A Little Moody

by JackPotr

Interference in the bond Harry and Hermione share force them in different directions with no hope of reconciliation. Harry gets help from those who should have stood with him from the beginning and makes some friends who will help him fulfill his destiny. Hermione reacts in the extreme. Bad AD/MW/RW. Hard to categorize as it has a little of everything.

10. Chapter 10

Disclosure: No...still don't own any of it. It belongs to JK Rowling and whoever else that's not me.

AN: Thanks for the support. Snake...you had me laughing. Not at your support but by how much you reminded me of your dad and his way with words when he was displeased with someone. I can see the apple didn't fall far from that tree either.

To the reviewer, apology accepted just make it clear who you are upset at. I say this because there have been times I've almost quit posting due to reviews and I'd like to think that I have fairly thick skin by now. I only ask caution in general from reviewers because the writer may be young and might give up on the dream of writing because people can be rather cruel at times.

As far as I'm concerned, I'll continue writing until I don't enjoy it anymore. I do ask that you bear with me as I work a lot of hours and have multiple projects going on at all times which means that my posting will slow down again. I'm hoping to get a chapter out every two weeks now. As best as I can tell, I've probably got 2 chapters and an epilogue left in this story.

Chapter 10

The waiting was excruciating. Harry now had his key into the Malfoy estate but could do little with it as a meeting had yet to be called. He was so close to ending this once and for all but without the opportunity to take out the command structure of Tom's organization, it would do little good. He had a plan but as with every operation he went on with his grandfather, those plans were loose and non-restrictive as in every battle, predictability and conformity would only get you killed.

The other part of the problem would be the aftermath...if he survived. He would have to answer to his family for going off alone and along with Amelia, he knew it wouldn't be pretty. In his attempt to plan for every eventuality, he had letters written to Susan, Moody, Minerva, Poppy and surprisingly Hermione in case he didn't survive the coming confrontation. He thought about adding one to Albus but decided against it. Words would not do enough to get the justice from the man who'd messed up the majority of his life.

His earlier thoughts about waiting until after it was all over to bond the other three elves was discarded. He couldn't deny them the power boost and stability of the bond which would benefit them until they moved or passed on even if he did not survive. He accomplished this in a unique way as he ordered them to go to Susan that night while she slept and extend the bond between them to her as well. After his rendezvous with Susan in the Hogsmeade house, he was beginning to see things from her point of view and was starting to believe that what they had just might be long term. He would have had the elves bond to Moody but he knew his grandfather wasn't really the type of man to want or need a house elf to help him besides, Moody would recognize the bond and would know rather than suspect that something was up.

**ALM**

The opportunity finally occurred on October 30th as a meeting was called. With the adults not being willing to commit on the former plan, Harry formed a new plan along with a new team. He knew they were tough as they already faced and defeated numerous dark and nasty creatures in the newly finished remodeled house in Hogsmeade. At this point, they pictured themselves as proud warriors and were ready and willing to stand beside Harry as he took on some of the most vile creatures of their time. Of course, Harry cared for the little people just as much as they cared for him and wouldn't put them in direct risk even though their tasks would be somewhat risky. It also helped that the scope of his plans could be broadened with the help of the elves as the distraction he originally planned for the adults to accomplish would be undertaken by the elves who could easily get out of danger much faster than the adults could.

Another thing he learned was that as human magic was fairly useless against some of these creatures, elvin magic was not. When it was time to move, Harry would find himself with an army of house elves who wanted nothing more than to be a part of Harry's plans for the future. Plenty of work and a kind master was more than they ever dreamed of and if Harry survived, it would probably take him a whole day to bond all the elves who answered Dobby's call. There were many reasons why they came but the most common was they wanted a better life for themselves. With Harry, they knew they could have the families they'd always been denied by their former masters and mistresses as many of them came from the dark families who had been recently defeated by the Chosen One.

The addition of more than fifty house elves caused Harry to update his plans. The female elves were just as eager to help in the battle but Harry could not bring himself to commit the sweet little ladies to the fighting. To him, it would be like sending his little sisters out to fight and that was just wrong to him. It'd be like sending Susan out to face the DE's and though he knew she was a strong and powerful witch, he didn't want her anywhere near a battle as it had a tendency to change you. Besides, he had a different task for them.

**ALM**

The elves grew up on the stories of their relatives/ancestors, the High Elves, who were warriors in their own right even if they preferred the path of peace. As a result, the elves began arming themselves with weapons. Sticks, stones, beater's bats, kitchen knives, wooden spoons, and many different gardening tools were their weapons of choice as they had been wielding such things for years and were very comfortable with them. One even brought an iron with him.

As the meeting began, multiple pops could be heard all around the Malfoy Estate. It was evident that word had spread among the house elves and now there were over two hundred surrounding the estate. Many came to help as they wanted a better life for themselves as well and hoped Harry ending the darkness would change their lot in life with their current masters. Most of them were not warriors or even considered themselves as such but they would be there to support the female elves who were tasked with keeping the DE's and dark creatures contained. No one but Harry and the elves that crossed the wards with him would be allowed to escape.

The darkies, as the elves described them, heard the pops but no one inside the manor would hear about it as they were under strict orders to not disturb the high command as they made plans. To do this would mean either death or torture and none were brave enough to risk it. Besides, their master said they were safe behind these wards.

Another pop was heard as Harry, Dobby, Slappy, and Spanky arrived with another man wearing a bag over his head. Following their arrival, the warrior elves silently appeared within the perimeter of the estate and began systematically taking out the posted guards leaving no one to raise the alarm. While Harry was at first surprised that they could be fierce and brutal, he then realized they had been oppressed for much longer than he had. There was a moment of levity as one particularly old elf was using a wooden spoon to beat his victim into submission. Harry could only gather from the way the elf was going after the man that they were familiar with each other. The one with the iron was also being very effective in taking down the DE's.

Harry grabbed the hooded man by the front of his robes and pulled him along with him. Once they reached the gate, Harry ripped the sleeve on the robe and held it up against the ironwork of the gate. A brief flash occurred and the gate swung open. Still dragging the man, Harry stepped through followed by the pops of his three escorts as they took their positions closer to the doors on the house. Once on the grounds, Harry turned his wand on the man and cast a point blank reducto into his back severing his spinal cord. The hooded man dropped like a rock.

**ALM**

The elves on the perimeter raised their hands and started chanting. The elves formed a bubble over the estate which would keep everyone in and since it was elven magic, and considerably higher than the normal wards, no one inside was aware they were trapped. At that moment, nobody was getting in or out until Master Harry was finished.

Back in the woods surrounding the estate, two of Lefty's men watched as the assault began. They knew from Lefty that the young man was working on a plan, they just never expected him to do it without them. Getting over their shock, one tried to apparate to inform Lefty but found himself trapped in the elven ward. Not knowing how long it would take to reach the edge of the ward, he shot a message patronus to Lefty informing him the kid was making his move. Within ten minutes, Moody and Lefty along with his crew appeared outside the wards helpless to do much of anything besides watch.

**ALM**

The elves on the inside went on the move as Harry moved to the doors. They began attacking in mass and keeping the dark creatures occupied. Many of the DE's who were camped outside found themselves at the mercy of the creatures as they were stirred up by the elves. The kitchen knives and garden tools were particularly effective in wounding the creatures while the other weapons seemed more of an annoyance which mainly kept the creatures off balance. The elves' speed and agility paid off as many of the trolls and giants ended up swinging wildly. The beauty of this was that it had them taking out many of the other creatures or just starting fights with their own kind. Two giants were now on the ground wrestling as they turned on each other. The effect of their rolling around caused mass destruction and flattened anything they came into contact with. The tent city on the pristine grounds of Malfoy Estate became a gory mess.

As the outside offensive was going well, as soon as Harry reached the doors of the manor, Dobby, Slappy, and Spanky popped inside and started clearing a path for Harry to the meeting room. A moment later, Harry disappeared as he cast a disillusionment charm over himself and then pulled on the cloak. He waited for a moment before Dobby reappeared with a pop. Dobby then disappeared and a pop was heard as Dobby took his master into the snake's lair. On the other side of the doors, Harry and Dobby arrived to a ghastly sight as their were bodies littering the hallway. Taking this as his map, Harry moved forward as he followed the bodies. Most looked as they had blunt force trauma as most of the bodies seemed to have been hurled into walls. Others seemed to have Malfoy heirlooms and artifacts embedded into their bodies as if they were banished at them. Harry gained even more respect for the elves as they did this without raising an alarm within the house as the doors to the meeting room were still closed.

All the studying paid off as Harry cast a charm on Dobby and himself causing them both to phase out of reality. After a deep breath, Harry stepped through the closed doors quickly followed by Dobby who always knew where Harry was even when invisible.

The charm only lasted for a minute and they 'phased' back to normal once inside. No one knew they were there as Nagini would have been the one who picked up their presence. They silently moved to the side of the door just in case someone tried to raise the alarm and watched the meeting. To his surprise, his luck was holding at the moment. The inner circles had their wands on the table in front of them. Evidently Tom didn't trust them.

Harry stood there for maybe a minute listening to the plans being made. Unfortunately for the DE's, those plans would hopefully never be implemented. Harry finally took a deep breath and dropped both wands into his hands. In his mind, the phrase from one of his favorite movies and TV shows popped in his head. "There can be only one."

