Category:War

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Year One of the War: 1997

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May 29: Death Eaters attack Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry through an enchanted cabinet in the Room of Requirement. Albus Dumbledore is presumably killed by Severus Snape before the former Potion's master flees with Draco Malfoy from the school. Some Death Eater-aligned students leave the school at this time. Those that remain for their seventh year are highly suspected and many of the Slytherins are subjected to unfair treatment by their fellow classmates.

June 1: Albus Dumbledore’s funeral. Harry Potter tells his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger that he will not be back for his seventh year, Ron agrees to go with him while Hermione stays in order to get her NEWT-levels, having been convinced by the Order of the Phoenix and Headmistress McGonagall to do so. Additionally, some of the professors leave in order to join the war effort, leaving many of the older-years to student-teach in their absence. Swamped by running the school and participating minimally in the War herself, McGonagall has Hermione take over Transfiguration. Over the course of the coming years, some students will be pulled from Hogwarts and sent to other Wizarding academies, while still others will choose to leave school altogether and join military efforts on both sides. In June, however, the War has not quite come home to the Light – many of these decisions are not made until the summer comes to a close.

June 7: The Daily Prophet publishes an editorial on Dumbledore’s death asking why the Ministry has yet to declare war on Voldemort. Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, announces to his staff that they are not allowed to speak to the press, and that his intentions are to prepare for war fully before it is declared. At this time, he recruits a small group of Ministry workers to act as spies, as well as a series of workers to become liaisons for Muggle government officials. Arthur Weasley is one of the latter, as is Kingsley Shacklebolt.

June 10: The editor of the Daily Prophet is found dead in his office of unknown causes.

June 11: Voldemort directs his followers to begin preparing for strongholds outside of England as well as a series of “safe houses” within the country in the event of an emergency. Most of these strongholds plan to be located in the Welsh Marches, Northern Scotland, and family holdings in France. The Dark Lord also begins laying plans to take over the French Ministry in order to utilise their resources in attacking English wizards. Neither Harry nor Ron have been seen since the end of school, and it is felt by some of the Death Eaters that Lord Voldemort is overestimating Harry. The Death Eaters undergo a long period of silence as they begin to make preparations for the next stage of the battle. Likewise, the Ministry is beginning its own plans, recruiting promising students to serve as warriors for their side.

July 19: The Night of a Thousand Daggers Death Eaters strike the French Ministry with a series of coordinated attacks at the homes of its officials. Several French citizens with familial ties to the Death Eaters provide Voldemort’s generals with the information they need to make concerted night attacks on prominent French officials. In one night, over one hundred French wizards are dead, through curses or unexpected attacks. The Death Eaters secure the French Ministry and those remaining of the original government form a resistance in exile. They send a series of appeals to Scrimgeour, but spies for Voldemort intercept them, causing the letters to never reach England. The French start to believe that the English are colluding in Voldemort’s plan.

July 21-23: The Avignon Offensive Scrimgeour decides, in the face of angry public opinion, that he has to launch an offensive attack on the majority of Voldemort’s army, which has settled itself in Avignon, slaughtering a number of Muggle families within the city walls. The effort is made more difficult by Muggleborn activists who insist that the Muggles remaining in the city must be evacuated before any spells are cast. Aurors are sent in to rescue the Muggles with a small team of Obliviators with the idea that another force will back them up. The second force, led by former teacher Horace Slughorn, refuses to attack, continually sending owls for more reinforcements. Scrimgeour declines to send more Wizards under the grounds that it will alert the Death Eaters to their presence. Slughorn withdraws in anger, and as a result, most of the Aurors involved are killed or captured by the Death Eaters. A significant number of Muggles leave the city before this occurs.

July 31: In recognition of Harry's birthday, several former students are given the Dark Mark in a ceremony meant to solidify both their loyalties and the Dark’s success in the War thus far.

