Secrets and Masks

42. With war, comes sacrifice

4th July;

Utilitarianism follows the belief that the right course of action is the one that causes the greatest good for the greatest number of people. That's it. Plain and simple.

Utilitarianism doesn't care about morality, or feelings, or a persons soul, its only concern was the end game. If ten people were trapped in a burning building, it would be justified - encouraged, even - to let four burn to save the remaining six. It doesn't matter how horrendous or gruesome an act is. If it saved the lives of many, then it was worth it, no matter the price the fewer had to pay.

Since the first time she'd killed, Hermione had adopted that belief. No, she hadn't merely adapted it. She'd clung to it. Cried herself to sleep with it. Conditioned herself to think that taking one life was justified if it saved two. But, as the town of Bradford lay burning around her, as the corpses of muggle soldiers fell to the floor after being hit with curses she'd cast, as wizards pawed at their own throats because she'd slit them open, Hermione started to question that belief.

She knew she needed to be under the Demon Hex, it was the only way Malfoys plan was going to work.

Killing was a horrendous act, but it was necessary. It was going to save thousands of lives, millions. Being under the Hex and killing would cast the illusion that Malfoy was still loyal to Voldemort. It would distract Voldemort, make him think he could trust Malfoy, accuse every other Death Eater of betraying him and while his back was turned, Malfoy could stab him in it.

Yes, in these circumstances, killing really was for the best. Sacrifice was for the best. But it didn't mean it broke Hermione's heart any less to do it. Didn't mean it didn't crush her soul - just that little bit more every time - when she snuffed the life out of another person.

With war, came sacrifice. The Order knew that. Kingsley had accepted that. He'd agreed to sacrifice a few soldiers to secure the survival of the rest of the Order, sacrifice a few pawns to draw out the oppositions Queen so they could slaughter her and win the game later on.

This raid of the Order's base in Bradford was the first of those sacrifices.

A hostage had given Yaxley the location after a few hours of torture, and although Malfoy had tipped Kingsley off the night before about the impending attack, people were still going to die. An obscene amount of people.

Voldemort was sending too many of his soldiers, and he wanted Narcissa to be utilised too. Kingsley simply didn't have the resources to get everyone - and all the medical supplies and weapons being held there - out before the raid started.  So, he was sacrificing a handful of brave soldiers to hold back Voldemort's army while they got their vital equipment out, and later, when Voldemort realised the Order must have known about the attack beforehand, Malfoy was going to pin the leak on Scabior.

Sacrificing a few of his own soldiers to whittle down the Dark Lord's army was a price Kingsley had agreed to pay. Hermione suspected that he was hiding that information from Harry. There was no way he would ever agree if he knew.

Narcissa was being used as a surprise tactic, so after Malfoy had found a place to hide her in Bradford - and after he'd put Hermione under the Demon Hex and Apparated her to the rendezvous point where Theo and the Death Eaters were waiting - he went back into hiding with his dragon. Biding his time.

The battle had been going well for the Order to begin with. They'd brought in tanks and helicopters, and they'd made short work of most of the Black Masks Voldemort had sent, but as soon as Malfoy and Narcissa had soared onto the field, the Order's chances were slashed to nothing. As soon as the soldiers had heard that ominous clapping of reptilian wings, as soon as they'd seen the demonic horns of the fighter sitting between the dragons' shoulders, the change in them was instant. They started to panic - some of them even apparated away, too scared to risk being on the same battlefield as a dragon and a demon.