Chapter 1192: Nightjar
On the outskirts of the fort of Dommere, an invisible nightjar due to its black, brown, gray, and white plumage sits in a lonely tree, the only one for miles. The medium-sized bird has long wings, short legs, and a very short bill to better hide. The nightjar sits still watching those coming and going from the fort as the moon rises overhead.
Clever and wise, the nightjar flits through the air, before arriving in a secluded location. An excitable wizard with a purple hat that mismatches with his vibrant dark forest green Animagus Police Department (A.P.D.) uniform appears. Dedalus Diggle paused to gaze at the insignia of the A.P.D. uniform embroidered on his chest, it is that of a crow, wolf, and green serpent intertwined with the letters of the A.P.D.
Turning away Dedalus Diggle apperates to another part of the isles. He appears on the edge of grassy grounds and makes his way through the hills. In the bright moonlight, two stands can be standing upright with a third stone on top of them to form a ring. The muggles called them, Stonehenge and whispered that the stone formation was a gateway, the door to another realm, while others said it was an ancient tombstone or altar to ancient gods. All irrational beliefs that only a muggle can devise.
To wizardkind, the ancient site possessed another name, Magicae Lapis, meaning "stones of magic." The ancient stones marked the precise location where ancient magic gathered naturally together. Though the muggle governments had long since transformed the sacred holy land into a muggle tourist destination. Thankfully, it is remarkably easy to trespass into with a bit of magic.
Considering the late hour, a group of hooded figures gather beneath the starry sky in a circle. The hooded figures wear orange-colored stone masks except for the one that wears a pale stone mask of Zeus. Standing in the center of the Magicae Lapis is the white stone-masked Zeus.
The group is notably smaller than before since they had lost many fragments over the course of the past few years. Many fragments were in the process of regenerating, but it was a matter of months for the full regeneration to occur. It would be years before they would be at full strength.
The group appears even smaller as the puppets under the imperius curse are noticeably absent. With the addition of the A.P.D. forces to the Ministry of Magic and the restructuring of the Ministry of Magic, it was no longer prudent for the puppets to attend. It would only serve to draw unnecessary attention to them.
"We are many but only one," the white stone-masked Zeus said as the rest of the orange figures answered back with the same, before falling silent.
The only member of the circle without a mask is that of Dedalus Diggle. The wizard cheerfully tips his purple hat in greeting the rest of the members in the circle. "We and puppets," he grinned recklessly.
"Behave yourself, Diggle," warningly chided, the white stone-masked Zeus.
"Now, now," a cunning middle-aged voice said, "let us not distract ourselves with trivialities, we have much more matters to discuss."
A hum is made by the group in unison before the white stone-masked Zeus asks the question on all their minds, "How did we perform?"
"Between Herbert and I, we put the shard inside the vessel of Dorcas Meadows in a deep sleep," Diggle happily reported earning a head nod from the hooded figure with a cunning voice, who had just spoken.
"We oblivated any memories that had to do with ourselves and permitted Meadow's mind to naturally fill in the gaps," Diggle bowed to the group in jest. "I am pleased to report Meadow's performance was perfect and she remained undetected by Riddle." He paused with a slight frown.
"Though we did lose the puppet of Villem Selwyn, a waste, he was most useful," murmured the cunning voice of Mr. Herbert, the Apothecary Owner in Diagon Alley. "At least, his death proved useful to integrate ourselves."
"Still, we will remain partially blind to Riddle's movements," Diggle solemnly acknowledged. "We cannot access ourselves as long as the serpent and Riddle continue to exist. The vessel must remain in full control, and we must remain fully dormant to remain undetected."
"That puppet has proven most troublesome to kill," a charming young man's voice interjected. "Pardon me, though I am the youngest vessel only recently joined, surely there must be means within our power to destroy Riddle?"
"There is a plan in place," a serene young man's voice explained. "Though it will take time to position all the players."
"It is a calculated risk," murmured the cunning voice of Mr. Herbert.
"I suppose," sighed the charming young man. "At least, I am positioned at Hogwarts before the wards closed."
"The parselmough strengthened the wards?" Sharply inquired the stone-masked Zeus as all the heads in unison turned as one toward the charming young man.
"The Chamber of Secrets is in the process of being renovated and reintegrated as part of Hogwarts," the charming young man explained. "Whatever the foreign parselmouth has done, it has the wards of Hogwarts have restrengthened to the extent that I will need to remain dormant for long periods of time in order to recover my strength and act on the premise."
"The parselmouth cannot be used?" They asked.
"No, the parselmouth is protected by a serpent," the charming young man confessed.
"Serpents," they spat out in old anger.
"So, Hogwarts is no longer possible to retake We would not be in this position if Gudgeon had not perished in the Hogsmeade attack," Diggle thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "Still, what of the rampant vessel, Mary MacDonald."
"Yes," they all whispered eerily in unison. "The vessel must be punished."
"Shall I destroy the errant vessel?" The charming young masked. "It may be more prudent in the end to do so than to continue to allow it to roam rampant in blatant disregard."
"Not yet," they hissed in unison. "We are spread far too thin still. We need to recover more." They all nodded to each other in silent agreement.
"Still not is lost," the charming young man cheerfully remarked. "I will have plenty of power to create further puppets under the Imperius Curse. J.E. Prewitt has proven to be a useful imperiused puppet."
"Excellent," they all whispered in unison. "Yet we remain withdrawn from the underworld and the Hogwarts Board."
"Sanderson is most difficult to infiltrate. They are trained to spot imperiused puppets and to recognize the signs among staff," muttered the cunning, Mr. Herbert. "I have endeavored to personally in dear myself, but to no avail. We shall continue to until our objective is achieved."
"The Hogwarts board members are difficult to possess since they are trained purebloods," admitted the serene young man. "The good news is that we have recovered some power in the Ministry, and I have carefully placed several puppets under the Imperius Curse including several prisoners that escaped during the Hogsmeade attack and returned to the side of Dark Lord."
"My how cunning we are," Mr. Herbert murmured in a pleased fashion.
They all did as they would no longer be blind to Voldemort's actions even if they lay dormant with the vessel of Dorcas Meadows. They had eyes and ears to see and listen to them. They finally had hands to act!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone