Chapter 7 – Behind Enemy Lines
June 15, 1936
James sat on the bench in the German beer hall. Sitting in a back corner, James felt surrounded by the boisterous crowd. To the outside observer the large, blonde-haired man seemed to be enjoying himself. Internally was a different story.
'How in Merlin's name did I let myself get dragged into this?' James thought. 'This is not my war! I did my duty. I should be at home with Sarah and Tommy.'
The reason for James's unease sat four tables away. Three men in matching black trench coats formed an island if calm in the crowded beer hall. They did not do anything overt to cause this pocket. It was simply who they were. Gestapo
Actually, if you wanted to get technical, only two were Gestapo. The third man was a wizard. He was one of Grindelwald's men. Grindelwald called his followers the Dark Army. To those outside the Gestapo, Dark Army members made up a special unit that operated on special cases. Charms performed on the Muggle members of the Gestapo ensured they would never talk about the magic used by the members of the Dark Army.
A primary difference between Grindelwald and Voldemort lay in their tactics. Voldemort used terror and guerilla attacks to take attempt to take control of magical Britain. Grindelwald used open-warfare with Muggle proxies doing much of the fighting and dying. The Dark Army provided wards and magical protections for the rebuilding Wehrmacht. Grindelwald's forces were not yet ready to make open war. Although many in the magical community knew the Dark Lord's ultimate goal, the various nations' magical ministries felt it was best to appease him for now.
The German MoM selected Grindelwald as Chancellor in 1932. How an English-born wizard became the German Minister of Magic was a mystery to James. Already known as a Dark Lord before his election, Grindelwald moved quickly to consolidate power 'for the good of the magical community'.
His ally, Hitler, mirrored Grindelwald's rise to power. Some in the British MoM believed Hitler was under an Imperius Curse. A team of Aurors did manage to get close to the Muggle leader at a Nazi rally. A wizard used Leglimancy and soon determined the Muggle was not under any magical control. He and Grindelwald were simple two evil men. Now their bullyboys worked together in their common cause.
Waiting calmly for an hour after the Gestapo men arrived, James casually rose from his seat. Taking his leave of his drinking companions, James walked out of the beer hall. James kept his Occlumency shields up as he past the three men. Using a trick he stole from Snape, James kept his cover persona on the outside of the shields. If the Dark Army wizard could use Legilimancy all he would read is a Muggle laborer's thoughts about getting home after drinking all night.
James never felt the tell-tale brush of Legilimancy. He kept the act up all the way to the Gasthaus he was staying at during his mission. As he made his way through the cool Munich spring night, James thought to himself again, 'Why did I agree to do this?'
Flashback: April 20, 1936
James sat in his office in the Phoenix Foundation reviewing a series of plans provided by Mrs. Catchbottom. James smiled fondly. The old witch ran the Foundation like it was her own domain. Since the witch was so competent it scary, James was happy to let her. The staff was happy and ran smoothly. The children seemed very happy also.
Every magical or squib orphan in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland had been offered a place in the orphanage. Professor Dippet allowed Mrs. Catchbottom, an old acquaintance, to review the Hogwart's Registry for any orphans, even the ones not attending Hogwarts due to age or any other reason. Several orphans from the Continent also moved over when they heard about the magical orphanage.
The Registry recorded the birth of all magical children. It tracked their locations while living within the British Isles. The Registry generated the Hogwart's letters sent to children on their 11th birthday.
Almost every magical orphan now resided at the Phoenix Foundation's orphanage. Only one Hogwart's Sixth year declined. James gathered the young wizard was in love with a Muggle girl in a local village and did not want to leave her.
James was amazed and saddened how many magical and squib orphans there really were. Many of the magical orphans were Muggle-born. Their Muggle families were unable to deal with their "freakishness" and abandoned them. The squib orphans were the reverse. Their pureblood families were embarrassed by having a squib in the family. The ones that really infuriated James "did it out of kindness" so they would not grow up jealous of their magical family.
Four hundred children from newborns to seventeen called the London orphanage home. It was actually more children then when Tommy was placed here. Another two hundred children of the primary school ages attended the magical day school. Mrs. Catchbottom gathered a team of House Elves for cooking and cleaning. The floors were magically expanded to provide more space then the outside would suggest.
