Fan Fiction ❯ The Weaver Telarius ❯ To Err is Shadine ( Chapter 17 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Sir Telarius 
Hope everyone likes this chapter. It contains a lot of substance, without a lot of riffraff. Whatever the bloody drek that means...
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Psychological / / Fantasy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.24.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 139 | Status: Work In Progress
Hope everyone likes this chapter. It contains a lot of substance, without a lot of riffraff. Whatever the bloody drek that means...
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Psychological / / Fantasy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.24.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 139 | Status: Work In Progress
I love forests. I love the night sky. I love the full moon. I have always considered myself a child of that moon, even though I have a strong connection to the sun which blinds and burns me when I am not protected. The Dark Forest, while possessed of a gloomy atmosphere and several dangers, has always provided me with a feeling of comfort on those nights when the moon was full. Nights such as the one when I met with Riddle once more.
The crowd of Death Eaters certainly did not take well to my presence. Now I understood why. Still, Riddle was all I cared about, and he was present. I threw back my hood when I entered the small circle of firelight by which they were meeting. My eyes travelled to each of theirs, daring them to prevent me from speaking, or to speak out against me. I finally rested my gaze onto Riddle, and he locked gazes with me as an equal. Well, to his Death Eaters it appeared as such. At this point, I realized that my acumen was greater than his. It wasn't really a surprise. He is, after all, a coward.
"It has come to my attention," my voice boomed with power and authority, as I had woven and cast a spell to deepen it to a more mature sound, "That tretchery on my part is suspected."
They took this rather well. I imagine that, were they the type to use knives, they would be sharpening them about now. I was not finished, though. "This suspicion was quite correct," and that caused them to stir a bit unpleasantly. Good. I wanted them to believe that I was going to make my move now. Get them worried, scared, and, above all, eager to receive good news, "However, I have come into some new and quite interesting abilities after my encounter with a trivial problem known as the Veritas Enigmatus," add fear to the equation with the proper use of words, and now they were ready for the telling blow that they won't ever see coming, "And it has caused me to reevaluate my position and the state of the world."
Suspicion and bloodlust gave way under their curiousity. I had raised when they expected me call, and I had asked for just one card when they anticipated I would need three. These next few moments were crucial to my new plan. If I made an error, I would be dead. Even if I neutralized their ability to use magic, any one of them could run me down and kill me with their bare hands in my emaciated state. I had to win the war of the mind, where my strength was greater than theirs.
"This world is my world. Riddle attempted to keep this from me, but I discovered it on my own," I turned to him in that moment and gave him a toothy grin, "You would have been better off if you'd told me outright. It would have allowed me to plan more appropriately," my attention went back to the group as a whole, "The Ministry of Magic is hiding the existence of magic from muggles, those such as me," there was quite a murmur at that, but they remained attentive, "Yes, I still got into Slytherin, even though my blood is not pure. I believe I have this construct of a body to thank for that, and thus Lord Voldemort."
I paused there and let them soak up the fact that I used their preferred name for Riddle. It was the first time I had ever soiled my lips with it, and this time will be the last. Never again shall I ever entertain his fantasies in such a manner. Anything said to the glory of his name is not worth the spit placed behind it.
"I cannot allow this to occur. Our planned war with the Ministry can serve me as well as it serves you. You cannot create the world you wish to while the Ministry of Magic still exists, and my people will be served to know the truth about magic. You will get your way. Refine the education system, and ultimately take over the world, but I can assure that the veil is lifted from my people if I side with you. And so I do."
They were speechless. I couldn't even afford to exhale during that long silence for fear it would give away my true intentions. Then, finally: "What guarentee do we have that you aren't still planning on betraying us?"
It was Lucius Malfoy. I had anticipated this, thankfully. "None. Make no mistake, as soon as the Ministry falls, we will be enemies. I will fight you tooth and nail. But, as long as both of our sides benefit from this endeavor, it seems foolhardy to divide our efforts. I have come to this conclusion as a matter of logical deduction," I looked now to Riddle, "You once made the observation that my planned assault on the Ministry was possessed of many faults. You knew it wouldn't succeed without outside forces which you planned for. You had hoped I would side with you, and considered me a fool when I recommended such foolish action. You were, of course, correct. Now I am an even greater asset to you than I was before, and have worked out a war plan which will assure victory with minimal losses on either side. I believe, once you hear my plan, you will agree that it will work."
