The next morning, after breakfast, Harry started thinking. Whatever Dumbledore's motives had been, he hadn't given Harry any training that could help him survive the war. He needed to correct this. "Twinkle, do we have any place to train either in magical or muggle fighting?"
"Of course, Master. There's a training hall under the ballroom, about the same size, well equipped with both muggle and magical aids. It is completely shielded to let nothing damage the building itself, of course. You may even use it for shooting practice, if you like."
Hermione didn't seem convinced. "It can't be long enough to fit our sniper practice, but it should do for initial training." She turned to Harry. "Would you like to start now?"
He smiled. "There's no better time than the present, is there?"
A few minutes later, after changing to more suitable clothes, the two took their first glimpse of the training hall. It was very well equipped, indeed. The back wall had a large display of cold weapons, ready to be used for training. There were several types of swords, daggers, and other forms of cutting and stabbing weapons. Then there were various axes, spears, spiked iron balls and a few things Harry couldn't even identify.
The other end of the hall contained quite a few dummies, some evidently intended to fight back, and a few targets of various styles stood near the back wall.
Much closer, the side walls had several constructions, similar to what was used in muggle gymnastics and training rooms, along with a set of weights for lifting and another for endurance training. Twinkle had full justification when saying it was very well equipped.
Hermione wanted to start with the rifles, though. She waved the dummies aside and set two regular flat targets at roughly fifty feet from the shooting position.
She then took a book out of her bag. "This is a sharpshooter's manual. According to it, we first need to adjust the sights to our own preferences, or actually – first find our preferred shooting position to adjust the sight to it."
There were some sandbags ready near the wall and some rubber mattresses. Hermione spread one mattress and showed Harry where to set his own position. It took them about half an hour before they could say they had good shooting "nests". Hermione then set the spotting scope between them, to help in calibrating their rifles.
"I think we should first get the 'feel' of these rifles. Neither of us has ever used one. It wouldn't be wise to first use them for the calibration."
They loaded five rounds in the magazines, following all the safety precautions. Hermione then instructed Harry on the right way to hold the rifle to allow firm hold and good aim.
The first shot surprised Harry. He didn't expect the "kick" and his shot went way over the targets. The noise was also too loud when shooting in a closed space. Hermione cast a silencing charm on the rifles before trying again. Harry adjusted his hold and lay slightly differently before trying again. His next shot was much closer to the bulls-eye. He made some minute adjustments and tried again, getting his shot exactly in the centre of his target.
"That's very impressive," Hermione complimented him. "Now, try shooting the other two bullets as close to this one as you can."
This went quite well, only enlarging the hole in the target with each shot. "It looks like we need make no change in these sights. We'll keep this your rifle."
A wave of her wand added a blue band to the butt of his rifle. "Leave your rifle on the ground and coach me through this process as I did," she told Harry.
Based on his experience, Hermione's first shot went better, since she was mostly ready for the "kick". It did go much lower than expected and a bit to the side, though. Her second and third shots were almost overlapping, but clearly far from the centre. She followed the instructions to adjust the sights. Her last two bullets hit dead centre, just like Harry's.
They then spent some time connecting the lasers and adjusting them as well. Luckily, they could also be switched to visible light, saving the need for infrared goggles.
"I think we should try five more bullets each, to feel more familiar with our equipment," Hermione suggested, and they did just that.
Once they finished shooting, Hermione followed the instructions for cleaning the rifles and readying them for the next time and Harry copied her. They then packed everything back into the carrying cases and put them aside.
It was close to lunchtime, but they could train a bit more until then. "How about target shooting with magic?" Harry suggested.
Hermione replaced the targets with human-shaped ones at a shorter range, more suitable for magical fights.
Their piercing spells made holes about the same size as the bullets, only with sharper edges. Not surprisingly, their aim wasn't as good when using wands, but they still managed well enough. Out of ten shots, Harry landed seven where they could disable or kill the enemy. Hermione only hit such areas four times. Clearly, both had some place for improvement.
At lunch, Twinkle told them that the shooting range was ready, so they wanted to check it as soon as they finished the meal. Twinkle showed them to an elevated platform large enough for two sharpshooters' "nests" and with a large enough roof to allow them to use it even when it rained. The targets were so far that they could barely see them without the spotting scope, but their telescopic gunsights could allow a clear distinction of the features of the targets.
"We can also supply you with human-like dummies that give more realistic effects, but I believe you should first train with these," Twinkle added.
Harry shuddered at the "realistic effects" mentioned. Split heads and bleeding chests were not something he wanted to see, but that was actually what he was training to do. He thought he should better be ready to face these effects before going to fight.
For the afternoon, they just trained themselves to shoot at this much longer range. Things like wind speed and direction needed to be taken into account, unlike when shooting in a protected environment. Luckily, the sights had a scale to adjust for the distance. One still needed to know what the distance was, at least roughly.
They took a break to cuddle a bit, unable to do more than that when clothed for the weather. They took another break later, when the sun was almost setting. Twinkle brought them some refreshments and tea. "We shall stay here a bit longer. We need to try shooting at night too," Harry told his head house-elf.
As it got darker, they could see the targets even less clearly until they couldn't see them at all with the naked eyes. The spotting scope had a large enough aperture to allow them to see even in low light, but it also was turning ineffective as it darkened. It was time to try the infrared equipment.
It took them almost half an hour to get accustomed to the way things looked in infrared And some more time to adjust their hold on the rifles to account for the goggles, but then they got just as good shots. The laser allowed for very precise aim and only the way they held the rifles decided how exact the shot would be.
When the two came back for dinner, they were already exhausted but also very pleased with how well they advanced.
Their good mood lasted until the house-elves started reporting about their spying tasks.
"We found where the giants are staying," Dobby reported. "Liffi, who is very interested in magical creatures, told us that the giants abhor ants, since they can barely see them, so we moved a few nests into that area. It should be fun to watch."
His expression changed. "The trolls are in another camp, not far from there. They don't mind ants, though and we don't know what to do about them."
"We also visited a few of the richer Death Eater houses. The house-elves there are praying to get free and would give us any help that is not specifically forbidden by the bond or by their masters," Twinkle reported. "They had little information, though, as most of their masters currently stay at Malfoy Manor and only come home occasionally."
"Nagini is staying in Riddle house. She's probably hunted something big recently and is bound to sleep for a while before needing to go hunt again. Kreacher went in and put a tracking spell on her."
"You didn't go close, did you?"
The old house-elf smiled. "Kreacher was two stories above her, using the opening between stairs to aim the spell. She didn't even budge."
"Many Death Eaters and Snatchers visit a cheap pub on Knockturn Alley or the adjacent bordello after nightfall. They usually apparate to Diagon alley and walk the remaining distance." Winky's face showed her disgust. "There are two roofs that can be used to shoot them and cull the enemy forces. Winky checked for signs of guards or ambush but found none."
Harry was surprised at her participation. "I thought you didn't want to take part in this," he said.
Winky shrugged. "There are many house-elves roaming that alley. Winky only put on a dirty pillowcase instead of a dress. Nobody paid Winky any attention."
Dobby had some more to add. "Malfoy Manor is in turmoil. Nobody knows how the prisoners escaped and everybody blames everybody else. The Dark one wanted to keep the old man and they all fear his wrath." He then looked even happier to tell. "Dobby then took some expensive items that were on display. The ones from Black, Dobby took here. Others, Dobby hid in various Deatheater garments. Dobby will check and report farther."
Although it was not in his instructions, Harry thought that Dobby did quite well. Causing more mistrust among one's enemies is always welcome. "You did well, Dobby. I like the way you confuse them."
There was really nothing more they could do at that time. Harry thanked the house-elves and dismissed them. He still felt he needed to check on his guests.
Ted and Andy had already retired to their room after dinner. Harry suspected that they needed to catch up in more than one way. Dean was reading a football magazine. "I asked one of the house-elves and they brought me this. I really missed football. I hoped to introduce it to Hogwarts. Now I'd be glad to just stay alive."
