Lily had got dressed and ran down into the Gryffindor common room. ''Potter! Black! Get down here now!''

After a few moments, the two boys stepped out of the boy's dormitory with grumpy expressions on their faces. Potter's glasses had been fixed and it seems Madam Pomfrey had healed his nose.

''What's so important at this hour, Evans?'' Black questioned.

''There's something I need from you,'' Lily replied.

''Why should we help you?'' Potter questioned.

''Really?'' Lily scoffed, ''You hound me every single day to go out with you, but somehow today you don't fancy doing me a favour?''

''Maybe Snivellus put a curse on you,'' Black suggested, ''We could helping Death Eaters for all we know.''

''You really are stupid, aren't you?'' Lily muttered, ''Look, are you two gonna help me or not?''

Potter seemed to consider. At last, he looked up. ''What is it you need?''

''I know what you lot get up to, sneaking around and out of the castle,'' Lily revealed, making both narrow their eyes, ''I know you know all the secret passages.''

''What exactly are you trying to say?'' Black questioned.

''I need you to tell me how to get to Hogsmeade.''

Albus didn't know how long he had been waiting. The metal creatures and their human servants had been long since disappeared in different directions. He hoped the Minister would have the sense to listen to what he had to say.

Suddenly, he heard the distinctive crack of apparition, and turned around to see ten people striding towards him confidently.

''Headmaster!'' a young woman said will a smile. Albus would recognise a former student anywhere. This was Georgia Tyler, a muggleborn Hufflepuff student who'd spent much of her time at Hogwarts being bullied, but by the end of her time there was known as one of the greatest Defence Against the Dark Arts students the school had ever seen, to the point that Wizards twice her age had been bested by her in a duel. Albus had made a point to suggest she come back to teach the subject, but she'd been determined to become an Auror.

And it seemed she had succeeded.

''It is good to see you, my child!'' Albus beamed.

''Can you tell us what's been happening?'' Georgia questioned.

''A student of mine did not return from the Hogsmeade trip,'' Albus explained, ''I went to find him and did, but we were then attacked by what seemed to be cursed humans.''

''Cursed how?'' another auror, this time a powerfully built man, asked.

''That I cannot say,'' Albus admitted, ''They appear to have bizarre contraptions attached to their foreheads, however these can retract to form a disguise, which is how they fooled me the first time. Do not be caught out.''

''Is it just them?'' Georgia asked.

''No. They serve a type of creature which I have never previously encountered,'' Albus explained, ''I cannot say whether it is the product of Magic or Muggle technology. However, it is, by the account I have heard, extremely dangerous.''

''We'll find the humans first,'' Georgia decided, ''We'll engage them. Find out what they are. Then we can take on those creatures.''

As if out of nowhere, they heard the sound of footsteps. A small group of people stepped into view. The aurors pulled out their wands.

''Do not attempt to fool us again,'' Albus warned dangerously, ''We are aware of what you are and your capabilities. Whatever your master's intentions are, you have no business harming innocents.''

''You... will... surrender,'' a woman said dangerously, the metal eye extending from her forehead.

''Like hell we will,'' the well-built man spat, stepping forward with his wand drawn.

The woman raised her hand, as did the people behind her. Suddenly, a beam of white energy shot out. The powerfully built man was ready and shouted ''Protego!'', but much to everyone's horror, the beam still struck the man in the chest, as though the shield charm he had cast hadn't even been there. For a second, the man's body seemed to light up, to the point that the bones within were visible, and then he flopped to the ground, dead.

''No!'' Georgia shrieked. She pointed her want at the woman and shouted ''Avada Kedavra!'' blasting her down instantly. Albus was shocked, but was aware that in the current climate aurors were permitted to use Unforgivable Curses against threats. Before any of the possessed humans could make another move, the aurors began pelting them with stunners, hexes and jinxes until all of them were floored.

''This was only a small group,'' Albus pointed out, ''There are more of them out here.''

''They killed him!'' Georgia whimpered, voice cracking.

''I am truly sorry, my dear child,'' Albus whispered.

''We have to stop them before they kill anyone else!'' Georgia decided, ''How they hell did they manage to break through a shield charm?''

''We are clearly dealing with beings of immense power,'' Albus realised, ''We must move carefully.''

The Dalek Commander and Unit 2 were watching as a small group of roboforms were defeated by the unknown weaponry of the humans.

''ROBOFORMS HAVE ENCOUNTERED RESISTANCE,'' Unit 2 remarked.