Gathering the House Elves had been an experience for James. James found himself missing Dobby. Dobby was very excitable but he was also very devoted to Harry. He appreciated Harry's attempts at simply being Dobby's friend. The new elves however were freaked out by James's kindness to them. They were happy to be bound to the orphanage but acted terrified when James offered them a salary, clothing and days off. James figured he would work on them. In an unusual action for the usually silent founder of the Phoenix Foundation, James issued a memo stating that any employee mistreating a House Elf would be fired, and any student would be punished. James also prohibited the House Elves from punishing themselves.
James felt content. He and Sarah married on February 28th at the Potter Manor. Tommy served as James's Best Man. James snorted thinking again what Ron would have made of that development. Actually, Draco's reaction might have been even more amusing.
The wedding was a small event. Only Professor Dumbledore, the Potters, Sarah's closest friends and Mrs. Catchbottom attended. Sarah's mother refused to attend because of James's "half-blood" status. The old witch objected when they started dating, so the couple was not surprised.
Having his grandparents at his wedding made the day extra special for James. Growing up with no family, he never expected to get married with family in attendance. Tommy tried toad to the day by putting a big bow around Snuffles neck. The disgusted look on the dog's face brought peals of laughter to Tommy all through the reception.
A knock on his office door brought James out of his memories. "Come in!" James called.
An attractive woman in her mid-forties entered the office. "Two men are here to see you, Mr. Evans. They don't have an appointment, but they are quite insistent."
"Send them in, Elizabeth," James smiled. Then he mock-yelled at her, "And I told you to call me James!"
The woman smiled and said, "I would not want your wife to think the wrong things!" Then she was gone. James just grinned at her back.
A moment later, she returned with two men in Muggle clothing. Some part of James recognized them as wizards, but he had rarely seen non-Muggleborn wizard wearing Muggle clothing that correctly or comfortably.
James rose to greet them. "Gentlemen, I understand you asked to speak to me?"
One of the men glanced at Elizabeth. "May we speak to you alone?"
James glanced at Elizabeth and nodded. The secretary quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door.
"Please be seated."
The men sat in the indicated chairs while James sat back behind his desk. James asked, "What may I help you with?"
The man who had not yet spoken drew his wand and cast privacy charms. James did not recognize the charms. Then he turned to James and said, "Please put your wand away, Mr. Evans. We are just here to talk."
James put his wand away but kept the Portkey in his hand hidden from view. He could be gone with a word. "Again, gentlemen, how may I help you?"
"We represent the Ministry. We need your skills on a mission of national importance."
James leaned back in his chair and considered the two wizards. Both men were mid-sized and dark-haired. Neither man had any remarkable features or identifying marks. "What do the Unspeakables need with me?"
The men did not react to James's identification of their department. "You have attracted our interest Mr. Evans on several levels. You apparently arrived here on June 16, 1934 in Hogsmeade. We can find no record of your existence anywhere prior to that date. No entry permits, no bank records, nothing.
You deposited almost 20 million Galleons with Gringotts, bought a house and started this Foundation. You also adopted a young boy. You took your NEWTS and managed to impress Madam Marchbanks. You made enemies of the Malfoys and befriended the Potters and Professor Dumbledore. You also made an impressive dueling presentation to our law enforcement brethren."
James kept himself neutral during this presentation. "They did not seem very impressed."
The wizard allowed a small smirk to violate his face. "You rubbed their noses in their weakness. They are used to criminals fear to keep them from fighting back."
James simply nodded at this observation.
The silence lasted for several seconds. Then the second wizard spoke, "You have admirable self-control. You also have the strongest mental shields I have ever come across."
Again, James simply waited.
"We would like to recruit you for a mission," the first wizard commented.
James raised an eyebrow, "A mission?"
"The Ministry sent a team of Aurors to Germany to arrest the Dark Lord Grindelwald. The Ministry assumed twenty Aurors could handle one Dark Lord. They never even got close to him."
James nodded, "I heard about the failed attempt. I also heard they were sent to Dachau. That was at Christmastime."
Neither wizard seemed surprised at James's knowledge. "We would like you to join a team to extract them."
