Disclaimer

I don't own Harry Potter.

In fact, if you get down to it I probably own very little of the ideas being used in this story. But I am not getting paid for them and have hopefully put them together in a new and interesting way.

Enjoy.

Chapter 36

Harry talked to Gryffindor House personally. There was some resistance but the removal of Malfoy's friends helped him apply some leverage. Susan and Hannah talked to Hufflepuff House with limited success, Slytherins had never been that pleasant towards Hufflepuffs in the past. Padma and Luna had more success with the Ravenclaws, there was at least some respect there as even the hard-core Slytherins would at least accept Ravenclaw as a secondary House option.

But even small successes were a start. The whole tone of the school improved and tensions between them and Slytherin House were falling.

As far as Harry could tell. It was an improving trend. As things improved there was more incentive for people to continue their good, or at least more tolerant, behaviour. Harry could only hope that one day the relations between the Houses would be strong enough to survive the reappearance of people like Malfoy.

Even the duals had proven to be a success. Harry had approached it the same as one of his DA lessons and guided his opponent throughout the duel; helping them improve without humiliating them. Well, not too much at least. The fact that several other people from the other Houses accepted his open challenge for a friendly duel and were treated exactly the same proved to the Slytherins that Harry was giving them a fair chance.

None of them knew just how much Harry had been holding back. Twisting it to be a lesson, while truly trying to help them, was also his best cover to hide his real abilities. The honesty and complete lack of hostility Harry projected during the lessons were the biggest triggers for the improvement in everyone's behaviour.

!HPEaSE!

But he had more important things to worry about.

With his ability to create Portkeys he, and the girls, could now leave the castle and join the Special Forces team for last minute training and mission briefings. They were getting briefed on everything the Aurors had learnt from the captured Death Eaters. Working together, a list of potential Death Eater safe houses and supporter's residences had been made.

Liaising with Amelia and Kingsley had allowed them to set up some surveillance on several of the properties. Each of the Aurors selected had to swear an oath of secrecy before they received their missions and none of them knew any more than the information they gathered.

It was slow going. There were very few Aurors to spare and few of those that could be trusted with these missions, but they were slowly building up patterns of movement that M's analysts, working off anonymised data, could begin to rank the potential targets.

"So, now we have a plan, we can begin to act." M finished.

"So, we work through the list of targets. Hopefully in a fashion that won't be predictable and get us ambushed." Harry commented.

"Exactly, though there is little risk of that in the initial phase; this phase is about boosting our information gathering." M replied. "You will be working in three teams. The first team is the infiltration team, they will breach the wards and search the building. You task will be to complete the mission. I know you witches and wizard would prefer not to kill if you have a choice and I will permit it where it involves non-combatants and for the potential information we can gain. But I will make one thing very clear; no life is more important than those of this team. If you have to kill to protect this team and the mission then you will. Is that clear?"

"Yes Ma'am." Harry nodded.

"Good. Team two; they will set up a sniper nest. They will provide ranged support to the first team and provide a covered exit path in the event of an ambush. They will also have a pair of laser targeting devices. The coordinates will be fed to Team Three. This will be air support. Depending on the mission and the terrain and the potential level of threat, air support will be provided by either a jet fighter, helicopter gunship or a bomber. There is also the potential of air support being provided in multiple forms. They will be led by a member of this team and be told that it is either a training exercise or a counter-terrorism operation. As for personal equipment, we now have sufficient enchanted firearms that everyone will use them as their primary weapon unless circumstances dictate otherwise."

"Sounds good." Mason nodded. "I think we can guess the make-up of the teams, we just need our first target and a go date."

"The date is tomorrow night at 22:15 hours and the target is here..."

!HPEaSE!

Harry grimaced and shifted his armour slightly. The armour was well cut and fitted and didn't hamper his movements much but it still felt bulky. He wasn't going to complain; he felt much safer with both his basilisk hide armour and the hybrid armour from the twins and the MI6 scientists. And the fact that the four girls with him were similarly equipped gave him comfort that they would survive anything they might encounter.

They had read detailed reports about movement patterns in this manor house and to the best of their knowledge it was just a residence for a single Death Eater. This Death Eater was the most senior one left that they knew about, though at this time they were tasked with laying bugs so they could listen in on any conversations. They were using non-magical ones to hide from any magical detections. They would also search for any documents to find any new targets of interest or any money trails.

