Disclaimer: It's JKR's little world, and I think that at this point it should be fairly obvious that I am not her.

A/N: Ok, this is the first of two parts detailing the fall of the ministry, Harry's annual meeting with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and how wizarding Britain hunkers down in a time of revolution.

Also, I've gotten a few reviews lately complaining about continuity errors in this one and the prequel. The errors that were pointed out weren't actually continuity errors, but I imagine I have slipped up at some point during the series. Anyone who can give me a continuity error that has bugged them, including the chapter of original notice and the chapter of the error, will be mentioned next chapter in my author's note for their hard work.

Once again this chapter is unbeta'ed so any errors you see are solely my fault.

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"Actions are the seeds of fate deeds grow into destiny."

~Harry S. Truman

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As soon as Harry vanished, the three students there to witness it had sprung into action, although Hermione was the fastest as her wand lit up with the familiar red of a stunning spell. If the look on her face was any indication she would have preferred a spell that caused a bit more damage.

Neville groaned, "Bloody hell."

Hannah swatted Neville upside the head and ordered, "You're the fastest here Neville, go grab a professor and tell them to contact the headmaster about what happened."

Neville took off like a shot, any lingering images of the inept pudgy boy he was in the past vanishing nearly as quickly as he did. Hannah looked over at the enraged Gryffindor girl and asked, "So, what's the plan then Hermione?"

Hermione exhaled deeply and closed her eyes, "I'm so bloody tired of this nonsense always happening to Harry. The worst part is that it isn't even his fault; it's that sheep buggering idiot of a dark lord and his mentally challenged followers. How stupid can these people possibly be, preaching pureblood supremacy with a leader who is basically the child of a squib and a muggle?"

Hannah couldn't suppress the small giggle from escaping her lips before she responded to the malicious glare that came her way, "I'm sorry, but honestly, sheep buggering idiot?"

Hermione's scowl softened a little, but it never challenged becoming a smile as she glared over at Umbridge, "Honestly, I swear this country is ass backwards in respect to all of its magical traditions. Let's give the rights to the purebloods who abuse everyone else, while we take them away from the majority of the population that is routinely oppressed, either by dark lords or nice politicians like Delores Umbridge."

Hannah wisely decided to remain silent as Hermione spewed some colorful insults about most every pureblood bigot she could think of. Finally, when it appeared she was running out of names to insult Neville returned breathing heavily with both Dumbledore and McGonagall close behind.

Dumbledore didn't waste any time simply asking, "What exactly happened Ms. Granger?"

Hermione sighed dejectedly, "Harry was leaving the exam room and spotted us, we had decided to wait for him to discuss the exam considering we've all finished up now. Umbridge walked up to Harry talking about giving Harry a quill for being the top student in her class, and as he took it somewhat begrudgingly he disappeared because the quill was a portkey. I stunned Umbridge and Hannah sent Neville looking for a professor."

Dumbledore nodded and flicked his wand, levitating the still-stunned Umbridge and he smiled in thanks to Neville and Hannah, "Thank you very much for your aid Ms. Abbot and Mr. Longbottom. I will aware the appropriate points once we uncover a bit more about Professor Umbridge's actions. For now we must depart to my office for a most interesting interrogation of sorts." Turning to McGonagall, Dumbledore added, "Minerva please gather Severus, Pomona, Filius, and Hagrid to my office. If my suspicions prove correct I will need all of you present."

As the group headed down the hall Dumbledore turned to Hermione and calmly asked, "Ms. Granger if I may impose on you, please gather the rest of the prefects and head students and come to my office. The interrogation should be complete by the time when you shall arrive. I shall of course fill all of you in on the specifics."

Hermione grudgingly took off towards Gryffindor tower, and Dumbledore sighed in relief as he was aware how narrowly he avoided an ugly scene of some sort.

Hermione took a steep left before entering the Gryffindor common room, the head girl's personal quarters were just down the hall and from there it would be much easier to organize the rest of the prefects.