Riddle gave me a measuring stare, and I kept my gaze even with his. If so much as one sweatdrop had appeared upon my face, he would have killed me on the spot. Of course, I had treated my face with isopropyl alcohol before I set off for the meeting, so my face was sufficiently dehydrated. "We will hear your plan, Telarius," Riddle's voice finally was heard, "And then I will judge where your loyalties lie."
"Of course," I nodded, a grin upon my face.
I stepped into the circle at that moment, in order to better address all of them. "This endeavor will take considerable time. I estimate that the Ministry will not be defeated until ten years have passed," my facial expression was now that of a tactician, and they seemed intent on listening to me. I had them. I couldn't control my expressions quite as well as Phillip (he understood the psychological ramifications upon different subjects, you see, making for a more precise and scientific approach rather than a theatrical performance), but they bought what I gave them.
"It begins with using our current resources as they are to destroy the major threats to your cause, namely Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and a one Harry Potter."
"And just how are we going to go about doing that?" one of the Death Eaters asked.
In response to this, I removed the glasses that I have been calling mine all this time from my robes. "I have Dumbledore in my pocket. The rest of the Order follows him. Harry Potter as well. And they are all currently at Hogwarts, on my orders. You may confirm this at your leisure if you wish."
"Why did you put them there?"
"If we take control of the education centers, we cut off the Ministry's ability to produce capable wizards and witches. If we take out the current opposition while taking one of these education centers, then we effectively eliminate two problems in one motion. In short, I propose that we seige Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There was silence once more among the Death Eaters, and I appreciated the sounds of the night. "How do you propose we accomplish this feat?"
"If I may be permitted to sit? This will take some time, and I am not as strong of body as I once was..." I trailed off while a Death Eater procured a seat for me in the center of their newly formed semi-circle.
"Hogwarts is a castle. There are several items which are rudimentary to the foundation of a castle. Items such as location, protection, garrison, and flag. I shall explain each of these items, and how we are going to conquer them, in the order I have given them as stages in our operation."
"The first item is location. Location refers to a castle's accessability. It is the first line of defense. In the case of Hogwarts, this refers to the protection against apparation, a powerful mode of transportation. Unfortunately, we cannot get through this defense. However, there are aspects to the geographical location of Hogwarts which will lend themselves well to our cause. There is a lake which rests quite near to the school proper. The forest we are in, which can be used to conceal ground troops for when the time is right. These we will use to our advantage."
"This brings me to stage one: protection. Hogwarts is still a castle, and the walls of the castle must be breeched if we are to be successful in the castle war. With the walls present, our ground forces will have limited entry. Now, we can take advantage of their towers to control the yard area, but one wall must fall to allow our ground troops better entry. Ground seige weapons are difficult to conceal, even in the Dark Forest. Therefore, I propose that we seige the north wall through the usage of naval weaponry."
"Excuse me for a moment but... naval weaponry? Just how are you planning to get ships onto their lake when you just admitted that we couldn't get through the protection against apparation?" Riddle inquired.
"The person who designed said defense did not entirely account for the verticle axis. Sure, he allotted for enough protection up and around that air strikes are all but impossible without sufficient distraction and backup. However, he did not consider the probability of an underground assault to be too high. While he was quite correct in this mode of thought, he neglected to account for the depth of the lake," their faces gleamed at this, "I have tested this. The muggles have vehicles called submarines. Now, while these submarines are usually used for destroying enemy vessels and first strike situations on distant targets, they can be reconfigured for seige capability without too much trouble, especially when accounting for magical efficiency. You could have perhaps a dozen of them ready to go within a week's time, and that's if you're lazy about it."
There was chuckling, which disheartened me. I attempted not to show it, instead chuckling along with them to give the allusion that I was as amused as they were about the taking of lives. "Now, protection is well taken care of after that is done. We take out one wall and get our people to the towers and we control the yard. The garrison is the next item. Now, thankfully, Hogwarts is not your standard castle. They have teachers, not knights. However, there are several potent threats which I will call garrison. Mostly they are the Order of the Phoenix, and some troubling youngsters who wish to be heroes. However, if we inform those in House Slytherin of our plans to seige Hogwarts, we might be able to get most of these would-be heroes in the back. The rest of them will be a trouble to take out, but I imagine that our ground forces should be more than capable of this."
