Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter or its associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N):

Chapter 25

Needles and Pins

As Harry descended the stairs his eyes looked over the few envelopes resting in front of the door. One bore the insignia of the Harpies, which would be for Ginny. The second was addressed in a firm hand he recognized from his junior Auror training a couple weeks past. That was likely a thank you note. The third however drew his attention immediately. His son's loose script was easily recognizable even at this distance.

Collecting the mail he turned and headed down to the kitchen in search of something for breakfast. Dobby offered him a silent nod and gestured to a basket of muffins sitting on the table. Harry smiled in response and took a seat near them. Pulling one over, he carefully broke the seal on James's letter and perused it while eating.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Sorry it's been so long since I wrote. We've been really busy

with homework lately getting ready for year end tests. They

are still months away but we've got tons of homework anyway.

With all the extra work we barely have time to look around the

school. Though Gideon thinks he's found a corridor we haven't

explored yet. There are so many hidden passages in this castle

we'll never find them all.

Class is going well though Professor Montoya has been a little

jumpy lately. The other day she nearly drank a vile of Draught

Of Living Death before Mary noticed it. She says she's just

distracted but I think something is going on.

It also seems like something is going on with Nev- Professor

Longbottom. For the last few weeks he's been smiling a lot

more and almost bouncing during class. Mary thinks he's in

love but what would she know about it? Gideon and I think

he's been into some of the more dangerous plants and…

Harry continued reading as he finished off his second muffin. Reaching the end of the letter he folded it carefully, placed it back in the envelope and set it with the other mail for his wife to read. "Excellent once more Dobby" The elf turned and bowed.

"Thank your sir. I will be sure to tell Winky."

"Good." Rising from the bench Harry turned and climbed back up the three flights of stairs to his room. As he closed the door he found Ginny, freshly showered, leaving the bathroom. "Morning." She returned his smile as she turned toward the wardrobe.

"Morning. You're up early."

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep." She paused while searching through her clothes. A moment later she looked over her shoulder.

"Anything you want to talk about?" He shook his head slowly.

"Not at the moment. Later maybe." She stared at him for several long seconds before nodding and returning to the clothing.

"Okay. When you're ready." She pushed several blouses aside with a frustrated grunt. "Darnn. None of these fit now." As she stood with hands on her hips staring at the cloths Harry stepped up behind her and threaded his arms through hers, his hands coming to rest on her bulging stomach.

"Can't you just enlarge them?" She shook her head quickly.

"No. They never look quite right. Mum could do it but I don't have the knack. Just have to wear loose robes I guess." Harry smiled as he held her.

"Well, when you do decide on something to wear, there's a letter from our eldest on the table downstairs." She half turned to look at him.

"Oh? Anything interesting?"

"He thinks something is up with Professor Longbottom. But he's not sure what." Harry could feel his wife chuckling silently.

"Oh, I think we both know what's 'up' there." Harry cocked an eyebrow and feigned a harsh tone.

"Such talk is unbecoming of a lady with child." She turned fully around and stared square into his eye.

"And how exactly do you think a lady becomes with child?" Harry chuckled as she broke into a grin.

"If we had more time I'd be happy to demonstrate. Unfortunately, I have a prior appointment." His face grew somewhat somber and was matched by hers as she remembered what the appointment was.

"They're awake?"

"One of them. It's been two days and the Healers at St. Mungo's still aren't sure the other two will come around."

"Here's hoping."

"Yeah." He stepped back and let his arms pull free. "Speaking of which…" With a raised hand he summoned his cloak. "I'll see you tonight." She nodded firmly. "Love you."

"Love you too." Forcing himself to turn Harry headed out the door and down to the entryway.

"And I remind you once more to do nothing that will agitate the patient. Ms. Whint is awake but still very weak. Undue excitement could undo all we've managed so far. Understand?"

"Of course."