This was the moment that he practiced for. He started to think about Oliver Wood's words to him years ago but shook himself out of it and refocused. The wands came up and he cast two spells. From his left hand, the summoning spell jerked all the wands off the table and to the other side of the door. Harry hoped that would throw them off a little. From his right hand, he cast a diffindo drawing it out. The red ribbon of death flew out in an arc. As they were all seated or in the process of trying to stand, the arc caught most of them either in the neck or chest. Lucius, MacNair, and Nott Sr lost their heads to the spell. The Lestrange brothers didn't lose their heads completely but could now give Nearly Headless Nick a run for his title of nearly headless. Bellatrix was caught across her chest and fell as well. The gash was deep and she was bleeding out quickly. If Harry had taken the time, he would have been able to see her destroyed heart beating its last as she succumbed to the spell. Tom was hit across his torso and blasted back but the damage from the curse was already healing due to the numerous rituals the psychopath had undertaken. This was going to be the hard part as he knew Tom would be hard to kill even without his Horcruxes. The deaths of the Inner Circle only marginally improved his chances of survival. Again from his favorite movie and TV show, a song started playing in his head. He could clearly hear Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" as he braced himself for the fight of his life.

Harry knew he would never win in a magical fight with Tom as he had too much experience for Harry win in a duel despite all his training. One wand slipped back in its holster and a Skorpion took its place. Harry knew his only chance was to keep Tom off balance or to overload his healing powers. The first clip was emptied into Tom's body as he tried to get up from the blast of the curse. The bullets riddling his body threw Tom back once again giving Harry time to switch out for the second Skorpion acquired for him by Lefty. This one was loaded with armor piercing explosive cartridges. As Tom tried to get up once again, Harry unloaded the next clip into his nemesis. This time, the damage was much more severe and was straining Tom's regenerative powers. His reaction was slower as he once again tried to regain his feet. With all his powers going towards keeping himself alive, Tom didn't have anything to spare to try and escape the situation he now found himself in. He already knew he was under strong anti-magical travel wards and under normal circumstances, he could probably break through them but not this time.

Just as he shakily got to his feet, Harry pulled off the cloak and canceled the disillusionment charm. As Tom saw who was approaching him, his eyes grew wide.

"But...,you're dead. I sent the Dementors after you myself."

Harry chuckled. "Much like you...rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. They killed a golem. I wasn't even there."

Harry reached behind him and pulled out one of his Rugers and shot Tom right between the eyes. This time, Tom was on his back on the floor. Harry felt a surge of magic as Tom tried to pull in magic from his followers but they were too few at this point to really help much. Unable to move, Tom stared hatefully at Harry as he walked towards the evil wizard tossing a tennis ball in his hand.

"Nothing is going to save you this time Tom. Not your rituals, not your Horcruxes, and not your people. It's over for good this time."

"How?"

"Let's just say that I got tired of you and a twinkly-eyed old fart messing with my life. I want my life back and I intend to get it no matter who gets in my way. Now that you're out of the way...or soon will be...old Albus will be next along with his inner circle."

Tom started laughing. "You'll be just like me in the end Harry Potter. I am what I am because of Dumbledore's meddling."

Harry shook his head. "No...we may be similar but I won't be like you. I want to live in peace. I don't want to rule anyone."

Harry knew he couldn't wait any longer in case Tom pulled some miraculous feat and started recovering. He closed his eyes and concentrated. As his hand lifted, the Sword of Gryffindor appeared in it and he gave a sigh of relief that it actually came to him.

Harry tossed the tennis ball up with his left hand and took a swing at the ball. The moment it contacted, the ball split in two and a piercing scream reverberated throughout the room. The smoky vapor began to leak out of the ball and seemed to look between the two people in the room. It evidently recognized Harry and knew it had no chance to possess him. It had been inside the young wizard his whole life and was never able to take over or even gain much of a foothold towards doing that. It then turned to the more familiar one lying on the floor and shot into Tom's chest. Despite the screams of the pain from his soul pieces recombining, Tom's body began to heal once again. Harry knew he had to act now before he was in another battle for his life.

The sword struck again and Tom's head rolled away from its body. For good measure, Harry stabbed Tom in the chest where his heart was supposed to be as he wasn't really sure if Tom even had a heart.

An eerie silence fell over the room until Harry heard a voice. "Master Harry did it. Master is free."

"Not yet my little friend but we're a lot closer than before."

Harry then conjured a bag and used the sword to roll the head into it. Once done, he held up the pommel to his lips and kissed it. "Thank you again for coming to my rescue."

The sword glowed briefly and then disappeared once again. With a snap of Dobby's fingers, the doors to the meeting room flew open to find Slappy and Spanky standing there waiting. Harry said. "Let's go join the others. Have everyone pop outside the wards."

The dark inhabitants of Malfoy Estate were as shocked by the sudden end of the attack as they were by the beginning. The DE's took the brunt of the damage as the dark creatures reacted in panic so that the elves had little to do with the humans except for the occasional hit on one who the elves had been mistreated by before. As the accidental deaths occurred, the Dementors took advantage and swooped down to claim the soul causing more panic. In the end, there were more dark creatures on the ground than humans.

Dobby grabbed Harry's hand and took him through the barrier only to be quickly joined by all the other elves. He looked them over and some seemed a little roughed up but otherwise fine. "Is everyone okay?"

