Disclaimer: Anything familiar to JKR's books probably comes from there and is hers not mine. Also, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, the Wizarding World, and anything else that has to do with it belongs to the lovely JK Rowling, not me. I'm just playing in her sandbox and building my own Hogwarts in it.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Lord Voldemort sat at the head of the dining table in the Manor he was staying in, watching as his Inner Circle argued over how they would be invading Hogwarts. They had been given the estimated number of followers they would have for it, and from there, they had begun debating who would lead what.

Of course, Lord Voldemort just watched on, knowing how the attack would happen, but listening to see if a better idea would come about. The wards would never stand against the full brunt of his attack, especially if all of his followers added to the power, and with the Dementors and giants and werewolves, even if they were in human form, he would have the advantage of numbers.

Even if Amelia Bones provided Albus Dumbledore with every Auror she had at her command, they would never win. Their numbers were too small, and despite Hogwarts being a castle, defending it would be difficult, especially once his Death Eaters got inside of it. The idea of the students being able to help was laughable, and Dumbledore would never allow them to assist in any case.

No, Lord Voldemort knew that the direct approach would be how they would fight and win this battle, allowing him to finally kill Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter while conquering his birthright.

…

Harry swung his sword and watched as the hand of a Death Eater was cut off, wand still clasped in it. Before the Death Eater could even scream, a Cutting Curse had decapitated him, allowing Harry to move on.

All around Harry was chaos as the oldest students of Hogwarts fought to keep the Death Eaters from entering the castle, the aerial squad helping as best they could from up above, the giants already taken down. Behind Harry were bangs and crashes as Death Eaters fought the younger students within the Entrance and Great Halls, the traps that had been set up for an hour before the invasion began hitting them hard.

Cries of pain carried around the grounds of Hogwarts, but fellow students backed out of their own fights to heal their friends, helping them stand up again and rejoin the fight. Death Eaters fell left and right as teamwork showed that Hogwarts had the upper hand, especially with their swords and daggers and knives. It seemed like the Death Eaters didn't even stand a chance, turning to attack one student just to fall to the Stunner of another, wands summoned and destroyed almost by instinct.

Harry allowed a spell to hit his sword, turning the metal blade just right so that the spell went flying back at its caster, sending the Death Eater flying. A Cutting Curse left the tip of Harry's wand with barely a thought as he spun and ducked all at once, his leg kicking out to knock the feet out from under a Death Eater, who was then Stunned and tied up, his wand blasted to pieces.

Standing up, Harry backed away slightly, and his back hit someone else's. Turning his head just slightly, Harry saw that it was Astoria, and he continued to fight, protecting her back while she did the same with his. When Harry had to turn to the left to fight another Death Eater, Astoria felt his movement and moved with him, sometimes handing off an opponent to him as they moved, and he would do the same for her when she had to move.

Finally, though, a Death Eater forced them apart, and Harry moved on, swinging and casting as he made his way through the fighting. Here and there, he paused in a free moment and cast healing spells on himself before continuing on, not allowing himself to be defeated.

Suddenly, the Death Eaters, grounds, and castle all disappeared, leaving a bunch of sweaty, hurt, and tired students standing in the main room of the Hogwarts Protectors area of the Room of Requirement. Water appeared beside everyone along with both damp and dry towels. Everyone began to wipe themselves off to rid themselves of sweat and any of the fake or real blood still on their person before using the dry towels. Then they all just drained the water as quickly as possible, all of them dehydrated.

When Harry was ready to move, he went towards where some screens sat, sitting down in the chair in front of them. Scenes from the battle began to play, and he both liked and disliked what he saw. No, the Death Eaters and giants and Killing Curses had not been real, but that didn't mean that their mock-invasions shouldn't be treated as if they were. Most had done amazingly, but some had obviously just been going through the motions, not realizing that that would get them killed when a real attack happened.

Fortunately it was only the middle of October, and the chances of Voldemort attacking before Easter were slim, but Harry would have to make sure no one got cocky or felt that training shouldn't be taken as if it was life-or-death.

In the end, though, that had been an amazing first time in that sort of simulation, and Harry would make sure the students realized this.

…

"The HPs are doing well," Harry said as he leaned back on his bed in his dorm, looking into the mirror he was holding before him. The mirror showed him the living room of Marauder Manor, where Sirius, Tonks, Amelia, and Fleur all sat. "The first time we did a mock-invasion, some of them took it as a game that they didn't have to try hard in, but I pulled those ones aside and made sure they took the next two seriously."

