Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it. Thanks for all the suggestions and helpful comments, I've tried my best to keep them in mind. Phew! I can't believe how looong this chapter is, but I just sat down and wrote it, the way it came to me. I wonder about myself sometimes!

Special thanks to DCod for being so supportive, and to witowsmp for being so nice about the parts of this fic which parallel 'More Important than any Broomstick'. Thanks!


Chapter Twenty Nine – Where the Hunt Begins


"Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends."

Czech Proverb


Hermione was sitting in Harry's favourite seat in their quarters, by the window, looking out over the lake. Harry was currently attending his final lesson of the day, while she had a free period. She was hugely impressed that he was still taking his NEWTS seriously, though she had to admit a lot of that was due to her and Remus' nagging. Harry was an awful lot more clever than he let on; he just rarely applied it to his school work.

In fact that was part of why they made such a good team, a good couple. There was balance between them. She, was far more academic, and had acquired a great deal of factual knowledge. Yet she lacked the experience and the wherewithal to apply it in a practical sense. Unless it was Potions or something like that.

She was sitting in the seat he usually occupied every night, because she needed the comfort it could offer. He was here so often it was like he left a piece of his aura there. She needed comfort, because she was afraid. The fear of what they were going to do that night, when Harry and the others still tied up in lessons returned, had got a hold of her heart, and she was finding it hard to cope. She had no problem admitting, that at times like this, she was lost without him. She had hoped that they could have been…closer, at least in the physical sense, before this task of theirs. But he'd denied her, and though she was initially angry, she understood his reasoning.

"Penny for them?" Harry's voice startled her from her introspection. She smiled tremulously and he saw the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. "Oh, Hermione!" He declared softly, and he pulled her into his arms. She sniffed a bit, and he murmured comforting nonsense while she cried.

"I…I'm just scared Harry. What if…?" Hermione began, but Harry shushed her.

"Hermione, what was it you were saying to me just the other week, about 'what ifs'? Hmm?" He asked, resting his head on hers while she burrowed into his chest. He felt her heave a great sigh, before she spoke.

"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next. Otherwise we would have no reason to live. But that's not the point here Harry." She protested and he pulled a way a little, to look in her eyes.

"Then what is the point love?" He asked, smiling, and she rolled her eyes at him, in exasperation.

"Harry! The point, is, that we know what is going to happen. We know who and what we're going to face, and that is what scares me. I can't believe you're being flippant at a time like this!" She declared, throwing her hands up, and moving away a little, though not leaving the circle of his arms.

"Hermione, please. I'm not being flippant, at least, not on the inside." He chided and she had the good grace to look a little sheepish.

"No, I suppose you aren't. It's just…" He shushed her again, with a finger to her lips.

"I understand, my love. I'm scared too, but we have to do this. And we're going to do this, but you're forgetting one salient point." Harry said, and she raised her eyebrows in question, unable to speak, due to the silencing finger. "We're going to do it together, all of us. There'll be you, talented and beautiful – a rare combination, I'm sure you'll agree." He paused while he looked round at the family, who were congregating in the living room, along with their allies. "There's Draco there, look. I have it on good authority, that he plans to lay a trap for our enemies, something involving hair gel and a sticking charm." He winked at the mildly offended blond, who just smiled back.

"And there's Severus there, you see. I heard he intends to test the 'if looks could kill' theory, with his thousand yard glare. Should knock 'em dead, right?" Harry could practically feel the mood in the room lighten, while Snape pretended to be angry, scowling at the young couple by the window. "And look! He's even getting some rehearsal time in now!" The young Gryffindor smirked as Severus grumbled under his breath.

"And Padfoot too. He's coming along for comic relief. He and the Twins have been cooking something up, apparently. Though I don't think our enemies will be the ones laughing." Harry mused, and almost crowed with delight when he felt Hermione laugh. The others joined in, even Moody, who's loud hearty laugh put a few people off. Hermione snickered as she saw some of the others slowly edging away from the battle worn Auror. Harry ignored the rest of them, and looked down into his Hermione's eyes.