"Yes ma'am." Harry nodded as he followed the Healer through the halls of the magical hospital. He glanced over to Ron and could see a calm focus in his eyes as they continued on. They had each had reason to come here many times over the years. Some were terrible memories of Percy under Tom's control or the desperate rush to save Arthur whilst others brought a smile to his thoughts such as the birth of his children.

They ascended the stairs and reached the spell damage ward in short order. As they entered the guide gestured to once of the beds at the far end where the curtain had been drawn most of the way around. "She's been fading in and out but she seems lucid. A few minutes shouldn't hurt."

"Thank you." Harry nodded once more as he stepped past her with Ron on his heels. Hesitating for only a moment at the curtain he slowly drew it partially aside and neared the bed. A middle aged woman was laying there, blanket pulled up to her chin with her eyes half open. As Harry leaned closer her eyes opened a little wider and looked them over. "Allison? Are you awake?" Her gaze drifted slowly between them.

"Harry…Ron. So…I'm not dead?" Harry shook his head and managed a weak smile.

"No. You're at St. Mungo's." She managed a slow nod in response.

"The others?" Harry glanced back to Ron who gestured out to the ward.

"Crookly…didn't make it. The others are here. Still unconscious." She closed her eyes and muttered something silently. Harry waited several long moments before speaking.

"Can…can you remember anything about what happened?" Her eyes flew open and he could see the terrible memories dancing across them. "Anything at all?" Allison drew a deep breath.

"Yes. Yes I can. Give me a moment." Harry pulled a chair into existence and sat near the bed. He heard Ron do the same and lean in as well. "It was just after breakfast. Crookly and I were on lookout upstairs when a lone figure appeared on the beach wandering this way and that, At first we thought she was a lost tourist or some sort of vagabond. As she got closer however we became increasingly concerned. After what you two had reported in the previous attacks everyone on the protection details had taken to describing everyone they saw out loud so we could make sure we were seeing the same thing.

"When she got close enough I started describing her to Crookly. It clashed with the vision he had of a tall Irish man. We had just descended to the back steps and were about to approach when the first spell came at us." She fell silent and Harry could once more see the scene playing behind her vision. "After that…it's a blur. Power. Such terrible power. We fought back, but I don't think we ever really stood a chance." Her head rolled to the side and Harry could hear the near silent tremors running through her. Once more he waited but was eventually forced to speak.

"Was there anything strange you remember about her? Other than her strength?" Ever so slowly the woman's head rolled back and her eyes focused on him.

"Yes. She didn't use a wand." He turned to meet Ron's gaze and found the same questions there. "She had a…staff. We thought it was just a walking stick at first then she used it like a quarterstaff. Used it to cast spells, to block our attacks." Harry leaned closer, his curiosity peaked.

"What did it look like?" Allison swallowed hard before responding.

"Black. Dead black. The black of death. I would have thought it was made of charred wood that would crumble to dust at any moment but no spell could damage it and every blow that landed rang like a funeral bell. Over…and over…" She drifted off and her gaze grew distant. Harry reached down and squeezed her hand but received no response.

"Thank you. We'll get her. I promise." She might have nodded in between long breaths. Harry released her hand, dismissed the chair and rose. They would get nothing else from her today. Best to let her rest. Motioning toward the door he followed Ron out of the ward. Once they were on the steps the taller man glanced over to him.

"That's just eerie." Harry nodded as they neared the entryway.

"Eerie doesn't even begin to describe it. This is evil. Pure evil. We have to stop her."

"Agreed. First though, we have to figure out how. She took down four Aurors with almost no effort. If this gets any worse it'll be the Second War all over again." Harry let out a long slow breath.

"That won't happen." Though he sounded determined Harry in truth had no idea how to go about the task of defeating this particular witch. At least with Tom he had had Dumbledore to offer some insight. This time it was once more down to them.

Stopping for lunch on the way the pair made their way back to the Ministry and found a message waiting for them on their arrival. It was addressed in Keystone's precise strokes and bore his handwriting within as well.