Knocking on the door impatiently she sighed with relief when the door opened up revealing Patricia Stimpson, "Hello Hermione, have you come for a chat now that exams are finished? I'm surprised you aren't celebrating proper with Harry."

Hermione shook her head, "There has been a bit of a bother and I need you to contact Cedric and the rest of the prefects and meet me outside the headmaster's office in 15 minutes."

Patricia nodded and went into her room to activate the summoning sphere that both head students were given to call an emergency meeting. As she activated the sphere the prefect badges within the school wards registered the command, and the meeting place was likewise communicated by simple expedient of Patricia's thoughts, much like someone would send a message via a patronus charm.

Patricia sighed, "I have to throw on some proper robes for this, so I'll see you there in 15 minutes."

As the door closed in her face Hermione sighed heavily before she exhaled a deep breath and began the walk to Dumbledore's guardian outside of his office.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''

Inside Dumbledore's office a very tense interrogation was taking place at that very moment, "Delores are you an agent of Lord Voldemort's?"

One of the most valuable aspects of veritaserum was that it overpowered the subliminal mental commands of any spells due to how it directly interacted with the magic of a witch or wizard.

Delores Umbridge unblinkingly replied, "The dark lord has many admirable goals, but he is responsible for the ending of too many pureblood lines to be followed."

Dumbledore grimaced, as much as he'd like to deny it, Umbridge's views were in line with a very high portion of the Wizengamot and it had caused him more than one headache in his years as a part of the body.

Snape continued the interrogation, "Why did you give Potter the portkey?"

Umbridge replied in the same monotone, "I was placed under the Imperius by Barty Crouch Jr., I never saw his face, but his voice was familiar to me. He ordered me to create a portkey that would take Potter to the Ministry atrium."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed in thought before he walked over to his fireplace and tossed a pinch of Floo powder in the fireplace and clearly said, "Ministry atrium." Instead of the telltale swirl of emerald flame that signified an open and functioning connection, a brief flame fizzled before going out.

Dumbledore nodded to himself once in affirmation before he turned to McGonagall, "Minerva, execute emergency shut down order tango. The prefects and head students should be waiting for you just outside the gargoyle."

McGonagall nodded once and made her way down the stairs out of the office, following protocol to a tee, it was one reason she made such a solid second in command.

Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Prepare your potion stores and ingredients closet for transfer as we discussed Severus."

Next he turned to Sprout, "Pomona, you know what to do in regards to your greenhouse."

Finally he turned to Flitwick, "Filius please join with Madam Pince to charm the necessary tomes and send them on to their final destination."

Dumbledore closed his eyes deep in concentration, connecting his mind directly to the wards of the school, and allowing his thoughts to be transferred across the school, "Students please go to your common rooms and follow the instructions of your house prefects and the head students."

Next he turned to the now lucid Umbridge and stated, "Delores, you have been placed under the imperius curse to complete a take and I do believe Voldemort has chosen today to make his move on the Ministry. If you have a safe place to escape to, I suggest you do so before I put the castle into lockdown. The Floo system should only be used if no other option exists. Do you understand?"

Umbridge nodded shakily and rose to her feet before exiting Dumbledore's office as the others had. Slowly he turned to Fawkes and gave his friend a rueful grin, "You know what you must do my friend. Aid Harry in any way you can. I shall tend to the castle, you will know where to meet me at."

The phoenix bobbed its head and trilled once before vanishing in a flash of fire, Dumbledore flicked his gnarled wand once and his office began to pack itself before he walked out the entrance one his way to the great hall, there was much to be done.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Avada Kedavra." The squat lumpy witch hissed as Harry rolled out of the way of the curse. He had already aided twenty injured ministry employees when he came upon three unmasked Death Eaters, which was a dead giveaway they were inner circle members. Thinking back on his various history lessons he recognized two of them as the Carrows, and the other could be Jugson.

Harry merely grinned and flicked his wand, sending out a silent explosion hex in response to yet another unforgivable curse cast at him.

Jugson grunted as he cast a shield charm which absorbed the brunt of the spell, blasting him back several feet as he slid from the force of the spell.