''THESE HUMANS MUST BE EXTERMINATED,'' the Commander declared, before turning around and placing it's sucker arm on the control panel, beaming into their minds the images of the group of humans who had outfought the roboforms, ''ALL ROBOFORMS WILL CONVERGE ON THESE HUMANS. CONVERGE AND EXTERMINATE!''

Severus hurried into the woodlands. It was easy to get lost here in brought daylight but in the dead of night things were so much worse. He didn't know if the possessed people were still around, or worse, that metal thing.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling noise in the bushes. Severus' heart skipped a beat. For as long as he remembered, he'd treated the slightest sound as warning of an incoming threat. His struggles with his father at home and the Marauders at school had taught him to always watch his back.

Severus pulled out his wand and whispered ''Lumos,'' the tip lit up. He took a step back from where the sound was coming from, watching as something stepped out of the bush...

He was relieved to find that it was nothing more than a fox.

''On your way, boy,'' he laughed, petting the animal on it's head and watching it run away.

''Halt!'' a voice said. Severus turned to see two big, burly men in front of him, arms raised, metal eyes extending from their heads.

Severus knew that if he did not act, it would be the end of his life. He shot a nonverbal stunning spell at one of the men, turning his wand to the other and screaming ''SECTUMSEMPRA!'' He slashed wildly with his wand, causing the man to fall to the ground.

Severus stepped closer to examine the man, and could see that he was covered in blood. Severus was shocked. He'd developed that spell after Black had tried to kill him by feeding him to Lupin. It was at that moment that he realised that this wasn't just about getting one-up over the Marauders anymore. It was a battle for survival, because if they could try to kill him once, then they would do it again.

If the bleeding man was anything to go by, his new spell was a success. He'd never used on a person before and with any luck would never have to again, but it least he knew now that he had a sure-fire way of defending himself. Severus started to run again, in fear that there were more possessed people around.

Albus, Georgia and the other aurors hurried through the woods. They had fought with several more of the possessed humans and unfortunately two more of their number had been killed. Georgia was consumed by utter fury and vengeance, while Albus simply wanted the bloodshed to stop.

''Oh my god,'' Georgia whispered, pointing her finger at a large group of people prowling the woods, ''That might be the last of them.''

''We are outnumbered,'' Albus pointed out.

''And they're outclassed,'' Georgia responded, ''They're slow and stupid. We can take them.''

''I do not recommend this!'' Albus protested.

''You just watch me!'' Georgia spat as she started to march over, ''Oi!'' she shrieked, hitting the first person to turn around with a stunning spell. Another fired a blast at her which she dodged, and the other aurors ran in to cover her, shooting all kinds of spells at the opposition.

Georgia fired another stunner, while Albus hit two of them with a Body-Bind Curse. Several blasts came back, but none hit their intended targets. This meant that the ground around them was in flames.

''Avada Kedavra!'' Georgia shouted, blasting down one of the humans. There were now very few of them left, and Albus took down another two with the Leg Locker Curse.

Georgia shot another stunner at the final possessed human, smirking at the fact they'd defeated the enemy, though she knew the cost had been high.

''There may be more of them around,'' Albus warned.

''Then we'll take them on,'' Georgia declared dangerously, ''Those things clearly aren't as strong as you thought.''

''Or perhaps their purpose was, to use a common phrase, to soften us up,'' Albus remarked.

Georgia looked at Albus, confused, but he was looking elsewhere. Up at the sky, in fact. Georgia followed his eyes, to the horrifying sight of a bronze, metal creature descending towards them.

''What is it?'' Georgia panicked, ''What the hell is it?''

''Avada Kedavra!'' one of the other aurors shouted. A burst of energy burst from the tip of his wand and hit the creature, but it had no effect.

''Reducto!'' Georgia cried, but it did no good. Georgia and Albus hurried back, but the other aurors didn't seem to have had the same brainwave.

''EXTERMINATE!'' the creature roared. It twitched the whisk-like stick on it's midsection and suddenly fired six rapid shots, blasting down all of the other aurors.

The gunstick twitched again, but Albus grabbed Georgia and the two apparated away.

''What the hell was that thing?'' Georgia shrieked .

''That,'' Albus replied, ''Was the most dangerous creature either of us have ever encountered.''

The Daleks once again showing their sheer power and brutality. Get ready for more action-y stuff next chapter.

1968 - Thanks for that review. I was trying to go for a HP fantasy vibe, but clearly the Daleks bring in serious DW vibes.