The Dark Lord was content. Although he didn't know what made Potter start shagging like a bunny for more than a week, the pains brought to him by the love that boy was feeling were finally gone. After another week with no pains, he felt safe enough to have control of himself without the danger of collapsing every time. He had to delay his recruiting mission, of course. He couldn't do it while suffering those pains. He couldn't delay his return to Britain for too long either. None of his followers could keep the mob under control without him, not for long, anyway, and he had spent too long on his way. That wasn't of much importance, though. With Britain firmly in his grip, he had no doubt that the rest of Europe would follow. After all, being immortal, he didn't need to hurry. He had all the time in the world to reach his goals.
And yet something bothered him. He'd tried to reach Potter several times and failed. He hadn't always had complete success before, but he could usually glimpse some errant memory or two, before being expelled. This time he had nothing, as if the connection had been severed. That needed some more thought.
He wondered how Nagini was doing. He might need her services to punish some arrogant purebloods. She had been asleep for most of the last week, he knew. He couldn't discern her situation now. That was also somewhat worrying. Never mind. He'd be back in England in a few more days and he'd check on her then. She was probably alright, only too busy hunting to pay attention.
\/\/\/
At Potter Manor, two teens were also content. After a few eventful days, they could finally take some time for relaxation. After waking up, and quite late at that, they spent another hour in bed, just enjoying their togetherness and sating each other. They showered leisurely, enjoying each other some more, and then dressed and went down for breakfast, despite it being closer to lunchtime.
They had to search the whole newspaper to find the tiny article mentioning the assassination at Hogwarts, asking if the security had been so badly compromised by Dumbledore that even that famous castle was no longer safe. The death of Nagini was of no importance to the readers. Nobody liked snakes, and having one less was certainly no cause for alarm.
Their good mood was enhanced by the news that the four new guests were all recuperating well. The two muggle girls would be oblivated of magic and have their memories modified to indicate an attack by muggle means and making their way back to a hospital they knew. They would be released near that hospital after nightfall, so nobody would notice their sudden appearance. Harry didn't like the idea of oblivating them, but there was no other way to keep the magical world hidden.
The boy, Alexander, who was a fifth-year Hufflepuff from a neutral family, and quite tall for his age, was eager to go home. His family had a well-protected house, using goblin wards that didn't let the Death Eaters approach. He would be safe at home and he could tell nothing of value about his hosts and their location.
Luna was a different problem. She was treated more brutally than the others and needed longer to recuperate. She also couldn't go home. Her family wards were very weak, only useful to keep muggles away. If the Death Eaters were after her, she had to stay at the Manor.
The other guests were also doing better, although some would need quite a long time to regain their health and a few might never fully recover.
\/\/\/
With nothing urgent on schedule, they returned to discussing a fitness tutor. "I think we should ask Remus. He may not be on the official 'undesirable' lists, but as a werewolf and an order member, he needs to stay mostly hidden. His wife, Dora, is not in a much better situation, being a half-blood. Letting them live here will gain us a tutor and will also help Andy, so she could know her daughter is safe." Harry had evidently thought about the implications.
"What about your safety? Remus will immediately know who we are, using his wolf sense of smell, and if you want Andi and Tonks together, they'll also need to know."
Harry shrugged. "Those who come here are not going to leave before this is over, one way or another. As long as they stay here, they can't tell anyone, so we're just as safe."
Hermione agreed reluctantly. Harry knew that she was still concerned about security, but she could understand his position. He quickly wrote a note to Remus, knowing that Tonks already knew that her parents were safe.
"Remus,
I invite you and your wife to join your in-laws and help those who need help. We're currently looking for somebody to help train us to improve our chances against our foe. If you agree, make sure to pack and shrink everything you may need while away from home and leave a note stating 'Yes' and signed with your marauder name on the same table where you found this, before lunchtime. You will be contacted as soon as possible. If such a note is not found, this offer will expire and you will not be bothered again
This note will vanish shortly after being read.
Regards, a friend."
"You're almost telling him who you are," Hermione noted.
He shrugged. "He'll know the moment he meets us anyway, and I doubt he would even consider refusing, with Tonks pregnant and Andy here."
Indeed, by the time they finished their morning training, Remus and Dora, as Harry preferred to call her, especially since her parents were also in the house, were already waiting in the parlour.
"Welcome to our house," Harry greeted the two.
"Do we know you?" Dora asked.
Remus only sniffed a few times before asking, "Harry, Hermione?"
Hermione laughed while Harry just chuckled. "I knew you'd identify us immediately." He turned serious at once and pointed at the various chairs and sofas around. "You may as well sit down while we talk."
Not surprisingly, Remus and Dora sat on one sofa while Harry and Hermione sat on another.
"Where are we?" Remus asked.
Harry smiled. "I thought you would recognize the place."
Remus frowned for a moment, as if trying to dig some lost memories. "Potter Manor? I thought it was destroyed in the war."
"It wasn't. With no Lord Potter, it just seemed to vanish, as if protected by Fidelius. Now, with some help from our house-elves, we're putting it to good use."
Harry proceeded to tell how they became a couple and how the Manor had become a base for operations and a safe house for those rescued, not going into many details. "Now, Dumbledore didn't give me any training. It looks like he was setting me to fail. He only told me about some items that needed to be destroyed before the Dark Lord could be killed, not even identifying them. That's not how you prepare someone to win, any way you look at it."