"That brings me to flag. The flag is the castle's symbol of unity, as well as loyalty and command. In this case, the flag is none other than Dumbledore. While powerful, Dumbledore cannot stand up to all of our force at once. He won't fly as long as those he cares for are in jeopardy. He's the prime target. We take out Dumbledore, and the game is up."
"After Hogwarts is conquered, we'll establish defenses on all fronts and make it a base of operations. From there, we will move to either Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, depending on the state of our remaining forces. Of course, recon will have to be done on either location before we proceed with an attack, but we should have plenty of time. Some of the best Aurors will be dead after our assault on Hogwarts, and the Ministry will not be ready for it. A counter-strike would be crushed once we establish our defenses at Hogwarts. They will be forced to give ground."
"One thing that I forgot to mention... we must all use guerilla warfare tactics. Whatever the enemy has, take it and use it. Do not destroy it. Of course, the wall will have to be replaced, our first project after victory. Our side strengthens while theirs weakens. Anyone powerful enough that can be useful to our cause must be placed under the Imperious curse if at all possible. The list goes on, but I am certain all of you are intelligent enough to make the best decisions."
At that, I stopped. I was tired after such a long dissertation. My strength was not what it was before the Veritas Enigmatus, and I found myself winded after a normal day, much less one such as that was. "Does this meet with your satisfaction?" I asked of Riddle.
He grinned. "Quite. Well done, Telarius. Well done indeed. We shall begin the additional preparations, and strike in one week."
"Agreed."
"One more item of business, Telarius. I have a request of you."
"Name it."
"No need to. Just as long as I have your assurances that I can have what I want. It is a test of loyalty, nothing more."
"Whatever you wish," I was so relieved that he was buying it.
* * *
"Do you think he bought it?"
Snape's expression was as blank as I had ever seen it. I valued his opinion concerning this matter. He had, after all, worked with Riddle more than I. "He seemed to," he replied, "But the Dark Lord has a way of deceiving his deceivers."
"And yet you continue to pull the wool over his eyes? How?"
He shrugged. "I suppose it is because some of my statements are backed by genuine emotion," he faced me, then, and met my gaze to convey the veracity of his words, "Make no mistake, Telarius... my life has not been nor probably will ever be good."
"Sometimes I feel as though I can relate."
"Were you downtrodden in your younger years as well?"
"Quite," I responded, "In muggle society, intelligence is valued and looked for in the more important positions. Scientists, programmers, engineers... people which have made muggle society as advanced as it is. In the earlier years, though, certain characteristics are seen with envy and jealousy. Most children, of course, wish to harm those they are envious of to heighten their own sense of self-worth and happiness. Aptitude with auditory learning, exceptional memory, and precise logical deduction are some of these characteristics."
"I see. And you had one of these characteristics when you were younger?"
"No. I had them all."
I enjoyed seeing Snape arch an eyebrow. "Were you some kind of child prodigy, then?"
"Goodness, no. I was just better than my peers. That was enough for them to justify their actions."
"Prejudice knows no bounds."
"You realize that we're dealing with another Hitler? If we fail in our task, we can pretty much kiss the muggles and muggle-born goodbye."
"Which is why we musn't fail."
I nodded in silent agreement. There was a lull in the conversation as we drew nearer to the castle. Snape broke the silence. "Why did you ask me if I thought he bought it? With your hyper-cognitive ability, I would think your lie would have been impenetrable by him."
"If I had proposed those plans in my hyper-cognitive mindset, then perhaps so."
"You didn't?"
"No. I came upon the idea during one of my hyper-cognitive trances, but I was not actually within that state when I gave my plan."
"Why should that matter? If you came up with the plan, shouldn't you still have it?"
I sighed. "Unfortunately, there seems to be some kind of separation between my hyper-cognitive mind and my normal one. What I discover while in that enhanced state of mental awareness and calculative perfection I do not remember fully when I leave that state. I would write it all down, but that would take more time than is safe with most of my calculations. The plan to propose to Riddle was one such calculation."
"So why didn't you just propel yourself into a hyper-cognitive state when you gave the plan?"
"Because I am tired."
