It was somewhere between midnight and dawn and already Potter Manor was awake and busy. harry was walking through the halls as he waited, dressed in black pants a red button-up shirt with tie and a brown waistcoat. On closer inspection, one would realize the clothes were crafted with unicorn hair and Acromantula silk making it powerful armor.

(only Dragon and Basilisk hide are stronger non-metal armor.)

Stepping into a room he was not shocked to find Ron there waiting,

"you good?" Ron asked as he saw his friend.

"About as good as I can be, How about you?" Harry replied.

"Pretty good, but I do have a question about the plan." Ron Answered. His body language was all over the place.

"You want to know why I am asking you to stay with Hermione instead of having you with me during the fighting?" Harry smiled as Ron's ears went red.

"Ah...yeah."

"Cause I need to know what he is doing," Harry replied. "You broke his pattern, every action he does has a point, we need to find out what each point is. Most will be simple, obvious. But Tom Riddle is not simple or obvious." Harry replied. "You can see patterns better than any of us, Hermione and Albus will be there to help but I need you watching the map and try to plan his attacks...also see if you can figure out where he is."

Ron waited, being told he was not getting into the fight with his friend had stung, hearing why actually made him feel ashamed, Harry Potter was trusting him with a job few others ever even tried to do.

"We good?" Harry asked watching his friend realize the truth.

"Better than ever." was all Ron said as he finished getting dressed.

Ginny and Daphne were in their room, not the room they shared with Harry, but a room they deemed THEIR room.

The girls were taking a page from Narcissa, they wore a pair of brown pants cut in the style for riding, heavy knee-high leather boots, a white button-up shirt. and a medieval or renaissance corset. (for added protection of her middle area)

Daphne had just got her arms in the shoulder holes of the corset when Harry came to check on them, she set it in place and Ginny began the task of lacing up the back. Not a word was spoken or sound made and once Ginny had finished she turned around and put her own corset on and Daphne took the job of lacing hers.

"I really hate that you're going out there," Harry said as the girls fished and started to add the gloves and forearm guards that finished their battle armor.

Neither girl spoke as they just looked at him.

"I am not trying to stop you," He quickly spoke. "Just...I really don't want anyone going, to be honest."

"Can you find all those Horcruxes and destroy them in the next two hours?" Daphne asked calmly.

"No," Harry replied.

"Well until we find and destroy them all, we are just going to have to fight," Ginny finished.

Harry bit his tongue and moved over to kiss each girl, not sure what else to do the girls smiled and simply kicked him out of their room.

Walking down the hall he passes what he knew was Luna and Tracy's room, he stopped not sure what he saw through a crack in the door, went back and looked in.

Tracy was busy brushing and braiding Luna's hair, on the couch to the side Fleur and Mai sat...painting each other toenails.

Mai tended to get along with all the girls but being fluent in French had her chatting for hours with the Veela, having detailed knowledge and skills had her quickly friends with Hermione, and being batty as hell had her hanging with Luna regularly.

Harry still had not figured out what it was about Mai, his eyes could always pick something up about her, but it was magic he knew nothing about. (Luna always smiled when Harry asked her, "she will tell you when she wants")

He smiled and quickly left the room, just seeing those four acting like a bunch of regular teenage girls (fleur was nineteen) having a slumber party actually got him to relax, he had a feeling Luna did that on purpose.

hermione was in the dining room with the Patil's, since she was not going into the fights, Hermione was dressed in simple clothes, jeans and a jumper. The twins, however, were wearing strange garbs that were definitely from India, but he had no idea what they were called. They took their role of 'bodyguard' for Hermione rather seriously.

"About ready?" Harry asked as he walked to his friend and sister in all but blood.

"I guess so, Harry this..."

Harry smiled and just hugged her, he had the same thoughts but did not want her to dwell on them as he smiled and just walked to the next room.

In the kitchen he found Molly as she finished packing lunches and brewing potions for the day, He did not speak as he walked to her and hugged her.

She just smiled and returned the hug, happy that he had finally learned how to enjoy the close contact (she never said it but she had planned to help the twins deal with his relatives after she learned for a fact what they had done to him.)

"It will be a long day," She said as she just kisses the top of his head and went back to work.

He nodded and headed to the boiler room, as was custom Dobby and Kreature used this room as their bedroom, Harry had ordered them to make it clean and presentable which they did. In fact, except for the large boiler in the corner it looked like a dormitory at school, one half looked like a Gryffindor tower dorm and the other, Slytherin.

The two elves seem to have a love-hate relationship, always trying to outdo the other. Harry watched the two as he remembered the talk the night before.

"Is there anyway, for me to convince you to stay out of the fighting?" Harry asked as the two elves had each dragged out a chest, one with the Potter family crest, the other had the Black family crest.

"If master orders," Kreature spoke, "But Master should know it was always an honor to House Elves to fight for their family."

"Yes Master Harry," Dobby added. "care for, serve, protect, and defend the Family and what it stands for."

Now he watched as they got ready, The elves opened those trunks, inside was a set of simple leather armor (Harry planned to change that once this mess was over) that looked to have metal plates riveted in places and cut to fit an elf. Each with the crest of the family they served.

Kreature took his weapons out, first he pulled out what looked like a simple leather apron but as he started adding half a dozen kitchen knives, including a long butcher Knife and a cleaver he realized it was a butcher's apron. Every blade had its place and Kreature looked very natural as he practiced drawing each weapon, but it was clear the butcher knife and the cleaver was his primaries.

