Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

Chapter Twenty One: Penultimate Eve

It was almost time, he knew that instinctively. He had pushed his people to the limits of their endurance, and himself well past his own. Merlin, but he was exhausted. He desperately needed a break, but he couldn't bring himself to let them down, especially not her, not this time.

His thoughts turned to the lithe, elfin blond. One of his dearest friends had taken it upon herself to do the unthinkable. She had sold herself to the Devil himself so that he wouldn't have to. It was a sacrifice he couldn't ignore, even if he had wanted to.

And now, here he was, preparing to forge the last two links in his newest weapon. Just two more and then a small time to get used to the abilities and quirks it would confer to him.

He gently placed the last two pieces of the rod of his own design on the table before him. He also placed the already assembled portion out so that he could meld them together as he finished. He had recruited many of his closest friends to lend their might to his quest. He had done the unthinkable and found a way to merge their uniqueness's together into a coherent whole. In the few weeks he had been working with the old wandsmith he had learned more than he ever thought possible.

The last two cores were set out: the scale of a Swedish Short-Snout for the four inch section, and the heartstring from a pseudo-dragon for the three inch piece. He was certain that combining these would provide him with incredible power and endurance in battle, yet equally sure that the rod would rebel should he ever try to face a dragon with it.

All too soon he was adding the necessary drops of his blood as binding agents, and watching as his magic welded the last pieces of the puzzle together. As quickly as he had started he was finished, the weapon complete and floating there in front of him, waiting for him to claim it and make it his own. He reached out and gingerly took it in his hand, drawing it to him.

He flushed as the power flowed through him. It was more than he had hoped for! He threw his head back and laughed at the feelings that coursed through him, filling him with excitement and a new found sensitivity to magic that he had never dreamed of. He felt himself swell with power, felt the change as years of neglect and mistreatment was washed away. Felt himself grow ever so slightly, just a couple of inches. Felt himself put on a couple of stone in weight, primarily muscle and bone.

He also felt a new appreciation for the magic present in all of nature, of the unplumbed resources there for him to interact with. He didn't realize it yet, but it would plunge he and his family down a path unbeknownst to them. Harry Potter was about to find a new course of study, and a new passion to throw himself into.

*0*0*

The spell would be exceptionally tricky, and would require an immense amount of concentration, but she was relatively certain that she could pull it off. The amount of information in books she had been reading was enormous. She had to admit that the part of her that had made her a Ravenclaw was amazed at amount of arcane knowledge the Headmaster had collected to himself.

The problem of course, was that a rather larger portion than she was really comfortable with was actually very dark magic. She could definitely see the allure though, as the quest for knowledge could easily lead someone down a path that they had never intended to traverse.

She wondered to herself in those few moments of true lucidity what she was going to have to give up to keep from that path, what was to be her sacrifice? She knew that no decision was without its consequences, that no path was without its own unique pitfalls. What would be price that Luna Lovegood would pay for her deceptions?

Quite quickly she put it out of her mind. She would know soon enough, and that in itself was good enough for her. She delved back into the spell that she was studying. If it worked it would make things much easier for her team, and if not, well she would go out in a blaze of glory the likes of which Hogwarts had never before seen.

*0*0*

The man who called himself Albus Dumbledore looked over at his apprentice, the weapon that would soon gift him with the world. He wondered briefly if it was actually worth it, if maybe this time the price was actually too high. For the price was immense. The girl was pristine in her innocence, and he was leading her rapidly down the path to the ultimate corruption, the twisting of a purely light soul into something foul and loathsome.

He shook himself out of such thoughts quickly though, for this, like everything else that he had done of the last six decade was being done for the greater good. It was all that mattered, really, in the long run. The greater good would eventually place him on the throne of the world, and from there he could ensure that all of his dominion lived in peace and harmony.

He had tried before, but he had been too young to appreciate and seize the opportunity when it had placed itself before him. This time he would make no such mistake. He would grab the proverbial bull by the horns and wrestle the world to its knees. It would be his… oh yes, it would be his…

*0*0*

Albus Dumbledore Faces Charges, Loses Position in Wizengamot

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today charged with five counts of Heinous Misuse of Magic, three counts of Willful Abuse of a Minor, six counts of Illegal Usage of Memory Charms and worst of all, two hundred and fifty three counts of Reckless Endangerment of a Minor.

Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had this comment when questioned about the charges against the Headmaster: "My department has been conducting a black investigation against Dumbledore for most of the summer."

According to the warrant request presented to the Wizengamot, Headmaster Dumbledore has twenty four hours to turn himself in to the Aurors or they shall take him from in, forcibly if necessary. This reporter expects Madam Bones to mobilize the entire Auror force in order to enforce the writ against the Headmaster.

For a history of Headmaster Dumbledore, turn to page 5.

For an overview of the scandals that have involved Hogwarts Headmasters, turn to page 8.

To see a copy of the warrant against the Headmaster, turn to page 11.

For a legal analysis of what the Headmaster is facing, turn to page 13.

*0*0*

The Headmaster crumpled the Daily Prophet in his hand as he slowly stood from his chair in the Great Hall. He could feel all the eyes of the student body and his staff on him. It wasn't fair. He only needed a few more days to set his plans in motion. In truth he wasn't sure what his next move would be. He only knew that he had to get out of the Great Hall.

Slowly, deliberately, he made his way out the door, wondering what he should do. A nap, that was what he needed, yes, a nap. He purposefully walked the short distance to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to his inner sanctum. With a nod from him it moved from the stairs and the Headmaster allowed the winding staircase to transport him to the chambers above.