"That's good to hear," Amelia told him. "Unfortunately, word on our end isn't as nice. Voldemort has managed to get more followers than we thought he would from the Continent, and his numbers are still growing. I'm actually afraid he's sent a few people to recruit from America as well, finding those not as pleased with their new way of running things and corrupting them to join the war over here."

"What Snape told you seems to be holding true," Sirius sighed, his habit of sneering over Professor Snape's name long broken after Harry had pranked him for it each time. "Before the end of the school year, his army will number at least three or four hundred easily. Even with all the Aurors we have, the fight will be uneven."

"At least until you count the students," Tonks reminded him with a smirk. "The Hogwarts Protectors will make all the difference. In fact, we could probably just have the Aurors on stand-by and still win because of how much you're preparing."

"How about we talk about that later, you know, when we've actually got all our plans ready and in place," Harry suggested. "When that happens, Amelia, I'll probably want to talk to you so we can decide how to deal with Voldemort attacking. Will the Aurors join in or stay on stand-by? Will Remus stay and fight, or will he come and get you and return after? There's plenty we have to discuss in the future, but for now, let's concentrate on what's in front of us."

"Well said, 'Arry," Fleur announced, smiling in his direction. "Zere is no need to 'urry in zese zings just yet, not while we are still preparing for ze battle zat might be monz away."

"True, true," Sirius gave in. "Still, the increasing numbers that Voldemort is recruiting are worrying. His raids are killing hundreds of thousands of Muggles every time he has one."

"And there's not much we can do to stop them until after most of the damage is done," Amelia finished with a sigh, sinking back into her armchair, her head resting against the back with her eyes closed. "It's a terrible situation, but there's really nothing we can do."

"It's not like we've got a sensor that tells us where the Death Eaters are," Tonks added. "Snape is helpful, but he's so busy in the school year that he doesn't know where most of the raids are. His information is very useful, but it's hard not to wish that he could give us a bit more, you know?"

"Believe me, I know, and I'm pretty sure it pains him to know that he can't give us anything more," Harry sighed. "Well, I'd better go work on my Transfiguration homework. I'll pass on your regards to the others."

"Bye Harry!" they called in various ways before the connection between mirrors was cut. Harry sighed before getting out of his bed to find his bag before going into the Common Room to work on his annoying essays.

…

Lord Voldemort watched, yet again, from a far distance as a large Muggle town went up in flames, screams echoing throughout the valley as the Muggles were killed and hurt and raped by his Death Eaters. Thousands had lived in this village, and now thousands would be dead, killed in the night, and there was nothing Amelia Bones or Albus Dumbledore could do about it now.

…

"Minister Bones, I'm sorry to intrude, but another applicant was found to be an unmarked Death Eater spy," Richard Taylor reported to Amelia as he held out a folder. "Aurors took him to the cells, as usual, and they're preparing to interrogate him before sending him to Azkaban."

"Thank you, Richard," Amelia sighed. She knew that he knew that she wasn't upset with him. They were all tired of these Death Eaters trying to infiltrate the Ministry. "You may go."

Once Richard was gone, Amelia placed the folder onto her desk and put her head in her hands, elbows on the folder.

She wondered how many more times Voldemort would try this. This man made the count twenty-seven spies caught trying to get jobs at the Ministry since she had become Minister and authorized the use of Veritaserum on all of those trying to get jobs there. It was getting quite tiring to deal with, and Amelia couldn't help but be curious about whether or not there was a reason behind continuing this when it was obvious that their security hadn't weakened at all since the war had officially been announced.

Well, whatever Voldemort was up to, Amelia knew one thing: As long as she was alive, he would never get her Ministry.

…

Lord Voldemort was furious when it was reported that his latest spy had been caught by the Ministry's security yet again. Every effort he made to take over the Ministry failed thanks to the increased security that Amelia Bones had ordered. All visitors to the Ministry had an escort at all times, and visitors were kept away from certain areas of the Ministry. No one who even thought about trying to join him was allowed a job, and any spies who tried were arrested the moment the truth was out.

At the rate this was going, Lord Voldemort was just about ready to declare taking over the Ministry before killing Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Amelia Bones impossible, even for him. In fact, it was getting to the point where he had decided to leave the Ministry alone until after the attack on Hogwarts, knowing he would need every single follower he had for that attack.

In fact, that idea was getting better by the minute…

…

The wind flew through Harry's medium-length hair as he sped around the Quidditch pitch, Euan not far behind him as they chased after the Golden Snitch.

Slytherin was just barely leading in the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match of the official Quidditch tournament, the score sitting at 160-140. The Chasers had been fighting over the Quaffle like it was a sweet for four hours, the Snitch never once being spotted – until now.