Dobby pulled out a hatchet or hand axe and a long dagger, that looked like a curved sword in his hands and placed them in his belt, Next he shocked Harry as he pulled two identical short barreled Flintlock pistols that looked to be from the 1700's, and placed them in holsters on the back of his belt. Last Dobby took out a Shillelagh, though normally a one-handed club, in Dobby's hands it looked like a massive two-handed mace.

Each weapon the elves readied had their family crest engraved on them, Harry watched and waited, when the elves looked set they looked to their master as if waiting for an order.

"Tell everyone it is time to head to Joseph's" was all Harry said.

At Longbottom Manor, the scene was the same, Neville wore a similar suit to harry's only he was wearing his long coat at the moment, the Longbottom crest Embroidered on the back. Fay had a similar outfit to Ginny and Daphne. Augusta wore her more traditional robes.

Petal and Blossom were also dressed, same leather armor as the elves at Potter Manor, Petal favored a set of short knives and had her trusty prod on a sling across her back. Blossom also had a set of short knives

"Is everything ready?" Neville asked the elves.

"Yes Master Neville, we have emptied the manor to the Longbottom vault," Blossom replied.

"And the trap is set," Petal replied.

"You will go help Mister Moody keep the bones and Hannah safe."

The two elves popped away and Neville looked at his family. "Let's go."

In the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it was quiet, madam Amelia Bones arrived with her Niece Susan as well as Hannah Her friend. (Amelia had brought these two in many times so the security guard did not even raise an eyebrow)

Soon after Mad-Eye moody arrived and Joined Amelia in her office, since the break out in December he had made many visits to Amelia and it was rumored he was coming back out of retirement so again no one questioned it.

Auror's Shacklebolt and Tonks also arrived early, then Arthur Weasley arrived, this was only strange to one person, Percival Weasley who had been tossed into the role of simple secretary after the shit storm that was the Fudge and Umbridge ordeal (Percy only had a job because Harry made sure he wasn't fired. Something only Percy and Harry knew)

When Percy saw his father walk in he knew something was brewing, His father wore his normal robes, but his outer robe was left open and Percy saw what no one had seen in almost thirty years, Arthur was wearing his family battle vest. An armored vest that had not been worn since his grandfather last wore it.

Percy looked around the department, everyone he knew to be a member of the Order was there and dressed for a fight, and they were watching the alarm boards as well as anyone walking around. (they gave cold stares to Percy as he quickly returned to his desk.)

In Diagon Alley, in their personal shop Fred and George Weasley were donning their new Shield gloves and cloaks, like most wizard hats the shield hates the sold to the public (and ministry) just looked stupid. so they had decided to make their hats look like simple ball caps from the muggle world.

"Are you ready for this, my dear brother?" one twin asked the other.

The twin just smiled as they headed for the door.

they walked over to the wandmakers, said wandmaker just opened the door before they could knock and let the twins in,

"Welcome Fred, George," The Wandmaker just smiled.

"You're still the only one that can tell us apart?" Fred spoke as he looked around the shop.

"Tricks of my trade," Ollivander replied.

"You here Croaker?" George asked out loud.

"Naturally,"

"And did you tell him YOUR mission?" Fred asked.

They had spoken about it and knew that if Harry sent the unspeakable then he was there for a job different from theirs.

"He did not have to," the wandmaker spoke up. "I am old enough to know the game."

Back at the Embassy Harry had left the others in search of one person, finding him in an empty office,

"Joseph?"

"Harry,"

Harry waited before voicing the one question he did not want to ask,

"We are not going to win this one are we?"

"No, this is not about winning but surviving, no matter what we do people will die, families, will be lost. He is not just desperate he is also a very poor loser." Joseph replied calmly.

"Then it is time you told me how you got this information."

"Pucey," Joseph replied. "Adrian Pucey and his family were offered One hundred thousand Galleons, for people in their line of work that is too much to turn down."

Harry knew that the Pucey family were well-respected Assassins and Mercenaries, well respected by those that knew anything about that world.

"So?" Harry asked wanting more information.

"Kill me if possible but keep me busy and out of any other fights that happen today, it is like what I did at the ministry, I pulled Dolohov away from the main fight gave you a chance for your one-sided fight. That is what this is about, for the information, I am to meet them at a battleground of their choosing."

"Can you survive it?" Harry asked concerned.

"That family is good and is showing respect, they have a chance to win," Joseph finished.

"First report," Ron came running into that room ending the talk. "Hogsmeade being evacuated to the castle, robed figures numbering about twenty approaching."

"Time to go," Joseph replied as he quickly left the room.

The three walked into the meeting room and Joseph just went to Mai and kissed her, "You know your place, go now" He said and just left the Embassy.

Mai smiled waved and followed suit.

"New alert, Ministry," Hermione spoke in a voice that was too robotic.

Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his D.A coin.

"Inferni and Ghouls attacking Wilmet, this is from the Creevey brothers."

"Cunningham you're up, head for the Creevey's."

The Colonel was moving when Jax the elf walked up and went with him.

"Ok Mad-Eye got the Bones and Hannah to Potter Manor," Ron said checking reports.

"Molly just called, they are attacking St. Mungo's," Charlie said as he rushed in.

"message from Angelina Katie and Alicia, Dementors in Kent," Ron had his Coin out again.

The Large map of England and Ireland started to have red dots show up as the reports came in.

A/N seems my muse had one more chapter before the fight.

Thoughts, crits, flames?