My answer took him off guard. I took this opportunity to explain myself more completely. "The battle is to come soon, Snape. If I am to be at my best, then I must use my newfound ability sparingly, or risk not having enough energy to do the things which must be done when. It was a calculated risk. I deemed it highly improbable that Riddle would both find a fault in the plan and would have a way by which to disrupt my own."
"I see. Well, having no experience with your... ability, I shall respect your judgment. I do caution, though, that the Dark Lord might be more deceptive than you have calculated."
"Point taken and logged, Snape. It shouldn't matter, though. It'll all be over soon."
* * *
It was four days later. Night time. The moon was waning. I should have seen it coming. I didn't. If I am to be accused and convicted of anything... well, nevermind. I almost forgot the ears hearing my words.
I was meeting with Cordelia, Meriam, and Deanne that night. "So, you're saying that it'd be best to station them in the mountains to the north?" Meriam asked.
"Yes," I responded, "They have decent stamina and excellent speed. They should be more than capable of coming from the mountains to the battlefield in time to confront Riddle's ground forces."
"Won't they be winded?" Deanne inquired, her expression being more serious than I was used to seeing it.
"A little, but their staying power is great. They should be able to take out any land-based threat."
"I have a question," Cordelia interjected, "Where is Phillip?"
"I sent him to oversee the refurbishment of five British submarines for seige warfare. In actuality, his mission is to ensure that their only payload is starbursts... wonderfully flashy bits, they, giving the appearance of explosive rounds while having little of the actual damage capacity. They'll put on a good show, and my bet is Riddle isn't up on his muggle weaponry enough to tell the difference. This minimizes damage to the castle."
"Do we have a backup plan, in case Riddle secures submarines of his own with real artillery?" Cordelia proved once more that she was thorough.
"Indeed. Bombers. I don't have many as this was last minute... seven of them. These things can carry enough of a payload to destroy more submarines than the surface of that lake can hold."
"Who in the world are piloting these bombers?" Meriam asked.
"Students and others in the wizarding world that I can trust. They have taken a crash course in the operation of them, as their task is quite simple."
"Well, that takes care of the general war plan. What about us? What do you want us to do, specifically, during the battle?" Deanne asked.
"Excellent question, m'dear. Obviously, our goal is the destruction of Riddle. Each of you has a role to play toward that end. Well, save one," I turned to Meriam at that moment, "You are a great asset to our cause, and will continue to be one long after this battle is over. Your abilities do not lend themselves to combat. However, you can be in the hospital wing and help with the healing of the wounded as they come in. There will doubtless be wounded, and your visage would reassure them of their worth in this life."
"Cordelia, there is going to be too much distraction for you to get an accurate fix on any surface thoughts. Also, I'm certain most of these guys have been trained in Occlumancy. Any one of them is going to be hard to get through to on your part. Your goal should be Riddle. Attack him psychically as subtlely as possible. If he gets distracted enough to the point where you think you can take him out, go for it."
"You're assuming that I can psychically attack someone with no physical body," Cordelia pointed out.
"Are you saying you can't?" I asked.
"I can, but it is much more difficult. I'm not nearly as good at it."
"Do your best. That's all I ask."
"What about me?" Deanne asked.
I looked to her. "You are to stay by me at all times, awaiting my orders. Be at the ready for any number of the massively destructive spells that I've woven specifically for you. We have to be prepared for a worst case scenario."
At that moment, Snape burst into the room where we were meeting. "Telarius! The Death Eaters are holding some kind of ritual."
I arched an eyebrow in his direction. "A ritual? Snape, if they want to put on white robes and hoods and dance around a flaming cross, that's none of my concern. So why, I ask you, are you bringing this to my attention?"
He glared at me. "This ritual has some components to it that I thought might interest you. Things like flesh of a servant, given willingly..."
My eyes widened. "Aw hell!"
"What?" Cordelia asked.
"They're attempting to ressurect Riddle," I answered plainly, then turned to Snape, "But isn't one of the components the blood of an enemy, taken forcefully?"
Snape nodded. "And the ritual must be completed within a certain time after starting it."
"How much time?"
"Six hours."
"What does that mean?" Deanne asked, a worried expression on her face.
"It means that they're going to attack tonight, and soon!" I responded, hastily, "Quickly, we need to get our forces into position!"
As I gave this command, Cordelia doubled over, as if in pain. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
She did not respond. Instead, she lifted her head, and her pupils where dialated so much so that they covered even the whites of her eyes with darkness. "She's having a prophetic vision. I've seen this before in one of Trelawney's books," Snape commented.