A Bludger came flying through the air towards Harry, but he just spun on his broom so that he was hanging on it upside-down, never once losing any speed or momentum. A yelp from behind Harry told him that Euan had barely dodged the Bludger, most likely losing speed, and Harry righted himself just as the Snitch began to dive. Harry racing after it. He couldn't even look behind him to see where Euan was as he closed in on the Snitch while diving, which was something he was the best at as a Seeker.

Taking his right hand off his broom, Harry reached out to try and grasp the Snitch, his fingertips just beginning to touch it. Then, the second Bludger rammed into his side, sending him spinning right into Euan, who had just caught up to Harry, and they both flew off their brooms towards the ground, which was fortunately just a few feet below them.

"You okay?" Harry asked Euan while shaking his head and moving his right arm to see how badly hurt his side was. "Ow!" Okay, so I most likely fractured a rib or three, which will mean yet another lecture from Madam Pomfrey, but I'll be out of there in twenty minutes, Harry thought to himself as he stopped moving his arm.

"Sounds like you're the one who's hurt," Euan commented with a grin that Harry couldn't help but return. "You okay?"

"Just some cracked ribs," Harry explained. "I'll be fine once I go to the Hospital Wing."

"You've gotta catch the Snitch first," Euan declared with a smirk as they both stood, but Harry shook his head while grinning, lifting his fist up and opening it just enough to show the Gryffindor the golden ball that was sitting there. "Darn! You caught that while being hit by a Bludger?"

"My hand was already around it when it hit, so when I closed my fist at the pain, I caught the Snitch," Harry informed him with a shrug of his left shoulder. "We'd better let them know the match is over, eh?" Both boys chuckled as Harry switched the Snitch to his left hand before raising it above his head to a shocked silence before the Slytherins began to cheer loudly.

"You made my last match against Gryffindor a tough one, Euan, and I have a feeling you'll dominate as Seeker once I'm gone," Harry managed to tell his friend before the Slytherin team reached him and began to clap him on the back, all obviously taking note of the way he was favoring his right side and not touching it.

"WE WON!" Draco yelled with a cheer, clapping loudly as those in the stands made their way onto the pitch to cheer for the winning team.

Harry just laughed at how happy his friend was, knowing that, as captain, it was his right to be so pleased.

…

"Lots of traps," Blaise commented as they looked at the large pile of supplies they were going to be secretly placing around the school very shortly about midway through November.

"Yes, but that's a good thing, remember?" Daphne reminded him while rolling her eyes.

"Guys, let's just go over who sets up what, please," Harry called from over by the large maps they had set up, looking them over with Ron. He hadn't even looked up when the couple began talking, already mentally picturing where things would go. "Plus, we need to talk about the barrier again, remember?"

After that came a large debate over who was going to take control of what. Between the small Stunner bombs, sleeping powder in small balls, firework explosives, flash bombs, trip wires that would paralyze the person on contact even through clothes, and even more that the twins had provided or Harry, Ginny, and Tracey had made upon request, there was plenty to go around.

Most of the traps would be placed around the Entrance Hall for easy access, since that was the most likely entrance for the Death Eaters to use. However, good numbers of traps were going being placed at all of the secret passages in and out of the school, even those supposedly blocked and especially those open with easy access. The rest of the traps would find homes in the area surrounding each of those entrances.

Now came the discussion they all knew they had to have: How to deal with the barriers they were planning on placing around the school. Harry and Tracey had worked on the barrier Samuel Davis had created a while ago to block out anyone without a Journal from a certain area such as the secret room in the Den. It now could be set down deactivated and then be activated at a later time by using a spell they had already taught their friends, meaning they could keep Death Eaters, Order members, and teachers alike out of certain areas or locked in certain areas.

"I still say we should put one in front of the Head Table," Harry told Hermione as she argued with him over it. "It's not like it will be active, and who knows how much we'll need that barrier during battle if the teachers and Order members don't agree to us fighting! Plus, we could easily make the area behind it a prison for Death Eaters, just in case."

"Does anyone else agree with Harry that we should put a barrier there?" Hermione demanded, looking around the group angrily. However, Harry knew everyone was used to her anger, so they were willing to raise their hands in agreement, showing Hermione that she was the only one fighting his idea. Honestly, Harry understood why she didn't like the idea because the barrier was the perfect thing for a prank, but Harry and the others would never use it for that, not when it was something for the war.

"Fine, we can put a barrier there, but why in front of the entrance to the Great Hall as well?" Hermione questioned. "Isn't one in there enough?"