Winky spoke up. "Wes had a few who were hurts Master Harry buts wes already taken them to be healed. No elves joined with magic this day."

Harry smiled. "That makes me very happy and I thank all of you for your help. But I think we have one last task to do."

As one, the elves turned back to the manor and raised their hand again this time with the help of the elves who were fighting inside the wards. The wards flashed with the extra power and soon a dome of pure white was encompassing the estate.

Dobby turned to Harry. "Its be ready Master Harry."

Harry nodded and walked up to the barrier and pulled his old holly wand from his holster as he had Dobby reacquire it for this very purpose. As he was 'dead' he didn't think his magical signature would show up on the magical grid but even if it could have, Harry was sure the Malfoy wards along with the elven wards would obscure it. He stuck his arm through the wards and for the next minute, he cast fiendfyre no less than ten times and then dropped the wand before pulling his arm out. It was the reason behind using his original wand as he wasn't trying to control the spell and he wasn't about to sacrifice one of his Ralph wands for this.

The flames manifested themselves as basilisks, thestrals, phoenixes, and dragons before the final spells spat out fiery representatives of the house elves and for the next half hour, the flames consumed everything and everyone within the wards. By the time the wards were dropped, the darkness that permeated and inhabited the estate was cleansed by fire and there was nothing left except scorched ground. Even the Dementors were consumed by the cursed fire.

**ALM**

Once the wards were dropped, Moody along with Lefty and his friends arrived in front of the small army. At the same time, a large group of Aurors appeared led by Amelia Bones. She immediately recognized the people standing there. "What happened here? The magical detectors were off the scale."

Moody growled out. "That's what we were about to find out. Seems Junior here took matters in his own hands."

Amelia turned and glared at Harry. "Is that so?"

After just facing Tom, Harry was not cowed in the least. "All of you shot down every plan I came up with. I wanted this over so I found some other people who were willing to help."

She sputtered. "But you could have died."

Harry nodded. "And you know as well as I do that was always a possibility. It had to end before he killed anyone else so I only did what I had to."

Still not satisfied that she was getting reaction from him, she aimed below the belt. "How would Susan have felt to hear that you were dead in some foolish attack?"

"It wasn't foolish and she knew it was coming soon as she was the only one who supported me in this. In fact, she told me to end it sooner rather than later and I did."

She sputtered again but before she could say anything, Moody cut her off. "So it's done then?"

Harry nodded and threw the bag to the ground between them. He then waved his wand causing the bag to open showing the head of Lord Voldemort. "Yeah Pops. It's done."

Lefty piped up. "What about the last? As far as I know it's still sitting on that shelf."

Harry chuckled. "Transfigured copy. It met the same fate at his head. The Sword of Gryffindor made short work of both."

Amelia regained her speech. "Be that as it may...we will need statements from you."

Harry snorted. "About what Aunt Amelia? What hard evidence do you have implicating me in all this?"

Amelia shot Harry a glare. "Your testimony should suffice."

Harry snorted. "First off...Fudge made sure the entire world thought I was unstable before I was killed. Besides, since the Ministry declared me dead, that means you are talking to either a ghost or an apparition. Neither of which are allowed to give testimony because they can't be influenced by Veritaserum or can they make oaths on their magic or lives."

Amelia sputtered. "That can easily be overturned young man. In fact, I won't allow my niece to date a dead man."

Harry smirked. "It can be but only with my consent and I don't think I'll consent to it anytime before Christmas. As far as Susan dating me...I'll be sure to pass along your orders. I'm sure she and her parents will appreciate it."

Amelia closed her eyes and spoke softly. "Harry...please."

He wanted to give her a hug to let her know he wasn't mad at her except for interfering with his plans but knew better as the crafty woman would have him in magic suppressing cuffs in a second just so she could get his statement.

Finally he asked. "Aunt Amelia...what is Moody's Rule #3?"

She automatically answered. "Take every advantage you can to survive each and every conflict."

Harry smiled. "Exactly! This is an advantage I will not give up for now as there is still work to be done. Your hands are tied Aunt Ami...mine and Pops are not. We are not above the law but have justice on our side. If it will help, I will declare vendetta against Dumbledore for being one of the causes of my parents' and godfather's deaths as the other three have already been taken care of. It is my hope that you will deal with Fudge for ordering my godfather's execution without a trial."

Amelia nodded and remained quiet lest she ruin the relationship they shared by pushing for him to give a statement. She looked up as Harry spoke again. "Aunt Ami...I'll answer your questions when the job is done. I know you have a job to do but so do I. It's time to remove the trash that has been holding our society down. If you want, I'll even exile myself from the country when it's all done."

Amelia looked into his eyes and saw the seriousness of his statement. She knew that Britain losing him would mean she would lose her niece as well. They all stood there in silence for a few minutes. The Aurors were waiting for orders as were the elves. Their kind Master Harry would be long gone before they even got close to him.

