Chapter 1: Perils of War

Harry looked over the group of young wizards that he led, of course he wasn't any older than most of them. Their clothes were ragged from living in the backwoods for days on end. He wished that it didn't have to be this way. He wished that they could find a way to fight Voldemort while still keeping in constant touch with civilization. Unfortunately the Order of the Thestral didn't have the network that the Order of the Phoenix had built up. All the Order of the Thestral had were several outposts in the woods and a base camp in the foothills of the mountain that back dropped the woods.

"You guys know what we're here to do right? We are going to hit this patrol and we're going to hit it hard. You all know what's at stake here. We must use potent spells if we are to succeed in evoking terror in these patrol groups. If we can do that Voldemort's organization will crumble down like a rotten house, which it certainly has to be with a cruel son of a bitch like him at the top, eh?" He heard murmured assent to the comment. He went around companionably clasping shoulders. "We will do this. Voldemort shall not win. Not today not ever!" He said as he caught a glimpse of the approaching patrol.

"Spread out to make sure we have them completely covered. I only want one to leave this place. That ought to shake them Death Eaters up. They will learn to dread late night forest patrols in the Order's territory! " Harry pointed his wand toward the crowd of Death Eaters who ambled towards them down an old logging road. They looked nonchalant with arms swinging. One of them was passing around a canteen filled with what he assumed was fire whiskey.

Harry made a quick motion with his hand. A score of sparkling blasts flew out from the cover of the woods. They made perfect imitations of killing curses with their poisonous green color, yet they were only modified stunners, Harry had done this to evoke even more fear into the Death Eaters. The blasts slammed into the massed Death Eater patrol. It incapacitated most of them and then the rest were on their feet wands in hand ready to avenge their fallen comrades. Soon a sheet of dangerous magic was flung towards the woods. Only one of the Order members fell from a ricochet. Harry crept forward on his belly to the edge of the underbrush. He then cast a cloaking spell over his body. He began to snipe down dangerous individuals left.

Soon the magic from the Order members had knocked down all but two members of the patrol. The two looked at each other and simultaneously decided to run for it. As they scurried up the road Harry shot a stunner to knock the rear one down this just caused the leader to increase his speed. Before long he would be back to the Death Eater camp where he would tell the tale of the ambush that had knocked out a whole patrol. No doubt the Dark Lord would step up his patrols. Yet those patrols would always be high strung thinking of attack at any moment. They would soon be exhausted.

Harry rallied up his "soldiers" they began to revive the Death Eaters once they had bound them up. Soon they led a convoy of prisoners through the woods to the base camp of the Order. Harry looked over his shoulder to observe the site of the ambush. There was nothing left to point to an ambush besides a few scorched tree trunks. He nodded in satisfaction and turned around to follow the convoy.

Gregory Goyle looked over his shoulder with terror painted across his face. He glanced at the unmoving form of his friend Vincent Crabbe. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. The number one priority at the moment was to go inform the others about the ambush. Then he would come back and he would have his revenge on the Order for killing his friend. Heads would roll once the Death Eaters located the Order base.

He looked around anxiously half worried that a sickly green burst would fly from the woods and make contact with his chest. How dare the Order make Gregory Goyle so skittish? He thought to himself in frustration. He swung around at the sound of a twig snapping it was just a rabbit running across the road. He growled at the infernal beast. He waved his wand but continued on to the base. He was almost their when he came to the last curve in the road. He decided to take a straight route through a small patch of forest.

The brush clawed at him as he made his way through the thick vegetation. Nasty thorny plants ripped at his robe trying their best to unravel the black threads. Soon he could see the lamp light from the entrance to the Death Eater base. He charged through the undergrowth. He launched himself out of the thicket. The guards sat up startled with wands in hand. Goyle put his hands up to show he came in peace. Then he lifted up his sleeve to show the mark of his master the Dark Lord. The guards eased their tension and motioned him inside. Goyle was not looking forward to telling Crabbe Sr. that his son was dead. Damn the Order and this war!