Disclaimer – I solemnly swear that JKR owns everything Harry Potter. Whether or not I am up to no good with her characters is for you to decide.

-oOoOo-

Castle Voldemort

Chapter 21

The sound of the siren combined with the pulsing light woke Chert from a sound sleep. The instant that his eyes snapped open, though, he was alert. His hand closed around the handle of his axe as he swung himself from his rock ledge like bed. A brace of knives were plucked from their place on the hidden shelf and stowed behind his back.

Then, grumbling all the way, he made his way to the main section of the Security Office. Seeing it empty, just as he would have expected for this time of night, he instead crossed to the viewing portal into the Receiving Room.

A stream of gobbledegook expletives rushed from his mouth at the sight of the four wizards and one witch milling about inside. How they'd arrived, by Floo, apparition or portkey, was irrelevant, they weren't going anywhere without his say-so. The fact that they were there at all told him that none bore the Dark Mark, not that that was an indication of anything, beliefs were ingrained much deeper than a tattoo, existent or not, could show.

"What do you want?" he practically growled into the stone that allowed his voice to travel into the room.

As expected, the five started at the suddenness of it and Chert grinned at the small payback for them waking him.

"We're here to see Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived-Again. Him and Madam Bones and the Unspeakable and Black," an older man with a beard that was verging on becoming impressive stated.

Of course they were, Chert grumbled to himself.

Bad enough that those four went off with a host of others into battle leaving him behind on the island, but now they were interrupting his sleep. The fact that they had nothing to do with the timing of these arrivals didn't placate Chert in the slightest.

"They're asleep," he grunted.

"It's urgent," the wizard countered.

"Isn't it always?" Chert retorted rhetorically. "Wait there. I'll see if they want to come down to talk to you."

While he knew that he could easily make the trip up to the school and would love nothing more than to hammer on each of their doors with the butt of his knife to wake them up, Chert knew that he couldn't leave the building and hence the island undefended with unknowns inside, no matter that they were perfectly contained.

"Dobby," he called instead.

Almost instantly, the house elf appeared in front of him, annoyingly looking as though he hadn't been woken at all.

"We've got company," Chert stated, cocking a thumb over his shoulder at the Receiving Room. "They want to talk to Potter, Bones, Black and Croaker. Wake them and get them down here."

With a nod of his head, Dobby snapped his fingers and disappeared.

-oOoOo-

"They're from Diagon Alley," Croaker stated. "I recognise them from this morning."

The fact that the Unspeakable had said that with his back to the others as they entered the Security Office told the story of just how good his hearing was.

"Any guesses what they want?" Amelia asked as she moved to stand beside Croaker, unconsciously mirroring his stance of folded arms as they looked in on the group.

Behind them, a tired-looking Sirius and Harry were all but leaning against each other.

"This better be important," Sirius stated.

"Only one way to find out," Croaker replied.

A short step to the side saw him open the door and walk in to the Receiving Room, the other three on his heels.

At their entrance, the two men and the woman sitting on the provided couches rose, while the other two men stopped their pacing, turned and looked expectantly at them.

"What can we do for you, Mister …?" Amelia asked.

"Call me Arn," the big, middle-aged man sporting the bushy black beard with the twin grey stripes in it replied. "This here's Jonas, Peter, Edward and Dilly."

"Very well, Arn," Amelia said after nodding to each of the others. "What is it we can do for you?"

"We thought that you'd want to know that we're taking back the Ministry tonight," Arn stated with a satisfied look on his face.

Sirius couldn't help but snort. "You seriously expect to be able to take and hold the Ministry? Didn't what happened in Diagon teach you lot anything?"

"We learnt plenty," Arn scowled back. "We took the Alley easily. Got up the right charms to stop them coming when we didn't want them. It was only that we hadn't prepared the rest of our defences properly."

"And you think you can do that with a building instead of an Alley with only a single entrance?" Croaker asked and whatever feelings he had on the matter were carefully kept out of his voice.

