A/N: As usual, I will respond to reviews through my story. Previous chapter has been edited slightly following the helpful review. An explanation to a review in this chapter has been added. Also, all my previous chapters have been formatted to look appealing. Thank you and enjoy!

The First Assignment

He was going to die. The person full of power, full of life, was going to fade away. And he couldn't do anything; nothing at all.

Harry had never felt so powerless. Why? Why was it that anyone who got too close to him, ended up dead? Was he cursed? To be left alone forever? Was he responsible for all those who had died around him? No! That's not true, his mind fought back. It cannot be, he couldn't live with the blame of their deaths on his head.

But wait! That's right. Lance was just playing another one of his morbid jokes, trying to test his emotional state. Yeah, that was it. It had to be. Harry expected Lance to burst out laughing any moment, as he usually did. Harry looked into his trainer's eyes to find anything that might support his thoughts. But what he saw would haunt forever. The eyes were devoid of life. They were dead.

"It seems I don't have much time left. Let's try and make optimum use of it." Lance stated with an empty voice. There was a feeling of helplessness that crushed Harry's heart.

"I... I..." Harry choked at his words. He was overcome by emotions, but there were no tears in his eyes. The sadness he felt were the only thing that expressed his grief.

"I don't need your pity. Everyone has to die someday. Death is always unexpected." The words however, felt hollow to Harry. It was as if Lance was trying to convince himself. "I want you to train as hard as possible, so that you can accomplish what you have set out for, at least before I... before I..." Lance couldn't go on as if saying it out aloud would make it more real. The emotional mask was still present so Harry wasn't able to see the pain behind those dead eyes.

"Do you have a family?" Harry asked quietly, not sure what made him ask it.

After a pause, Lance answered with a small smile, lost in thought. "Yes, a beautiful wife and two lovely kids."

Harry was shocked. He didn't expect his trainer to have a family since he seemed more of a loner to him. What would happen to his family after Lance...? "Do they know?" Harry enquired.

"My wife does." Lance said with his eyes closed. "My children, a girl and a boy, are still too young to understand."

"Is your wife a muggle?" Harry asked to which Lance just nodded. "Is she aware of the wizard kind?"

"Yes, I recently told her. Initially she thought I was just joking around."

"I wonder why." Harry said rolling his eyes. Lance chuckled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Are your children magical?"

"My son is but my daughter hasn't shown any signs yet. She could be a late bloomer." Lance was again lost in thought. Harry observed his trainer who seemed so unlike his usual self. He looked so much more human now.

Lance said abruptly, coming out of silence. "I always wanted my kids to have a good life. Not like mine. I wanted to mould a future for them wherein their safety was guaranteed or to at least ensure they have a future. Now... I am not so sure." A tear escaped his red eyes, the first sign of an emotion. "Why now? We needed at least a year to get you ready. It seems time is against us; against me."

Harry thought what he could say but anything that he came to his mind sounded hollow. He felt that the silence would consume him in its belly of pain. He had to say something. "You know, when I was told what the prophecy was about, I felt I was counting down my time in the living. I despised the prophecy. Why did it have to choose me? It had ruined my life. My family, my childhood and my happiness; everything was taken away from me due to the damn prophecy. I was acting selfishly. I was just worried about myself, not realizing that if I failed, I would take the world down with me. I just drifted with the wind like a leaf, not caring where it took me. I had no hope; waiting for the inevitable. Who was I kidding? I was just a school boy, my survival solely due to my exceptionally good luck. How long could it last anyway? But then… you came." Harry looked at Lance with an intense gaze. "…with a hope that I am not weak, that I can be much more. I now not only have the will to live, but the will to fight back, to protect. I understand what you are going through. The pain, the hopelessness; I have felt them all with such intensity that I sometimes wonder how did I manage to live through it. However, you have taught me to turn my wounds into wisdom. I am truly grateful for that." Harry paused and then went on with fire in his eyes burning with determination. "I will make a vow. That I will not rest till the dark side is defeated. Dying is not an option anymore. I will succeed no matter what. I am going to redouble my efforts and train hard. I will finish what you started." Harry ended his undertaking with determination and resolve.