"We'll do all we can to assure your survival and that of as many muggle-born as we can. Unfortunately, we can't move things any faster without causing greater problems than we solve."
Dean sighed. "It's just… I wish I could help in some way, not just hide until it's over."
Hermione smiled reassuringly. "You must be patient until your arm heals completely. We may then find something for you to do. Have you ever used a rifle or any other weapon?"
Dean shook his head. "As a child, I had to learn to use knives for self-protection, but that's not much use when you're more than a foot away."
"We shall find you something," Harry promised. "With some luck, we may even find you a new wand."
Dean smiled, knowing this was more wishful thinking than any real estimate.
Mr. Cresswell was holding the Daily Prophet as if he'd already checked it and found nothing of interest in it. "I'm not sure I can help you much in a fight, but I'm a good organizer and I know my way around the Ministry building, if you need to go in there and out again."
"We shall take this into consideration," Harry promised, not quite sure if he could find any occupation for the man.
Mr. Ollivander was awake and looked quite alert, despite his noticeable physical weakness. "I'd like to talk to you two in private," he told the couple.
Harry turned to the other two. "Care to step out for a short while?"
Both smiled understandingly and left the room. Hermione cast some privacy wards as soon as they left.
"I'm glad to see you two in such a good state, Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, or should I say Lord and Lady Potter?" The old man seemed amused at noticing their surprise.
"I've already told you that I remember each and every wand I sold, so it's easy for me to identify you. Besides, I have the ability to sense magical signatures. That sometimes helps me find the right wand for a client, but that also lets me identify people more precisely."
Hermione found her voice first. "Please refrain from telling others who we are. The situation calls for maximum secrecy until we can reach the next step. The fewer people know, the less they could pass to others and the less the enemy may find."
Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Your secret is safe with me. Even the Dark Lord couldn't penetrate my mind, although I have no doubt he could destroy it. I believe you have a plan for conquering, don't you?"
Harry answered this time. "We do. It's already in quite an advanced state, but we're not there yet."
The old man looked serious. "I hope you don't take too long to complete it. People are dying each day out there."
"Can you give us the names of those Death Eaters you know, especially those who killed?"
Ollivander looked sad. "You already know the names. You told Fudge about them, not that it did any good. I didn't hear the names of the new ones. What I heard is that every Death Eater must kill an innocent to be marked. It's part of the ritual, so whoever bears the Dark Mark is a murderer – no exception."
"Some may later regret their youthful follies," Hermione tried to soften his words.
"Those who did are dead. Once one takes the mark, it's for life. You should show them no mercy. They certainly show no mercy to others." Harry had never heard Ollivander so determined.
"We shall take this into consideration," Harry promised. "Now, you seem too excited for your own good. Please try to calm down and rest. We all want you to recuperate and be in good health, you know."
The old man smiled. "I'm sure you'll do your best to finish this as soon as possible. I can rest now."
They let the others back and asked them for any Death Eater names. They gained only two names from Cresswell, but Dean had some more to say. "I'm not sure how true that is, but I heard that Draco Malfoy and his two goons had taken the mark. They were talking about the ceremony and of killing a mudblood girl after raping her. They didn't say if they were the ones to do it, but they surely witnessed such actions. I think Nott was also mentioned, but I'm not sure."
"We'll add their names to the list. They won't escape if they're marked," promised Harry with fire in his voice.
"Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?" Hermione asked.
"We travelled with two goblins when we were captured. I don't think they killed the goblins, at least not immediately," Cresswell told them. "The Dark Lord doesn't want to handle a goblin rebellion before he feels secure in his position, so he's somewhat merciful towards them. We were separated as soon as we reached Malfoy Manor. I don't know where they took them."
"Dobby said you were the only live prisoners. That doesn't necessarily mean that they were killed. They may have been taken somewhere else," Harry said. He really hoped that was the case.
Cresswell nodded reluctantly. "I don't think so, but that could be."
With that uneasy thought, they parted.
It took the teens a lot of cuddling until they could change their mood and shift to a more pleasurable activity before going to sleep.