When Death Walks on Earth

7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven

===

"Team Alpha reporting, sir! The giants have rejected our cordial invitation to cooperate. They claim to be a neutral party in this war and will not be joining Voldemort."

"I see. We are going to keep a close eye on them. We have to cripple them the moment they turn out to be lying."

"Yes, sir!"

Two weeks had passed since Morte Dextra was established. During those two weeks, the members had been trained to get used to their newfound power and match their dynamics with their teammates. The results had been satisfactory. The Runes Harry had invented helped a lot in bringing the members up to speed. Of course, their natural talents also played a significant role.

But of course, those two weeks weren't spent solely on training. You cannot keep sharpening your blades and not cutting anything. Harry and Dumbledore had revealed information that even the Ministry didn't know about, such as the existence of the Dark God. Funnily enough, his existence managed to erase the fear they had toward Voldemort. Unfortunately, that fear was redirected to the powerful mysterious being instead.

As information was traded, missions were also given. Albus quickly made use of his Order and Harry cooperated with them. A vigilante group they might be, no one could dispute the resourcefulness of the Order. The members didn't lack in competence. Most of them would pass the test to join Morte Dextra. Even the shady Mundungus Fletcher could pass the test—why couldn't the more decent members?

As it seemed, only Fletcher had the common sense to join Morte Dextra. The things that the Order and Morte Dextra members did were not that different. What made the groups different was the compensation. Order of the Phoenix was a voluntary job. You died and would only get a 'thank you.' You had to be a selfless person to fit into the Order.

However, Harry didn't want to persuade anyone to join his force. They were doing the same thing, anyway. Besides, the fewer mouths he fed, the less money he had to spend. That being said, he wouldn't limit the number of members. The more capable wands he had at his disposal, the safer his family would be.

With that said, things didn't look that good for them. Their first step to thwart Voldemort's world domination was to make sure no imbeciles joined his cause. The Dark Families were a lost cause. Harry couldn't do anything to them as assuming they were traitors or even forcing them to drink Veritaserum were against the law protecting the Noble Houses.

Their investigation was limited to the Magical Creatures. They reached out to the centaurs, giants, and any creature that bore a semblance of intelligence. They had lost Dementors to Voldemort and they couldn't afford to lose more. Those Dementors only ended up as a headache to the Ministry as they were no longer controllable even after being captured.

Unfortunately, all of them said the same thing. The more polite ones said they would remain neutral in the war. The rude ones said not to include them in the human wars. Therefore, the atmosphere in Harry's office was not that great. Harry was trying to avoid genocide, but everyone was taunting him to do it.

"Giants are naturally stubborn creatures, Harry. You shouldn't be too hard on them."

"The giant I know is an affable goofball, Albus. I think assuming their nature is a moot point."

Albus pursed his lips upon hearing Harry's retort.

"But to kill them is…" Albus whispered.

"Crippling them doesn't necessarily mean killing them, Albus. I only want to incapacitate them, so they won't be able to help the other side."

"What about afterwards, Harry? You are only going to make their lives hard—you are killing them slowly."

"Albus," Harry frowned, dismissing the team before him. He continued after the team left, "Suppose the giants help Voldemort in his cause, many will die at their hands. I say being crippled instead of killed is a worthy punishment for their evil intention."

"But what if they have no choice, Harry? What if—"

"I gave them a choice, Albus, and they refused," Harry hissed, interrupting Albus. Sighing, he continued, "Albus, you are losing your touch. You don't sound like the guy who holds 'For the greater good' dearly anymore to me."

Albus opened his mouth, only to close it again. "Maybe you are right, Harry," he sighed.

Harry stood up and walked toward the door, gesturing for Albus to follow after him. Albus quickly fell in pace, walking by his side.

"How is the treatment going?" Harry asked softly.

"Did Lily not tell you?" Albus wondered.

"I would rather not talk about another man on our bed."

"…"

"Surprised?" Harry quirked an eyebrow.