"What do you see?" I asked her.
"Phillip... he's... oh no! Telarius, he's..."
I did not need anything else but that. I understood. Everything was clear. Of course they were attacking tonight. Riddle was going to eliminate the one threat he saw... and I gave him permission to do it.
"Make sure our forces are in place immediately. I must go. Phillip is in danger."
The crowd of Death Eaters certainly did not take well to my presence. Now I understood why. Still, Riddle was all I cared about, and he was present. I threw back my hood when I entered the small circle of firelight by which they were meeting. My eyes travelled to each of theirs, daring them to prevent me from speaking, or to speak out against me. I finally rested my gaze onto Riddle, and he locked gazes with me as an equal. Well, to his Death Eaters it appeared as such. At this point, I realized that my acumen was greater than his. It wasn't really a surprise. He is, after all, a coward.
"It has come to my attention," my voice boomed with power and authority, as I had woven and cast a spell to deepen it to a more mature sound, "That tretchery on my part is suspected."
They took this rather well. I imagine that, were they the type to use knives, they would be sharpening them about now. I was not finished, though. "This suspicion was quite correct," and that caused them to stir a bit unpleasantly. Good. I wanted them to believe that I was going to make my move now. Get them worried, scared, and, above all, eager to receive good news, "However, I have come into some new and quite interesting abilities after my encounter with a trivial problem known as the Veritas Enigmatus," add fear to the equation with the proper use of words, and now they were ready for the telling blow that they won't ever see coming, "And it has caused me to reevaluate my position and the state of the world."
Suspicion and bloodlust gave way under their curiousity. I had raised when they expected me call, and I had asked for just one card when they anticipated I would need three. These next few moments were crucial to my new plan. If I made an error, I would be dead. Even if I neutralized their ability to use magic, any one of them could run me down and kill me with their bare hands in my emaciated state. I had to win the war of the mind, where my strength was greater than theirs.
"This world is my world. Riddle attempted to keep this from me, but I discovered it on my own," I turned to him in that moment and gave him a toothy grin, "You would have been better off if you'd told me outright. It would have allowed me to plan more appropriately," my attention went back to the group as a whole, "The Ministry of Magic is hiding the existence of magic from muggles, those such as me," there was quite a murmur at that, but they remained attentive, "Yes, I still got into Slytherin, even though my blood is not pure. I believe I have this construct of a body to thank for that, and thus Lord Voldemort."
I paused there and let them soak up the fact that I used their preferred name for Riddle. It was the first time I had ever soiled my lips with it, and this time will be the last. Never again shall I ever entertain his fantasies in such a manner. Anything said to the glory of his name is not worth the spit placed behind it.
"I cannot allow this to occur. Our planned war with the Ministry can serve me as well as it serves you. You cannot create the world you wish to while the Ministry of Magic still exists, and my people will be served to know the truth about magic. You will get your way. Refine the education system, and ultimately take over the world, but I can assure that the veil is lifted from my people if I side with you. And so I do."
They were speechless. I couldn't even afford to exhale during that long silence for fear it would give away my true intentions. Then, finally: "What guarentee do we have that you aren't still planning on betraying us?"
It was Lucius Malfoy. I had anticipated this, thankfully. "None. Make no mistake, as soon as the Ministry falls, we will be enemies. I will fight you tooth and nail. But, as long as both of our sides benefit from this endeavor, it seems foolhardy to divide our efforts. I have come to this conclusion as a matter of logical deduction," I looked now to Riddle, "You once made the observation that my planned assault on the Ministry was possessed of many faults. You knew it wouldn't succeed without outside forces which you planned for. You had hoped I would side with you, and considered me a fool when I recommended such foolish action. You were, of course, correct. Now I am an even greater asset to you than I was before, and have worked out a war plan which will assure victory with minimal losses on either side. I believe, once you hear my plan, you will agree that it will work."
Riddle gave me a measuring stare, and I kept my gaze even with his. If so much as one sweatdrop had appeared upon my face, he would have killed me on the spot. Of course, I had treated my face with isopropyl alcohol before I set off for the meeting, so my face was sufficiently dehydrated. "We will hear your plan, Telarius," Riddle's voice finally was heard, "And then I will judge where your loyalties lie."
