Eunoia | Sirius Black

|80|

Whitehall, London, 1980
July 18th, tense and terse

We don't have a chance to talk it out the next day because of an Order mission that required a team to go deep in Knockturn Alley. 

I wasn't going due to my assistance being required for another issue at hand in the Ministry. 

"So, you have been preparing for the required courses a Minister learns?"

"I have," I tell Griselda Marchbanks. "I learned every course for W.O.M.B.A.T.S."

"Advanced?"

"Advanced, applied and core." I nod.

"You realise you will only be able to stand in elections after the age of 19?" Asks Brunhilde Strokke, a mean woman who had been scrutinising me for over fifteen minutes now.

"I will be 19 soon and I need to start preparing now."

"The current Minister of Magic Harold Minchum might stay for a very long time, lassie."

I sigh, "I am well aware, but we can never know for sure. This war has had Ministers either leave or be executed within months, I am pretty sure I will get a chance to stand in elections soon enough."

Brunhilde gasps and Griselda snorts. Elphias Doge, who has been quiet for some time now speaks up, "Give her a moment, Strokke. She's more dedicated than any candidate I have seen in a while now. Who can we ask for your paperwork and details for, Lass?"

"Alastor Moody," I answer with a smile, this went better than expected. "Head Auror, I work directly under him. For recommendation, you might ask Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's my mentor."

Doge nods, "You may leave now. We will be discussing this among ourselves."

I exhale sharply as I stand up from my seat and speedwalk out the door. I am smiling like an idiot by the time I reach the Auror training area, but the bliss is short-lived.

"What's going on?"

Gideon who was standing nearest to me sighs, "There's been an attack in Diagon Alley. Half the shops were blasted, they say the Death Eaters are still there. We need to leave immediately."

"No, you don't."

Moody's sudden voice startles me and Gideon and I nearly jump. We know it's a bad move because the next moment Moody shouts, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

We grimace but he doesn't rejoice in our embarrassment. "Prewett, you go nowhere." He says. "Hawke, you will be heading the strategists in Knockturn."

"But sir —" 

"Did I stuttur, Prewett?" Moody looked back with a scowl. 

"No, sir." Gideon gulped.

"NOW, Hawke." 

I nearly stop breathing he is that intimidating. As we walk towards the floo place, I see there is no sign of my husband. Either he already left or he isn't coming. Both scenarios make me stress. 

The green flame spat us out on the dusty floor of Magical Menagerie. Turning away from the hooting owls and clawing kneazles, my team and I run out only to nearly fall to our knees. 

Diagon Alley is as good as Dead. No human was in sight except for a few streets away where noises as loud as those screeching owls were ringing. Paulina Proudfoot who'd been sent to protect us suspected that was one of the places where the shop was lit on fire with wizards and witches still inside. 

"Well, I was thinking I might as well nick sweet Butterscotch from Fortescue's but I reckon we can't anymore. It's all shutdown!" 

"Keep your hair on." I snap. "Stop trundling and hurry, for crying out loud! It's like flogging a dead horse."

Shops bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Bellatrix Lestrange was sneering from the front of Flourish and Bott's. A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, several shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street.

Passerbys were very few but there, especially now that the new school year would be starting soon enough. The reminder gave a sharp pang in my heart. There were death eaters in Hogwarts, so many children's lives were at risk. 

We walk on sly feet, making hardly any noise at all as our cloaks swish behind us. Walking inside an apothecary nearest to the entrance of Knockturn Alley, we gather in a circle around the counter. 

The shop is owned by one of the Order members who is currently fighting in Knockturn despite the fact that it could alter his entire business and life. 

Brave, strong people surrounded us. I acknowledged my team, "I expect you all to follow my orders without a single alteration."

There are nods so I continue, "Firstly, we do a two-tiered attack. Giving a sense of false security whilst ambushing them. They will run from one area to another, considering it safe but it wouldn't be. Because dullers will be gathered there to attack what is left of the Death Eaters."

"What is our job?" Asked John Dawlish, one of the senior members. 

"Our job is to be backup duellers," I tell him. "But that comes second. As strategists, we need to prepare proper positions for the ambush. We need to construct a well-laid plan of how and where we're going to provide the false security. Where the attacks need to take place."

"Do we send a patronus?" Asks Berrycloth. 

"No," I answer him. "Moody has provided us with better methods of communication. Remember, this isn't approved by the Minister, it is only temporary so none of us report about this. Have I made myself clear?"

I take out a few chip-like brass tokens. Dumbledore had found these in the Come and Go room, from what he says is the Room where everything is hidden. These were originally for the Order missions, hence why Minister approval was never sent. 

I placed one in the hands of every member, telling them how it works. "They attach themselves to your temple and connect to the other tokens by visualising the person you wish to speak to."

"William." John Dawlish tries to experiment. 

"Ow." William Berrycloth winces. "It's like a little jab in the brain, but I heard his voice in my mind."

"It's all good then." I nod. "You will communicate with other strategists that are fighting alongside the duellers. You will tell them the acquired positions and they will pass it on."

"Are you even qualified to lead this?" Aesop Sharp scoffs. "This is clearly not a foolproof plan."

"I don't remember you scoring even close to what I did in your training, Sharp." I scowl. "In fact, what I do remember is you nearly being shoved out of the Ministry because of how you were a load of tosh during every duel you had to do. So, don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs."

Everybody is silent for a moment and I take it to my advantage, "Clearly, none of you has full trust in me. So, I'll go first. I am meeting the rest of the strategist team that is situated inside the Knockturn. You will all follow my instructions and come out when I instruct you to. Understood?"

There is a chorus of 'yes' and satisfied, I move out. I am cat silent as I sprint to the alley. However, reaching there, I realise that the strategists have long been found out.