Chapter 20 : Back to Hogwart's 7th Year
The Potters arrived back at Hogwarts two days before the semester was to start. They found Draco and Ginny in training with Godric and Salazar. Draco and Ginny went and hugged and greeted them very happy to see them. "We have so much to tell you two. We have had a busy summer. We also know where Lord Voldemort is at."
"How did you find that out?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"All in due time Mrs. I must know-it-all." Ginny teased.
Hermione countered "Well fine then I won't tell you about the fifty Dragons that Harry and I partied with."
Ginny stopped "You met over fifty Wild Dragons and live to tell about?"
"Oh, they were wild all right, but not the way you mean it." Harry stated as he and Hermione both laughed.
They all talked for a few minutes and agreed to catch up at dinner. Harry and Hermione went to see Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. They knocked on the Headmasters office door and were invited in. Albus was sitting behind his desk and rose when they arrived. "It is good to see you both again. You have never looked better. I see the Elven have treated you very well."
"King Swelvane was very good to us." Hermione stated.
"Who is King Swelvane?" Albus asked.
Harry smiled "You would know him as Gibley, sir."
Albus Smiled "An Elven King in our midst, how interesting. Mr. Potter there is never a dull moment with you around."
Hermione asked "Are you and Professor McGonagall free for dinner tonight?"
"I do not think we would miss this for the world. We will be there." Albus said. Harry quickly used the floo to call the Minister and invite her as well. She graciously accepted.
At dinner that night they all caught up on their adventures from the summer. Ginny was thrilled to hear that Dragons talked. She listened to Godric and Harry speak in Elvish with Hermione and Salazar.
Draco and Ginny related what they had been doing during the summer they had been able to cover many more magical communities in the last two months. They had divided the country into quarters and had ensured that each magical community in that quarter was safe before moving to the next quarter. After the 3rd quarter was completed they knew which quarter Voldemort was in. "We steadily worked that quarter to hem them in like herding cattle into a pen." stated Draco. "One of the towns we cast the Death Eater safe spell on, we saw some Death Eaters on a hill close by. Ginny and I followed them back and they led us to Voldemort."
"We watched the Manor he is in and began making the magical communities that surrounded it safe by casting the spell. It appears that over the last week the amount of activity has been reduced as they feel the whole country is blanketed. Since no death eater has ever returned from a town that was enchanted."
"Now we need to finish protecting the magical communities then we will start surgically removing the remaining death eaters." Harry said with determination. "Once the last of the death eaters are gone we can deal with Lord Voldemort." Harry continued "Four of his inner circle are out of the picture. I am sure the loss of Doholov, Bella & Rufus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and his access to the Ministry has left him in the dark. What is more important he still has no idea who or what is doing this to him."
"Draco and Ginny we could not have left things in better hands." Hermione said with pride.
Harry smiled "The Death Eater safe spell? Who thought up that name?"
Ginny tentatively raised her hand "It seemed appropriate at the time."
"Harry one other thing; the Ministry has caught another 45 Death Eaters since the end of May." Draco said.
"That certainly is very good news that is over 150 since August of last year. Voldemort cannot have too many more left. Is there any way we can monitor how many more there are?" Harry asked.
"The Ministry has been working on a plan to monitor his manor but has not implemented it yet." Ginny stated.
Harry turned to the Minister "Do you have an idea when that would be started?"
The Minister replied "Harry and Hermione this has been your show and your plan from the start. As Minister, speaking to two of my department heads, when does your department want to brief the rest of the Auror division so they can assist?" the Minister asked Harry.
Harry asked Draco and Ginny "Is there any reason we should not start this surveillance?" Ginny spoke up "The biggest problem that I see is if we get noticed watching. This could cause Voldemort to change his operation or in the worse case move his operation somewhere else. This would cause us to start all over again."
"Harry it might be a good idea to wait until we are a week from going in before we conduct surveillance. Ginny has a very good point. We have damn near moved him off the Island as it is." Hermione added.
"Minister for now we will wait on the surveillance however, I would like to provide some training to a limited number of Aurors as an assault team for the final battle. I am requesting that a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 Aurors should be assigned to us so we can train them before we start the surveillance. Is this acceptable?"
