Morte Dextra (3)

7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven

===

Of the 69 applicants, only 45 managed to pass the test. Some of the failed ones protested when they saw those whom they deemed unworthy managed to pass the test. They had every right to feel wrong as the people they called out did have a less stellar track record than them. Had Harry's criteria been competence, he would have agreed with the failed ones. However, what he looked for was loyalty and willingness to do everything he said—tools, to put it blandly.

Harry's response to the vindicated people was to tell them to go home. No one—even those who had respectable reputations in the Auror department—dared voice their indignation. Harry's glowing eyes told them they wouldn't like what happened when they provoked him. Once the failed ones went home, the accepted regained their ability to stand up. Harry told them to come to the Auror training ground at 9 the next day before dismissing them.

While some of the applicants had truly wanted to be part of history, some just wanted to know what Morte Dextra was. These people had applied to gain the bragging rights. Therefore, it was much to their frustration they couldn't recall the event they had gone through whenever they wanted to brag about it to people.

Harry hadn't attacked their minds just to show off his Legilimency skills. He had done that to conceal the details of what transpired during the Morte Dextra recruitment. That way, not even Legilimens could see their memories. He had initially thought of using an Oath to tackle information leaks, but Dumbledore confirmed his suspicion about the loophole of an Oath.

A Magical Oath binds the Magic and the body of the Wizard. Should Wizard A swear not to do B, then C will happen when the Wizard breaks it. Either he will die or lose his Magic—it depends on what is at stake. Unfortunately, it is not an almighty-binding measure. Magical Oaths don't take into account mental accounts and it is for a very good reason.

Suppose you are Imperiused to break the oath, the harm won't befall you as the Magic doesn't consider it as your doing. So if Wizard A has sworn not to kill Wizard B, but then Wizard C Imperiused Wizard A to kill Wizard B, Wizard A will not suffer any consequences. The Magic works that way to prevent two parties from suffering from the malice of the third party.

It is still not perfect, of course. You can swear not to kill someone, but then ask your friend to Imperius you. Therefore, most Magical Oaths to prevent one party from harming the other are worded as such: "I won't harm Wizard B whether intentionally or knowingly." It won't stop the Imperius, still, but will prevent any attempt to circumvent the oath.

With that said, had Harry sworn the applicants to never tell anyone about what happened during the recruitment, a Legilimens would have been able to easily extract their memories. He couldn't erase their memories either as it would take a long time—not to mention, a breach of law. As such, he had used the Legilimency Spell that he had recently created on them.

It worked splendidly and the braggarts lost their bragging rights. What they could tell about that day was that Harry Peverell was a fearsome individual. They couldn't even tell anyone about the fact that Harry had invaded their minds without consent, which was illegal. They couldn't even accuse Harry of erasing their memories as Legilimens would be able to tell that their memory was intact but inaccessible to anyone but them. It was not illegal.

As the world buzzed about the greatness the Peverell Lord would bring, the next day quickly came. Those who had passed the test gathered in the Auror training ground, feeling like rookie Aurors. It mattered little whether they were indeed one or veteran. They felt the same.

Creak!

The door opened and Harry walked in followed by the official members of Morte Dextra. He and Albus were wearing their uniform, unlike the day before. Their uniforms were the only ones designed to fit their preference. The colour scheme remained the same, but theirs had some accessories and extra layers of clothes that couldn't be found on any other uniform.

"A pleasant morn, folks."

Harry scanned the uptight recruits and smiled slightly.

"You look fired up today."

The recruits chuckled lightly. Harry flicked his wand and sent the documents in his hand flying at the recruits. They deftly caught the documents and read them once Harry motioned them to do it. Their eyes widened as they looked at Harry.

"That is your contract, ladies and gentlemen. Surprisingly, a substantial number of the Wizengamot members are not willing to chip in. Therefore, the funding mainly comes from the country's vault and my family's. We agree to do this much for your well-being, so be prepared to be worked to the bones."

The recruits grinned in acceptance. The contracts were exactly as Harry said. The compensations and benefits they got could make them die with a smile. With that said, they would prefer living as they would smile till the end of their lives should they survive. Once they signed the contracts, Lily collected them with a swish of her wand. Harry internally mused how sexy his secretary was before proceeding with the day.

