The Invisible Wars

Chapter 16

Draco was walking a few feet behind from the others, there was an earnest determination in his every step, and his boots are wet from stepping on puddles he was unable to see due to darkness. Above him, a crow perched on a tall tree hooted noisily, drawing its feathery wings in and back. The sound, it seemed to him, is like a distant cry of warning. He glanced up sharply, distracted by its clamor.

"Malfoy, watch out!" Hermione exclaimed.

Draco looked ahead just in time to avoid colliding with the brown-haired witch. He skidded to a halt so quickly that he almost fell backwards. Bloody hell. He cursed inwardly, correcting his stance and adjusting the broomstick in his hand.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, noticing the disconcerted look in his face. The crow began to emit louder cries and was now flying in circles overhead.

Draco threw a piercing look at the creature. "I'm fine, Granger. Move along."

But Hermione was not convinced, he hadn't spoken a word to anyone since the meeting the night before. After winning the majority of vote in letting him join the Order of the Phoenix, they proceeded to discuss the plan for their first attack. Draco was very eager to volunteer himself in almost every task but Kingsley Shacklebolt kept on turning him down.

"What am I supposed to do then?" said Draco exasperatedly. They had just eaten dinner, and the table was cleared except for half-full sets of Butterbeer. Beside him, Ron was rubbing his belly with a satisfied look on his face. Draco gave him an irritated glance before turning back to the Minister of Magic.

"Bill will take George, and Ginny to help him in the rescue. Putting you in that task would be too predictable, I'm positive Greyback is already expecting you and could be using your parents as bait." Kingsley answered, then turning to the aforementioned people, "And you three, be careful of those under the Imperius curse. It's not easy to distinguish them from those who aren't.

"We'll do it." Bill answered. Underneath the table, Fleur was squeezing his hand fretfully. The older Weasley regarded her back by pulling her close and murmuring reassuring words to her wife.

"Shouldn't we divide ourselves and attack from different perspective rather than face them upfront?" Harry suggested.

"You mean blindside them? I suppose that's a good plan."

"What if we're outnumbered?" Ron asked.

"Jordan the Auror from the ministry, Neville and Luna will be joining us." Said Arthur. "Not quite many but it's better than nothing at all."

"I agree. Besides, I don't think Greyback has recruited that much since our last ambush. Pureblood families have been moving on faraway places since news of the attacks broke off." Said Kingsley.

"What makes you think he's not following them? He was sighted in Romania weeks ago wasn't he, don't you reckon it's an odd, not to mention, really far place to be?" Draco interrupted, glowering hard at his mug of Butterbeer.

Kingsley hesitated, looking apprehensive. "There are thirteen of us and on our last encounter there were almost twenty of them."

"I think we'll manage." Said Harry, eyeing everyone inside the room. "While Bill, George and Ginny set off to rescue the captives the rest can pair up and attack from different directions. It will delay them and by the time Greyback makes sense of what's happening, we've already tackled half of his followers."

"I agree with you, Harry." Kingsley replied. "We will fly separately, in groups to avoid suspicion—Me, Arthur and Percy will attack from the back. Jordan, Luna, Neville and Fleur will come from the West. You, Ron, Hermione—and Draco, take the East. Be very vigilant, this is a dangerous mission and we cannot afford to lose someone in the Order."