"Harry," Lance said, taking in a deep long breath. Harry looked up to meet the sparkling eyes which were dead a moment ago. "Thank you for making me realize my mistake. I was so lost in my grief that I forgot to look at the big picture. Even though my life initially had been full of hardship and pain, I have managed to find happiness and contentment in my family. I have lived my life and I don't have any regrets except that my death is coming too soon for my liking. I guess I won't see my children grow now... But that is alright. I have faith in you." Lance smiled; a genuine one. "I am really impressed. You really have matured beyond your years. You may not be very strong now, but your real strength lies in your heart and mind. Albus was right; if there was a person with whom our hopes could depend on, it was you." Harry smiled at the praise and ducked his head. "I trust you implicitly and I am certain that you will come out at the top against all odds."

Harry couldn't stop the redness creeping into his checks and replied with a wide smile on his face. "Why thank you."

"You are such a sucker for compliments." Harry laughed while Lance grinned, the pain no longer visible, at least for a while. "I think you are ready." Harry quickly realized what he meant. He got up, fumbling with his stick and opened the cupboard and returned with three things - the mask, Dumbledore's wand and the portkey. "Here, you can take them now. Give them hell." Lance said with a chuckle looking at Harry's excited face. "However, I need you to remember a few things. For now, only respond to alerts which are during the night and which puts you against fewer enemies. As far as I am aware, Order members have been successful on two occasions till now, capturing a few death eaters in the process. They have also managed to get the alerts added to the wards guarding prominent people and locations. You need to be very careful in protecting your identity, even the masked one. We need to delay the knowledge of your presence to either side for the plan to work. You need to ensure that any missions you go on, you must defeat and capture all of the targets. Surprise them with a quick assault. Don't let anyone escape. Initially, you won't need to worry about them running away. Since you are an unknown and they will most likely be outnumbering you, they will prefer to stay and fight rather than escape. You could use that to your advantage. Is that understood?" Lance briefed him.

"YES SIR!" Harry yelled with a salute and laughed at his own antics with Lance joining in.

"Today, you will learn about anti-apparition spells and wards which will come in handy later on. Also you need practice with your other wand using your left hand." And they were back to training, as if nothing had happened. It was a weird feeling using a wand in his left hand. It was as if the magical threads in his body were being split into two. Initially the spells casted by him were weak and had a poor aim. He had to practice a lot to perfect it. He tried to use both the wands at the same time but neither worked. A lot of work was required to achieve that, Lance had told him.

***B***

Harry had been regularly checking the portkey, even holding it in his pocket for long hours to ensure that he doesn't miss the portkey's vibration. He was getting obsessed with it. He had once even dropped it, but surprisingly no one neither saw it nor heard it drop. It seemed that Lance and his headmaster had planned this whole thing out by taking every possibility into consideration.

While Harry was staying with the Weasleys, he found something odd; or someone. It was Hermione.

At first he thought it was just his imagination but then the repetition of the events started to bug him. He had found Hermione in her room or outside in the garden, reading a book. Ok, that was normal for her standards but she was reading in secrecy and hid or disillusioned the book once anyone approached her. If that was not odd enough, Harry had found her staring at everyone in the house with a piercing gaze. What was more unusual was that the gaze lacked any emotions; only concentration and a frown accompanying it. Harry hadn't found her staring at him but he was not so sure. She seemed to do this discreetly and for a short period of time, without anyone noticing it. Harry had accidently happened to find her staring at Ron with the same gaze but he had initially attributed this behaviour to her feelings for Ron. However, after keeping a careful eye on her, he found her to do this with most of the people in the house. He wanted to ask her what she was doing but didn't know how he could approach her. And anyway, if there was something to tell, she would tell him herself. So he tried to ignore it.

Ron was improving at a very quick pace. His duelling skills were making him a force to be reckoned with. No matter what Harry thought about the old man, he was a great dueller and even a better trainer. Now no one seemed to be able to defeat Ron, including Bill and Hermione. Harry avoided any duels with Ron, making some sort of excuses, to the old man's delight who mocked him relentlessly for it. Harry suspected that a duel with Ron, even if he gave it his all, would be very difficult to win. However, even with Ron's improvement, he didn't harass anyone, keeping to his promise. He was not being modest or anything but he kept quiet about it.