"We know what we're doing," Arn stated. "We know now how to defend it once we've taken it. Especially with the Floo network under our control."

"Do you understand the type of forces that you're planning on going up against?" Amelia asked. "Specially trained aurors, hitwizards and Unspeakables to begin with. Even attempting something in the dead of night will be nigh impossible to achieve."

"By ourselves, you're probably right," Arn stated.

"You want us to go with you, don't you?" Harry asked, speaking up for the first time from where he leant against the wall.

"Yeah, we do," Arn replied.

"With The-Boy-Who-Lived-Again with us, they wouldn't stand a chance," Tilly said. "We all saw what you did for us this morning. If it wasn't for you, we'd all have been killed."

Harry shook his head.

"All I did was provide the distraction," he said. "It was the others that did the most."

"You still took out their leader quite handily, not to mention a handful of others," Peter disagreed.

"Look, we don't have a lot of time," Arn said, drawing the eyes of all back to him. "We're doing this with or without you. Tonight. We'd prefer to have your help, much more likely to win that way, but we are doing this. We're not going to stay imprisoned in the Alley while they're making the laws that affect us."

"I wish you wouldn't do this," Amelia stated. "You have no idea what you're going up against."

"Not to mention the fact that the people that work there know that place a thousand times better than you," Croaker added.

Arn shook his head.

"Let's go," he said to his friends. "We've told them what we're doing, now it's up to them."

The five moved to the Floo and Arn looked back as, one by one, the others stepped into the green flames.

"I hope we see you at the Ministry one hour from now," he said before he, too, Floo-ed away.

-oOoOo-

"We can't let them go alone!' Harry stated, emphasising his point by stomping forward with his staff. "You said it yourself, they've got no idea what they'll be walking into. It'll be a slaughter!"

"You're right about that, Pup," Sirius sighed. "The question is, for who?"

Harry looked confusingly at his godfather. "What do you mean?"

"A mob can do a lot of damage, especially against an opponent limited in numbers and with surprise on their side. On the other hand, the idiots still at the Ministry are going to use a lot more lethal spells and will kill a lot of that mob before they go down," Sirius replied.

"That's assuming they don't use their knowledge of the building to their advantage and wage a guerrilla war until help arrives," Croaker added. "If that lot don't have the Floo Regulation Department as their first target and the DMLE as their second, they'll be dead before dawn, whether they take the rest of the building or not."

Harry stared between the three of them. Finally, his face hardened and he moved to step between them.

"Wait up, Pup," Sirius said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We know when the attack's going to take place, that gives us an hour to prepare."

"We're going to help?" Harry asked.

"We have no choice," Amelia replied. "We can't let them go off and kill themselves like that. And if there's a chance of taking back the Ministry, we have to join in. Can you imagine the blow it'll be against Riddle?"

"We've got less than an hour," Croaker stated. "We better wake up some people and get prepared."

-oOoOo-

The group gathered outside the thick wooden door was much the same as the one that had portkeyed away from Diricawl in order to go to Diagon Alley. The only difference was the loss of not only the four who had died, but also a further two who were still in the Hospital Wing back on the island.

"This is a little used entrance to the Ministry," Amelia explained. "It's usually only used by aurors bringing in prisoners from the muggle side. There's an alert charm that alerts the aurors when it's opened; nothing that I can do about it as it's tied to the other side of the door. That means we're most likely to encounter aurors first. Be prepared to fight as soon as we go in."

"We're behind schedule, Am; if that lot from Diagon got their act together and attacked when they said they were going to, they should have gone in nearly five minutes ago," Croaker stated.

With a nod, Amelia flicked her wand at the door, tapping it in half a dozen specific places. On the last tap, the sound of a lock disengaging could be heard. In one swift movement, Amelia opened the door and strode forward, immediately stepping to the right, her wand up and providing cover if needed.

The fact that there were no shouts, no sounds of running footsteps towards them, no sign of life at all, had the invaders pausing.