"I'm not saying it will be a walk in the park, but we have something 'the Dark Lord knows not'. We have our friends, our family, and our love. And I for one, mphmpph!" Harry was silenced from his little speech when Hermione put a hand either side of his head and yanked him forwards for a long deep kiss. Harry needed to learn when to shut up sometimes.

The rest of the family cheered while Harry just smiled, and focused his attentions on his wonderful girlfriend.

The jumped away from each other, at the sound of a loud bang. Everyone looked round to see one of the Twin's fireworks had gone off by mistake. Harry scowled at the interruption while the others laughed.

"Sorry Harry!" They both said at the same time. Before the lovebirds could recommence, Moody's growl cut them off.

"Enough funny business. Time to go!" He announced, and they marched as one, for the door.


They were following Neville, as he led the way through the forest, the darkness seeming not to bother the normally timid boy. Sirius was grumbling under his breath, about the cold and the scary foliage, but no one else was really making much noise.

The three Aurors were spread out on either side of the main party; Harry and Belle were in the centre. Harry had become more and more distant, as they approached the Manor, it was as if he was undergoing an inner preparation, and it was somewhat similar to the way he had behaved, the night they'd found Cadalbolg.

There was a chill in the air, and no one was sure if it was because of the encroaching winter night, or if it was the presence of the Dementors. Nobody particularly wanted to find out either. They moved as silently as they could, through the dark forest. The trees were tall and menacing, their branches leaning towards them, almost as if they wanted to reach out and snare them. It seemed as though they were only being held back by Neville's will.

When he had joined the family the night before, he had seemed afraid, and hesitant. He had quietly confessed to Theo that he was worried that the trust they all had in him was misplaced. He wasn't at all sure of his power, or if he would be able to help. Theo had reassured him, that he should relax and do what came naturally. The idea, with any kind of ability, was not to force it. It should be allowed to flow, and be its own master.

"Just be yourself Neville, and everything will be OK." Theo assured him. When they were preparing to leave, Theo winked at the shy young man, and was proud to see the look of sheer determination which lit the other boy's eyes. The two of them held each other's gazes as the portkeys whisked them away.


They passed the first line with little trouble, but all were glad of the young loremaster's presence. The Dark Lord's forces probably didn't consider the copse a weakness as it was heavily overgrown, and a normal person wouldn't have been able to pass through it.

"So far so good." Mumbled Fred and the others repressed the urge to groan. He was crouching behind some boulders with Moody, Kingsley, Harry and Sirius. The others were a little way behind them, keeping their eyes and ears open.

"That's just tempting fate laddie." Alastor growled quietly, and Harry snorted softly.

"Didn't you realise Alastor? Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And everything happens to me!" Harry advised him quietly, having snapped out of his earlier distraction. The gnarled old Auror firmly tramped down the urge to laugh out loud.

"As interesting as this is gentlemen…" Shacklebolt prompted them.

"Right, now, the location of the control crystal. I figure, it has to be guarded. Only an idiot would leave it unsupervised, and while he might be stupid, not all his lackeys are." Moody said softly.

"OK, split up then? Everyone got a cloak or something which doesn't require a spell?" Harry asked and they all murmured an affirmative. "Let's go then." He ordered and one by one, they silently disappeared.


Hermione had charmed some walkie talkies to work close to magic, and tested them to see if they would trip the wards. In the end, they weren't sure, but as other magical objects, like wands, didn't trip most wards, they decided it was worth the risk. It wasn't like Voldy would bother to key every single Deatheater's wand into the wards – that would be a waste of time and effort. And also, radios would be less likely to cause a disturbance, than communication pendants and the like.

Harry spotted what must be the centre of the wards, being guarded by four cloaked figures. He wasn't sure if they were normal Deatheaters, werewolves or what, but he stayed concealed, as he waited to see if there were any more. As quietly as possible, he circled the hut, trying to see inside.

It was too dark to see anything, so he decided they would just have to risk it, they didn't have the time to hang about here all night. He moved back some distance, into the relative no-man's land between the first and second lines of defence. He flicked a button on his radio, and was rewarded with the sound of static.

"Barracuda, this is Viper. Come in please, over." He said, hunching behind some large shrubs for cover. He waited for a response from Moody, who the team had jokingly named Barracuda, since he was such a fierce hunter of his prey. A moment later, there was another crackle and he could here the aging Auror's gruff reply.