"Of course," I nodded, a grin upon my face.
I stepped into the circle at that moment, in order to better address all of them. "This endeavor will take considerable time. I estimate that the Ministry will not be defeated until ten years have passed," my facial expression was now that of a tactician, and they seemed intent on listening to me. I had them. I couldn't control my expressions quite as well as Phillip (he understood the psychological ramifications upon different subjects, you see, making for a more precise and scientific approach rather than a theatrical performance), but they bought what I gave them.
"It begins with using our current resources as they are to destroy the major threats to your cause, namely Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and a one Harry Potter."
"And just how are we going to go about doing that?" one of the Death Eaters asked.
In response to this, I removed the glasses that I have been calling mine all this time from my robes. "I have Dumbledore in my pocket. The rest of the Order follows him. Harry Potter as well. And they are all currently at Hogwarts, on my orders. You may confirm this at your leisure if you wish."
"Why did you put them there?"
"If we take control of the education centers, we cut off the Ministry's ability to produce capable wizards and witches. If we take out the current opposition while taking one of these education centers, then we effectively eliminate two problems in one motion. In short, I propose that we seige Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There was silence once more among the Death Eaters, and I appreciated the sounds of the night. "How do you propose we accomplish this feat?"
"If I may be permitted to sit? This will take some time, and I am not as strong of body as I once was..." I trailed off while a Death Eater procured a seat for me in the center of their newly formed semi-circle.
"Hogwarts is a castle. There are several items which are rudimentary to the foundation of a castle. Items such as location, protection, garrison, and flag. I shall explain each of these items, and how we are going to conquer them, in the order I have given them as stages in our operation."
"The first item is location. Location refers to a castle's accessability. It is the first line of defense. In the case of Hogwarts, this refers to the protection against apparation, a powerful mode of transportation. Unfortunately, we cannot get through this defense. However, there are aspects to the geographical location of Hogwarts which will lend themselves well to our cause. There is a lake which rests quite near to the school proper. The forest we are in, which can be used to conceal ground troops for when the time is right. These we will use to our advantage."
"This brings me to stage one: protection. Hogwarts is still a castle, and the walls of the castle must be breeched if we are to be successful in the castle war. With the walls present, our ground forces will have limited entry. Now, we can take advantage of their towers to control the yard area, but one wall must fall to allow our ground troops better entry. Ground seige weapons are difficult to conceal, even in the Dark Forest. Therefore, I propose that we seige the north wall through the usage of naval weaponry."
"Excuse me for a moment but... naval weaponry? Just how are you planning to get ships onto their lake when you just admitted that we couldn't get through the protection against apparation?" Riddle inquired.
"The person who designed said defense did not entirely account for the verticle axis. Sure, he allotted for enough protection up and around that air strikes are all but impossible without sufficient distraction and backup. However, he did not consider the probability of an underground assault to be too high. While he was quite correct in this mode of thought, he neglected to account for the depth of the lake," their faces gleamed at this, "I have tested this. The muggles have vehicles called submarines. Now, while these submarines are usually used for destroying enemy vessels and first strike situations on distant targets, they can be reconfigured for seige capability without too much trouble, especially when accounting for magical efficiency. You could have perhaps a dozen of them ready to go within a week's time, and that's if you're lazy about it."
There was chuckling, which disheartened me. I attempted not to show it, instead chuckling along with them to give the allusion that I was as amused as they were about the taking of lives. "Now, protection is well taken care of after that is done. We take out one wall and get our people to the towers and we control the yard. The garrison is the next item. Now, thankfully, Hogwarts is not your standard castle. They have teachers, not knights. However, there are several potent threats which I will call garrison. Mostly they are the Order of the Phoenix, and some troubling youngsters who wish to be heroes. However, if we inform those in House Slytherin of our plans to seige Hogwarts, we might be able to get most of these would-be heroes in the back. The rest of them will be a trouble to take out, but I imagine that our ground forces should be more than capable of this."
"That brings me to flag. The flag is the castle's symbol of unity, as well as loyalty and command. In this case, the flag is none other than Dumbledore. While powerful, Dumbledore cannot stand up to all of our force at once. He won't fly as long as those he cares for are in jeopardy. He's the prime target. We take out Dumbledore, and the game is up."