Moody asked. "So Junior, are you going to tell us about it before I have to box your ears?"

Harry smirked. "You think you can old man? Besides, you knew the plan. The only difference was you weren't included. As there is nothing to investigate and no evidence to show that I did anything, I think me and my little friends will be going now. After a little rest, I've got a major party to throw for them."

With that said, Dobby grabbed Harry's hand and popped away followed by the rest of the elves until all that was left was the Aurors, Moody, and Lefty and his crew.

Amelia turned to Moody. "Can you still track him?"

Moody snorted. "No...he dispelled them before the attack and none I just cast stuck to him."

Amelia frowned. "Damn you trained him too well."

Moody smirked. "I told ya tha apple don't fall far from the tree."

Amelia snorted. "If you can, find out who he got. I don't want him arrested but I'm a little pissed that he went off the reservation with this after we told him no."

Moody nodded. "I understand Amelia but it was always his fight and I'm rather proud of what he did and how well he covered his tracks."

Amelia cut him off. "He basically wiped the scene clean of any evidence implicating him."

Moody cut her off. "Think Amelia, without evidence, Fudge and Albus have nothing to go on or use against him. Besides...Harry Potter is dead."

Moody turned and looked at Lefty who nodded. All six of the older men disappeared in a portkey flash. For the rest of the night, they would be drinking toasts to Harry before preparing for the next stage of the clean up.

As the older men left, Amelia flashed a smirk of her own. "Not for long he isn't. The people will know who took care of the dark problem once again before Fudge and Albus try to claim any credit." She then turned to her Aurors. "What you have seen and heard remains top secret and classified. You secrecy oaths are in effect until I figure out how to release this information."

She got a multitude of "Yes Ma'ams or Yes Directors"

She looked out over what remained on the Malfoy Estate and sighed as a boy had saved them all again. "Let's go home. There's nothing to see or do here."

**ALM**

Harry and his four elves arrived in the living room of the house in Hogsmeade while the rest returned to wherever they came from. Harry plopped down on the couch and motioned for the others to take a seat which they reluctantly did.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm exhausted."

Winky spoke up. "Winky bes bringing Master Harry's things and putting them in the master bedroom this afternoon. It bes ready for you."

Harry smiled. "Thank you Winky. I want you guys to get some rest but I need Dobby to go give Susan the news. "

Dobby nodded and popped away. He sat there for a few minutes coming to terms with the fact that Tom was really gone and his life was almost his own. He then rose from the couch and made his way up the stairs. Once in the bedroom, he made his way over and fell onto the bed clothing and all. After a few minutes, he was sound asleep and Winky popped by to check on him. With a few snaps of her fingers, Harry was undressed and under the covers. She moved to the love seat in the room and crawled onto it to try and keep watch over Harry until Dobby returned.

Once Dobby returned, he found the other three elves sound asleep as well as Harry. Under normal circumstances, he would have been upset at his fellow elves for failing to watch over Harry but he couldn't fault them as all of them used an incredible amount of magical energy tonight and needed to replenish it. Once he was sure the house was secure and no one could find Harry, he crawled up onto the foot of Harry's bed and fell asleep as well.

**ALM**

After that day in the house, their connection had grown and she was starting to get tingles across it. She had been very anxious all evening and felt it had something to do with Harry so Susan was still up reading when Dobby popped behind the curtains of her four poster bed. She took one look at him and knew tonight had been the night.

"Is...is he still alive?"

Dobby quietly said. "Yes Miss Susan. Master Harry came out unharmed and is just tired. Dobby thinks Master Harry has already gone to bed by now. He sent Dobby so Miss Susan wouldn't worry."

Tears leaked from her eyes. "He really is okay?"

"Yes Miss Susan. Master Harry is fine and the evil one is no more."

"Thank Merlin...and of course you too Dobby. Thank you for always being there for Harry."

"Dobby only repays what Master Harry did for Dobby It can bes no other way. Dobby should go now Miss Susan. Dobby bes tired and needs rest as well." And with a 'pop' Dobby was gone. Tears of joy fell from Susan's eyes now that she knew Harry survived his date with the Dark Lord. A wave of calm settled over her even though she knew her Harry was not done yet but at least she knew he would have proper backup this time as she would be there for the next confrontation.

**ALM**

After arriving back in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia once again reminded her Aurors that the secrecy oaths were in effect on the events of this night. After seeing their acknowledgment, she made her way to her office where she pulled out a bottle of Ogden's firewhiskey and set it and a glass on her desk. As she sat in her chair, she poured herself a large amount almost filling the glass. She took a large sip and leaned back in her chair to think.