At this time of night the Death Eater in residence should be asleep, or rather in a drunken stupor. They would find and stun him before conducting their search. They had seen him return home earlier and now the lights had been off for an hour now. Their first task was to hide a bug on his person. His movements and conversations would be key to breaking Voldemort's remaining power base.

Well, his and several others. There would be another five such missions. Harry wasn't initially willing to leave them out in the open but once M and Amelia had explained that this would be the best way to remove the remnants of Voldemort's network of spies and financiers so that no one else could use them then Harry was all for it. He wanted Voldemort destroyed with no chance of anyone following in his footsteps.

This mission would have an Apache gunship for support, fully loaded with explosive rockets in addition to its 30mm chain gun equipped with high explosive mixed with tracer rounds. The helicopter would be staged nearly a mile away, well within weapons range but well clear of the target in question. The helicopter had been sent a couple of hours earlier and would do a wide sweep of the target prior to the arrival of the rest of the combat team. The fact that certain things could be hidden from the sight of those without magic was a big concern and one of the projects underway with the Weasley twins was a remedy for that; they were hoping that it would bring Dementors into view as well.

The rest of the join team would arrive a quarter of a mile away by portkey. It was a little further than they would have preferred but it was the nearest raised ground that would allow for sniper support. The two designated snipers with their spotters setup their equipment and sighted in on the target, adjusting their sights for distance and wind.

"No lights, no movement."

Harry looked through a spare spotter's sight and nodded. "I agree. Team 1, prepare to move out. I can sense the wards but I'll need to get closer to give you more details."

Mason nodded. "Lead on then."

"Good luck." Tracy and Hannah looked worried as their friends set off.

As the team's healer, Tracy was kept from combat as much as possible. Hannah was her designated magical partner and stuck with her to provide an extra look out and magical support if required.

Hermione and Padma brought up the rear of the combat team. They would only travel to the edge of the wards; if the wards had to be held open then they would do so with a couple of SAS troopers carrying heavy machine guns to guard them. If not then they only had to provide magical support to the team guarding the breach site.

Harry and Drake were the tip of the assault spear. Weapons at the ready they were tasked with leading the group safely to the edge of the wards and then they would guard Harry as he breached the wards and led the way in.

Harry was positive his heart could be head back at the Military Base they had travelled from. He wasn't sure he could hear anything else over its rapid, heavy beating.

"Easy." Drake whispered. "Just like we practised."

"Yeah, but our practices didn't have the potential of having the Killing Curse cast at us." Harry growled.

"You're doing fine." Drake paused. "And no one else can hear your heart beating either."

Harry shot him a look.

"It was a while ago but I remember my first mission." Drake grinned. "It gets easier."

Harry grimaced but returned to scanning the surrounding wilderness for movement or danger while Drake slipped silently forward to the next point cover.

They reached the wards without incident and Harry began examining them while the others set up around him and kept watch. While old, these wards were nothing compared to the Hogwarts wards and Harry easily made a hole they could slip through.

They carefully crossed the lawn and slid into the shadow against the side of the house while they made their way to the nearest door. The wards here were harder to bypass and the team waited for nearly twenty minutes with Harry gently pushed at the wards to allow them to open the door.

"I'm not sure about this." Harry frowned. "It's a pretty simple ward but harder because of it. I don't think I can unlink it from between the door and frame; not without alerting him at least. I think we may need another way in."

"The wall?" Susan suggested.

Harry studied it. "Yes. Just a second. There, one hole coming up."

A gesture later and a door sized hole appeared and Harry grinned. "Let's go."

They slipped inside and silently split up to begin their search. They were very liberal with the silencing spells to ensure that they wouldn't be caught out by creaky floorboards, doors or stairs.

"Got him." Ginny's voice sounded across their radios. "Upstairs, second door on the right. I've stunned him already."

"Good work. Get the bug planted." Harry instructed. "Begin objective two."

"Affirmative." They chorused.

"I've got the study." Luna told them only a couple of minutes later. "Placing a bug and copying documents."

"Good work." Harry replied. "I've found the cellar entrance. Heading down."

They didn't find much else. Even Harry's final sweep to look for warded rooms or panels turned up nothing. Giving up he gave the signal to retreat and, as rear guard, ensured that all the silencing spells were removed and the wards were restored. Harry gave a satisfied nod; there was nothing to indicate that anyone had been there. Even the internal doors were left at the exact angles they had been in when they arrived.

A quick trip across the lawn and they left the property's boundary and were off to re-join the others and return to the base.