"Why me?"
"You have the skills necessary for an Unspeakable already. Your dueling skills are very impressive. You can also blend in with Muggles with ease and understand their world. You have tight mental shields and keep your secrets well."
The other wizard added, "We also can help you with some research you have been doing."
"Ah, the carrot," James snorted.
"Yes," the Unspeakable acknowledged. "You have a ready made cover. No government would sponsor an agent to appear a philanthropist. You would live your own life and only respond to specific operations that would require your skills. We would also ask for you to help train other Unspeakables."
James considered this. Mentally placing a bet, he asked, "And what is the stick?"
"A temporal disruption occurred near Hogsmeade. On the very day, you arrived there, in fact. We can't have people mucking up the timeline now can we?"
James narrowed his eyes slightly.
The wizard added, "One of the main purposes of the Department of Mysteries is to watch for dark wizards attempting to change the past. We noticed your arrival and watched. Something about the signature of your arrival held us back."
Suddenly, James burst out laughing. "That was where he got it! Aberforth Dumbledore is one of you!"
The second wizard nodded, "His signature on the disruption told us he approved your trip. We will not ask why, although we assume it had something to do with the boy. It is also another reason why we chose you. Aberforth is an excellent agent. If he selected you for an assignment, you must be capable"
James snickered, "It also explains why my former Headmaster was able to acquire a TimeTurner for a Third year student looking to take some extra classes." The Unspeakables looked shocked for the first time. That seemed a frivolous use of such a magical item. James grinned at their first rue response since entering his office.
Then James asked, "What do you know of the spell Aberforth used to send me back here?"
The first Unspeakable shrugged, "Honestly, no we don't. We don't have the magic today to duplicate his feat. Our furthest back to date is two weeks."
The second Unspeakable asked," Have you considered the implications of your actions?"
His fellow agent waved the question away. "Now is not the time for that conversation. It always makes me want to have a drink in my hand."
James nodded his agreement but mentally reminded himself to have that conversation later. "Obviously, I cannot talk to my wife about this," James commented.
"True"
"Who else would know about my status?" James asked.
"No one outside the DoM. By the way, we pronounce it doom. An inside joke."
"Are Unspeakables allowed to have a sense of humor?"
The two Unspeakables glanced at each other. Then one answered, "We laugh at the rest of the Ministry all of the time. It keeps us sane."
James murmured, "Well, we have that in common anyway." Looking at the two men, James said, "I will have to think about it, gentlemen. I have fought my war. I am not sure I can go back into another one. I just want a peaceful life."
The two Unspeakables rose from their seats. "Please don't think about it for too long, Mr. Evans. We have twenty Aurors counting on us to get them out of Dachau." The wizard who cast the privacy charms brought them down again. "We will be in touch, Mr.s Evans." Then he dropped a small piece of parchment on James's desk. The two wizards walked out.
James picked up the parchment. It was a list of the twenty Aurors captured by Grindelwald. Glancing through the list, James noticed several familiar names from his training seminar. Then he reached a very familiar name, Alistor Moody.
James cursed himself. He was going to Germany. Damn his 'saving people thing'!
The following weeks passed in a blur.
The original two Unspeakables from his office met James on his first morning. They Portkeyed into a secure conference room. They provided James with a plain grey robe and a silver necklace.
One of the two wizards explained. "The necklace protects your identity when you are outside the DoM. No one outside DoM will know of your status. You will sign a magically binding contract to prevent you from ever disclosing another Unspeakable's identity without their permission. You will also not be able to discuss DoM assignments or magic without permission from a supervisor-level Unspeakable."
James nodded. "I understand. Would that mean you are both supervisor level?" he asked in an innocent tone. His only reply was a smirk.
"We will be using you as a 'floater'. This means you will be assigned to different teams depending on mission needs. You will need to choose a codename to be used within the Ministry."
James thought for a second. After Harry became an Animagus, Mooney gave Harry a Marauder name. "My friends gave me a name; I would like to use that. They called me 'The Count'."
The two Unspeakables seemed surprised by the odd codename but had no objection to it. James spent the next five hours being briefed on the workings of the Department of Mysteries.
