not get involved with the fighting. Just set Voldemort as your target and put every other target to one side."
Harry nodded.
"Voldemort is pretty much invulnerable," he observed.
"I tend to agree. Certainly, none of us would have a chance," said Bellick. "Miss Alice thinks you'd be prepared to have a go, though."
Harry shrugged.
"The last time Voldemort tried to come to power, there were only two major battles out in the open and another where they assembled to fight except the Ministry withdrew before it began. In each event, Voldemort appeared at the front to taunt his enemy and then retreated to the rear."
"Didn't he fight at all?"
"Oh, yes, he did. He waited until his forces had won and then stepped in to deal with only the strongest survivors. He enjoyed humiliating them before finally killing them. They took no prisoners in battle."
There was a great cheer from behind them followed by the sounds of the army streaming out of the building.
"I need to get up to my observation point," said Bellick. "Good luck, Mr Potter."
"You too," said Harry, shaking his hand. Miss Alice was approaching and the other staff had all left.
"Well, Harry, I'm glad you found us."
"Voldemort won't die today," he said firmly.
"Perhaps not, but is that an excuse not to fight? I can't make you join us, Harry. If you are going, you'd better hurry, though."
"I am going to join you, Mary. It would look too suspicious if I didn't. Voldemort might suspect I knew his secret if I didn't at least try to kill him today."
"You are convinced today's battle will do no good?"
"No, I can't say I am. I do think we should be ready for something. Voldemort will do something to turn the tables. I honestly thought your army was actually under his control."
"Everyone here has been completely isolated during their training. Do you think you could carry me up to the roof on your broom?"
"Sure."
*
They stepped out onto the flat roof. Miss Alice opened an adjacent door and said, "I arranged to have these stolen from Mr Moody."
Lying just inside the door was a roll of carpet tied with string.
"No way!"
Harry picked up the carpet and followed Miss Alice over to the parapet. Bellick was there too looking through Omnioculars.
Set into the parapet was a large granite stone with a polished top. There were coloured lines moving over it and Harry realised it was acting as a weatherproof map of the battlefield below.
Harry looked over the edge of the parapet and watched as the last of the wizard army left the building far below.
The map showed them assembling in four main groups. Voldemort's force was a single mass of black.
Harry looked out and saw groups of multicoloured banners that corresponded with the map.
"He's got at least a dozen Giants," said Bellick seriously as Voldemort's forces began to spread out.
"He isn't deploying as we anticipated," observed Miss Alice. "Why?"
"Our flanks are moving too far forward," observed Bellick and Harry could see the two end blocks of men moving forwards of the other two. "What are they doing?"
"It looks like his thin line has tempted them," said Miss Alice. "Tell them to halt at once!"
Before she had said this, Bellick had pointed his wand out over the parapet.
The two advancing groups stopped shortly after.
"The man himself," muttered Bellick.
Harry looked up and could see clearly a large timber raft floating over the black flags and banners of Voldemort's army.
Voldemort himself was standing in the centre on a raised dais with a Death Eater kneeling at each of the four corners.
The raft stopped right in the middle of the opposing armies.
Voldemort's amplified voice filled the air.
"So, this is the greatest wizard army ever assembled," he said contemptuously. "Hardly a true match, friends," he added to laughter from his ranks. "Still, we must observe the niceties. If any of you cowards wish to leave the field, do so now. I accordance with the ancient rites, we will take no prisoners alive. Of course, any that do leave should know I will catch up with you in the very near future."
While he was talking, Harry had opened the carpet and hurried to put on his body armour. That done he began to sort out his weaponry. He looked up to see if anyone was leaving, though.
No-one stirred from the opposing ranks.
"So? All prepared to die, eh? Well, so be it. I do hope you won't be too confused by all your different battle colours. Lord Voldemort's forces are all in black, you'll notice. I remind you of that so you know who you should be running from."
There was more laughter, only this time more sustained.
"What are they laughing at?" asked Miss Alice as Harry hoisted his shield over his back.
"Merlin's beard!" breathed Bellick, lowering his Omnioculars with shaking hands.
Harry looked out and realised at once what was happening. The multi-coloured banners colours of Miss Alice's army were gradually changing. The bright reds, yellows, greens and blues were all turning black.
"Are they all turning?" asked Miss Alice shakily.
"No," said Harry. "Some are staying coloured, but they aren't very many."
Harry jumped onto his Firebolt and sped out over the battlefield. A few yards behind where Miss Alice's army once stood, he conjured a tall pole which he drove magically into the soft ground.
He flew around it once and a massive red and gold banner unfurled from the top, bearing a Gryffindor motif.
Pointing his wand at his throat, he whispered, "Sonorous!" and flew towards the enemy.
He flew right in front of Voldemort's raft and turned his back on him.
"Fall back and re-group!" he ordered.
He turned back to face Voldemort. The four masked escorts were each pointing their wands at him but Voldemort himself was relaxed and grinning.
"Harry! How nice of you to join us," he said pleasantly.
"I understand it is your practise to fight the strongest survivors yourself," said Harry, knowing his amplified voice would carry over the entire field. "If that's the case, I'll look forward to meeting you later."
Voldemort just laughed.
One of the Death Eaters fired at him but Harry instantly deflected the curse with a conjured shield. A moment later there was a green flash and a body rolled off the edge of the raft before falling to earth.
"My apologies, Harry," said Voldemort. "Not everyone shares my respect for the etiquette of war. You may assemble what remains of your, ahem, forces without further interference."
Harry turned in mid-air and dived down, charging at the now black robed ranks of Miss Alice's army, sending several scattering with fear. He would have been an ideal target flying so close, but he knew none would now dare to fire at him yet.
He landed a few feet in front of his banner, where disappointingly few loyal fighters were gathering.