Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, obviously.

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! I love reviews so much. More of them would be lovely! :D In response to what someone said about Remus being an Auror: I imagine Remus would have been able to become an Auror, but he probably had to fight for the job for a while before they let him. And since the war against Voldemort is so bad, they need all the help they can get, even if someone is a werewolf.

Love is the red of the rose on your coffin door
What's life like, bleeding on the floor,

So give me all your poison
And give me all your pills
And give me all your hopeless hearts
And make me ill
You're running after something
That you'll never kill
If this is what you want
Then fire at will

"Is everyone here?"

"Yes, Scrimgeour, everyone's here."

"Does everyone have their wand out?"

"Yes, Scrimgeour, everyone has their wand out."

"Does everyone remember the new plan?"

"For Merlin's sake, Scrimgeour, yes, everyone remembers the new plan!"

"Wait a second. I don't remember the new plan."

"God damn, Flaherty, we just went over this -"

"Quiet, you three!" Remus snapped, glaring at Scrimgeour, Flaherty and Sirius as all the Aurors stood across the street from an abandoned warehouse. "They'll hear us."

"They already know we're coming." Sirius reminded him. "They just don't know that we know they know we're coming."

"Huh?" Flaherty's face crumpled in confusion.

"Forget it." Sirius said. "Alright, let's get on with it. James, Remus, Kingsley and I will take the back entrance. Scrimgeour, Paleski, are you taking the front?"

"Yes, we are." Scrimgeour answered before turning to a nervous-looking Auror who seemed to be the youngest of the group. "Maran, you're the only replacement for McNaughton we could find at last minute, so you better not disappoint us. Straighten up your shoulders and get a tighter grip on that wand. You and Takashi are going to climb up to the second story window over there. If there are Death Eaters up there, stun them immediately." Scrimgeour looked over at Mad Eye Moody. "Moody, are there any Death Eaters up there?"

"Not that I can see." Moody grunted, his magical eye focused on the dark windows of the warehouse. "But they could be skulking around in the back..."

"Can we please go over the plan one more time?" Flaherty whispered.

"Alright, alright." Scrimgeour said. "James, you explain."

"Why do I have to -"

"Just explain it to him, James. I have no more patience."

"Fine." James sighed. "Alright, Flaherty, listen closely because if I have to repeat myself I will hex you into next week. The Death Eaters don't know that we know its a trap. They're expecting us to all barge in the front door, not knowing they're waiting for us. But now that we do know its a trap, we have that advantage. Scrimgeour and and Paleski there are going to come in the front, acting as a distraction. The rest of us will come from the back and from upstairs, catching them off guard. We stun as many of those gits as we possibly can, arrest them quickly, then find the PortKeys that lead to the Ministry. Because according to Snape," James sneered. "there will be several PortKeys hidden somewhere. Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy are planning on meeting Voldemort at the Department of Mysteries. We have to get to those PortKeys before they do. But in case they do happen to find the PortKeys first, Moody has a couple extra PortKeys on him. Don't you, Moody?"

"Yep," Moody growled. "Got 'em right here."

"Good." James said. "So are we all on the same page here?"

"But...I don't get why we don't just go to the Ministry and find You-Know-Who's horcrux before he does." Maran said nervously.

"Because Dumbledore said not to do that." James answered.

"But...why did he say not to do that?" Maran asked.

"He's Dumbledore. He doesn't need to specify a reason." James said. "Now, are we all on the same page?"

There were scattered mumbles of "yes" throughout the group.

"So we're all ready?" Scrimgeour looked at everyone's determined faces. They all nodded. "Alright. Get into position in three, two, one..."

"Does everyone remember the plan?" Bellatrix barked at the Death Eaters that were all facing her. "Because if any of you mess this up for the Dark Lord, the severest punishment awaits you."

Most of the Death Eaters nodded.

"Shall we go over the plan one more time anyway, in case any of them forgot?" Lucius drawled from beside Bellatrix.

Bellatrix heaved a sigh, rolled her eyes, and said, "Fine. I'll explain it one more time in case any of you are suffering from a sudden case of idiocy. The Aurors are here now. They're standing right across the street, preparing to come in and attack us. They think they've received an anonymous tip that we're having a meeting here. Little do they know, we are the ones who gave them the tip. Soon they'll come barging in the door, firing stunning spells at us. But we'll be waiting here for them. As soon as we've killed, cursed and injured all of them, Lucius and I will take the PortKeys to the Department of Mysteries. None of you are allowed to follow us. Once Lucius and I have gone, all of you must Apparate immediately."