"Congratulations." M greeted them. "A successful mission. How are you all feeling?"

"Pretty good I think?" Harry replied. "Why? You sending us on another mission tonight?"

"I had considered that." M admitted. "But my intelligence indicates that tomorrow will be better as we originally planned. In a future mission you may have multiple targets though."

"How will you handle the air support?" Mason asked.

"We have locations with suitable proximity." M told them. "Go get some sleep, you are going to be getting very busy from here on."

!HPEaSE!

M wasn't kidding. With missions either every night or a double mission with a day off took a lot of time and effort. Adding their school work on top of that and they were very busy. Then there was the DA and Quidditch.

They didn't make many of the practises, though Ginny managed more than Harry. Harry had extra work planning the DA lessons and only so much time in a day.

Katie wasn't too happy about Harry's absence but as Seeker he didn't have the same need for team plays, though she would have liked him to be there to help them bond as a team properly. The first match of the year was coming and she wanted to keep the Quidditch Cup with Gryffindor.

The DA was going well. Ron, Neville and Mille were being accepted as leaders with Lavender and Parvati supporting them. Justin Finch-Fetchley surprised them by stepping up and putting the work in to assist them.

Harry and the girls had only missed a couple of sessions so far but they had heard that no real problems had arisen, other than ensuring they had proper excuses for their absence; excuses other than being on a covert mission with the British Special Forces at least.

Their missions were going well. There was no indication that they're actions had been detected as yet and M assured them that the information from the bugs and the documents they had copied were baring fruit. More missions were being planned based on the information they had learnt and more of Voldemort's unmarked followers were being turned into unwitting spies.

!HPEaSE!

The first fruit was harvested in mid-November.

They had received intelligence about a purchase of rare materials; materials Voldemort had demanded personally.

They were to crash the deal and make everyone vanish. They were hoping to lay blame on the supplier, a black-market dealer in rare and illegal items and ingredients, getting Voldemort to waste time and resources taking vengeance on them and weaken another criminal element.

The location of deal was an issue though. Libya. Not a place to travel to lightly for anyone. The magical black-market suppliers were thriving amongst the unrest. Easily hiding from or bribing informants and law-enforcement to allow them to operate with impunity, the general unrest and fear in the non-magical population made it easier transport illegal materials around the African continent and accessing the Asian black-markets as well. From the Libyan coast it was a relatively short trip across the Mediterranean to Europe.

If they were lucky they would incite Voldemort into destroying one of the largest black-market operations. And with their bugs, they could clean up the pieces and ensure he didn't profit from his work.

Planning this operation was a mammoth task. They couldn't rely on an international portkey as they could be detected, instead they would portkey to a British vessel seconded to MI6 for the duration of the mission that would be lying off the coast of Libya. This would place them outside of any detection nets but close enough to be quickly airlifted to land under any radars. Once on land, they could travel to their target. Emergency portkeys back to English soil would be provided but their planned extraction path would be via the helicopters that brought them in.

This would be an incredibly dangerous mission but one of vital importance. Satellite imagery and UAV flights provided them good information about the meeting site and they would be going early and starting from a safe distance away to ensure they would not be surprised once they struck. Wards would be used to aid the capture and Harry, Hermione and Padma poured over books to ensure the portable ward stones they would be taking would ensure their target's capture without failure. These ward stones would be set up to block magical transport and, hopefully, stun everyone within their bounds.

They biggest issue was going to be to place them around the target zone and ensure they would not be detected until activated. Once their targets had been subdued they would use trunks to clean up the site then return to the helicopters and escape.

There were far too many things that could go wrong.

And far too much to lose and far too much to gain not to take the risk.

Just a normal mission really.

!HPEaSE!

Harry lay in bed trying to relax. Their mission was going to start in a couple of days and the tensions were mounting amongst everyone.

The bed moved beside him as someone joined him.

"Hey." Harry greeted her as he turned to look at who joined him. "Hannah? This is a surprise."

"Yeah. I'm just really scared. I needed to be close to you." Hannah chuckled suddenly. "I imagine that everyone will be here tomorrow night with the mission the next day."

"You're probably right." Harry smiled back. "But for now let's focus on you. What can I do for you this fine evening?"

"I dunno." Hannah admitted. "I wanted to be closer to you but I'm not sure what to do next."

"Well, how about coming closer and snuggling up." Harry reached out for her gently. "We don't have to go any further than that if you don't want."