Before they left, the first Unspeakable said, "You may call me Able,"
The second chimed in, "And I am Cain."
The next day, James went to the Ministry to work with the rest of the extraction team. The team James would be working together for more then five years. The team leader was known as Alex. The other team members were Bill, Charlie, Don and Fred. (Ed was lost on an earlier mission.) James snorted when he met the team. It sounded like something out of one of Uncle Vernon's Cold War spy novels.
James examined his new team. Alex was a tall, blonde man with a runner's build. Bill appeared his exact opposite; short, dark and bulky. Charlie was the only female on the team. The petite brunette's looks and manners screamed of a pampered, pureblood upbringing. Something about her made James convinced she was the most dangerous of the team. Don would have been called a science geek in another time. Instead, he was adept at enchanting objects and ward-breaking. Skinny and pale, Don looked like he spent too much time in the research lab. Fred was an older wizard who looked like a librarian. He seemed very fussy about his clothes.
Alex approached James first, "So you are 'The Count'? Where did that come from?"
In a bland manner, James answered, "Teaching little children." 'Ha, let him catch that reference!' James thought.
Alex smiled at the non-answer. "We'll just call you Vlad." Alex turned to the rest of the team. "Everyone, meet the Count."
James nodded, "It is nice to meet you all."
Bill asked, "They sent us a newbie? Kid can't be more then eighteen years old! This mission is too dangerous to be hold some snotie's hand."
James looked at the Unspeakable and allowed part of his aura to show. "I have been actively fighting Dark wizards since I was eleven. I killed a Dark Lord at seventeen. I agree, I am not a secret agent. I am a solder. I am also a bit older then I look."
Fred placed a calming hand on Bill's shoulder, "I beg your pardon, forgive my friend's rudeness. We lost a long-time team member recently and it is unusual to get a replacement just prior to a mission."
For all of his polite tones, James could tell Fred was nervous also. "I understand. I am the last of my team. I know what it is like to see team members lost."
Alex interrupted, "The Count was recruited directly into the DoM by Cain and Abel. I have never heard of that before. He was never an Auror and skipped training."
The team members looked at James with renewed interest.
Bill mused, "You must be okay then." He nodded a grudging acceptance.
Charlie walked up to James and wrapped her hands around his bicep. "Ignore them. Welcome to the team."
James smiled and thanked her for his welcome. Her tone reminded James of a blending of Lavender and Pansy. That was not a good sign.
The rest of the morning was spent in a briefing on the mission. James learned that the concentration camp was built on the site of a munitions factory from the Muggle Great War (World War I) about ten miles from Munich. It currently held about 3,000 prisoners. Many of them were Hitler and Grindelwald's political prisoners with Gypsies and homosexuals making up the rest. Excluding the British Aurors, the DoM estimated thirty magical prisoners were held at the camp.
James was surprised to learn that not many Jews populated the camp. A little research of James indicated that the widespread gathering of the Jews would not start for another eighteen months. Right now, the pressure was more social. The only Jews present in the camp today had been convicted of violating the 1935 Nuremberg Laws.
The plan called for the team to infiltrate into Germany in pairs. The entire team would portkey to the Paris as tourists. There they would split up. Alex and Charlie would make their way to Munich via rail. James and Fred would follow on the same path two days later. Bill and Don would go to Switzerland and make their way to Munich via back roads. The team would not use magic unless it was necessary.
Once in Munich, Alex and Charlie would be responsible for gathering intelligence on the current conditions of the camp. The team would assemble at a designated Gasthaus. The team would infiltrate the camp and make their way to where the Aurors were held. The team would provide each of the Aurors with general-use wands. The wands would not be as powerful as their personal wands, but would be better then nothing. Once the team and the Aurors exited the camp and the expected wards, they would Portkey out of Germany.
The next three days consisted of the team preparing for their mission. James and Fred agreed to travel as father and son. Fred was in his mid-forties and James would dress to make himself look younger. Although James estimated he was almost twenty, he really could still pass as a younger teenager. His smaller size and green eyes made that impression.