Harry figured that the way he handled the situation earlier had worked. It was not too smooth on his part but it did the trick. He had forgiven Ron for his hurtful words; as he had forgiven his relatives along with Dumbledore; and many more. He was no god; the pain was still there which he could never forget. Then why did he do it?

His life expectancy was not much to bet on and Harry preferred to forgive rather that hold grudges or hatred while he was still alive; he wanted to move forward without a burden holding him back. It was very hard to forgive; there was no question about it. However, each time he forgave, he found his heart to lighten and the love and happiness around him to increase. Harry felt that it was better to direct all his negative feelings towards the enemy.

Harry hoped that his will to forgive would not be tested. There was a limit to everything after all.

***B***

Harry was having a game of chess with Ron, toughing it out against him who seemed quite surprised by the flow of the game, when suddenly the portkey in his pocket started vibrating. Not now! Harry discreetly pulled it out while Ron mulled over his next move. The display glowed with the location and the estimated enemy count – Parliament street and three, respectively. Harry looked at his watch. It was ten thirty. This situation did qualify to Lance's conditions. He felt apprehensive about it. He had been dying to fight but now he didn't feel so ready. Could he really do it?

Harry crushed all his doubts and built up his resolve. He had to do it! He had only a few minutes before the Order took over. He had to make the most of this opportunity.

"Ron, I'll be back in a few minutes." At Ron's questioning looks he said "I'm going to the loo. Don't cheat."

"Ha! It's you who would need to resort to cheating if you want to win against me." Ron shot at his back.

Harry just smiled and then moved rapidly in the direction of the bathroom. He entered it and locked the door behind him. He transfigured his clothes into a blue robe - the predetermined apparel of the masked marauder - and retrieved his mask and the portkey from his pocket and put his original wand in the band around his right arm. He checked for his other wand which was strapped onto his left arm using the wand holster that the twins had given him. He had earlier learned that the holster became invisible as soon as it was strapped onto the arm; pretty useful. He looked at the back of his mask and sighed before wearing it. "Portus" And he was gone.

He appeared in a dark secluded alley which was breaking into a wide lane. He was in a muggle neighbourhood! Harry discreetly peeked around the corner to find his targets. How was he going to find them here in this crowd? He scanned the crowd for anything out of the ordinary, and that's when he saw them. He saw three men standing side by side, wearing ill-fitting muggle clothes, talking amongst each other and eying something at a distance. What was more peculiar was that all three were wearing full sleeved jumpers, even in this hot and humid weather. Harry tried to follow their gaze and found himself looking a building; a very familiar one with a red telephone booth next to it. Ministry of Magic! What could they be planning? Were they death eaters? How could he verify it?

Harry couldn't do much with the muggle crowd around them. He switched back to muggle clothing and inconspicuously made his way towards them. He glanced at his watch and noticed that around three minutes had passed already. Not much time.

Suddenly the three men disappeared in an alley between two buildings. Harry quickened his pace and followed them. Their voices seemed to echo in the space between the walls and Harry could make out words like 'ministry' and 'dark lord'. Only the death eaters called Voldermort 'dark lord'. He needed to move closer so that he could be certain of their identity. He disillusioned himself hoping to at least hold the charm for a minute or so.

"…bypass the wards." Harry heard one of them say. "I don't think this can be done, security is too tight."

"We need to infiltrate the ministry no matter what. The Minister's death would give our side a huge advantage."

"We could use Polyjuice potion or use the Imperius curse. We just-"

Harry had heard enough. He couldn't recognize any of the voices but he knew what they were talking about. They were plotting the assassination of the Minister! If that was true then these wizards might be strong enough to give him trouble. He needed to move in.

He quickly transfigured his clothes back to the blue robes. He was nervous; very nervous. He was shaking all over. Was it fear? Anticipation? His concentration was suffering due to this. He was in a position where he never expected to be. He was the predator, eyeing its prey through the darkness, ready to leap and devour them. Ok, not devour them but something along those lines.

He observed his surroundings. There was not much room to dodge. He had to take them out and make use of the element of surprise. They were still at a distance from him. He pulled out the other wand; holding it in his left hand. He didn't want to miss so he apparated behind them to finish them off.

The apparition went wrong.

There was no one in front of him. He heard a yell of surprise from behind. Oh great! Of all the times, Harry failed to do an accurate apparition and moreover, he was facing the opposite side.