"Receiving you Viper. Report, over." He said and Harry looked cautiously all around before speaking into the device.

"Target located, four hostiles in evidence, over." Harry told him and then waited again.

"Give us your location, over." Harry smiled and told them where he was. He waited, nerves on edge, and adrenaline rushing while he kept on his guard. At the prearranged signal, the others joined him, and he showed them where the target was.

"OK, go ahead and neutralise them son." Alastor ordered, and Harry smirked.

"Thought you'd never ask." He replied and slowly changed. It was a risk, they knew, letting Harry transform, but Remus had explained it was a calculated risk. Since the transformation was directed inwards, very little magic should leak out to the surrounding area. They all watched, slightly apprehensive, as the young man disappeared, and the Asp Viper took his place. Snake-Harry tested the air with his tongue for a few moments, before slithering away.

The young Gryffindor had spent a lot of time with his Auntie Belle, learning about his Animagus form from her, as she had spent a much longer time as a snake then he. He knew now, how much toxin to use to bring about cardiac arrest, and how much to shock someone into unconsciousness. He didn't want to kill these men, but would if necessary. Snake-Harry had no problem with this, where his other form might have. After all, the snake knew what it meant to survive, and to protect one's nest and nest-mates.


In a short amount of time, three of the four guards were felled, but unfortunately one of them spotted him, and ran away, presumably to sound the alarm. Harry tried to go after him, but just wasn't fast enough.

"Fuck!" He hissed out in parseltongue. He kept after the man, wondering how to draw attention to the fleeing Deatheater. He was brought up short when the man suddenly fell before him, a gurgling noise coming from his prone body. He slithered forwards, and could taste the metallic tang of blood in the air. The guard had been felled by one of Alastor's daggers, which had caught him in the throat. Without sparing the dead man a flick of his tail, Snake-Harry sped off in the grass, back to his companions.

Once he changed back into a man, he tried to calm his frayed nerves. That was a problem with the shifting of forms. Things which had no effect on him as the viper, certainly upset him as a man. He could still almost taste that man's blood on his tongue. He repressed the feelings though, and drew calm from his bond with the sword. Cadalbolg was currently strapped to his back, in a leather harness, hidden by its own ancient magic.

Moody growled the order back to Tonks, to bring the others here, while the advance party moved forwards to secure the hut, and the centre of the wards. They made sure not to cross the visible line of magic, which indicated the beginning of the wards. When the rest of the group arrived, they took up defensive positions, while they watched Annabelle cautiously approach the unit containing the control crystal. Just before she entered the wards, she gulped and turned back to her husband.

"I love you." She said quietly, before she took a decisive step forward and touched a finger to the lock. There was an audible hiss as everyone drew in a breath and waited. Belle spoke in a calm voice, as she felt a sharp prick to her finger.

"It's ensuring that I am a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. It's taken some blood and…there." The lid lifted and the crystal was displayed. There was a soft sigh, as the rest of the family released the breath they'd been holding.

"Now, take a deep breath, and stay calm Belle. Remember what you need to do." Severus instructed. Walking forwards to stand as close to her as he dared. She placed her hand over the controller, and closed her eyes.

Along minute later, and she opened them again. She let out an explosive breath and visibly sagged, stumbling a little. Severus forgot about the wards and practically leapt towards his wife, pulling her into his arms. The others surged forward him to stop him, but then stopped as they heard no alarm sound.

"She did it!" Exclaimed George.

"I'd say she did, brother." Nodded Fred. The others exchanged relieved looks.

"Right then, onwards." Ordered Moody, and they followed close behind him.


They made their way round to the back of the Manor, as Moody had indicated the night before, and had a few worrying close calls with patrols. They had to incapacitate a few Deatheaters, and were scared that someone was going to notice soon. The group paused, as the entrance Moody had shown them on the map came into view.

"Looks like it was a decorative walk of some kind. The plants here, have been twisted, and changed. They…long for freedom, release." Neville murmured, as he walked towards the overgrown mess. More than a few of them cursed as they followed him, he seemed to be in some kind of trance. There was no way of stopping him however, and none wanted to risk disturbing him. So, they just kept on walking, hoping for the best, praying to the Gods that it would be alright.