"Hermione, we're putting one in front of every entrance to the Entrance Hall and Great Hall because they're the most likely places for battle to take place," Tracey explained. "If we have to, we can activate the barriers and keep the fighting in those two areas rather than destroying the entire castle. Plus, you agreed to having one in front of the Den and the Room of Requirement, so why are you fighting against the Great and Entrance Halls?"

"She fighting against them because they'd be perfect for a prank if we wanted to do that, Trace," Harry sighed. "Seriously, Hermione, do you see us taking advantage of the barriers we're putting up in case of a battle just for a prank?"

"Okay, you have a point," Hermione admitted. "Sorry. Where else are we putting them?"

"I still say we should put them over the secret passages in and out of the school and possibly a few of the ones that could help us get around quickly," Justin said. "It would save us a lot of time, effort, and traps."

"It's a good idea, Justin, it really is, but what would happen when the Death Eaters can't get into the school that way?" Maya asked before answering her own question. "They'd leave and come in another way or blast down the barriers to get in or let people know that there might be barriers throughout the school. We need these to stay a secret, remember?"

"Okay, not in and out of the school, but how about on these three passages?" he suggested while pointing them out. One was quite close to the Room of Requirement and would lead them all the way to just a few corridors away from the Entrance Hall, and it only took about a minute due to it being a slide and a moving staircase similar to the one outside the Headmaster's office side-by-side. The second was the main shortcut everyone used to reach the Den from the Great Hall, and the third took a person from the third floor right outside the castle at ground level.

"I think those three really should be protected, just in case," Tracey agreed, and Harry nodded. Justin's pointing out those three had been quite smart as they would be perfect for the HPs, but they wouldn't want Death Eaters attacking students in them.

"If we've covered all the places we're going to place barriers, I've got one question to ask: Should we teach someone else the spell to activate them?" Harry questioned, looking around the room. It seemed to him that everyone was split between the idea because they really didn't want to teach something like this to anyone else, but they all knew that, as the leaders of the HPs, they'd likely be too busy to activate anything during the battle.

Ron coughed, then, drawing the attention to him. "I would suggest teaching it to Demelza, actually."

"Demelza?" many repeated, but Harry was thinking it over, realizing Ron's point. A Gryffindor, so she'd be willing to fight, and a leader, so her learning it wouldn't be too upsetting to anyone else. Plus, Demelza was a fifth year, so she could be close enough during the fighting to be told to activate any barriers during the fighting, if how they were practicing meant anything.

"She's a fifth year leader, which means no one will complain and she'll be in the middle of the battle, so telling her to activate the barriers wouldn't be as hard as, say, telling Euan, even with the communicators that are being worked on," Ron explained. "She'll be in the middle of the fighting, so breaking away to get into the Entrance Hall or Great Hall wouldn't be very hard. Demelza also has a good head on her shoulders and can keep a secret when she has to."

"Anyone disagree with the idea?" Harry questioned his friends, but no one could fault Ron's reasoning. Besides, Demelza was friendly and known to them all, and they all liked her. "Thanks, Ron, that probably saved us another hour of debate." Ron laughed along with the others, all of them knowing it was just the honest truth. "Now, we've got some barriers and traps to set up, so let's get moving."

…

"So you're going to be teaching me how to activate shield barriers hidden around the school in case you can't get to them during battle?" Demelza asked, most likely to clarify, Harry guessed.

"Yes, and we all agreed you would be perfect for the job," Harry told her. "So, do you want to learn?"

"I'm the only person without a colored Journal learning this?" Demelza asked quickly, most likely still shocked by it, but Harry just nodded silently. "It would be an honor, then." Harry could only grin.

…

"I feel like we're never going to be done making these things," Ginny sighed as she passed a partially-completed Marauders Map to Tracey while accepting another from Harry. The three of them had decided to do it like an assembly line just to get it done quicker, since all three had parts that they specialized in.

"Yeah, well, we need a bunch of them for the strategists, especially when it comes time for the battle," Harry reminded her, though Ginny could tell he was just as tired as she was with this. "We'll eventually have enough."

"For now, we just need to sit tight and keep on working," Tracey finished with her own sigh, not even looking up from the Map in her hand as she poked at it with her wand.

"How many do we need again?" Ginny asked as she added to the charms on the Map in her hand.

"We'll need at least six or seven large Maps for each floor, then at least one of each floor that's zoomed in, meaning multiple per floor," Harry recited, not even looking up as he used their Master Map to draw a floor plan on the parchment in his hand. "After that we'll need a few more portable ones, just in case, plus there should be a few of just the grounds and then extra of the Entrance and Great Halls. Basically, we need at least another twenty Maps before we're done."

"Ugh," Ginny groaned, knowing that would take at least another two or three hours. "I guess we're going to be here a while…"

Posted: 4/29/12