She knew she already failed Harry just by what happened tonight. While she was angry that he went and did it without their help, she really should have expected nothing less as it was what he had always done. Now that Harry's adventures at Hogwarts had been disclosed to her, she should have expected Harry to do something like this as he had never truly had adult support in his life until he was informed of who his grandparents were. It was something of a sticky point as Minerva should have done more for Harry before and after he arrived at Hogwarts. She knew Minerva was under orders from Dumbledore but how could you allow things like that to happen to one of your own blood without intervening. She was also aware that she didn't know the whole story and only withheld her interrogation due to their long standing friendship as she knew she would hear the entire story when it was time.

Besides all that, Moody said Harry was much like him and Harry's raid tonight was exactly what Moody would have done...in his earlier years.

No, she wasn't angry at Harry so much as at herself and the other adults for not helping him. His plan was sound, as he demonstrated tonight, they just didn't like it. Maybe it was facing Tom that was the problem as no one in their right mind would go up against that monster. Except Harry. She could understand his motivation as Susan was a lovely girl and she knew from their letters that Susan was missing Harry terribly as well as Moody's reports that the young man in question wasn't much better.

She took another sip of the firewhiskey. She now thought about how she could help the young man. She in no way wanted to screw him over or interfere in his plans but she was looking at the bigger picture. Without Harry taking credit (she smirked...or the blame), Albus and Cornelius would try to swoop in and take credit for Tom's destruction and that was something she could not allow as it would give them a lot of support from the people who were staying neutral. They were political animals and would use any opportunity they could find to further cement their positions.

She saw no way for Harry to remain dead if she wanted to pull the rug from underneath both men but if he was revealed, it would create other problems. The first would be that Albus would move to try and get control over Harry once again. It was counter-able but not without revealing much more than several people wanted. Namely Moody and Minerva. Harry still being a minor worked against them in this respect as Albus was the last registered guardian for Harry.

She knew Albus had to go and she knew Harry planned to do something about him. Not only had he really messed up Harry's life, he had done a lot of damage to the country as well. His tenure as Chief Warlock saw her forces hampered in the way they could respond to threats. She had lost way too many good Aurors over the years because of Albus' pacifist policies. Of the once proud Auror force, she had very few warriors remaining. It's not that they were not capable...they were. It was they had been influenced by Albus for so long that they no longer knew how to truly get down and dirty and fight a serious threat. She saw it in many of their eyes tonight.

She sat for most of the night thinking. She knew she wouldn't be missed at home as there was no one there to miss her as after her husband was killed during the first war, she threw everything she had into the job. The only distraction she allowed herself was her niece Susan.

By the time morning came, she was still sitting at her desk thinking about all that happened over the years and especially last night. That a mere sixteen year old young man would put everything on the line to end the Tom's threat when most of the adults wouldn't life a wand made her embarrassed for herself and the society of Magical Britain as a whole. She could only draw one conclusion and that was to help Harry in any way she could but for that, she needed to talk to him.

Her eyes glanced up at the clock on the wall. To her it was easier to look at a clock than to cast the tempus spell especially if she was busy doing paperwork. As it was half past seven, she knew Susan would be up preparing to go to breakfast so she reached into her drawer as she had done numerous times over the years and pulled out a mirror. She took a deep breath and said "Susan Bones".

A minute later, Susan's face came into view and Amelia noticed she was talking as she was putting on her makeup. "Hello Auntie Amelia. I thought I might hear from you this morning."

Amelia smirked. "And why would that be Suuusan?"

Susan chuckled. There was no way as happy as she was this morning that anything, even an interrogation by her aunt, was going to dampen her spirit after the stress she went through the night before. "Ah...well I heard, from a very reliable source, that a certain problem was dealt with."

"Ah...he's been in contact with you then?"

"Not directly...no. He sent me a message as he didn't want me to worry. I thought it was rather sweet."

Amelia rolled her eyes at her love-struck niece. "Can you get a message to him? I really need to speak with him yesterday. Tell him I'll even meet him on neutral ground."

Susan frowned and stopped applying her eye liner. "And WHY would you need to speak to him on neutral ground?"

This time it was Amelia who frowned. "He may or may not be upset with me at the moment. I just need to speak with him about his next steps and what I can do to help."

Susan gave her aunt a long look. It wasn't often that the interrogation techniques learned from her aunt would work on said mentor but she noticed Amelia shift a little in her seat from the intense scrutiny. "And why might he be upset at you?"

Amelia recovered from the stare realizing what her niece was doing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, her pride leaped for joy. "I might have tried to bring him in for questioning and to make a statement."

Susan's eyes narrowed. "Oh really? I can't imagine that went over very well. Is there anything else?"

This time Amelia's eyes looked away from her niece. In Susan's head, she did a fist pump but would never let her aunt see that as it would ruin her small triumph. "I...I may have threatened him with not allowing him to see you anymore."

Susan growled out. "Did you really?" Amelia winced as she was very familiar with that tone as she used it quite often. Her pride took another leap in joy at the strong witch Susan was turning into. "Hmm...I bet he didn't take your threat very well. Quite frankly, I'd like to see you try that as my parents absolutely love him and if that isn't enough, I like to see you stop me from seeing my fiance!"