The Minister thought for a moment "Harry are you sure you are ready for this?"
Hermione stood up "Minister you are talking to the man who has taken on 50 death Eaters and won. You are talking to a man who led a group of 3rd year students to the department of ministry. We refused to let him do that alone. He was never ready for any of this, he just went out and did it and we followed. Give us the Aurors and we will get it done."
The Minister looked on "Your point is understood I will talk to the Auror department."
Harry thought for a moment "I have a better idea Minister. Hermione and I will challenge an entire Auror company to a dual. If we win then I can choose 18 Aurors for my training from their department."
"And if they win?" the Minister asked.
"I will wager a years pay for each man or if they want I will resign as a department head."
The Minister smiled "That is quite a challenge Mr. Potter and would quell many questions about your command abilities at the Ministry. I hope you are ready because in one week the duel will commence."
Hermione looked at the Minister "Any time and any place. Tell the Auror department Head we will meet this Friday at the Ministry to hear his rules of engagement." Hermione gave a small smile.
Harry sent to Hermione "You know they will try to take us out the moment we step in the ministry."
Hermione looked at Harry "Of course love, but now we know when and where the attack will happen."
Harry gave a big grin "You are such a naughty girl."
Hermione leaned toward Harry "Harry look I am wearing a skirt. I wish I could remember if I did or if I didn't?"
Harry replied with a gleam in his eye "You Hermione Potter are so wicked!"
Friday came around quickly and Harry and Hermione had worked all week on how they were going to enter the ministry. Hermione had research and had been able to obtain a blue print of the Ministry. Albus had reminded them that the blue prints maybe fake. Harry studied the Department of Mystery and thought, although it may have been different, it had to stay fairly accurate because then no one would believe it was true. He agreed it probably had a few changes but where was anyone's guess.
The meeting time was in 5 minutes Harry and Hermione had decided to go invisible as it would cause greater chaos if they cast a spell. They were not going to apparate in they would come their own special way. Harry held Hermione's hand and they vanished and reappeared 1 block from the ministry.
They stood where they were for a moment and found that one Auror was located on the roof of every building that surrounded the Ministry. Harry sent to Hermione "How many Aurors did Mr. Manchester say were in a company?"
Hermione answered "36 plus Manchester and his Lieutenant that is 38.
"I doubt if Manchester and the Lieutenant will engage, most likely they will coordinate and mass his troops at the point of our entry." Harry stated with calm.
Hermione sent "I count nine on the buildings. That would leave 27 more."
Harry said "Let's fly above them and put a freeze charm on them 2 at a time. By the time they figure something has happened we should have them all. Once we are up, make one circle to ensure we know where all of them are located."
Hermione added "Let's get this started."
Harry and Hermione stood back to back to fly up above the Ministry building. They checked the buildings for Aurors; they did find one in the church steeple, two blocks away with a Walkie- Talkie.
They took him out first, and then worked quickly to take out the Aurors in pairs. They sent each man, still frozen, to stand in the Ministers office after they had the ten neutralized. The Minister looked up when the first ten arrived. Mr. Manchester was with her and exclaimed loudly "Bloody Hell!" those are ten of my men.
The Minister stated flatly "You may have thought you set a trap for them to catch them off guard, but I tell you they may spring your own trap on you Alfred."
"Bloody Hell" Alfred stated again and then called over the radio "Niles get every one back in the Building." After 30 seconds there was no reply. He did this two more times with the same result. Alfred had a very bad feeling about this.
Harry and Hermione meanwhile had landed on top of the Ministry and began looking down at the streets below. They found no other Aurors lurking about. "Hermione we were expected to apparate or floo into the Ministry, then use the elevator to go to the meeting in the Minister's office."
"How does that help us?" Hermione asked.
"Well we wanted a challenge, right? Well let's start at the Ministers office and work our way down and then do just that."
Hermione beamed "That is rather brilliant Mr. Potter. Did I happen to mention today that I think they are blue, if this works I will let you tell me If I got the color right."