Bellatrix fixed her eyes on six cloaked figures, standing at the back of the group, their faces hidden under eerie Death Eater masks. These six figures were shorter than the rest of the Death Eaters.

"I'm sure everyone has noticed that we have added six more to our number." Bellatrix smiled. The Death Eaters all turned and looked at the six standing at the back. "Those six people back there are actually children. Our Junior Death Eaters. Most of you haven't heard of them before now because the Dark Lord was saving them as a little surprise. Lucius, Macnair and myself have been training them the magic of the Dark Arts for the past seven years, and you'll find that they are exceptionally talented. So talented that you'd think they were adults, if you don't see their faces or hear their voices. And I expect all of them to be on their best behavior." Bellatrix glared at the shortest one who was standing in the middle. "You know who you are."

"So now we wait here, for the Aurors to obliviously walk through that door, expecting us to be discussing something important." Lucius laughed lazily. "You know, their cluelessness is sort of funny, in a way. They actually think we'd have an important meeting here, in this ugly rundown place, instead of one of our own manors. What fools."

Everyone laughed. The laughter from the six Junior Death Eaters at the back rose louder than the rest. So loud, in fact, that it seemed rather forced. Bellatrix glared in that direction to make them stop.

"Is McNaughton still locked in the trunk upstairs?" Bellatrix whispered to Rodolphus. "We absolutely cannot let him get out again. If he gets out and the other Aurors find him...the things he's overheard while he was in the dungeon...he'd tell the Aurors everything..."

"Relax, Bella." Rodolphus whispered back. "The only way McNaughton could get out again is if somebody lets him out. And nobody here would do that."

"I'm not so sure about that." Bellatrix looked over at where the Junior Death Eaters were standing. "Maybe the person who tried to help McNaughton escape two days ago is here tonight..."

"You don't think..." Rodolphus followed Bellatrix's gaze and looked at the Junior Death Eaters. "Oh, is that why you used the Cutting Curse on Harry? You think he's the one who tried to set McNaughton free?"

"Its a possibility. He hasn't always shown a lot of enthusiasm for our noble cause, has he? And I tried to get him to use the Cruciatus Curse on the bloody Auror down in the dungeon, but the little twit wouldn't do it. He was practically crying when I tried to make him do it, the little baby." Bellatrix sneered. "I'm losing my patience with him. He ran away from us countless times, sometimes he's disrespectful to me, he doesn't seem to admire the Dark Lord or care about the Dark Lord's plans, he's just like his bloody parents. I don't know how much longer I can pretend to care about him. I think he's starting to realize that I don't. What if he is the one who tried to help McNaughton escape? The Dark Lord will be angry with me for my bad judgment. After all, I was the one who convinced the Dark Lord we could use the boy as a Death Eater."

"Don't worry about Harry, Bella. He probably didn't try to help McNaughton escape. McNaughton is a highly skilled Auror, he could have found a way out on his own. And if worst comes to worst and Harry really did it, we'll let Redler have the kid. Redler would use him as a chewtoy." Rodolphus assured her. "But try to have a little more faith in Harry. The boy shows promise. He may not have wanted to cruciate the Auror, but everyone is a little apprehensive their first time."

"I wasn't." Bellatrix smirked.

"Of course you weren't." Rodolphus smiled. "But remember, Harry isn't as brilliant as you are. Let's give him another chance and see how it goes today. Maybe he'll surprise us by killing a couple of Aurors."

"I hope so." Bellatrix smiled nastily.

"Everyone!" Lucius said. "The Aurors are coming now. Get into position."

"Are you ready?" Bellatrix asked the Junior Death Eaters as she walked over to them. They all nodded. "Now, remember, the plan is to curse them all before they can stun us. However, if any of them manage to block our curses and start dueling with us, do not turn your back on them. The dumbest thing to do when you're dueling with someone is turn your back on them. Remember the Cruciatus Curse, the Sectumsempra curse, the Reductor Curse and the Killing Curse. Those are the ones you'll be needing the most. And do not, absolutely do not, remove your mask. No matter what happens. Are we understood?" Bellatrix looked significantly at the smallest Junior Death Eater when she said this. "Harry, do you understand me? Do you swear not to remove your mask?"

The smallest one and presumably the youngest looked over at her, his eyes covered by the mask.

"Yes, Bella. I swear not to remove my mask." Harry answered in a voice that would have sounded sweet and polite, if Bellatrix didn't know him better.

"You better not." Bellatrix said. "Now, everyone have your wands out and face the door. The Aurors should be here any second. In three, two, one..."

Uh oh! A cliffhanger! I hope you all don't hate me for it. XD But don't worry. The next chapter will probably be up really soon, at least by tomorrow.