Amelia was shocked. "Fiance?"

Susan blushed and smiled. "Well yes. I mean, he doesn't know it yet but that's only a formality at this point. He even bought me a...never mind."

"He bought you a ring?"

Susan waved her hand at the mirror like she wanted that thought to go away right now. "No...no...it wasn't that. At least I don't think he has...yet. So...I will contact him for you as long as you promise me that you aren't going to arrest him."

Amelia sighed in relief at finally getting what she was after in the first place. Especially after that conversation. "No Susie...I just want to talk."

"Okay...well so that he will show up...I'll swear on my virginity that he won't be arrested."

Amelia was shocked. "Your virginity? Susan...but..."

Susan smirked. "It's okay Auntie, even if I lose...I win so...Good Bye Auntie." The mirror went blank before Amelia could say anything. Back at Hogwarts, Susan was almost rolling on the floor in laughter at having pulled that on her aunt. Nothing was going to ruin her good mood.

**ALM**

At ten in the morning the next day, Harry appeared on the steps of Gringotts in the company of three elves. They followed him through the lobby and to the first available teller. He laid his vault key down on the counter. "I would like to inquire if a conference room is available for me to conduct some personal business this morning?"

Without even looking up or at the key, the teller responded. "Our conference rooms are intended for bank business. Not the personal business of any wizard who just walks in off the street. There are rooms at the Leaky Cauldron to serve your needs wizard. Next?"

Harry stood there for a half minute further annoying the teller. He finally spoke as he pulled his key back towards himself. "Alright then, if that is the way it is, I'd like to see Master Bearclaw immediately."

The goblin never looked up. "Master Bearclaw is too busy to see you at this time human so quit wasting my time."

Harry was in shock at his treatment but held his tongue. As he turned to walk away, he softly said. "As you wish Master Teller." He was confused by how he was being treated. Except for Bearclaw, the Goblins weren't overly friendly but weren't actively hostile towards him. He made his way towards the door and made his way outside. As he walked down the steps of the bank, he spoke to the three elves that accompanied him. "Any idea what that was about?"

He heard "No Master Harry" three times.

Harry frowned. "I don't have time to deal with that right now so we'll go with Plan C. Dobby, take me to Sirius' cave. Slappy, go get Moody and bring him there. Spanky, you go get Amelia. Once we are there, you three circle me in case she tries to take me in. Susan says she won't but you know I don't much trust the Ministry or just about anyone other than you guys."

Dobby grabbed his hand and popped away just as the other two did. A second later, Bearclaw stepped out on the steps looking for his client. When he didn't see Harry anywhere, he stomped back into the lobby. He had been alerted that Harry was in the bank as his magical signature triggered an alarm in Bearclaw's office. A rune on his desk also alerted him that he was personally asked for. As he was not notified by a teller, he grew curious and made his way to the lobby and barely caught a glimpse of Harry walking out of the bank as he entered.

Bearclaw stormed to the Head Teller. He snarled out. "Which one of your staff failed to inform me that my client asked for a meeting with me?"

The Head Teller looked stunned. "I do not know Master Bearclaw but I will find out."

"See that you do or you will find yourself mucking out the dragon pits by morning."

Bearclaw made his way back to his office and began writing a letter to Harry.

**ALM**

Slappy appeared outside the door to Moody's house and knocked. He wasn't crazy enough to pop in on Moody and risk being killed. Moody answered the door. "What do you want?"

"Master Harry bes meeting with Madam Bonesy right away and asked Slappy to bring yous to him."

Moody stared at him for a second but the elf didn't waver. "Alright...lemme get my coat."

When they appeared, Moody had his wand in his hand and did a quick glance around him. "Junior...what's this all about?"

"Susan contacted me saying Amelia wanted to talk to me. I figured you'd better be here. She said something about my next steps."

"You gonna let me in on this one?"

Harry sighed. "It's up to you pops. You know who is next."

Moody nodded. A second later, Spanky appeared with Amelia. She took a look around and asked. "Where are we?"

Pointing in one direction and then another, Harry replied. "Hogwarts is over there and Hogsmeade is over there. This was where my godfather hid out from your Dementors during my third year before he was murdered by the Ministry."

Amelia winced but didn't try to make excuses. Harry stared at her for a minute seeing she wasn't going to say anything. "He was innocent you know but your wonderful Ministry couldn't be arsed to try and find the truth even though I reported it to Dumbass and the Fudgepacker."

"I am sorry Harry. It wasn't one of our better moments."

Harry snorted. "I haven't seen many shining examples personally. It makes me wonder why I fight to save your society. Oh I know...for Susan and my family."

Amelia nodded as she understood all he was saying. "What about your friends?"

Harry snorted again. "What friends? Ask Susan how many friends I had that last year at Hogwarts. I can just guess what she'll say."

Amelia nodded again. This wasn't going how she expected and to be honest she really didn't know what to expect. "She has told me about some of your fourth year."