August: Some minor battles are fought along the coastlines of France and England near the Strait of Dover. The battles are normally only between one or two wizards and neither side gains advantage from them although several notable wizards are killed as a result: Miranda Goshawk, Stephen Edgecombe, Pharus Greengrass, Atrocitas Macnair, Conor Lynch, Genevieve Jenkins, Rose Hookum, and Sebastian Thruston perishing in the fights. During this time, Scrimgeour attempts to recoup both his forces and public opinion. Voldemort finds himself occupied with keeping his troops in check as Greyback and Bellatrix Lestrange form a coalition. Both sides send emissaries to Ireland during this time to attempt to get Irish wizards to side with them. Ireland wants no part of the battle and declares herself neutral.

September 1: School begins at Hogwarts. Many upper-year students have already made their choice to leave, and class size is significantly reduced. During this time, Harry sends word to Hermione that he and Ron are all right, and she passes this information on to pertinent members of the Order. Students remaining at Hogwarts begin the DA again in his absence.

September 2: With the Ministry lulled into a false sense of security when nothing goes amiss the first day of term, Voldemort's forces raid Azkaban. Ironically, the Death Eaters bring Dementors back to the Fortress with them, storming the prision and liberating many of the Dark Lord's followers being kept inside. They leave as unexpectedly as they arrived, the mist from the Dementors and the chill not quite leaving with them. In light of this, later in the month the Ministry takes extra measures to go in and refortify Azkaban. It takes them well into November to complete the new wards, and when it is done most feel that it will be impossible for the Death Eaters to stage another break-in.

September 16: The Destruction of Beauxbatons Madame Maxime and Beauxbatons faculty make the decision to lock the doors of the school against the Death Eaters when they come to take the school as a base. As a result, the Death Eaters completely raze the school to the ground, killing many of the children within and leaving the others to find their way out of the rubble. Afterwards, the Death Eaters do not return to Beauxbatons and the ruins are used as a meeting place for the French Resistance.

September 18-21: The Battle of Lyminge Forest A series of pitched battles in the middle of a small forest begins, fighting erupting not far from the English coast. The majority of these battles are fought between Lightside wizards and a small force of werewolves known as “Greyback’s Legion.” The Legion won the battles, but suffered massive losses to their numbers, as most defected after the battle takes place. This severely lowers the Death Eater’s opinion of Greyback, and the Dark Lord sends out an assassin to take care of those who deserted.

October 8: The British Ministry for Magic finally declares war on the Death Eater factions. Many wizards are angered by the length of time it took to come to this decision, those speaking out the loudest being the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Initially, Remus Lupin acts as the head of the Order; however, he is needed more on the front lines of the war with the werewolf problem, so Molly Weasley takes over. A few former students are inducted into the Order at this time.

October 14: Stalisfield Morale continues to drop as Slughorn repeats the same incompetence in leading his portion of the Light forces. While quartered at Stalisfield, a small task-force led by Amos Diggory sent out to investigate the movement of trolls in the area, is met by Harry Potter who shows them three of the Horcruxes that he has managed to find. This rumour spreads until it gains epic proportions, and many wizards who were not at Stalisfield claim to have been there later on.

October 30: The Battle of Black Mountain The Light wins their first significant battle against the Dark in Wales. Remus Lupin leads a group of wizards in flushing out trolls from the Mountain who have sided with Voldemort. It is an overwhelming loss for the Dark side and Voldemort goes into seclusion afterwards, leaving the morale in his troops very low.

November 1: Arthur Weasley is sent to discuss matters with the British Prime Minister due to the fear that attacks on the Muggles may have escalated to a point where the Ministry can no longer control them. Recruitment during this period is as high for Obliviators as it is for Aurors. Curiously, Muggles in France are left largely alone, the Death Eaters not wanting to deal with them.

November 2-15: Fenrir's March Greyback, in retaliation for Lupin’s attack on the mountain trolls, begins a march down the English coastline, beginning at Dunstanburgh Castle and going down, attacking mainly the children of the Light side along with whatever stray travellers the remains of his Legion find. The majority of the attacks occur in the early evening and the children themselves are often displayed in grisly ways, their parents left alive but injured. No one on the Dark side sanctioned his attack, and with Voldemort away, it takes far longer to subdue Greyback and his followers than anyone expected. The March finally ends outside Tunstall where Voldemort’s assassin, Brigid Montgomery, captures Greyback, the Death Eaters locking him away until their Lord’s return.