"He surely gave you some clues, didn't he?" Remus, a staunch Dumbledore supporter, tried to find some excuses for his idol.
"Oh, he said that my greatest power was love. Did he expect me to hug the Dark Lord to death? He didn't even give me a clue about how to use that power. I now doubt he even wanted me to win."
That was a bitter potion for Remus to swallow. His wife beat him to an answer. "Well, if you need some training, I may also be able to instruct you, although I may no longer be able to demonstrate everything."
"You can leave that to me," Remus said, finally gaining his voice.
"Thank you both," Harry said. "Now, we've learned a few uncomfortable truths. First – we're at war. That means that we can not afford to use stunners and such. We cast and shoot to maim or kill. When we put down an enemy he should stay down for good."
Remus grimaced but nodded. Dora nodded without a grimace.
"Second – we use any means available, regardless of how the magical community, controlled by bigoted purebloods, is regarding it. I mean that we may ally with goblins, house-elves, centaurs and any other beings that may be willing to help us. We also use whatever weapons we find to do the job, not restricting ourselves to magic. We're already learning to use sniper rifles. We hope you can teach us to use swords and other ancient weapons."
Dora nodded approvingly. Remus stayed pensive.
"Third – secrecy is essential for a successful war. This place doesn't exist, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, and it should stay this way. For now, none of our guests can leave the house for security reasons. It also includes you, until we're able to expand our operations. The methods used until now are also kept secret. We trust you, but the other side may have some great masters in Legilimency and we can't take the risk, not even with you, Remus, although your furry little problem may help you keep secrets."
Dora nodded. Remus chuckled humourlessly.
"So, do you agree?" he asked.
"Harry, we agreed the moment we said 'yes,' even before knowing it was you. We're a part of this operation for as long as we can help and for as long as you need us," Remus said.
"There's another security aspect we should tackle," Hermione reminded them. "Can we allow your parents, Dora, to know about our true identities?"
Dora bit her lips, trying to understand how much she could trust her parents in this. Remus didn't need to think for long. "I think you can trust them to keep the secret, but a Wizard's Oath from each would help make it more formal. Besides, they're also stuck here now, aren't they?"
Harry smiled, agreeing with him. Dora was already losing her patience. "Can you show us your training facilities?"
"Don't you want to settle in first?" Harry asked.
"I'm sure your house-elves have already set our lodging better than I could ever do it," she replied.
Harry shrugged and led the group to the training hall.
Both Lupins were highly impressed by that hall. They didn't fail to notice the remains of the morning training – some destroyed targets with damage that could have maimed, and probably killed, an enemy.
"Our shooting range is outside," Hermione added.
"Why do you need it there? This hall is quite long enough for all practical shooting, as far as I know," Dora asked.
"Our rifles can effectively shoot targets more than three thousand feet away. They can harm even at longer ranges. We're only training for up to a thousand feet, though."
"I must see this!" Dora proclaimed.
Hermione responded. "Well, join us for lunch and we'll take you there later. I only hope you have some good raincoats, since it's pouring outside and doesn't look like it's going to stop soon."
"And why would you train in such weather?" Dora asked.
"Would you give up a chance to end the war only because the weather is not nice enough?" Harry retorted.
Dora nodded understandingly.
\/\/\/
Despite the raincoats and some magical help, all four were quite damp by the time they reached the shooting range. The teens quickly set their shooting 'nests' and took their positions. Within another minute, both shot their first target. Dora checked through the spotting scope, since the targets were too far to see the exact effect with the naked eye. "Both shots are perfect," she said with admiration. "How could you even see in such a rain?"
Instead of answering, Hermione helped her lie at her side and look through the telescopic gunsight.
"It's still barely visible," commented Dora.
"That's why it took so long from the moment we settled in our positions until we pressed the trigger. It would have only taken seconds otherwise. Snipers need to be very patient when acquiring their targets," Hermione explained.
"When did you learn all that? How long did you practice?" Remus asked.
Harry shrugged. "It took us a few hours to learn the basics, and that was on… Wednesday. We've been spending some time each day since."
"That's… Four days total. How could you reach such a level?"
Harry smiled. "When Hermione studies a book and then teaches me, there's no chance for me not to succeed. We do quite well with only wands too, you should know."
They still had four more shots each, all reaching exactly where they wanted them. Harry thought that shooting the realistic targets with a pregnant woman nearby was not a good idea, so they only used the regular ones.
With the rain getting only heavier, they rushed back, dried themselves and took a hot tea each. After a while, Remus asked to see how well they were doing with their magical training. They went back to the training hall, set the popping targets and then started shooting spells. Some missed, but none of the targets escaped unharmed. Both Lupins were quite impressed.
"Most of the Aurors would fare much worse," Dora told them.
"That only explains why they were usually losing to the Death Eaters," Hermione said.
"Well, too many of them were accepted only because they had connections. The position is more prestigious than other jobs at the Ministry, despite the very unglamorous work, and it also pays better," Dora explained.
Hermione shrugged. "No wonder the Ministry fell so easily. It was practically begging to be taken."
The Lupins nodded sadly.