Harry smiled "Mrs. Potter, naughty, naughty."
Hermione replied "I am wicked aren't I?" she gave a smoldering smile to Harry.
Harry stood besides a little building that housed the elevator shaft and opened the door." Based on the blueprint this should be the shaft that takes us to the Ministers office." Hermione and Harry flew down the shaft and were at the elevator door that was across from the Minister. They vanished and appeared in the Ministers office, appearing frozen.
Alfred smiled "I told you they could not beat my Aurors Minister." Mr. Manchester did not have much time to gloat as Harry and Hermione both moved and froze Alfred, smile and all.
"Good day Minister, we have some more men to capture we will be back in a little bit." Harry and Hermione worked backwards, the Aurors were caught completely off guard. They had not expected an attack from that which they were supposed to guard. They had found 18 more before they made the main atrium floor. On the main floor they ran into 24 more. 8 of them were not caught off guard. They turned around and began a rousing defense. There was one Auror directing them and was doing a very good job.
If not for Harry and Hermione's shield they would have been down. As it was, they were barely holding their own. After 2 minutes Harry got a bead on the lead Auror and the others fell quickly after that. When they got back to the Minister's office the Minister was setting at her chair. Her office was almost packed to the bursting point with frozen Aurors.
Harry took all the Auror's wands; including Mr. Manchester's and then sent the Aurors to the hallway. Harry innervated Mr. Manchester. He went to cast a spell and soon realized that he did not have his wand.
He looked a little ashen at Harry and Hermione. "Bloody Hell! How did you get here?"
Hermione smiled "By the elevator of course."
The minister could not help but laugh. "Alfred you have been had. Not only did they catch your company, it appears they caught half of the Auror trainer's as well."
Alfred looked at them in shock "Bloody hell" he said.
Harry laughed "Yes, you said that already. If you would, you can give your men their wands back." Harry pointed at the Minister's door "They are through there." Hermione waved here hand and there was some commotion in the hallway.
Alfred came back in a moment. Harry began "Since this was only to be a meeting of the rules of engagement, we can call this a practice and do the real one later if you like Mr. Manchester?"
Alfred shook his head "I would not like to look the fool a second time Mr. Potter, since it is I who broke the rules in the first place."
Harry stepped up to him "My name is Harry to my friends."
Alfred took Harry's extended hand "I got beat by a sixteen and seventeen year old. I can't believe it! My friends call me Alfred. I hope that you will too as I don't like being on the opposite side of you two. You two are brilliant…but scary"
Hermione laughed "Yeah, which is what one of our best friends tell us all the time. I am Hermione by the way."
"Harry I have no doubt that I will call you sir as you will no doubt be my boss one day."
Harry looked seriously at him "Alfred I can assure you I have no political aspirations of any kind. I don't even have to think about it!" Alfred looked questioningly and then realized quickly that Harry was very serious.
"Alfred I told you that Harry and Hermione are genuine people. They have no hidden agenda. I trust them."
Alfred replied "It is in my nature to be suspicious."
Harry then stated "I think that is why you are an Auror. Since this was our challenge, I want to choose 18 of your Aurors to train."
Alfred nodded. "Who were the 8 Aurors covering the floo network?"
"That was Sergeant Campos and his Squad from the Academy."
"Trainers?" questioned Hermione. "No, they were about to graduate from the academy, they are students." Alfred answered.
"I want them, all eight. They are the only Aurors who gave us any real trouble." Harry stated.
"I find that hard to believe, my senior Aurors should have been able to hold their own." Alfred added.
"Be that as it may they are the only group who attacked and held us off for over two minutes." stated Hermione.
"Alfred, I want those eight and Tonks as well. You can choose the other nine. I must warn you they will have to endure a lot of physical training over the next 90 days. I would not send people who are not in good physical shape." Harry stated.
Harry and Hermione returned to Hogwarts later that day. They told Ginny and Draco what had happened and they both laughed. Harry asked them if they would join them for physical training every morning and then daily training as Harry was going to teach them some of the Elven magic.
"Yes, we would love it." Ginny and Draco answered
"Then you can start Monday." Hermione said.
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