A couple rounds of dueling increased the team's respect for James. James held off Alex and Bill for over twenty minutes. James dodged most of the spells fired on him. It ended when James cast a Reducto with a stunner just after it. The first spell hit Bill's shield. The shield held up to the Reducto but had temporarily weakened enough for the trailing stunner to sneak through it. The shield weakened the Stunner enough that Bill never lost consciousness, but it did take him out of the fight.
Holding off Alex and Bill impressed the team. Taking Bill out of the fight surprised them. James did not reveal all of his dueling skills or powers to the team. Intensive training with Moody, Shacklebolt and several others played a large part of James's ability. The connection to Voldemort provided the rest of the explaination.
While developing his Occlumency and Legilimancy, Harry learned to enter the Dark Lord's mind. To use the Muggle term, Harry was able to download a great deal of knowledge from Voldemort's mind. Harry spent two weeks in a coma-like state while his mind processed the sudden influx of data. This was the "power the Dark Lord knows not". Fortunately, Harry only downloaded information, not actual memories. Living with the memories of Voldemort's crimes would have been too much.
The influx of knowledge, coupled with Harry's specialized training, made the difference in the Final Battle. In a pure power comparison, Harry had roughly the same power as Dumbledore and Voldemort. However, their gifts took on slightly different forms. Dumbledore was a Master at Transfiguration. Voldemort concentrated on Potions and Dark Magic. Harry's reflexes and magic made him a Master Dueler. The "download" allowed Harry to bypass the fifty-year difference in knowledge. Their differences did the rest.
James returned to Hogsmeade after the final day of team training. The Unspeakable team worked together in a smooth, effortless manner. Each of them knew their responsibilities with little or no discussion. The team seemed to have accepted James personally, but James could feel where his presence caused a disruption in their teamwork. Bill in particular seemed to resent the disruption. James understood. In the field is not the place to work out the kinks of a new team member.
Alex released the team on Friday just after lunch with instructions to meet back at the Ministry by 7:00 on Monday morning for the first leg of the mission. Although James slept at home all week, he looked forward to spending the weekend with Tommy and Sarah. Unfortunately, only Snuffles was home t greet him.
Sarah was at St. Mungo's working a rotation in the Pediatric Ward. Her time there as a medi-witch served her well. Knowing the various Healers personally helped her move through the Healer program smoothly. Because of this and her previous experience, she would be completing the program in only five more months.
Tommy started taking his lessons at his former orphanage. Now renamed The Phoenix Center, it bore little resemblance to the place Tommy knew. The buildings were cleaned up and upgraded with the latest magical and Muggle conveniences. Many of the completely Muggle children moved to other orphanages as the magical and squib orphans moved in. Tommy used the floo to travel to and from school everyday for the last week. James arranged Tommy's attendance for social reasons. Tommy dealt well with adults. He needed to work well with other children his own age.
Tommy's acceptance of returning to his old orphanage did concern James and Sarah. Sarah took Tommy to visit the school during one of James's meetings. Although Tommy acted nervous before they arrived, he quickly settled down as the changes captured his attention. Not one of the former staff remained from Tommy's time there. Staff hired by the Phoenix Foundation had replaced all of them. Tommy particularly enjoyed the electricity experiment using a Muggle lightning rod connected to a power meter. The teacher used his wand to shoot lightning bolts at the rod.
Making his way into the empty house, James started to pack his trunk for the trip. James pulled out his battle robes and shook them out. Professor Dumbledore acquired them for Harry's seventeenth birthday. They arrived via owl at Privet Drive just as Harry, Ron and Hermione prepared for their Horcrux Hunt. The dragonhide robes protected from many minor hexes. It would also resist penetration by Muggle bullets or other weapons. The robes could only be removed voluntarily by the wearer or by a designated Healer. A charm on them also prevented the robes from getting caught or tangling up.
James started dinner and then moved to what used to be his potions lab. Sarah took over the lab after she moved in. James thought she equaled Snape in her knowledge (But was much nicer to look at.) James held all of Voldemort's potions knowledge but understood he lacked the flair or instincts that made a true Potions Master. Sarah did have that spark. She was delighted with the complete lab James built, but he quickly conceded ownership to his new wife. (Sarah did look at him a little funny when he mumbled something about refusing to give up the remote though.)