November 16: The Conflict at Withernsea Members of the Order attack Death Eaters resting at Withernsea, and capture Amycus Carrow. The battle is not without cost for the Order, however. Bill Weasley goes missing during the fighting and is assumed to be captured, if not dead. As a result, his wife, Fleur Weasley nee Delacour, leaves for France, where it is rumoured that the Dark is keeping prisoners in its stronghold there. As of now, they are both still missing.

November 20: There is an increased pressure on the Ministry for Magic to end the War quickly. Wizarding Activists begin calling for a compromise with the Death Eaters, due to the inability of the Ministry to mobilise its forces and decrease bureaucracy to a manageable point. Conscription into the Auror forces is considered briefly during this period as there is a lack of suitable wizards to fight for the Light; however, numbers increase once stories of Fenrir’s March are publicised.

November 24: Increased reports begin to filter in of Wizards being placed under the Imperius Curse. Giant sightings are recorded in Northern England and Aurors must be diverted to deal with giants threatening Muggle villages. Spies report Voldemort has returned, although his behaviour has become severely erratic. During this time, Death Eaters Ailsa Hayes, Miles Bletchley, Deiophorus Robards, and Eduard Boleine are executed by their own side for implied treason.

December 11: The Fight at Blue John Cavern Three Light wizards living in the Wizarding village of Little Shepney just outside Sheffield, stumble on a small force of Death Eaters while out riding brooms on a watch near their community. These three manage to take on all seven Death Eaters and survive. The group receive Order of Merlin’s for their efforts and Light morale increases for a period of time.

December 18: A huge sea storm sweeps the countryside near Brighton as an act of terrorism by the Death Eaters. The Muggle Ministry begins to panic, issuing orders which only put more innocent civilians in the path of the Death Eaters, ignoring the advice coming to them from the Ministry for Magic via Arthur Weasley. Kingsley Shacklebolt suggests to Minister Scrimgeour that a squib might be a better liaison with the them since they are also without magic and able to relate to the Muggles on that level. Minister Scrimgeour puts out a call for suggestions and comes up with their final choice - Arabella Figg. She tries to make arrangements with Muggle Prime Minister Seymour regarding the cover-up of the Wizarding War, and at first he is interested, having already explained away early deaths by publicly suspecting the IRA and other known Muggle terrorists organisations. As the death toll increases, however, Seymour becomes reluctant to cooperate with the Wizards, wanting no part of their War.

On the way back to the Ministry from her final meeting, Arabella finds the Floo corrupted and ends up in the hands of the Death Eaters.

December 21: One of the head Death Eaters contacts Scrimgeour to discuss negotiations and a trade for Arabella Figg with the imprisoned Death Eaters. Scrimgeour refuses to ransom hostages, a fact which has yet to be discovered, and the discussion between the two is kept secret. The Death Eaters do not do anything to Figg, believing that she can be used as bait for Harry. She is kept in a safe house in the middle of Wales.

December 22-January 12: Another series of small, pitched battles as the war begins to escalate. It appears at this point that the Death Eaters will win the war. They have managed to organize themselves well without the shadow of bureaucracy over them and morale is high among the group. Some former Lightsiders begin to defect as the Dark's power becomes apparent.

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Year Two of the War: 1998

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January 13: In an attempt to forestall the Dark victory, Scrimgeour announces that Harry and Ron have located five of the Horcruxes. He has no proof to back up the statement but the message serves its purpose and another morale boost occurs.

January 14: The announcement is initially believed by the Dark side. In a fit of anger, Voldemort has Arabella Figg killed and sends her head to the head of the Aurors. The rest of Arabella's body is mangled and left outside a known Order base raided by Death Eaters a few weeks before.

January 15 – April 4: On January 15, Voldemort disappears in yet another irrational rage. His Death Eaters, many of them experienced generals, manage to conceal this fact from most of the others. While the Dark is winning the War at this point, there is quiet dissension among its ranks, especially with the Dark Lord’s conspicuous absences.

Similarly, the Ministry is dealing with disagreements amongst its own. Slughorn demoted from command and dies in a small skirmish in the middle of March. Scrimgeour finds himself appointing younger military leaders as so many of the older wizards have retreated or been killed during the War thus far. Again, conscription measures are discussed but decided against.