"The attack's obviously started," Sirius said quietly.

Amelia nodded. "Shack, take your team to the auror department; get it locked down. Algeron, take your team and secure the Floo Regulation department."

At her words, the two teams of half a dozen each split off, quietly moving down the corridor. A dozen meters down, Croaker paused, opened a hidden door and led his team into the hidden stairwell to avoid using the elevators.

As soon as they were gone, Amelia eyed her own team.

"Right, let's get to the Atrium; that's where the fighting's going to be," she said, her voice as hard as diamond.

-oOoOo-

The internal stairs were dark and filled with shadows with only a single lit torch at each landing. There were four of these throughout the building that housed the Ministry of Magic, one in each corner. Very few even knew that they existed, preferring to travel about where they could be seen doing 'important' work either to those above them in the hopes of being recognised or to those below them in order to feel superior.

The one group that did remember these stairwells and utilize them often were the Unspeakables. A department that revelled in the shadows, in getting the work and research done that the general population was best left ignorant of, loved being able to seemingly appear and disappear at will, something that these stairwells allowed them to do.

It took very little time for Croaker to lead his team of five to the correct level and, as he'd predicted, they'd encountered no one. When all had gathered either on the landing with him or were only a step or two away, he paused and looked back.

"We're in luck," he said. "The Department for the Regulation of Floo Control is in this part of the building. Once we go through here, it's down a short corridor and to the left.

"Our primary objective is the bank of four fireplaces on the back wall. Between the centre two, there is a large lever. That is the master override for the Floo system. It will be in a centre position. We need to pull that lever down and then hold a wand against it, saying 'Emergency Override and Shut Down'. That will take the entire Floo system throughout the country off-line. It's quick and nasty, but it suits our purpose right now. We can worry about restoring it later.

"Anyone who tries to stop us, take them down hard. We cannot allow them to call for reinforcements. Everyone clear?"

Receiving nods, Croaker turned about and pushed the door open, swinging his wand quickly each way. Seeing the corridor empty, he cautiously moved out, waving his hand for the others to follow him.

Their luck remained with them as, after flattening himself against the wall and conjuring a small handheld mirror, Croaker saw that they were alone. The entrance to the Department was completely empty; there wasn't even someone manning the desk at the front. In all likelihood, he decided, they'd been called to fight down in the Atrium.

Cautiously, Croaker led the way around the corner and into the Department. A more complete look had him nodding in relief.

"Looks like we're in luck," he said, "it seems that we've got the place to – "

-oOoOo-

"I count three," Tonks whispered from where she lay flat on the ground, her head disillusioned and only the very top of it up to her eyes looking around the corner.

"Four," Shaklebolt corrected. "There's one more just coming from the restroom."

Shuffling back, Tonks quietly stood up, being sure that no one from the Auror department was given even an inkling that there was a small group of people waiting just down the corridor and around the corner from the entrance to the Department.

"I've got an idea," Tonks said after cancelling the disillusionment and then closing her eyes and concentrating.

Her features morphed into a much older looking woman with a square jaw and close-cropped dark hair. Her chest expanded and her arms and legs became thicker. As soon as she was done, Tonks twirled her wand at her dark, formfitting clothing, transfiguring it into a set of red auror robes.

"Be ready," she hissed to the rest of them.

Then, after taking in a dozen or so short, sharp breaths to get her lungs working and to make it appear that she'd just run all the way from the Atrium, Tonks took off.

Bursting around the corner at speed, she nearly slammed into the opposite wall before pelting straight at the Auror department. Her pounding feet announced her presence and the four junior-grade aurors were up on their feet, their wands trained on her as she panted to a stop. Tonks was impressed, only one of the four wands was trembling slightly.

"Well, don't just stand there!" she barked at the four. "Get out here! We need reinforcements down in the Atrium and you're it."

"But our orders were to stay here," one of the aurors countered.

"Yeah and I'm changing those orders. Now!" she shouted. "Let's go!"