James gathered up an assortment of potions included Polyjuice and healing. The Unspeakables would be issuing the team equipment and supplies. However James wanted to ensure that he had enough. Besides, having some advantages no one knew about saved his life several times in the war with Voldemort.
A chime sounded through the house announcing someone arriving via Floo. Snuffles jumped up from his patch of sun and ran to the living room. James heard Tommy yell out, "NO SNUFFLES!", followed by a loud crash.
James walked into the living room to find the young boy trapped under the large dog. Snuffles was wagging his tail happily and licking Tommy's face. For his part, Tommy was torn between laughing at Snuffle's antics and being angry at the coating of dog slobber he was receiving. James did not feel torn at all.
Tommy did not realize James was home until hearing his uncle's laughter at his predictament. Tommy rolled over and forced himself to his feet. Snuffles backed off and gave Tommy an insolent doggie grin. Tommy's glare bounced right of the furry monster. James laughed even harder when Tommy turned his disgusted glare at his uncle.
"Thanks for the help."
James settled down enough to answer, "I would never want to get between a boy and his dog."
Tommy scowled at Snuffles again. "He is not a dog! He is a furry menace. All week when I get home from school he jumps me like that!"
"In a year and a half you will start Hogwarts. Then you won't have to worry about it." Tommy brightened at that reminder. At least until James finished. "However when you get home for breaks he may have built it all up."
Tommy glared at his adopted father but the humor of the situation danced in his eyes. "You are a bad man, Uncle Jimmy."
James smirked back, "I know. Come on, you can help me with dinner and tell me about your day at school. I stopped at Honeydukes today also."
Tommy grinned and followed his uncle into the kitchen.
Dinner was a resounding success. James made Sarah's favorite meal. He finished cooking two minutes before she arrived home. After a long day at the hospital, finding dinner ready was a relief. It also made her suspicious.
"What is wrong, James?" she asked after the meal was finished. Tommy stopped where he was clearing the dishes and looked at his uncle.
James sighed. "I should have known you would catch on. I have to go away for a few weeks."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you exactly. I was asked to help out some people in trouble."
"What kind of trouble, Uncle Jimmy?"
"I can't say, Tommy. I had to swear an Oath." James looked at his wife. "I have to do this. I couldn't say no."
Sarah leaned back in her chair. James could see the conflicting emotions play across her face. "Why you?"
James shrugged, "My background, my experience. It caught some people's attention. They realized they needed some help."
A resigned expression came across Sarah's face. "Does this have to do with that new Dark Lord in Germany?"
James shook his head, "I can't answer that."
"Which means yes." Sarah sighed, "I knew when we married that you loved to act the paladin. You can't sit at home and let things happen. You need to get involved."
"All I want is peace. I don't want to have to do this," James insisted.
Sarah reached across the table and took James's hand. "I know you want peace. But if you smell trouble, you have to go fight it. It is who you are."
James started to shake his head as if to resist her words. Then she added, "Under any name," in a significant tone of voice.
"I think I am supposed to be convincing you, not the other way around," James said with a small smile.
"It just shows who is smarter," Tommy chimed in. Sarah simply smiled.
James groaned, "I am outnumbered. Traitor!"
The first part of the mission passed without incident. The team assembled in a DoM conference room. Dressed in their Muggle disguises, James was impressed with how… normal the team appeared. No one would ever suspect them of being a highly skilled and dangerous team of Unspeakables.
A Portkey took them to a official French entry point. The team divided into its two person elements and went their separate directions. Each stayed at a different hotel except for Alex and Charlie. They made their way to the Muggle train station immediately for passage into Germany.
James had never spent time in Paris in either time. In his role as Fred's seventeen-year-old son, it was perfectly natural for him to tour the city. They did have two days to kill until they started their trip. James enjoyed roaming the canals and museums of the City of Light. He also enjoyed sitting in the cafés watching the Parisians go about their day.
The city had a nervous energy. The actions of Nazi German concerned the common Frenchmen. James often heard comments about it. The people were concerned but maintained a faith in the government to protect them. In 1930, the French government started building the Maginot Line. The line extended along the German-French border. New construction had recently started when Belgium declared itself neutral. The majority of the people seemed to feel safe with the line of forts protecting their border.