Mr. Potter,

Katherine believes she has found a lead on Siona in

Britain. Using her contacts in the local muggle law

enforcement offices she had them keep an eye out for

anyone matching the description. It looks like Siona

is using a flat near Bath as her base of operations. I've

included the address below and Katherine expects you

within the hour. I have a lead of my own to follow up

and will join you as soon as I can.

Keystone

Glancing down Harry found the address lower on the note before passing it over to Ron. While his partner read it he quickly removed his work robes and grabbed a muggle jacket. For so many months they had been chasing phantoms and reacting instead of acting to stop this woman, it felt good to have a target in mind. With a little luck they might be able to put an end to it. Between Ron, himself and Alex they should be able to subdue Siona. Or kill her, his mind added after a moment.

"You want me to call for backup? If we surprise her a couple extra Aurors couldn't hurt." Harry glanced over to his partner before nodding slowly.

"Good idea. See if there's anyone local first. They'll know the area better. Have them meet us there."

"Will do." Ron grabbed his own jacket as he headed out of the office to seek out some aid. Harry took a long minute to thoroughly check himself before locking down the room and heading out. He wanted to make absolutely sure he had everything he might need. Most of all he triple checked his wand up his sleeve. It had served him well for decades and he knew it wouldn't fail now. He briefly considered owling Ginny but finally decided against it. Either way it was better if she didn't know until it was over.

Some of the junior Aurors noticed the grim set of his features and stepped briskly aside as he headed for the elevator. Clanging to the bottom he found Ron waiting with a similar focus on his face. "Found a couple. McMullin and Reedy. They're part of the local Ministry staff. They'll meet us there in a few minutes."

"Good. You ready?" Harry glanced over as he signed out at the security desk. Ron nodded firmly. "Me too. Let's go." Taking a few steps away they turned in place and disappeared from the Ministry.

Harry instinctively crouched a bit as he appeared in the bedroom of a small flat. In a heartbeat he had looked around and made sure all was as it should be. They had apparated to a Ministry safe house just a few blocks from their destination. It was protected by several charms and was part of a series of transfer points they maintained throughout the Isles. It made getting around considerably easier in those places they didn't have an official presence and popping in near some muggles could prove a problem.

Leading the way he exited the bed room and then the flat with Ron in tow. Checking that they weren't observed they locked the door behind them with the provided key. Though repelling charms would keep the muggles away it was still best to do things properly. Finding the stairs they descended the two flights to ground level and emerged onto the street in a light rain.

Forcibly stopping himself from creating a shield charm to protect himself Harry instead stuck a hand into his coat and pulled a small umbrella into existence. Ron smiled at the move before doing it himself. Having settled that difficulty they looked up at the street signs and found they needed to turn right.

"So…what so we do if she's there?" Harry turned away from a gust of wind as he answered and wished for a pair of gloves.

"If we can get the drop on her we might be able capture her before she knows we're there. If not…I'd say we have one hell of a fight on our hands. First priority is to get away from here if we can. That sort of battle could wreck the whole block."

"And kill a lot of people."

"Exactly. Don't suppose you have any brilliant strategic ideas?" Ron pondered the situation for a moment before shaking his head.

"Not beyond what you already know. Against a certain level of power any plan is nearly worthless. We just have to fight with everything we've got and stop her. This can't go on." Harry nodded solemnly as he continued on through the rain and wind. It seemed to him perfect weather for their business.

The pair slowed as they approached their destination. It was small building, just three floors, in the warehouse district that had been converted into loft flats. Harry looked it over with a trained eye trying to see all the ways into and out of it. He heard Ron mumbling them to himself.

"Fire ladder, widows you could climb through. Nearby rooftops… If she runs we'll have a heck of time cornering her."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley." They turned to find agent Patinkin stepping out of the shadows in a nearby ally. Harry started in surprise that he hadn't seen her as she approached. Her collar was turned up and a wide brimmed hat guided the rain off her head. She extended a hand as she reached them. "Glad you could make it."

"Of course."

"Any time." She gestured toward the flat.