On Molly’s orders, Remus goes after those of Greyback’s Legion that defected after Lyminge Forest who have managed to evade Voldemort’s assassin so far. At this point, the Order hopes to bring more to their side, and those sympathisers of other races are encouraged to recruit as well. For the most part, this period of the war results in a stalemate, the Light not being strong enough to defeat the Dark and internal conflicts causing problems for Voldemort’s forces.

April 5: The Little War of the Thames A group of ten Death Eaters decides to enter London by the way of the Thames and force the issue of Muggle interaction, thus giving the Light something more to deal with. On their way down, however, they are stopped by one of the strangest incidences of the war, a group of Muggles on a garbage barge. As the Death Eaters begin to cast spells, one of the Muggles, a man known as Peter Rowe, realizes that something is wrong and starts to toss garbage towards them, an act which probably saves his life as the caster stopped in confusion. With that, the remaining Muggles began to pitch the rest of the garbage at the Death Eaters, pelting them all with rank refuse. The Death Eaters Disapparated in anger but did not return. A Daily Prophet reporter witnessed the event and wrote it up for the newspaper to lighten the spirits of Light wizards. Rowe and his compatriots were not Obliviated due to the strange nature of the battle.

April 29: The First Battle of Diagon Alley Harry re-emerged in Diagon Alley at the beginning of the month, taking up residence with Fred and George Weasley for a few weeks before planning to return to Grimmauld Place. This news did not take long to reach the ears of the Death Eaters, and with Voldemort still missing, his high-ranking generals decide to launch an attack on the Alley in an attempt to capture Harry on this day. They unleash a force of Inferi that succeed in tearing apart the streets before the Order arrives to help Harry and the Weasleys escape. It was then revealed that most of the Horcruxes had been found and destroyed.

May 10: The Fight at the Crossroads A group of Death Eaters on their way to continue the attack on London were surprised by a night guard at Gravesend where they had stopped to make plans. A group of Aurors launches a surprise attack that results in three deaths and two captures, although most of the Death Eaters escaped. Former Hogwarts student Adam Summerby was killed in this fight.

May 13: Voldemort returns to find three of his favoured (and most able to keep his madness in check) generals dead. He begins to act extremely paranoid and irrational, causing the dissension in his ranks to increase. More minor skirmishes in May show that the Light is growing stronger as the Dark begins to fall apart.

June 1-7: The Seven Days of Terror Giants launch an assault from the Mountains of Wales, coming from the peaks in what appears to be a desperate effort to save the War for Voldemort. They destroy much of the isolated countryside and it takes a large force of combined Auror and Order efforts to stop them. Rubeus Hagrid and his half-brother Grawp, die on the fifth day of fighting.

June 5: The Second Battle of Diagon Alley At the same time as the Giants march, a separate force of Death Eaters launches a directed attack on Diagon Alley, succeeding in securing it and setting up camp within. Many of the shopkeepers are either killed or forced out of their businesses. Several of the Death Eaters delight in setting the shops on fire, giving the battle the alternate name of “The Fireraiser Assault.”

June 6: Wizarding London undergoes a severe stage of lock-down. New visitors to the city are heavily watched and wards are thrown up everywhere. As a result of the mass arson committed in Diagon Alley, the Ministry passes a highly popular law confiscating any property suspected of being used as a base or asset for the Dark. An attempt is made to freeze financial assets but the Gringotts goblins claim neutrality and refuse to lock the accounts. Despite the popularity of his draconian measures, Scrimgeour continues to fear for his position.

June 27: The Engagement at Epping Forest The Aurors begin to create a living wall around London in order to further keep out Death Eaters as well as creating additional to prevent escape. Several groups of Death Eaters attempt to repel Aurors and are captured in large numbers.

July 3 – September 18 : The Siege of Knockturn Lead Aurors construct and successfully carry out a plan to block the Floos to Diagon and Knockturn Alley, trapping all who remain inside. Due to the earlier arson committed among many of the food sources; they feel that the Death Eaters will be unable to hold out long. However, a miscalculation is made and many more innocents are within the walls than initially expected. As a result, the two alleys turn hellish, with Death Eaters and remaining Wizards fighting for their lives, and tragically, towards the end of the Siege, many resort to cannibalism in order to survive. By the time the Death Eaters surrender, it is difficult for the Aurors to determine who is on what side.