The running spellfire fight had taken the four through the shattered remains of the Department of Magical Cooperation. The various cubicles now resembled some sort of post-apocalyptic blast, or a very wild office Christmas party.

Harry had taken cover behind a large pile of rubble and an overturn desk and he yelled to the panting Death Eaters, "So what is old Tom planning today, an obscure ritual to cure impotence?"

A wheezing voice replied, "The Dark Lord will build his empire on the bones of his enemies Potter. But, first I think he'll enjoy taking you apart piece by piece." One of the large drawbacks of the unforgivable curses was the amount of energy, in addition to a sizable magic output required to cast them. A young and fit wizard like Harry hadn't even broken a sweat during the fight casting his powerful but practical spells while the older witches and wizards were grasping for any hidden reserves of energy they could find during the lull in the action.

Harry ran his hand down the length of the sword strapped to his back before he pulled it out and slowly rose, his head on a swivel to prevent being flanked. Seeing the three Death Eaters still recovering from their exertion Harry trotted out of the room, looking for a defensive edge as he worked the circuit around the building. It came as a surprise when he realized he was just outside the public entrance to the Department of Mysteries. It had been a few months since his late night journey to the department under his invisibility cloak with the aid of Fawkes in switching out the real prophecy with a fake one meant for Voldemort.

While the three Death Eaters had been casting fatal curses at him the entirety of their fire fight, Harry had to acknowledge it was seemingly a half hearted effort on the part of three inner circle members. In fact, it was more like they were herding him in a certain direction…

Harry rolled his eyes at Riddle's flair for the dramatic; of course the dark wizard would want him there for when he finally heard the prophecy. With the knowledge that he could escape any kind of trap Riddle had for him using his shadow walking abilities, Harry sheathed his sword and tapped his wand on his head as he disillusioned himself before transforming into the large feline and disappearing into the nearest shadow, he would scope things out before he would make an appearance in the Department of Mysteries.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

As the staff scattered, Hermione waited outside of the gargoyle, intent on getting answers from the headmaster. A few moments later Dumbledore strode down the stairs and acknowledged her with a nod, "Without going into excessive detail, it would be plain to say that Harry has been sent to the ministry of magic during Tom's takeover. I have every confidence that Harry will do everything he can before he makes his escape."

Hermione took little solace from Dumbledore's words, but she had the utmost belief in Harry's abilities so she hadn't been looking for reassurance as much as information. "So, the ministry is beyond being saved then?"

Dumbledore sighed heavily, "For the moment, the ministry building and its vast resources are lost to us, but the government itself will not fall. Rufus, for all of his faults is still capable of making the tough decisions that Cornelius never wanted to."

Hermione merely nodded, "I need to go to the Gryffindor common room to get everyone prepared to leave."

Dumbledore reached into a robe pocket and looked at his watch, "I dare say you won't have more than 45 minutes to get everyone packed and down to the great hall, so I will leave you to it."

As Hermione darted away Dumbledore rubbed his face tiredly, there was much to do and a little amount of time in which to do it.

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Rufus Scrimgeour was feeling decidedly disgruntled as he looked around the tiny office, the muggle British consulate in Paris had arranged for the entirety of the functioning ministry of magic to be placed a small portion of a mostly empty office building.

The remaining ministry employees had done the requisite muggle repelling wards and the building had slowly begun to settle into a watch and see mentality about what was happening in their homeland. Roughly 70 percent of the remaining aurors and unspeakables had passed loyalty questioning and the various administrators deemed loyal had also been portkeyed away at the first sign of invasion by Voldemort's forces.

The diplomatic specialists of the ministry had already been dispatched to what could be considered, "potential" allies amongst the other magical governments, Barty Crouch Sr. had been one of those not considered loyal enough to include in the evacuation plans. Having department heads connected to Death Eaters in any way was not something the exiled ministry could afford, and he had been a casualty of war in a manner of speaking.

As a knock on the door broke him from his musings he gruffly said, "The door is unlocked."