"What we are going to do next is sorting. But worry not as it is not going to be like what you did at Hogwarts. Bella, Rufus, would you please?"

The two stepped forward and barked, "Line up maggots!"

They promptly ran the recruits through various physical tests. The recruits were told to run while going through obstacles. They had to avoid the Spells the two Aurors sent their way and used the terrain to their advantage. There were a lot of close calls. At the end of the tests, the recruits were drenched in sweat. On the other hand, the two Aurors looked barely winded, though Scrimgeour had heavier breathing compared to Bella.

"Thank you for your work. I will take over," Harry nodded in appreciation before standing in front of the recruits. "What we are going to do next is test your Magical power. You are going to defend and attack, so do your best."

Harry split the recruits in two. Those who wanted to test their defence lined up before him and those who wanted to test their offence lined up before Dumbledore. The recruits didn't bother worrying whether the two Wizards could attack and defend more than twenty Wizards on their own. The thrumming Magical power the duo was exuding told them they wouldn't even make the two sweat.

One by one, the recruits went through the test. They gave their best in breaking Albus' shield and defending from Harry's Spell. The result was expected, but they couldn't help the bitterness that rose to their mouths. None of them managed to crack Albus' shield or defend themselves from Harry's spell without getting their shields shattered and thrown away.

"Speciality, physicality, and Magical power—we figured them out already. Let's split them into teams. Pecker, Skywalker, Ebony, Koscher—team up!"

Harry called the recruits one by one and grouped them up. Bella and Scrimgeour actively gave him suggestions about the group. The two had different opinions sometimes, but Rufus easily acquiesced. For all his pride, he acknowledged Bella's insights. That didn't mean he didn't object to some of her choices, though.

Once the group was sorted out, Harry waved his wand, rolling their sleeves and revealing their arms. At the same time, Albus pointed his wand at the ground and drew a Magic Circle under each group. Magic filled the room. The sheer amount made their hair stand on end.

"This will make you different from any other forces in the country."

Harry twirled his wand, burning the upper arm of the recruits. The Deathly Hallows symbol was carved into their flesh—a triangle with a circle inside and a line splitting it in two. The symbol settled into the colour silver and glowed on their upper arm. The pain quickly settled down as they felt their connections to Harry.

"This will make you different from the Death Eaters."

Albus finished drawing the Magic Circles. He pointed his wand upwards before swinging it down abruptly. Harry swiftly drew the Deathly Hallows symbol with his wand and pointed it at the recruits. The symbol multiplied before heading to each group. Once they were before the group, the Magic Circles under the group lit up, enveloping the group in light.

The Magic filling the room intensified. Once the Magic was about to blow the entire room, it settled down rapidly. The light died down and everything returned to normal as if what had happened was merely an illusion. The group felt energised and confused. Their eyes inadvertently settled on the exhausted Harry and Albus.

"Blimey, that took a lot out of me."

"Ho-ho-ho, that almost killed me too. It seems we underestimated the ritual, Harry."

"Sorry, Albus."

"It's fine, my young friend."

The recruits silently watched the interaction. No one dared to bother the two most dangerous Wizards in Britain. Harry took a deep breath before addressing the recruits. His eyes scanned them sharply before a smile grazed his face.

"The mark you have signifies your affiliation to Morte Dextra and your loyalty to me… and the Wizarding Britain," Harry said silkily, earning an amused smile from Albus. "As you may already figure out, you can communicate or feel each other's presence through the mark. The mark doesn't only bind you to me, but also to each other."

The recruits nodded, not getting much of the implication.

"The mark lets you share your power with your team. The power you feel comes from the combined power of the group that is equally distributed."

Their eyes widened in amazement as gasps of awe filled the room.

"But it also acts as a sacrificial ritual." Their breath hitched. "Once your team member dies, you will inherit said member's Magical power—equally split among you. We will be the only force in the world that will only get stronger the more we lose people. With that said, I still implore you not to die easily."

Harry twirled his wand, summoning Morte Dextra's uniforms and putting them on the recruits. Now, Morte Dextra was forty-five members stronger.