"But I do want to go further." Hannah protested. "I want to go further than we did on Hermione's birthday. I want that. I'm just..."

"Really nervous." Harry finished.

"Yeah." Hannah blushed. "I am. So... umm, how do we start?"

"Well, if you are serious about going further then we'll probably need to get naked at some point."

"Good idea." Hannah sat up and began shedding her clothes.

She hesitated when she got down to her underwear but turned her back and, with a deep breath quickly unhooked her bra and let it fall as she reached for her panties. Now naked, she covered herself with her arms as she turned back.

"I didn't mean right this second. You can be decisive when you want can't you." Harry noted.

"Yes, now strip. I'm not going to be the only one naked here." Hannah ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Harry grinned as he slid off his own clothes.

Hannah poked out her tongue at him for his tease and settled down next to him enjoying the warmth of his bare skin against hers.

"Feeling a little more relaxed?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes actually." Hannah seemed a little surprised herself. "Being this close to you always makes me feel better."

"Then stay as close as you want for as long as you want."

"For the rest of our lives?"

"If you want." Harry smiled. "Though it's looking like you won't be alone in that."

"I know, but that's fine." Hannah paused. "I think there are very few girls who haven't liked the idea of marrying the boy-who-lived. You, Harry Potter, are so much more, and so is everyone else because of you. I would be honoured to continue to share in that. I want to continue to be a part of that, and all it entails, for the rest of my life."

"Wow. That's... wow." Harry was touched.

Hannah smiled. "I mean it. There may be parts that scare me to death but I refuse to leave your side."

"I'll always be here for you too." Harry replied. "I know we will always be there for each other."

"Exactly." Hannah nodded. "That's one of the reasons I want to stay. To be with you, and the others. To be a part of something wonderful. To love and be loved completely. I can't really ask for anything more."

Hannah rolled on to her back. "Look at me Harry. Touch me, show me how you feel about me."

Harry nodded and sat up to begin his gentle exploration.

Hannah resisted the urge to cover her face with her hands as Harry began gently massaging his fingers across her body. He didn't touch her breasts or groin initially but as she relaxed further into his attention his lips began adding kisses to his touch. Her breathing was ragged, nearly panting by the time Harry first touched her breasts. At that point she gave up on being passive and Harry got to experience first-hand the first of the pleasures that she could offer him.

!HPEaSE!

Outside the bedroom Hermione and Ginny sat on the couch, letting them have their time alone to bond before they joined them; if not for Hannah's request they would have already been in there when she arrived.

"So, only Tracy and Daphne left. And Padma who's waiting for marriage." Ginny noted. "I know Daphne has something very special planned, I'm not sure about Tracy though."

"I think she has some ideas, rather kinky ones at that." Hermione grinned. "She's spent a fair bit of time readying the Karma Sutra so I think Harry will be in for a treat."

"I wonder what she's planning." Ginny mused.

"I don't know. I've offered to get her anything she needed to help. I should be able to figure it out from that. I just sort of hope I don't get to what she's planning before her. As much as I want to do new things with Harry, I don't want to spoil her chance to do something completely new with Harry."

"I suppose." Ginny shrugged. "If she's putting the work in then she deserves the reward. She'd better share the experience though."

Hermione giggled. "It's probably just as well Harry doesn't join us for some of those chats. He'd never be able to look at us again."

"Is it our fault he's so good in bed?"

"No, that lies totally with Harry for being so good at learning and adapting." Hermione blushed slightly at the stray thoughts dancing through her head. "Still, of all his talents, that's the one I, we, will enjoy the most."

"Yeah." Ginny was looking flushed as well. "Damn it. Now I'm feeling more than a little randy. I wonder what my mother would say if she heard me say that."

"I think 'Scarlett Woman' would be the least of it." Hermione chuckled.

Ginny chuckled as well. "Yeah. Though she would be screeching too much to make out exactly what she was trying to say."

They sat in silence for a little while.

"You know," Hermione finally broke the silence, "I started getting aroused before as well. Umm..."

"Are you going to ask what I think we should do about it?" Ginny looked at her friend.

Hermione nodded. "I'm not suggesting anything but..."

Ginny studied her friend. "Sorry, it's still a little soon."

"Thanks fine." Hermione gave her a little smile. "Then how about we just sort ourselves out? I wouldn't mind watching you..."

"Okay." Ginny agreed. "But watch from over there."

Hermione nodded and moved to the opposite couch, undressing along the way, happy that she and her friend were developing their own bond.