The door slowly opened to reveal Amelia Bones, Will Hardison, and a few of the senior aurors and unspeakables entered the room levitating a large board of some sort, he immediately recognized as one of the primary monitoring panels that detected certain frowned upon spells across Britain.

Rufus rubbed his aching knee for a moment before he asked, "What is this all about Amelia?"

Amelia simply replied, "We haven't much to do at the moment, so we decided to keep an eye on activity in Britain. Dumbledore will be in contact with us once Hogwarts is evacuated and locked down, and then we can begin planning the best means of slowly retaking the country from the terrorists. Madam Marchbanks was kind enough to loan us one of her monitoring boards, and a few of her staff charmed the board to take note of both portkey movement, and unforgivable curse usage. As you can see London is being lit up like a muggle Christmas tree at the moment."

Rufus grunted in acknowledgement as the various people began to set up a command post of sorts in his office, anything was better than just sitting around and waiting for the world to burn around him.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry had discovered several effective uses for his animagus form in the months since he was first able to transform. His sense of smell, balance, and vision at night were unquestionably better, and as time progressed he noticed similar improvements in his human form as time passed. His glasses and their prescription were so mild now; if his eyesight continued to improve he figured they would be unnecessary by the end of the summer if not sooner.

However, while these improvements were all valuable in their own right, his ability to walk through shadows was easily the most important from a tactical point of view. He had learned intricacies in observing others from the shadows that allowed him to act as he was at the moment, mere feet away from Voldemort and who was seemingly no wiser to it.

There were 12 Death Eaters present, none with their masks on, meaning these were the inner circle that he had heard of, and battled against in varying quantities. From several feet away the sound of heavy foot steps signaled an approach, but by the relaxed and expectant looks on the faces present they knew it was no threat coming towards them. Riddle had the fake prophecy orb in his hand, waiting for something obviously, and knowing Voldemort he wanted to unveil it in front of Harry to terrify him before killing him.

Finally, the footsteps stopped as Jugson and the Carrows came around a shelf, looking positively green for some reason.

Voldemort decided he didn't want to beat around the bush as he snarled, "Why do you not have the boy with you?"

Amycus Carrow tried to answer in an even voice, "We drove him right to the entrance my lord, but he has seemingly disappeared. He may have carried an additional portkey supplied by the muggle loving fool Dumbledore."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes in concentration and reached out for the link he was aware he held with the young wizard. As it had been for the most part over the past year, the connection was mostly muffled, but he could since the boy was near.

"The connection I share with the boy would seem to indicate he is still in the vicinity. Go back and complete a thorough search near the entrance, he is very skilled in evasion techniques and you should search for foreign magical traces for a sign of him." Voldemort ordered after a moment of thought.

Jugson and the Carrows nodded in acceptance and took off at a fast walk to avoid any chance of their lord's wrath.

Harry knew then and there that he would need to have the piece of soul in his scar removed before he could ever win the war. It was too great of a liability that his enemy could have a rough idea of his location at any given time.

It also disconcerted him to know that his shadow location could be somewhat discerned through the link he shared with the self-appointed dark lord. Weighing his options Harry figured he could pull off killing one of the inner circle members without anyone figuring it out. Then he would make his appearance and listen to the fake prophecy before making his escape, preparing for the war and its eventual conclusion.

As Harry eyed his target he pondered for a moment the sacrifices he was making to win the war, but shrugged them away in light of the importance of his next few minutes. There was a time and a place to wax philosophical, and this was neither the time nor the place.

'''''''''''''''''''''

Albus Dumbledore had lived for a very long time, and most of the moments in his long life held little enough significance to be remembered beyond vague recollections. What he was about to say however, he had a feeling it would stick with him until the very day he died and the beyond into the next great adventure.

The great hall was filled with a cacophony of noise as each and every student had been put into lines based upon house with all of their belongings/familiars with them. The heads of houses were keeping the lines mostly orderly as prefects and the head students also helped where they could. Many unusual sights could be seen, such as fifth year Gryffindor prefect Hermione Granger was sporting a steely glare that put Professor McGonagall's worst to shame.

