The Rise of the God-Emperor

CH 95: The Little Red Book

The afternoon sun bathed the Hogwarts grounds in a warm golden glow, casting long shadows across the stone corridors. Inside the castle, however, a peculiar tension hung in the air. In the War Room, Harry was seated at the large central table, flipping through one of his many notebooks while Luna sat across from him, quietly observing with her usual serene expression. There was a rare peace that had settled over the castle after the nullification attack was deflected, but Harry could never stay at ease for long—there was always something looming.

The door creaked open slightly, and a small figure hesitated at the entrance. Harry looked up, surprised to see a second-year student, a girl named Kyla. She clutched something in her hands, her face a mix of nerves and uncertainty.

"Erm, excuse me, Harry," she said softly, stepping further into the room. "I... I found something. It fell when that... thing, that machine, bounced back. I thought you might want to see it."

Harry stood up, a curious frown on his face. "What is it?"

Kyla approached slowly, holding out a small red book. "This fell out... I don't know how, but it just appeared on the ground after the pulse hit the wards and sent the attack back."

Harry's brow furrowed as he took the book from her, its leather cover worn and slightly frayed. It felt old, much older than the device it had come from.

"Thank you, Kyla," Harry said, giving her a warm smile. "This might be important."

The girl gave a quick nod, her nerves evident, before turning and leaving the room, the door quietly closing behind her.

A Discovery in Red

Luna leaned forward, her bright eyes fixed on the book in Harry's hands. "There's something strange about it, don't you think?" she said, tilting her head.

"Strange is putting it lightly," Harry muttered. He sat back down and carefully opened the red book, its spine creaking slightly as though it hadn't been opened in years. The pages were filled with handwritten notes, messy but legible, detailing something... far more sinister than Harry had anticipated.

His eyes widened as he flipped through the pages. Locations, coordinates, lists of names and experiments—this was a roadmap to the remaining laboratories. The ones they had already destroyed were listed in the margins, crossed out in a hasty scrawl. But there were four more labs... and these weren't crossed out.

Luna peered over his shoulder, her expression unreadable as she scanned the text. "It's almost like a journal," she remarked, her voice quiet. "Whoever wrote this was keeping track of the labs and... something else."

Harry nodded slowly, turning to a page near the back of the book. "It's not just locations," he said, his voice growing tense. "Look at this."

He held up the book to show Luna. On the page was a list of experiments, more horrifying than the ones they had seen before. These labs weren't just holding people—they were modifying them. The thought sent a shiver down Harry's spine. But beneath the list of experiments was a detailed description of the final four laboratories.

"We need to act," Harry said, snapping the book shut. "These are the last ones. We can't leave them standing."

Luna nodded, her expression serious. "You're right, Harry. But you don't have to go this time."

"I won't," Harry agreed. "I'll stay behind and coordinate everything. But we need to gather teams."

Forming the Teams

With a sense of urgency, Harry unrolled the map of the UK in the War Room, the same map he had been using to track their previous missions. He placed markers on the spots where the destroyed laboratories had been, and then, with careful precision, he added four new pins for the final labs—one in Northern Ireland, one in Wales, and two scattered in remote parts of England.

"We'll need four teams," Harry said, his voice steady but firm. "Ten people per team. Each one will target a lab simultaneously, so they won't have time to prepare or relocate. We need this to happen all at once."

He sent out the call to the most capable witches and wizards in his ranks. Within the hour, the War Room was bustling with people—experienced fighters, strategists, and spellcasters—ready to take on the mission.

Harry stood before them, his tone calm but commanding. "Each team will go in silently, just like before. Infiltrate, free the captives, and destroy the labs. We don't leave anything behind."

The Mission

Under the cover of night, the four teams departed. Harry remained behind, sitting at the communication table, his hands folded as he waited for updates. He trusted the people he had sent—they were strong, capable, and determined. But that didn't stop the knot of anxiety in his chest from tightening with every passing minute.

The hours ticked by, the tension growing thicker with each passing moment.

Finally, the communication charms began to buzz—one by one, the messages came in, each more uplifting than the last.

"Lab destroyed in Wales. We've got 80 people. 40 kids, 40 adults."

"Success in Northern Ireland. Same numbers—80 saved."

"Lab down in East Midlands—we're on our way back with 80."

"Last lab is clear. 80 saved, no casualties."

Harry let out a long breath of relief. The mission had been a success. But there was still work to be done.

A Safe Haven

When the four teams returned to Hogwarts, they brought with them a total of 320 people—160 children and 160 adults. Each team had successfully freed the captives from their respective labs, and though they were shaken and weak, they were alive.

Harry met the teams at the entrance, his face calm but his eyes reflecting the weight of responsibility.

"Take them to the hospital first," Harry ordered, his voice steady. "They need to be checked over. No one's going anywhere until we're sure they're healthy."

The Mediwizards rushed in, quickly guiding the exhausted captives to the hospital wing where they would be treated and monitored.

Harry turned to Percy Weasley, who was already standing nearby with a clipboard in hand. "After they're cleared by the mediwizards, I want you to assign them housing. There should be enough space in the subdivisions we've built."

Percy nodded briskly. "I'll see to it personally, Harry."

Aftermath

As the sun began to rise, Harry stood in the now-quiet War Room, looking down at the red book that had sparked the mission. The laboratories were finally gone. The scientists had lost their hold.

Luna entered the room silently, her presence as calming as always.

"You did it, Harry," she said softly. "They're all free now."

Harry exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. "It's not over," he murmured, "but we've made progress."

Luna smiled knowingly. "Progress is all we can ask for sometimes."

Harry glanced at the map one last time, his mind already beginning to plan the next steps. For now, though, there was a sense of victory—a small one, but a victory nonetheless.

As Luna left the room, Harry allowed himself to close his eyes for just a moment. The battle wasn't over, but today, they had won.