The four took off and as soon as they were close enough, Tonks spun about and raced back down the corridor. Rounding the corner, she twisted, throwing herself against the far wall, avoiding the wands raised, pointed straight at her.

The four aurors following her weren't so lucky, running straight into a hail of red stunners. All four were unconscious before the first had even hit the ground.

"Good work, Tonks," Shaklebolt nodded. "Right, let's get this lot down to one of the interview rooms for now; they're closest. Make sure to strip them of their wands and any portkeys and lock them in. Tonks, you're with me, we need to raise the Ministry's emergency anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards."

-oOoOo-

Sirius, Amelia and Harry were hunkered down on some stairs, taking in the scene before them.

The Atrium was a true battleground. Spells of every colour crisscrossed between the two opposing forces. Stunners; bone breakers; crucios; disarming hexes; killing curses; bombarda; cutting curses; banishing charms – all were flying about.

The Atrium itself seemed to have taken the bulk of the destruction so far: the security desk was nothing but a pile of smouldering sticks, chunks of marble had been blown out of pillars, the Statue of Magical Brethren was nothing but a collection of stone and rubble with the odd arm or head lying about, and black burn marks were appearing every other second on the floors and walls.

The attacking mob, originally from Diagon Alley, seemed to have made little headway so far. From their position, it appeared as though they'd probably Floo-ed in, although it was possible that some had used what was left of the old red telephone box, a device that wouldn't ever be making a return journey to the surface given it was currently missing its top third section.

They'd obviously been given just enough time to prepare some defences before the defenders arrived as the Diagon mob were hunkered down behind a half dozen or so stone walls, walls that were slowly being blown away by the defenders.

The Ministry personnel had used the Atrium's natural environment for their own cover, an easy prospect considering where they were coming from. Instead of the empty patch of space in front of the Floos, the opposite end of the Atrium was littered with pillars and doorways and statues, all of which the defenders were putting to good use.

"There's no way we can get to them," Sirius stated, indicating the group near the Floos.

"That was never going to be an option," Amelia replied. "But whatever we're going to do, we need to do it quickly; those walls aren't going to be much good for anything in a couple more minutes."

"We need a distraction," Sirius stated.

With a nod, Harry went to work. Rising slightly to give himself a better line of sight, he focussed on whatever loose pieces of stone and marble that lay about.

"What are you doing?" Sirius hissed as Harry transfigured a chunk of stone into a bobcat.

"Creating a distraction," Harry replied. "It worked against Voldemort, it can work here, too."

After glancing at Sirius, Amelia looked at those behind her.

"You heard Harry; create a distraction," she said. "Transfigure whatever's lying about into some animals."

As more and more animals began to appear – wolves, rats, cats, dogs, lions, even a flock of canaries – Harry noticed that their work was beginning to draw the eye of the Ministry personnel.

Switching his focus, Harry directed his staff at the small flecks of stone and the dust.

"Turbinis vasti!" he intoned, moving the end of his staff in smaller and smaller circles.

Instantly, a breeze kicked up the dust, lifting the smaller bits of stone into the air. As Harry's staff drew smaller and faster circles, the wind picked up speed and intensity until the robes of any in its path began flapping. And then all of the loose dust and bit and pieces began flying, rocketing about, leaving stinging welts as they struck exposed hands and faces.

"Come on, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "We need to catch them in a crossfire."

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Bring my staff," Harry ordered before dropping it and concentrating.

Within seconds, Tavi was standing in Harry's place. And immediately overbalanced and fell onto his left shoulder.

Righting himself, Tavi stared at his missing left paw. A shake of his fuzzy head had him relegating that fact to the back of his mind to process later. Awkwardly, Tavi climbed the stairs and skittered across the marble floor. Every other step, he misjudged it, imagining he had four paws and went skidding, burning his snout on the ground. Gritting his jaw, though, Tavi soldiered on, joining in with the other animals to race around the floor.