October 2: The Battle of Calais The French Resistance makes their move against the Death Eaters occupying the country. They are victorious, and with their Ministry reinstated, it begins undercover operations to find and assassinate all known Death Eaters who participated in the actions against France. Many who are believed Death Eaters are killed by vigilante mobs whether they are proven or not. Morale in England rises as a result of this battle.

October 3: A special force forms in the British Ministry to find and flush out Death Eater safe houses. This marks the first time since the beginning of the war that the Death Eaters find themselves on the run.

October 4 - January 6: A series of small battles occurs with a number of Death Eaters taken to Azkaban. Efforts are made to avoid killing them so that they can be brought to trial at the end of the war. Scrimgeour’s popularity reaches its highest levels since his election four years prior.

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Year Three of the War: 1999

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January 6: The Battle of Crychan Forest Voldemort is found in the Forest by the Order in a secret safe house set up there. He manages to flee with several remaining groups of Dark creatures loyal to him, but not before he attacks and wounds several Order members.

January 7 – February 14: A period of time elapses in which most efforts are being directed towards chasing Voldemort down. During this time, Harry joins the fighting and reunites with many of his friends from school. He leads everyone to believe that he has destroyed all of the Horcruxes, although it remains unclear as to whether or not this is true.

February 14: The Battle of Crownhill Fort Voldemort is found at Crownhill Fort with a few of his closest supporters. Aurors and Order members quickly surround the area, and Dementors come from their hiding place to chase many of them away. The battle is extremely terrifying – mist from the dementors shrouds the hillsides for miles and the aura of terror and fear surrounding the area affects a large radius. Harry and Voldemort face off in what many initially suspect will be the final battle, but Harry finds he is unable to bring himself to kill. Voldemort breaks and runs, but many of his supporters, including Lucius Malfoy, die in order for this to occur. It is found when the Fort is entered that several of the prisoners within have been poisoned in order for them not to be questioned by the Light. The Ministry estimates that Crownhill Fort has been used as a holding cell for Light prisoners since the beginning of the War. They are only able to save a few of those within. Cho Chang is one of those rescued.

February 15 to present: Spurred by his escape from Crownhill, Voldemort and his Death Eaters begin a series targeted attacks against those known to be personally important to Harry and the other members of the Order. Morale begins to fall as location after location is hit, the Aurors arriving just in time to clean up after the Death Eaters. One of the earliest victims in this period is Remus Lupin.

April 2-5: Shaken by the renewed strength the Dark forces are showing, Minister Scrimgeour meets with the heads of Europe, planning on appealing to them for assistance. Many countries feel he is out-of-line in his request, his plea garnishing a mix of incredulity and frowns from the conference. France, in particular, is vocal about its unwillingness to help, as England did not come to their aid in the years prior. Other countries, citing France's plight, express their wish not to become involved in the fighting, not wanting to bring death to their streets as well. The most important aspect European countries stress to Scrimgeour, however, is that should Voldemort's forces take over, they will not hesitate to ally against England at that point. Europe is adamant that this "English Civil War" will not extend outside the country any longer.

May 31 : Attack on the Burrow Voldemort deals Harry his biggest blow yet in the form of an attack on the Weasley household. He strikes during the day while most of the family is away, but manages to catch Molly, Arthur, and Ron. The three put up a valiant fight, but prove to be no match for the continued arrival of Death Eaters. Their mangled, defiled corpses greet the twins upon their arrival home that night.

June 23: The Last Battle Voldemort kills Harry in a battle at which no one else is present. Some rumors emerge that he was not successful but the whole of the wizarding world accepts what has happened. There are no other options that emerge. The Order, however, remains true to his memory and goes into hiding as a guerrilla organization.

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Notes and Errata:

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Battle Naming Conventions: Battles tended to be named for places or significant events during the War. However, there was a tendency towards the middle and end of the war on the Light's part to name battles for the Muggle cities that the battles were being fought by. The Dark tends to refer to those battles either by wizarding towns or landmarks nearby. Occasionally, this will result in some confusion in wizarding histories and points to another breach between the losers and the victors of this struggle.