January 5, 1996 – 1600 (4pm), Minister Fudge's office. An official letter from the PM requesting information on their plans to address Voldemort was sitting on the Minister's desk. Fudge called for Scrimgeour, Madam Bones and Dumbledore to brainstorm for an appropriate response. Fudge still did not believe Voldemort was back or that the Death Eaters were active, despite the evidence shown him; Dumbledore didn't want anybody to take action against Voldemort or the Death Eaters because he believed Harry was the secret to Voldemorts downfall; and Scrimgeour and Madam Bones advocated taking direct action because Voldemort and his Death Eaters were terrorists and so the Magna Carta wouldn't be breached. Their arguments went round and round, without coming to a conclusion. They all failed to notice the last paragraph of the letter in which it stated that new tariffs were being levied on all businesses doing business with the magical community, and that every week, additional actions would be added until a resolution was reached.
January 13, 1996 – a new crack in the (non-magical) Conservative party opened up: the National Union of Miners (NUM) leader, Arthur Scargill announced he was defecting from the Labour Party to open up his own Socialist Labour Party. It was a sign of the times – the Conservative party was weakening. The Minister of Magic was elated by the news as he hoped it might delay any decision regarding the Magna Carta. He didn't notice however, the increase in tariffs being levied on the British Magical world, or the increase in rents to be paid to the Crown.
January 14, 1996 – 0800 (8am), Minister Fudge's elation from the day before quickly deflated. A full-page newspaper ad lay facing up on his desk. The advertisement was addressed 'To the People of Magical Briton'. It re-iterated the three clauses the Ministry of Magic failed at that put the Magna Carta at risk. It re-iterated the deal with the MOM, and it clearly stated that to date, the MOM had not met its obligations. It stated that Voldemort wanted the Magna Carta to dissolve, evidenced by his latest attempt at attacking the Royal Family! It clearly stated that only 11 days remained for the MOM to take action. Lastly, it stated that due to inaction by the MOM, heavy tariffs were being levied on certain businesses, and that the MOM was being taxed for all property owned by the Crown that were occupied by the MOM or other magicals. The advertisement further stated that while the MOM was being taxed, that tax was ultimately collected from the citizens of the magical world; that the MOM was risking the cash-flow reserves of the magical community by choosing to not take action against the Death Eaters. It was a very powerful message. Once again Fudge summoned Scrimgeour, Madam Bones, and Dumbledore. Fudge wouldn't hear of people like Malfoy, Crabbe, or Parkinson being Death Eaters. Madam Bones suggested at least checking the left arms of all MOM staff to verify they were not Death Eaters – Minister Fudge definitely did NOT want to violate the privacy of these "outstanding citizens" or of accusing them of being Death Eaters. Madam Bones and Scrimgeour recommended taking SOME form of action against the Death Eaters, to show the British government they were serious in taking care of the matters as requested. Dumbledore kept on dismissing the whole thing, saying that the government wasn't really serious in their threats to dissolve the Magna Carta. Fudge latched onto that thinking and called the meeting to an end. Madam Bones and Head Auror Scrimgeour left the office dismayed.
January 16, 1996 – 1500 (3pm), Close-Quarters Combat Training Center, Scotland – Evan and his mates began their first day of Close Quarters Combat Training. It was going to be one week of intense training ending in a force-on-force training exercise against a trained unit. Close Quarters Combat consisted of entering/searching/engaging in combat within confined or close quarters (within feet). They were going to learn how to go around corners, traversing streets and corridors, entering and clearing buildings and rooms while providing supporting cover for their teammates. It required intense concentration and split-second thinking, especially to identify enemy combatants. They also learned how to behave when one or more of their team were wounded or killed: how to transport the wounded while providing covering fire.
Since Christ Church, Evan researched his "birdie" persona – with Dobby's help when possible. Their research suggested his bird form was a Harpy Eagle, among the world's largest and most powerful eagles. They can grow up to 106 cm (42 inches) long, with a wingspan of 2.3 meters (7.5 feet). Their outer feathers are grey to black. The underside feathers are black and white. The neck and head feathers are a light grey. The chest and underbelly feathers are white. The upper portion of the legs is covered in black-and-white banded feathers. The feet themselves consist of three front-facing talons and one rear-facing talon, with a span of 18cm (7.5 inches). The toes of the eagle are thicker than those of a grown man, and the talons themselves are longer and thicker than most grizzly bears. One of the things Evan found extremely funny was that one of the identifying features of this eagle is the tuft of feathers at the back of the head – just like his hair! This tuft was known as the facial disk, and could be raised (behind the ears and top of head) to focus sound toward the ears themselves. The Harpy Eagles home is in the forests of Central and South America. It is a very agile raptor, hunting its prey via sight and sound amongst the branches of the rainforest. It can carry prey that weighs as much as itself (up to 10 kg [22 lbs]), and reach a maximum level flying speed of 80 km per hour (48 mph). What makes the Harpy Eagle one of the most formidable raptors of the world is its intelligence, which rivals that of it favorite prey – primates.
....
Do you want to read ahead by more than 60 exciting premium chapters?
Then join my p*atreon right now.
Link: p*atreon.com/Sonic_Spectre (Remove the *)
Free members can unlock upto 2 chapters.