"After Hogwarts is conquered, we'll establish defenses on all fronts and make it a base of operations. From there, we will move to either Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, depending on the state of our remaining forces. Of course, recon will have to be done on either location before we proceed with an attack, but we should have plenty of time. Some of the best Aurors will be dead after our assault on Hogwarts, and the Ministry will not be ready for it. A counter-strike would be crushed once we establish our defenses at Hogwarts. They will be forced to give ground."
"One thing that I forgot to mention... we must all use guerilla warfare tactics. Whatever the enemy has, take it and use it. Do not destroy it. Of course, the wall will have to be replaced, our first project after victory. Our side strengthens while theirs weakens. Anyone powerful enough that can be useful to our cause must be placed under the Imperious curse if at all possible. The list goes on, but I am certain all of you are intelligent enough to make the best decisions."
At that, I stopped. I was tired after such a long dissertation. My strength was not what it was before the Veritas Enigmatus, and I found myself winded after a normal day, much less one such as that was. "Does this meet with your satisfaction?" I asked of Riddle.
He grinned. "Quite. Well done, Telarius. Well done indeed. We shall begin the additional preparations, and strike in one week."
"Agreed."
"One more item of business, Telarius. I have a request of you."
"Name it."
"No need to. Just as long as I have your assurances that I can have what I want. It is a test of loyalty, nothing more."
"Whatever you wish," I was so relieved that he was buying it.
* * *
"Do you think he bought it?"
Snape's expression was as blank as I had ever seen it. I valued his opinion concerning this matter. He had, after all, worked with Riddle more than I. "He seemed to," he replied, "But the Dark Lord has a way of deceiving his deceivers."
"And yet you continue to pull the wool over his eyes? How?"
He shrugged. "I suppose it is because some of my statements are backed by genuine emotion," he faced me, then, and met my gaze to convey the veracity of his words, "Make no mistake, Telarius... my life has not been nor probably will ever be good."
"Sometimes I feel as though I can relate."
"Were you downtrodden in your younger years as well?"
"Quite," I responded, "In muggle society, intelligence is valued and looked for in the more important positions. Scientists, programmers, engineers... people which have made muggle society as advanced as it is. In the earlier years, though, certain characteristics are seen with envy and jealousy. Most children, of course, wish to harm those they are envious of to heighten their own sense of self-worth and happiness. Aptitude with auditory learning, exceptional memory, and precise logical deduction are some of these characteristics."
"I see. And you had one of these characteristics when you were younger?"
"No. I had them all."
I enjoyed seeing Snape arch an eyebrow. "Were you some kind of child prodigy, then?"
"Goodness, no. I was just better than my peers. That was enough for them to justify their actions."
"Prejudice knows no bounds."
"You realize that we're dealing with another Hitler? If we fail in our task, we can pretty much kiss the muggles and muggle-born goodbye."
"Which is why we musn't fail."
I nodded in silent agreement. There was a lull in the conversation as we drew nearer to the castle. Snape broke the silence. "Why did you ask me if I thought he bought it? With your hyper-cognitive ability, I would think your lie would have been impenetrable by him."
"If I had proposed those plans in my hyper-cognitive mindset, then perhaps so."
"You didn't?"
"No. I came upon the idea during one of my hyper-cognitive trances, but I was not actually within that state when I gave my plan."
"Why should that matter? If you came up with the plan, shouldn't you still have it?"
I sighed. "Unfortunately, there seems to be some kind of separation between my hyper-cognitive mind and my normal one. What I discover while in that enhanced state of mental awareness and calculative perfection I do not remember fully when I leave that state. I would write it all down, but that would take more time than is safe with most of my calculations. The plan to propose to Riddle was one such calculation."
"So why didn't you just propel yourself into a hyper-cognitive state when you gave the plan?"
"Because I am tired."
My answer took him off guard. I took this opportunity to explain myself more completely. "The battle is to come soon, Snape. If I am to be at my best, then I must use my newfound ability sparingly, or risk not having enough energy to do the things which must be done when. It was a calculated risk. I deemed it highly improbable that Riddle would both find a fault in the plan and would have a way by which to disrupt my own."
"I see. Well, having no experience with your... ability, I shall respect your judgment. I do caution, though, that the Dark Lord might be more deceptive than you have calculated."
"Point taken and logged, Snape. It shouldn't matter, though. It'll all be over soon."