As he entered he checked to see his beloved phoenix waiting for him. At least the poor thing hadn't been able to desert him. No, he had taken care of that himself. He grabbed a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk and popped it in his mouth. He had developed quite a weakness for the Muggle candy. It was truly the one vice he couldn't seem to shake.

He frowned absent-mindedly as he sucked on the sweet confection. This batch seemed a little off. There was something about the flavor that wasn't quite right. He shook off it off and decided that he would write to the manufacturer and complain. That should be good for a new batch for free. It wasn't like he couldn't afford to buy more, but it was the principal of the thing. Since he was spending his hard earned galleons on them, the company should be held to a higher standard. Yes, he would get either a refund or a free replacement. He smiled to himself, confident in the knowledge that whatever the next day brought he would weather the storm and have his lemon drops in the end.

He noticed that it seemed rather hot in the office, so he went into his private quarters. Unfortunately it was even hotter in there. He especially felt it in his feet, so he sat down and took off his boots. This didn't seem to have any affect so he wiggled his toes for a moment, but came to the realization that it might help if he removed his socks.

He pulled them off and once again wiggled his toes. It did indeed feel much better, but now he was feeling a little light-headed. "Blinken!" he called out, but for some reason the house elf didn't answer his summons. He scowled for a moment. That shouldn't have happened. Bollocks it was hot. "Fawkes!" In a flash the phoenix was there. "Take these away from me, they're making me ill," he managed to croak out. He dropped the socks and the firebird swooped down, catching them in his beak. He flashed out of the sitting room, only to reappear in the office.

In his dizzy state the Headmaster never noticed the flare that signified the breaking of a bond taking place in his office. The happy trilling song that floated through the open doorway served to relax the now somewhat befuddled Headmaster and he laid his head back and closed his eyes.

After a few minutes his snores could be heard out in the office. The phoenix bobbed his head once and there was a flash as an almost identical phoenix flashed in right next to the excited bird. The two of them took flight and flashed to the room of requirement. Above a small basin the two birds joined taloned feet together, and then with a cry they burst into flames. Their ashes floated down into the basin, there to await their rebirth.

As the two other occupants of the room, a young ginger haired witch and a tall dark haired wizard watched, three lumps formed in the ashes. Before long two beaks appeared out of the piles, while a tiny head with misshapen ears popped out as well. The girl approached and gently lifted the small house elf from the ashes, brushing him off with soft caresses.

The elf looked at her with a great sadness in his eyes, as if he were in terrible pain. "You are free at last, my little friend," she whispered. "Would you like to be a part of a family once more?" At that the little elf gave his first smile. He would never again have to endure the pain he had gone through at the hands of the evil thing in the Headmaster's office. He nodded to the girl and knew all would be well with the world. If they could do this, then anything was possible.

As this was happening the wizard was tending to the tiny rebirthed phoenixes. While his particular specialty was in the care of magical plants, he had taken many years of Care of Magical Creatures. Besides, phoenixes were quite capable of taking care of themselves. They simply preferred company on a burning day.

*0*0*

Padma Potter found her husband on the Quidditch pitch. He had a goofy grin on his face, and she found great joy in just watching him as he flew a slalom course around the hoops. This was where Harry Potter was most at ease, in flight. She knew the depths of the love that had developed between them, and she took great comfort in that. She filled a hole in his heart that had been driven there by those wretched Muggles he had been forced to live with. She was content in his desperate need for her love and companionship. It didn't bother her that he needed the escape that flight provide him, he always came back to her in the end.

She graced him with a beautiful smile as he slowly floated down to her. Their kiss was soft and gentle, filled with love and a joy in each other. "I see you finished it," she nodded to the rod clipped to his side.

"Just," he replied. "It's amazing, actually. The old coot is unaware of the Hell that is about to be unleashed on him." He smiled the smile of a predator that had just spied his prey. "It will happen here," he whispered. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"The pitch knows, sweetheart, the pitch knows," he said cryptically. "We need to reach the rest of the team."

She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head into his shoulder. "Already done." She hugged him close. "Parvati and Lavender have been busy this afternoon. They'll all be here early. We're meeting in the Room of Requirement at five tomorrow morning." She looked up at him. "Did you grow today?"

"A couple of inches actually. I think that the rod helped me to become physically what I should have been but for my treatment from my relatives.

"So everything is in place then?" She nodded and kissed his shoulder. "Should we use Luna to lure him out, or our operative?"

"He might realize something was going on if it came from Luna. I'd rather not place her in that position if we can help it." She paused for a moment to consider the options. "I think it should definitely be the operative. I'll have one of Parvati's group make contact."

"I'll leave it to you then," Harry said. He stopped them as they neared Hagrid's hut. The kiss he gave her was searing, promising oh so much more once they were in a less open location. He pulled back and looked around. It was getting dark and the visibility was very poor. He couldn't detect any magical signatures for a quite a distance, well beyond viewing range anyway.

He held out his hand to her and as she took it he asked her a question. "You want to see something wicked?" When she responded in the affirmative he grinned at her. "Walk with me," he commanded. As she did so she noticed that he led her not up the path, but up period. He held his rod out in front of them as they walked on the winds up to the seventh floor tower…

Author's Note: Next up, the big finish... then an epilogue and this one's in the books. It's been quite a run thus far. I think I'll have it ready for the first of the week. Thanks to one and all for reading, and especially to those of you who have shared your thoughts and opinions.