Tavi was forced to dodge back and forth, leaping over obstacles when he could and using the reflexes that a mongoose was known for to dodge incoming spells. The further he ran, the more he began getting used to the concept of moving on only three legs until, by the time that he'd reached the cover that he was aiming for, he'd managed to run a full dozen metres without tripping.

Slinking into the small space, Tavi twisted back and grinned. Leaping over a badger, a long staff firmly grasped between his jaws, came Padfoot. Claws scrabbled on the smooth marble as he fought for purchase before he, too, slid into cover.

The two animagi reverted, Harry reaching for his staff before he'd even fully transformed.

"Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack racing out like that," Sirius admonished.

Harry barely spared him a glance, moving his staff about so that it was more comfortable to use one-handed before firing off a cutting curse and catching the wizard he was aiming at in the shoulder, dropping him.

"Yell later; attack now," Harry stated.

The fact that a deep yellow spell shot out from beside him told Harry that his advice had been taken.

-oOoOo-

"Looks like we're in luck, it seems that we've got the place to – "

Arthur stared in shock as a green spell shot out of nowhere, slamming into Croaker's left shoulder and dropping him instantly as though his strings had just been cut.

His sons, though, along with Remus, instantly leapt into action. A plethora of stunning spells arced across the room, bathing the area that the spell had come from in red light. A heavy thump told the room that something, or more accurately someone had hit the floor.

"Homenum revelio," Remus intoned, sweeping his wand from one side of the room to the other.

"We're alone," he said moments later, "well, apart from that one."

Fred and George strode across the room, felt about on the floor for a bit before George grabbed something with his hands and ripped it back. As the invisibility cloak came off, the man flopped over, his wand clattering to the floor and rolling away.

Twin incarcerous spells hit him and he was quickly bound so tight that he wouldn't have been able to move even if he had been conscious.

Meanwhile, Remus had quickly crossed the room to the bank of Floos located at the very back and yanked the lever in the midst of them firmly down.

Then, holding his wand to the lever, he said in a loud, clear voice, "Emergency Override and Shut Down!"

Instantly a pulse of golden light shot from the lever into the four Floos. As soon as the light vanished, the flames went out and golden grills dropped from the ceiling, shutting them off from the fireplaces.

Unseen by them, that exact same thing – the loss of flames and the grill – was being repeated up and down the country as the entire Floo network for Great Britain was extinguished.

Including the main fireplaces in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

-oOoOo-

The combined rattling crash of over a dozen golden grills slamming into the floor in front of the Atrium's fireplaces echoed about the vast room, drowning out the sound of spells being cast and people crying out in fright or pain.

Four of the Ministry personnel, seeing what had just happened, tried to immediately apparate out. Their spins, though, were just that, a turning on the spot, leaving them momentarily dizzy and defenceless when they failed to apparate away. Four curses took the men straight out of the fight before they could try a second time.

Two others, having seen their fellow's failure at apparating, reached for their portkeys. They, too, failed to leave the Ministry.

It was then almost easy pickings for the attackers. The defenders realised that they were now trapped in the building. But not only trapped in the building but trapped in the Atrium through a three way cross-fire. Any movement towards an exit away from one group instantly put them in the way of other ready wands.

In short order, the battle was over. Those few Ministry personnel still alive and conscious threw down their wands, coming out with their arms above their heads.

Seeing it, along with the complete absence of spell-fire directed at them, the group that had come from Diagon Alley let loose with an excited cheer.

Amelia, though, simply walked out from her cover and looked around, shaking her head at the destruction evident and the still bodies lying throughout the Atrium.

"The battle's only half done, people," she called, gathering everyone's attention on to her. "Don't think that we got everyone. There's bound to be people scattered all over this building. We now need to search everywhere, every level, every office, broom closet, bathroom, passageway and crawlspace.

"My teams have ensured that there's no magical way into or out of the building, but we need to lock down every other entrance. And once that's all done, after we've rounded up every person here and secured the building comes the hard part: holding it.

"No. Our job here is far from done. Let's get to it, people."