"I've been watching it for a while now. No one in or out, no movement inside that I've seen. Not that that means much with your people." She stared at the building for a long moment. "Really changes the game when there's magic involved." Harry nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Yeah it does. Shall we?" The others answered with a nod and followed as he slipped up the street keeping to what shadow there were. As they neared the structure he carefully looked around but his eyes picked up nothing out of the ordinary. It was a good choice for a hideout. Lonely, isolated and the nearby construction would mask any odd noises.

"Should we wait for back up? The others should be here in just a minute." Harry considered it as they shuffled across the empty street toward their destination.

"No time. If we need them, they shouldn't have a problem finding us." Ron nodded firmly. Though their tendency to strike out half planned had been checked considerably by years in the Corps there always existed a bit of independence in their Gryffindor hearts.

Reaching the building they slipped down an alley on the east side. A few seconds later Harry found what he sought in a small side door built into an otherwise flat wall of red brick. "We could jimmy it open. There's a pipe over there." Ron shook his head.

"Better idea. Cover me." As the others kept watch he approached the door and stealthily drew his wand. "Alohamora." The metallic click of locks disengaging met their ears as the man pulled the door open and held it for them to enter. Harry's umbrella disappeared back into his pocket as he entered and looked around. To the side he heard the agent muttering.

"Never going to get used to that." Only a pair of weak bulbs illuminated the narrow hallway and they had to walk single file toward the service stairway. Harry led the way with his wand drawn and Patinkin at his heels. Ron brought up the rear, his wand sweeping the hall behind them. Risking a charm to deaden their footsteps made their climb up the stairs nearly silent.

With a glance through the small window set in the door between the stairs and the third floor hallway Harry pushed it open and emerged into the hallway proper. Still here it was quiet and empty. If anyone else had lived here Siona seemed to have driven them off. Or worse.

After what seemed an eon they arrived as the simple wooden door they sought behind which might reside the deadliest opponent of recent memory. Ron set himself to cover the opening as Harry prepared to blow it open. With a sharp nod between them Harry raised his wand, sliced carefully in the air to cut any mundane locks on the passage and raised his foot to kick the wood.

It gave way with one well placed strike and nearly came off its hinges. With no immediate response from within they advanced with practiced steps and were soon several feet into a dirty, run down flat that features only scant furniture and dressings. Harry kept his wand raised as Ron rushed forward to check the pair of adjoining rooms. In the few seconds they had been through the door each had blanketed the area in several charms designed to reveal the presence of another, detect disillusionments and a host of other effects designed to ferret out anyone hiding within.

"Clear!" Satisfied the place was indeed empty Harry motioned Patinkin in. A chair, table and sofa were the only furniture in the main room and he could just see a beat up bed in the room beyond Ron as the man came back out to join them. Glancing around Harry was at a loss at the seeming emptiness.

"Huh. I thought there'd be something here. More than this at least. What do you think Ron? Ron? Ron." His partner had stopped nearby and was staring past him with wide eyes. "What is it?" The man merely raised his hand and pointed toward the wall. Confused, Harry turned around. As he did so his jaw dropped.

The wall on either side of the door was adorned with a massive network of information. On the left side thousands of lines connected hundreds of boxes to each other in a shape that looked strangely familiar. On the right a massive map of the British Isles was tacked up and had dozens of thumbtack stuck in it indicating various locations or pinning scraps of parchment to the wall nearby. It took Harry long enough to get over his shock that Patinkin was the first to closely examine the map.

"Hm. Names, addresses, schedules. She put a lot of effort into this."

"It shows." Ron stepped up beside her and began looking over the map as well. "Everyone she's attacked and quite a few she hasn't." His eyes drifted to the top of the map. "Vance. Somehow, she knew." He studied it for several long moments. "Looks to be the newest writing judging by the ink. No immediate indication where's she going next. I'll keep looking."