After some time, and muffled swearing from those who got scratched by nasty vegetation, Neville stopped. He was silent, and there was a look of intense concentration on his face. The rest of the group glanced at each other, wondering what to do. They were so close, and tension was running high. Belle, who was still wrapped in her husband's arms, squinted in the darkness at the young loremaster. She frowned and then whispered down the line of the raiding party.

"Get Theo." She hissed to Harry, and he nodded, passing the order backwards, like a game of Chinese Whispers. The young Saviour only hoped the message wouldn't get as garbled as it usually did in that game, as amusing as it was, it really wouldn't help matters just now. It seemed to work however, as Theo silently made his way forwards and crouched down next to Severus and Belle.

"What's up with Neville?" He asked, and they both shrugged.

"His aura is going mad." Harry muttered and both Snapes raised their eyebrows. Really, Harry should be more forthcoming about his gifts. Since it was a rather inappropriate time for scolding, they just sighed.

"What does that mean?" Harry's brother asked, deciding to ignore the by-play between his Head of House and his Mrs.

"I don't know. Look, you're the one he trusts the most out of us lot, right? You have a rapport." Harry said, and the young Slytherin just shrugged.

"Suppose so." He mumbled, and Belle nodded.

"Right, well, try and approach him. If he trusts you, his magic should let you reach him unharmed." She suggested, and Theo blinked.

"Unharmed? You mean he's dangerous?" He demanded and she shook her head.

"He's in flux. It's possible his magic will act on instinct and lash out at any potential threat." Harry explained for her.

"Shouldn't we just wait this out then?" Theo hedged and this time Severus spoke up.

"I wish we could, but we don't have the time. We need to know how long this is going to take, or if he needs assistance." He said and Theo sighed in defeat.

"OK, OK. But if he kills me, you guys will be the first ones I haunt." He grumbled and the three of them laughed softly. Theo slowly rose to his feet, and inched his way towards the stationary Gryffindor.


"Why do I let myself get talked into these things? Oh yeah, 'cause I just had to go and get mixed up with a bunch of Gryffindorks. Sheesh." He thought to himself, as he got closer to his friend.

"OK Longbottom, here goes nothing." Theo silently prayed that the future herbologist really did trust him, and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

He gasped audibly, as a wave of magic hit him, and brought him to his knees, Neville along with him. The others quickly made their way towards the two boys, muttering questions.

"No, I'm OK, I just felt…drained…for a moment….I'm fine…" Theo panted, as he tried to get his breath back. "You…alright….Longbottom?" He asked, prodding him in the chest. Neville coughed a bit, and struggled to his knees.

"I'm…ah…I'll…be fine…just a second…" He wheezed, as he coughed again. A water bottle was passed down the line for each young man, and they both sipped gratefully.

"What happened?" Asked Sirius, who was fussing over Theo. For once, the quiet Slytherin didn't protest. He privately admitted that it was nice to have someone fuss over him for once. His parents had forced him to become independent, both practically and emotionally, and frankly, being around these emotionally charged Gryffindors was quite the experience. But he put such thoughts aside for the moment.

"Well, he put a spell on the plants…and their price, for their help…was for me to break it. It took….a lot…and…" He paused as he took another sip of water, willing his heart to slow down, and his breathing to get back to normal. He didn't even blink an eyelid, when Snape thrust a potion under his nose; he just downed it without a second thought. Closing his eyes, he felt the gradual return of his magic and energy. "Thanks." He mumbled, and received a grunt in reply. He looked over at Theo and saw his friend had been similarly supplied. "Sorry Theo." He said, looking away.

"What for?" Theo replied and Neville turned back to face him, frowning.

"For draining your magic, I felt the connection and didn't think. I just took what I needed. It was an awful thing to do." Neville said, and he could just about see Theo shrug in the darkness.

"Doesn't matter. Did it get the job done?" He asked, and Neville spluttered.

"But…" He protested, but his least favourite teacher cut him off.

"Time is of the essence Longbottom, can we get in?" He demanded, in the mildest tone he could muster just then. Neville took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"See for yourself." He replied, and waved a hand at the now clear path into the house, and the open door.