Harry then locked eyes with her. "Susan was always kind to me even when the rest of her house wasn't. Neville was there when he wasn't being bullied to stay away from me. If I were to say I had any friends, it would be those two and...Cedric. He had more reason than anyone to hate me but he didn't. He was hurt for being my friend. But we're not here to talk about my friendships or lack thereof. The main thing I wanted to talk about is that Tom was only part of the problem."

Moody finally spoke up. "We know son. That's why Amelia wants to talk. We need to know what your next move is."

Harry nodded but remained silent on that subject for now. "What do you want Amelia?"

She took a deep breath. "We've got to block Fudge or Dumbledore from taking credit for ending Tom's threat. Right now I have it under wraps but I don't know how long that will last."

"How do you plan to do that?"

Amelia sighed. "We need you alive Harry. I need you to agree to become undead so to speak. I can have it done without you but that means I have to go through the Mot. If I call a meeting to do that, everyone will know that something has changed as a large block will not be there. Fudge and or Dumbledore will be able to run roughshod over the whole meeting and have you declared either Albus' ward or the Ministry's. The magic involved could be used to force you to submit."

Harry looked at her for a long time before glancing at Moody. "How will that change if I'm alive? They'd be able to do the same thing."

This time she looked at Moody. "It could be avoided. Your grandfather could claim you therefore cutting their arguments off at the knees."

Moody nodded. "Aye...I could do that."

Amelia looked at Harry hopefully. "Then we'll do that then?"

Harry stood and walked over to look out over the scenery. Finally he said. "A dead man can't be prosecuted. A live one can."

Amelia softly said. "You declare vendetta for actions taken against yourself and your house. Under the old laws, you cannot be prosecuted if your reasons are justified. We need to get your story out there and tell everyone what you did."

Harry nodded. "I only won against Tom because he didn't know I was coming and I caught him off guard. They'd know I was coming for them this way."

Moody stepped forward and placed his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Aye but I'll be there with you and I think you'd have more wands than you think on your side if the truth was told."

Harry stared out at the scenery for a few more minutes as he thought things through. He finally spoke again. "I'm going to kill Albus Dumbledore along with most of the Weasleys. I'll probably go after Fudge too if you don't get rid of him first. If I have to, I'll take care of the and then leave the country. The Potter and Black families have enough properties around the world that I'd always have somewhere to live even if on the run." Harry's mind was on the secret island owned by the Blacks that Bearclaw revealed to him. He pushed away the thoughts of Susan running around in a bikini or even naked on their own private island as now was not the time.

Amelia sighed. "I can live with that as long as it's done under an announced vendetta but I'd prefer you to leave Fudge to me. Even with the vendetta, he is our head of state and an assassination would not be accepted too well."

Harry stood there for another minute. "Have your article written."

Amelia let out a deep breath. "Thank you Harry. I will do everything in my power to not let you down."

Harry chuckled. "I hope not. I don't think Susan would take it to well if her favorite aunt was added to my list."

Amelia nodded as although his threat was done in a tone of jest, this young man was not someone you wanted to cross and that was a list she did not want to be on. Being on Tom's was bad enough. She then pulled out a piece of parchment. "Will you sign here? I can then quietly have your death declaration overturned."

"Who will see it?"

"I have a clerk who will be very discrete and slip it into your file so unless someone requests your file, no one should know. As it is, your file has been sealed for years so that shouldn't be a problem."

Harry nodded and then stepped over to take the quill she offered and signed the paper. Once that was done, she pulled out another piece of parchment and gestured to Moody. He stomped over and read over it. Using his own quill, he signed the declaration of guardianship of his grandson. They all knew as soon as the article was published, the cat would be out of the bag and everyone would know Harry was alive. The sealed file on Harry would make no difference at that point and by claiming him as his grandson, Moody was effectively blocking any and all attempts to take control over Harry.

Moody looked at Harry and then nodded. "It is as it should have always been. For what it's worth, I'm sorry my actions caused so many problems so long ago."

"I know pop. We already covered that years ago. I'll come by later so we can have that talk you've been wanting to have since the other night."

Moody snorted. "No need. I understand and would have done the same thing. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks pop."

Amelia smiled. "Me too Harry. I didn't like it at first but I understand why you did it and I apologize for my threat that night. I couldn't ask for a better man for my Susan."

Harry mock pouted. "I guess that means you aren't going to arrest me? Susan will be so disappointed."

Amelia threw her head back and roared in laughter and then grabbed him in a hug.

When they broke apart, she asked. "So just what was it that you bought Susan?"

Moody snorted and then disappeared back to his house. Harry looked at her and replied. "I think we'd like to keep that a secret for now. How about I tell you after Christmas sometime?"

Before she could say anything, Harry disappeared. It wasn't like she was going to prosecute him for apparating at his age since she gave him the license. She just shook her head and thought about her office and disappeared. As she appeared and walked to her chair, she thought that maybe things might work out.