Dumbledore raised his wand and a cannon like shot filled the hall, quieting the students immediately, "Thank you for your cooperation in preparing to leave for the term. This has become necessary because Lord Voldemort has attacked the ministry of magic in an attempt to take power."

Gasps sounded throughout the hall and Dumbledore waited for a moment before continuing, "Some of you might already be aware of this, but I assure you all right here and now, that Hogwarts will not suffer the same fate. I have arranged for portkeys to take each of you to your parent's homes using an obscure branch of magic. Stay in your lines and your head of house will aid you in making the safe journey. Stay safe, and it is my hope that Hogwarts will open again, some day very soon."

As the first students began to disappear via portkey Hermione tracked down the old wizard and pointedly asked, "Do you have anyone in the ministry right now?"

Dumbledore flicked his wand creating a privacy ward before he answered, "Aside from Harry, the only other Order member unaccounted for is Kingsley."

Hermione frowned thoughtfully absently pulling her bushy hair into a pony tail and tying it off before she stated, "The less people who can be used as hostages against Harry the better. Kingsley is a competent auror; hopefully he isn't caught by Death Eaters."

Dumbledore didn't know exactly how to respond to a 16 year-old witch discussing matters of war with him like he was an inexperienced babe. Granted he'd made his share of mistakes in dealing with Tom over the years, but he knew more about the wizard than any other man alive. Finally, he settled on a mild rebuke, "As of the last report I received Kingsley was only aiding others in escaping from the ministry, he was not actively engaging the enemy Ms, Granger. While I appreciate your concern over Harry, I would prefer if you found a more constructive outlet than to criticize our efforts."

Hermione looked at Dumbledore for a long moment, seemingly assessing what the older wizard had said before she nodded to herself and walked away without another word. Dumbledore suddenly felt very disconcerted, like he had thrown a life line away at a time when he really could have used one. However, before he could dwell on it any further Fawkes flashed into the great hall looking rather sorrowful for a phoenix.

Hermione meanwhile walked over to the nearest member of the defense study group, Susan Bones, and quietly asked, "Do you have everything you might need?"

Susan took a deep shuddering breath before she confided to Hermione, "My auntie probably won't be at our manor when I get there. She mentioned something about plans if the ministry building was attacked."

Hermione merely nodded, "If you need to, use that emergency portkey and come to the safe house we have set up. I'm sure Dumbledore can get you in touch with your aunt."

"Thanks….I…well I'll do that unless auntie leaves instructions otherwise." Susan managed, looking rather relieved.

Hermione continued to wander around, talking to all of the younger students, trying to calm several of them down, also making suggestions to the various study group members she happened upon. She needed to keep her mind on the things she could work on, and not on Harry being in danger once again.

''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry sat in the shadows and listened to Voldemort talk, a plan began to form in his mind about how he could make the most of this opportunity. He was in a room with 12 inner circle members and Voldemort, and there were 3 more inner circle members outside of the department of mysteries searching for a hint of him. Thinking his odds were better against 3 as opposed to 13 he melted back into the shadows to make his first significant contribution of this battle.

Harry found his prey spread out near the entrance of the Department of Mysteries, feverishly looking for a magical trace of said wizard. That small part of him that still clung to his innocence railed against having to follow this course of action, but it was quickly ignored in favor of the large part of him that was more concerned with winning the war and surviving it.

He moved over to Jugson's position, the Carrows both had their backs turned to their fellow Death Eater and Harry struck quickly and silently, surging out of the shadows he ripped out Jugson's throat still in his animagus form before quickly transforming and silencing the man's last gurgles through his ruined throat.

Harry raised his wand and selected Alecto Carrows for his next strike; nearly inaudibly he aimed and murmured, "Percrutio." An orange beam of magic lanced out, and neatly drilled a hole through the middle of the Death Eater's forehead; she began to flow slowly to the ground having lost enough gray material to ensure she wouldn't be torturing muggles any time soon.