James just sat silently and kept his opinions to himself. Who would believe him about how quickly the Germans would defeat the line. Even its detractors figured on a period of weeks or months. The idea of Germany invading the Low Countries first was never even mentioned.
It reminded James of the faith the magical community placed in its government before the second war with Voldemort. Everyone sat back and calmly accepted that the government would win the war and the Boy-Who-Lived would kill Voldemort.
At the appropriate time, James and Fred boarded the train. They were traveling under the identities of Anthony Thomas and his son Michael. James acted the role of a slightly sullen teenager being forced to do something. Basically, he simply behaved like he did in his Fifth year at Hogwarts.
The crossing into Germany passed without incident. At the boarder, German border guards inspected everyone's papers. Although the guards did not wear the Nazi armband, the banners hung off the customs building.
Neither James nor Fred used any active magic as they crossed the border. Members of the Dark Army monitored the border crossings for foreign wizards. Foreign wizards registered their wands for German Ministry tracking. Tracking charms were often used to follow suspicious visitors. Since they were entering as Muggles, the team needed to slip past the border without attracting any magical notice. All of their magical items, including their wands, were packed into Muggle trunks lined with suppression charms to eliminate their magical signature.
Two of the border guards passed the compartment James and Fred sat in. Fred read a copy of a French newspaper. James was reading a copy of a German tourist guide on the Bavarian Alps. James could feel the magical scan as the guards passed by. One of them was obviously a wizard. James made a subtle motion to warn Fred. Fred passed an acknowledgement. An outside observer would not have noticed the communication.
The train passed smoothly through the German countryside towards Munich. James noticed a great deal of construction everywhere he looked. At one point they crossed over a large road project. James asked the car steward about the project.
"It is called the Auto-bahn. Cars will be able to move quickly all through the Fatherland." James noticed the pride in the German's voice at this pronouncement. As a Muggle-raised, Harry had heard of the German auto-bahn. He had not known it was first built under the Nazis.
James snorted with disgust. 'Something else we should have covered rather then Goblin rebellions in History of Magic. I should have brought some Muggle history texts back with me.'
The train entered the station in Munich without issue. James exited the train and openly stared at everything. As a teenage tourist, he would be expected to do exactly that. The old German architecture was breathtaking. The remains of the old city wall still formed a gate entering the old part of the city. James was finding he enjoyed seeing places outside of Britain. The only thing ruining this trip was the number of Nazi SS that seemed to inundate the streets.
James and Fred made their way to their designated Gasthaus. They passed the one assigned to Alex and Charlie. They passed it and stepped into another one just up the street. After checking in, they made their way to their room.
Once the door was shut, Fred whispered into James's ear. "A and C did not display the all clear signal."
James looked at the older Unspeakable with a question on his face.
"I will go over tonight to check on them. You will stay here." Fred waited until James nodded his acceptance.
Although he did not like it, James understood. Playing these games of sneaking around was not his greatest skill. The rest of the team trained more on gathering intelligence and completing their mission then magical combat. They prided themselves on completing their assignments without ever having to fight. James was included because they did not expect to be able to get away without fighting this time. He was only here as magical muscle.
The two Unspeakables went out for a walk through town, followed by dinner. Fred then made a show of ordering "Michael" back to their rooms. James played his role of the reluctant teenager, then sulked his way back to the room.
In all honesty, James did not have a hard time with the roll. Fred was excluding him from taking part as a full member of the team. Being ordered back to the room highlighted Fred's opinion of James's inclusion on the mission.
An hour later, James gave thanks he stayed behind. A sudden commotion occurred in the street below. A serried of flashes of light appeared in the Gasthaus where Alex and Charlie were to stay.
James left the curtains down on the windows. A glance through a crack revealed a number of German police cars gathering in the street. James noticed the colors of many of the flashes coming through the Gasthaus window. Most were red, but some were green.
James felt his stomach clinch. Stunners and Killing Curses. Oddly enough, James realized the Light wizard was throwing the Unforgivable. The Dark Army wizards wanted to question Fred thus they were using the Stunners. The flashes all turned green for a moment and then everything went dark in the inn.