* * *
It was four days later. Night time. The moon was waning. I should have seen it coming. I didn't. If I am to be accused and convicted of anything... well, nevermind. I almost forgot the ears hearing my words.
I was meeting with Cordelia, Meriam, and Deanne that night. "So, you're saying that it'd be best to station them in the mountains to the north?" Meriam asked.
"Yes," I responded, "They have decent stamina and excellent speed. They should be more than capable of coming from the mountains to the battlefield in time to confront Riddle's ground forces."
"Won't they be winded?" Deanne inquired, her expression being more serious than I was used to seeing it.
"A little, but their staying power is great. They should be able to take out any land-based threat."
"I have a question," Cordelia interjected, "Where is Phillip?"
"I sent him to oversee the refurbishment of five British submarines for seige warfare. In actuality, his mission is to ensure that their only payload is starbursts... wonderfully flashy bits, they, giving the appearance of explosive rounds while having little of the actual damage capacity. They'll put on a good show, and my bet is Riddle isn't up on his muggle weaponry enough to tell the difference. This minimizes damage to the castle."
"Do we have a backup plan, in case Riddle secures submarines of his own with real artillery?" Cordelia proved once more that she was thorough.
"Indeed. Bombers. I don't have many as this was last minute... seven of them. These things can carry enough of a payload to destroy more submarines than the surface of that lake can hold."
"Who in the world are piloting these bombers?" Meriam asked.
"Students and others in the wizarding world that I can trust. They have taken a crash course in the operation of them, as their task is quite simple."
"Well, that takes care of the general war plan. What about us? What do you want us to do, specifically, during the battle?" Deanne asked.
"Excellent question, m'dear. Obviously, our goal is the destruction of Riddle. Each of you has a role to play toward that end. Well, save one," I turned to Meriam at that moment, "You are a great asset to our cause, and will continue to be one long after this battle is over. Your abilities do not lend themselves to combat. However, you can be in the hospital wing and help with the healing of the wounded as they come in. There will doubtless be wounded, and your visage would reassure them of their worth in this life."
"Cordelia, there is going to be too much distraction for you to get an accurate fix on any surface thoughts. Also, I'm certain most of these guys have been trained in Occlumancy. Any one of them is going to be hard to get through to on your part. Your goal should be Riddle. Attack him psychically as subtlely as possible. If he gets distracted enough to the point where you think you can take him out, go for it."
"You're assuming that I can psychically attack someone with no physical body," Cordelia pointed out.
"Are you saying you can't?" I asked.
"I can, but it is much more difficult. I'm not nearly as good at it."
"Do your best. That's all I ask."
"What about me?" Deanne asked.
I looked to her. "You are to stay by me at all times, awaiting my orders. Be at the ready for any number of the massively destructive spells that I've woven specifically for you. We have to be prepared for a worst case scenario."
At that moment, Snape burst into the room where we were meeting. "Telarius! The Death Eaters are holding some kind of ritual."
I arched an eyebrow in his direction. "A ritual? Snape, if they want to put on white robes and hoods and dance around a flaming cross, that's none of my concern. So why, I ask you, are you bringing this to my attention?"
He glared at me. "This ritual has some components to it that I thought might interest you. Things like flesh of a servant, given willingly..."
My eyes widened. "Aw hell!"
"What?" Cordelia asked.
"They're attempting to ressurect Riddle," I answered plainly, then turned to Snape, "But isn't one of the components the blood of an enemy, taken forcefully?"
Snape nodded. "And the ritual must be completed within a certain time after starting it."
"How much time?"
"Six hours."
"What does that mean?" Deanne asked, a worried expression on her face.
"It means that they're going to attack tonight, and soon!" I responded, hastily, "Quickly, we need to get our forces into position!"
As I gave this command, Cordelia doubled over, as if in pain. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
She did not respond. Instead, she lifted her head, and her pupils where dialated so much so that they covered even the whites of her eyes with darkness. "She's having a prophetic vision. I've seen this before in one of Trelawney's books," Snape commented.
"What do you see?" I asked her.
"Phillip... he's... oh no! Telarius, he's..."
I did not need anything else but that. I understood. Everything was clear. Of course they were attacking tonight. Riddle was going to eliminate the one threat he saw... and I gave him permission to do it.
"Make sure our forces are in place immediately. I must go. Phillip is in danger."