As if the last two standing were wading through treacle they spun to face each other, the squat lumpy looking wizard slashed his wand down, and Harry corkscrewed his wand using a silent exploding hex. Harry dodged the chartreuse colored spell and watched in mingled fascination and horror as Amycus Carrow lost his right shoulder, neck and everything attached to it in a spray of blood, bone, and other materials.

In all the entire attack took less than fifteen seconds and yet to Harry it felt like an eternity as he launched the pre-emptive attack reducing Voldemort's inner circle by three members. The last spell had resulted in a spray of blood that went everywhere, including some that ended up on his face as he breathed through his nose trying to slow his heart and respiration.

A bit of bile had begun to rise in his throat, but he squelched it ruthlessly, he still had some more work to be done. He could get sick later, when his plans and life weren't on the line. Wandlessly he waved his hand over his face, cleaning the gore away before he walked into the front door of the Department of Mysteries.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

As the students continued to disappear from the Great Hall, Hermione moved on to her next target, "Ron, have you heard what happened to Harry?"

Ron grimaced and nodded, "Yeah, Neville told us all about it while he packed. By the way, where is Neville going to take his portkey to? With his gran gone, he doesn't really have any more family, does he?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "While tactless as usual Ron, you do bring up a good point. But, I was already aware that Neville is going to be joining us at headquarters this summer, so you'll be seeing plenty of him soon enough." Her eyes softened slightly, "How is your mother doing?"

Ron shrugged helplessly, "She's been cooking and sewing as much as she can, but according Bill she looks like she's lost something and has no idea how to find it."

Hermione nodded sympathetically as she patted Ron's hand, "Make sure Ginny and the twins take their portkeys when they're supposed to. When Harry gets back from the ministry, we'll conduct an inventory and start devising a plan of what we are going to do. I have a feeling things are going to come to a head in more than one way in the next couple of days."

Ron rubbed at his face tiredly and lamely wisecracked to Seamus, "And I thought the OWL exams were tough."

''''''''''''''''''''

Harry walked into the Department of Mysteries, trying to look unperturbed, and in all honesty still feeling slightly numb from his killings a few moments earlier.

As he approached a few of the inner circle members could finally see him, and pointed his presence out to the dark lord.

Voldemort looked as dangerous as he had the previous year in the graveyard, but seemed to be much more in control than he had then. He didn't look like he was taking Harry for granted however, and in that at least Harry felt a small measure of perverse pleasure.

"Hey it's Tom, and his entire merry band have joined him it appears. I've suddenly got the feeling that you've been waiting for me." Harry stated lightly, even though his grip on his wand had tightened noticeably.

Voldemort motioned with his hand and the inner circle all assembled behind him, the prophecy orb was resting in his palm. "Hello Harry, normally I would kill those that dare call me by my miserable father's name, but given your talents I'll allow it."

Harry smirked and bowed mockingly in reply, "I appreciate your generosity Tom. So, what dastardly plot have you hatched for me today?"

Voldemort chided in response, "My word Harry, such an ego you have to think you are the centerpiece of my glorious plans. You are here today merely as an observer to my greatness, and the unveiling of my destiny as ruler of the world." Thrusting his hand upward he intoned, "Behold the prophecy, which was the bane of my existence for many years as I was no more than a pale shadow of my greatness, and now watch as it becomes the heralding of my new world."

Harry narrowed his eyes, even though he was positive the real prophecy had been destroyed months ago, he wondered what Riddle would make of the new one he and Dumbledore had put together to keep the dark wizard guessing.

Tapping his wand on the orb it slowly opened revealing the familiar scene of an ethereal Sybil Trelawney:

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ...

A//N: The rest of the prophecy will be the start of next chapter. I don't typically leave all of you with cliffhangers, but it was a good time to take a breather. Next chapter will provide you with more answers, a few new questions, and some set up as to what effect Voldemort's actions will have on the rest of the world.

Next chapter should hopefully be out by the end of the month, and the final chapter in this story should be out before Christmas sometime, earlier if I can get the time. Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews.

Question of the chapter:

The new trailer for HBP was released a couple of days ago, what one part of the trailer are you most looking forward to seeing on the big screen?