James knew there was nothing he could do for Fred. James opened his trunk and put on his battle robes. Then he transfigured them to look like Muggle clothing in the German style. He placed a wand holster on each forearm. Into the holster went his wand and a backup. They were brother wands.
After killing Voldemort, Harry had picked up the wand as a trophy. It symbolized something important to Harry. Some part of his brain also did not want the Ministry getting a hold of it. Those idiots would put it on display. Some new pureblood Dark Lord, looking to take up Voldemort's mantle would acquire it. It would become a new rallying point; a talisman of their fallen dark leader. The wand went into Harry trunk, wrapped in a dirty sock until Harry arrived in the past.
On a whim, James started with dueling with both wands. Casting the same spell simultaneously through both wands allowed James to channel more power into the spell. He could also engage multiple targets at the same time by pointing the wands at separate targets.
A number of potions went into a small pouch on his waist. A special flask went into his pants pocket. Then he gathered up his and Fred's trunks. A shrinking charm saw them stowed quickly into his pockets.
Before stepping out the door, James took a quick drink out of the flask. In a moment a two-meter tall, sandy-blonde haired man of about thirty stood. James picked up several hairs from various Muggles during the trip. James selected them for being random body-types, although all of them came from genetic stock the current German regime would not have issues.
The Polyjuice potion in the flask came from a special recipe found in one of Snape's notebooks. The man had been a major git, but he did know his potions. This formula allowed the user to last for four hours between sips. The advantage was obvious. A user under observation could last far longer then any observer 'knew' Polyjuice should last.
James never figured out why this potion was never given to either Dumbledore or Voldemort. Maybe Snape saved it for his own use. The notebook indicated Snape tried the potion on himself and several unsuspecting Hufflepuffs during detentions. After the test, the Potions Master Oblivated the students of their experience.
James quietly made his way out of the Gasthaus. James stepped into the night street and disappeared under his Invisibility Cloak. Skills learned sneaking around Hogwarts returned. To an observer, James appeared to step into a shadow and never emerge. No one observed his departure to appreciate this skill.
James made his way through the crowded German street. The night spent in the beer hall had proven fruitful. Using one of his remaining Extendable Ears, James over heard the conversation between the Gestapo and Dark Army members in the hall.
It seemed that Alex and Charlie were noticed during a random sweep of the train passengers. Dark Army operatives tracked them to their Gasthaus. They were captured as they approached the concentration camp at Dachau. The German wizards left magic detectors on their room. Fred set them off on his entry. James learned that Fred died from an AK when he refused to be captured. Since their conversation centered on the fight with Fred, James did not hear what happened to the other two team members.
James settled into his bed in a new inn. It dealt with working class Germans rather then tourists. It reminded James something of Knockturn Alley. No one was going to ask questions here.
Bill and Don were not due to reach the area for another three days. When they arrived, the camp was supposed to be completely investgated. James did not know if Bill would continue the mission. With Alex gone, Bill was the new team lead.
'Whatever team there is left,' James thought sarcastically.
James decided to make his way to the camp tomorrow during the day. If it seemed clear he would investigate closer. Maybe by the time the others arrived, James would have the information they needed to decide.
James lay back in his blankets and thought of Tommy and Sarah. He missed being home. A teenage Harry would never have pictured this. Raising the child He-Who-Must-Not-Be-A-Dark-Lord and married. He had a home and a family.
Then something happened James had not felt in a long time. He felt something through his scar. The curse scar given during the murder of his parents had been dormant since the death of Lord Voldemort. But now James felt something.
It was faint. Given the distance, James realized it must be intense for him to feel it all the way in Germany. But this was something James had never felt through his scar before.
It was joy. Tom Marvolo Riddle was happy.
Wondering what was happening back in Hogsmeade, James Evans fell asleep with a smile on his face.
A/N (1): The information on Dachau primarily came from the US Holocaust Museum's web site.
A/N(2): This chapter was not included in my original plan for this story. This chapter is for all of the reviewers who requested more 'Harry v. Grindelwald/Nazis'. The story will continue to focus on the relationship of James and Tommy. It will also include Tom Riddle's Hogwarts career.
Questions for consideration:
1) Why is James's Marauder name The Count? (The next chapter will answer this.)
2) Why is Tommy so happy?
Page 21 of 21
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