For a moment no one moved with Harry's back towards the death eaters.

"Who are-" one of them began to call out; very foolish of them. They should have disarmed him first and asked questions later.

Harry fell to the ground, whirling around and shooting three quick stunners at the death eaters using Dumbledore's wand.

The death eaters had not even drawn out their wands to shield themselves, but the curses coming towards them were off target, since Harry had been off balance while casting them.

However, one of the death eaters, in an attempt to dodge the oncoming curses, moved into the path of Harry's curses, knocking him out. That was funny but now was not the time to laugh. Two to go.

"Avada Kedavra!" the middle one shouted while the other one tried to draw out his wand. It seemed to have got stuck in his belt. Harry would have laughed if not for the killing curse coming towards him. He dodged it and disillusioned himself and masked his movements by the silencing charm.

He quickly moved along the wall towards the two men, one poised in readiness with his wand pointing in his general direction while the other one was fighting a losing a battle. It looked as if his belt had managed to disarm him. Well, he hadn't even armed himself in the first place.

"What the hell are you doing?" The person with the wand yelled with outrage at the other death eater. It was too dark too see their faces.

Harry accidently kicked a can, inviting two jets green towards him. Damn! The death eater meant business and was not playing around. Harry had to jump towards his right; his disillusionment charm failed revealing his location. Harry sent a silent tongue tying curse but it was blocked. Harry's opponent had skill; he had to give him that.

"Reducto!" Harry shouted, aiming his wand not at the death eater, but on the ground in front of him. The death eater was surprised and choked on the dust that resulted from the spell. A stunner finished him off.

Harry's concentration was focused on the death eater he was fighting and didn't notice that the other one had finally won the battle with his belt. From the corner of his eyes he saw two jets of red light coming his way. Harry couldn't have brought up a shield in time and had to jump towards his right – and into the wall. His head hit the wall, dazing him slightly and his vision blurred. Harry somehow managed to evade a killing curse and shot a few random disarming spells towards the general direction of his opponent. This put the enemy on defence giving Harry enough time to regain his composure.

Harry apparated behind the death eater, accurately this time, stunning him from behind before the death eater could react.

Harry sighed in relief and quickly finished up the job which included tying them up and breaking their wands. Lance had informed him that even though it was against wizarding laws to break wands, Harry had to do it. It was required of him as per the plan. Lance also told him that the death eaters without their wands would be almost harmless. He had to agree with that reasoning.

Harry apparated and returned back to the bathroom. He changed back to normal clothing but his face was another story. His forehead was swollen and was bleeding profusely. He did his best to heal himself but only managed to stop the bleeding and reduce the bump. He walked out of the bathroom, tired to the bone. It was only a few minutes but he was spent.

Luckily, only Ron was in the sitting room, waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" Ron asked with irritation which changed to worry. "How did you get hurt?"

"I hit my head on the door." Harry replied lamely. He hoped Ron would buy it but the suspicious look on Ron's face was making him uneasy.

"I knew it!" Ron exclaimed.

"What?" Harry prompted with guarded expression.

"You didn't want to lose the game so you were trying to come up with excuses to draw the game. This seems rather overboard, don't you think?" Ron said referred to Harry's injury. Ron – thick as ever.

Harry chuckled with amusement and relief. "Your mind is just making up fantasies to sustain the belief that you can win. Watch me as I crush your troops." They were back at the game where Harry got defeated outright.

Ron held a smug look on his face. "You were saying?" Harry just laughed.

***B***

Harry walked out of the door with a wide smile. He was at the ministry and just had given the apparition test. He had done well; at least that's what the impression his examiner had given to him. But the look on Remus's face was a different story altogether.

However, it had nothing to do with his results. Percy was standing at a distance with a look of indifference. "The Minister has requested your presence." he began without preamble after getting Harry's attention.

"You don't need to go if you don't want to." Remus said in an even voice, shooting a hard look at Percy, who avoided his gaze.

Percy just looked at Harry waiting for a response. Now what? He didn't care about what the Minister had to say to him, but Lance's words rang in his head. 'No matter how strong you are, without allies you alone will not be able to do much.'

"Alright, I'll come." Remus looked shocked while Percy looked pleased, with a small smile which was unlike his usual self.

"You sure about this?" Remus asked worriedly to which Harry nodded.