"You…do that." While his partner helped Patinkin search the map Harry was transfixed by the other wall. Stepping closer he could begin to make out the words, names, that filled each of the little boxes. Only a moment's study had shown him that this was in fact a huge map of the magical bloodlines within the country. Though not as well organized or precise as Hermione's he was sure it was no less thorough.

With quick glances he began to search the lines and found the names of several victims first circled then crossed out. As his gaze drifted down the chart his eyes caught on something. It took a moment for him to find it once more. 'Tom Riddle aka Voldemort' was written in one of the boxes. Though that was peculiar the thing that caught his eye made him call Ron over. "Hey, check this out." Ron steeped away from the map and moved closer.

"What is it? Voldemort huh? Stange but….what else?"

"Right here, it's-"

"Sorry we're late gentlemen. Thought we'd catch you outside." They looked up as a pair of Aurors, obviously McMullin and Reedy, entered and looked around. Harry waved off the concern.

"Don't worry about it. We decided not to wait. Figured you'd be able to find us if we needed you." One of them nodded.

"Of course sir. So, what are we looking at?" Ron gestured around.

"Not entirely sure yet. Looks like a base of operations, but it could be abandon. Can you two check the other rooms and see if there's anything left?" The nodded simultaneously.

"On it." Moving on they left the trio to their work.

"So, what was it you fond?" Harry drew his attention with a gesture and pointed to Tom's name. He then pointed to a line descending from it and leading to another box with a question mark in it. A second line led up from this box and connected to one that had the name Marie written in it. No further connection trailed away from that box however and it merely left them confused. "Well, that doesn't make any sense." Harry shrugged.

"She probably just made a mistake. Now come on, look for a name that's circled but not crossed out. That's likely her next target." As they carefully scanned the parchment starting at the top Ron's gaze was distracted by something tacked up near the door. Pulling it free he looked at the corner where a piece of the page had been torn away.

"Hey, Harry? You still have that torn corner of parchment Keystone gave us?" Harry turned away from the chart and settled his gaze on his partner.

"Uh…yeah. Just a minute." Pulling out his notebook he flipped through it. The small piece of parchment fluttered out and his reflexes just barely caught it. "Here you go. Why?" Ron held up the sheet.

"I think I found where it goes." There was a strange look in the corners of Ron's eyes that made him focus intently on the paper. Holding it carefully he put the corner back in place and read the first few lines slowly. As he did so fear began to creep into the back of his mind.

There can be no doubt that if my plan is to succeed one of primary targets must be James Potter.

The confluences of bloodlines not just modern but back to the founders he represents is a crux

of the entire plan. Given the magical strength of his family I will wait until he reaches Hogwarts

It would be the best place to stage an attack, far away from his parents, especially his

highly regarded father. In order to facilitate this…

Faster than Ron he whirled back to the chart, his eyes desperately seeking his own name. "Where, where, where is it?" Ron pointed past him a moment later. "There…." His eyes tracked downward and found what he had been dreading. James's name was below his and circled heavily. Time seemed to slow as he began to turn. He could feel his heart beating in his chest.

Beat. How had they missed this? Hermione would never have missed such an obvious fact. Of course their children were at stake. With such proud ancestries they would have to be valuable to Siona.

Beat. But he would have seen it too. He was there, so was Ron. Why, he's leaned right down close to the chart to make sure he didn't miss anything. He'd leaned so close he'd had to…

Beat. Brace himself on the table. Their names. His name. In his memory he looked down. His name, Ginny's…their children. He'd leaned right over them. It hadn't even occurred to him. They were in danger because he hadn't even noticed.

Beat. Siona was after James. He had to stop her.

Beat. Beat. Beat, beat, beat… Harry could see the identical thoughts rolling through Ron's eyes and he was making for the door before he even realized it. Patinkin had noticed his frenzied behavior.

"What?" He turned and yelled.

"Contact the Ministry! Get everyone to Hogwarts."

"What's going on!" He grabbed hold of the door frame to pull himself forward. His voice was nearly a desperate cry backward.

"She's after my son!"

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted go ahead and review. I welcome any and all opinions.