"Let's go then." Sirius said, leading the way forward with Moody and Shacklebolt, the rest not far behind.


"OK, according to our contact, he'll be in the main audience chamber, which coincides with Pansy's visions. That is two floors up from us. Now, stealth is the preferred method here, but if you have to silence someone, silence them. Any questions?" Moody growled in a low voice, and everyone shook their heads. Harry and Sirius winked at each other, before both transforming and leading the way. The rest brought out the various objects they'd brought to other make themselves invisible, or with notice me not charms on them. Casting would be very risky right then. With so many of them though, someone was bound to run into them sooner or later.
They made it to the next level, with a few minor altercations. Nothing the viper's venom couldn't handle. Snake-Harry slid noiselessly down the halls. He was out on point, while the others waited for his hiss of confirmation to keep moving. He paused as he saw an approaching Deatheater.

Lucius Malfoy.

Since when did he get out of Azkaban? And what was he doing so far from his Master's feet? Shouldn't he be kissing Voldemort's robes, or his arse? He waited to see which way Malfoy was going, and was almost disappointed when the man made a beeline for the main stairs. He was alone, and Harry's viper lamented the lost chance of biting him. Still, the human in him was pleased he hadn't got close enough, as he knew he wouldn't have held back, he would have killed him.

He slid back to Padfoot, and flicked his tail to indicate the coast was clear. They went up the backstairs, the servant's passages that people like Malfoy thought were beneath their dignity. Arrogance was often evil's undoing. No one had any problem exploiting such a weakness.


They ran into a problem, when they reached the second floor. Something was wedged against the door, and they could only open it a crack. Harry slithered through while Blaise held the stubborn door open for him.

They heard a hiss of surprise from Snake-Harry, and a moment later, and low retching sound. There was a noise, like something was being moved aside, and then Harry opened the door.

"Um, there's…bits….of people stored in here. I do not want to know what they are for. You might want to avert your eyes when you come through." Harry announced in a sick sounding voice.

"Probably McNair…he has some…unpleasant fetishes. Plus, the Dark Lord likes to…" Snape was cut off by Harry, who was almost retching again.

"Please, I don't want to know." He protested as he transformed again, moving out through the partially open door.


Harry knew when they were getting close, thanks to Cadalbolg. The sword was practically humming, as they neared the chamber which the demon was residing in. He silently wondered if it would be able to sense the weapon's presence. At this thought, the buzzing coming from the sword dimmed down, and Harry chuckled, a hissing laugh. He'd been worried at first, that he wouldn't be able to carry the sword, because he needed to change into his animagus form. But the magic surrounding the sword made sure that it too transformed, when he turned into his viper. It'd tried to explain it, and frankly, he'd given up trying to understand after the third time.

There seemed to be some kind of party or revel going on, and the Deatheaters seemed a mite distracted. A small amount of pain made it through his scar, leading Harry to exactly where he needed to be. He was glad for once, that Voldy seemed to be feeling some intense emotions. His nerves were currently on a fine edge, and he did not want to draw this out any longer than it needed to be. He waited for the others to join them.

"As far as I remember, there's an antechamber, through there, rarely used." Belle said and Harry nodded, slithering off to investigate. Severus looked curiously at his wife, a question in his eyes.

"We lived here, for a time." Was all she was prepared to say. He nodded, and waited.

"Clear. There is a connecting door to the chamber. We can get in that way. I looked though the gap, and the door opens out under a balcony, it's fairly dark in the room, we should be able to get in unnoticed. It seems to be a revel for the upper tiers only. There aren't actually a lot of Deatheaters in there." Harry reported and Belled translated back to Snape and Moody. She waited for the brief discussion to conclude, and then turned back Harry.

"OK. The ones with invisibility cloaks will spread throughout the room, and we'll hit them at once, from all sides." Annabelle hissed back, and Snake-Harry hissed his assent. The group slowly filtered through the room, bunching up to all try and fit.

"Ready?" Asked Annabelle. Harry let out a soft hissing laugh.

"As I'll ever be."


A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger, but it would just be too long otherwise. Next chapter should be out very soon. Until then, please review! Reviews inspire me to write…seriously…