"Let's get this over with. You don't need to wait for me. I will apparate back." Remus nodded grudgingly and disappeared down the hall towards the direction of the atrium.

Percy took the lead while Harry followed. Soon Harry found himself in the office of the Minister of Magic. Percy was standing outside the door to give them privacy.

The room was almost barren, except for the mahogany table in the middle and a small cupboard filled with books behind it. Rufus Scrimgeour was sitting in an ordinary chair watching Harry. It seemed that the Minister cared less of appearances or was trying to impress this thinking on Harry. Harry kept silent to let the Minister begin the conversation. The Minister seemed to be thinking along similar lines and was silent as well. A few minutes into the staring match, the Minister finally voiced his irritation. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"You had requested my presence so it is you who has to say something to me. Not me." Harry responded nonchalantly. The Minister huffed but didn't say anything. Again silence presided over them.

"Have you reconsidered my proposal?" The Minister began abruptly without beating around the bush.

"You mean the proposal to be your mascot? No I haven't. You have not given me any reason to do so." Harry replied with an air of indifference.

"Don't act childishly." The Minister rebuked him. "Look at the positives. With you backing, the Ministry can do a lot for our side."

"You don't need me to do your job. However, it seems you are worried more about your position rather than the situation we all are in. You just need my support to strengthen your hold onto your chair and after you have achieved that, you will not think twice before discarding me like a broken toy." Harry spat with fire in his eyes. This was going nowhere. How in the world was Harry supposed to get the Ministry on his side?

"Don't judge me." The Minister shot back with outrage. "You are just a boy, only your name has weight. Without it, you are nothing."

"And you are planning to use it to your advantage." Harry retorted. The Ministry had drawn a lot of flak due the earlier debacle which had happened after the assault launched by Voldermort. Everyone had raised questions about the Minister's inaction, threatening his position as a minister. "I will not be your poster boy or the chosen one as you called it earlier. However," Harry raised his hand to stop the Minister from interrupting him. "However, I am ready to support the Ministry, support you." Harry ended evenly.

The Minister's angry look vanished replaced by surprise. "You will?" He asked quietly, not believing what he was hearing.

"Yes. But you need to give me a reason to do so." Harry decided to play his cards. "You are a lot better than Fudge. You know how to fight and initially I thought you were the right person for the job. However, you are following the same flawed path that Fudge followed. You want to strengthen your position? Do something to help our cause."

"I don't need to take orders from you." The Minister said with anger.

"It's not an order. I am only suggesting what you can do. If you manage to get your act together, the dark side will have a tough time fighting against us. Your position has a lot of power and you can do things that no one else can. I have nothing against you. I know it's difficult to look good in times of war and the people expect you to do the impossible. Even the slightest misstep would put your position in jeopardy. However, I believe you can do it. You won't even need my support. That's all I have to say to you. I hope you at least consider what I have requested of you." Harry left without looking back leaving the Minister to think over what he said.

Harry found Percy outside the door, looking at him blankly. It seemed that he was hearing at the door and had heard every word. Harry didn't care and just ignored him and walked away. Harry was beginning to hate himself. He had resorted to flattery and manipulation to get across his message. The very things he despised in other people. It was so unlike him. What was happening to him?

***B***

"Where are the girls?" Harry inquired, after returning from the Ministry.

"They went to Diagon Alley along with mum." Ron explained, rolling his wand in his palm. He was sitting next to the window staring out towards the fertile meadows. He looked bored with no one to accompany him. Bill was working in Gringotts while Charlie had gone to a local dragon reserve which was under construction, to give his advice. Mr Weasley was at work while the twins were attending to their joke shop.

"Why didn't you go along with them?"

"Mum was going to buy new robes for Ginny for becoming a prefect. She wouldn't allow me to roam around on my own so I decided to sit it out." Ron said dejectedly.

Harry chuckled "You look as if you are having second thoughts."

"Go away" Ron said returning to look out of the window. Harry went upstairs to change up and refresh himself. As soon as he entered his room, something vibrated in his pocket.

Not again! It was broad daylight now so he couldn't go. He was feeling tired anyway. However, all his exhaustion disappeared when he pulled out the portkey and looked at its display.

Location: Diagon Alley

Enemy Count: Fifteen