"No… not really. You make a beautiful couple," Albus smiled. "Treatment, ah yes. It is going well. Unfortunately, it only slows down the inevitable. Lily says I should be alive for the next three months—four if I am lucky."

They stopped in front of the door leading to the training ground, prompting it to open. As they walked in, the Morte Dextra stopped training and saluted at them. Bella and Rufus, who were overlooking the training addressed them with a nod. Harry waved his hand casually, prompting them to resume their activity.

"How does it feel using Magic?" Harry resumed once they found a corner.

"It tells me what to expect in death," Albus chuckled. "Lily and Narcissa don't look too happy with me whenever we talk about my usage of Magic. Unfortunately, I cannot stop myself from using Magic."

"That's true." Harry briefly looked at the Elder Wand that Albus was fiddling in his hand before returning his gaze to the training Morte Dextra. "Camille informed me the Vampire families have gone into hiding. They are afraid of being associated with families that have migrated to Wizarding Britain through Voldemort's channel."

"Ah, you sent Miss Camille to Romania along with Miss Jones a week ago. Did they manage to secure an ally?" Albus asked curiously.

"Only the youngsters—in her skewed perception of age—and those who are the last of their family will join us. We will have seven Vampires on our side soon."

Dumbledore caressed his beard solemnly. It was early in the war and it was clear they had been outnumbered. Thanks to the Wizarding World's bigotry, many Magical Creatures joined Voldemort's side. Tough luck, they didn't have enough brave humans on their side to level the playing ground.

"The Werewolves have gone out of the radar too, Albus. I am afraid either the Vampires or the Werewolves will make their move soon. We will have a big headache if either of the groups increases their number."

"We cannot let the Ministry—"

"I know, Albus. If we alert the Ministry, a prolific hunt will be commenced. The chaos will make it easier for Voldemort to screw us over—not to mention, the number of innocents killed in the process. However, I have given Amelia a heads-up. She will be prepared when push comes to shove."

The day ended on a solemn note. Despite that, Albus and Harry left the building with a smile. Albus wanted to hide his worry from the public and Harry because he had Bella in his arms. Harry was fairly comfortable with his situation. He had an army ready to protect his family and was powerful enough to face Voldemort and his cronies by himself. He was not as worried about the war as Albus.

Wizarding Britain could burn and he wouldn't bat an eyelash as long as his family was safe. He didn't care about how many Noble Houses fell as long as his family remained unharmed. That being said, he wouldn't let the country fall into such a state. He was smart enough to know Voldemort wouldn't leave him and his family alone.

"Harry, do you want to play Quidditch with us?"

Charlus stopped Harry as soon as he and Bella arrived at their house. It was well into the night and he was surprised Lily let the brats stay up.

"Hanging out with the snakes now?"

"Ah, shut it. I have never believed in House stigmas."

Over the last week, the Peverell manor had been receiving visitors. Some of them were trusted friends, but most of them were the vessels and their children, who happened to belong to the House of Slytherin. Harry was serious about keeping his manor's location a secret, so the visitors always forgot about the manor after their visit. They only knew they had visited the manor but couldn't recall the specific memories about it.

"Sure, I will join you guys."

"Great. Now I can get Daphne and Astoria off my back."

"They are bothering you?" Harry quirked an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Everyone is bothering me to get you. They want to see the face of the mighty Lord Peverell," Charlus replied blandly. "Anyway, just come to the Quidditch pitch."

Harry watched as Charlus scurried away. Bella leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled.

"Isn't it great to be that carefree during this time?"

"I am afraid they know, my sweet liquorice. They believe in us; therefore, they can be so carefree. Which is why I don't plan to change the status quo."

Bella looked up and met Harry's eyes with a sympathetic gaze. A soft smile grazed his lips as he pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her tenderly, melting her into his body. The moment they shared temporarily erased the woes and worries they had.

Clack!

"O- Oh, sorry for interrupting."

Unfortunately, they had to end their mingling prematurely to spare the red-faced Narcissa. Harry found it amusing how clueless the youngest Black Sister was about his affairs with the women in the house.