Ninja Wizard 54

By David

Author's Notes: See disclaimer in chapter one.

Ninja Wizard 54

"Going To Ground"

The courtroom was full when he arrived. They had taken nearly two weeks to get this set up. Harry had been glad. It had given him all of the time needed to get everything ready. He wanted a bit longer but two weeks was all he had and he took it to his advantage. All he needed to do now was to appear at the trial and go from there. He knew that the outcome was rigged against him, but he decided he was going to appear anyway.

"All rise, the honorable Judge Dickins now arriving!" the Auror called out.

Harry turned his attention to the bench and watched the man arrive and take his seat.

"Be seated, please. Is the defendant, Lord Harry Potter present?" he asked.

Harry stood up. "I am."

"The plaintiffs?" he asked.

Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy both stood up. "We are."

"Gentlemen, be seated please. Mr. Snape, Mr. Malfoy, I have read your complaints against Lord Potter. I have also seen the transcripts from the investigations and so on. I will assume that Lord Potter has received a copy of the plaintiff's complaint?" the judge asked, looking at Harry.

"I have, your honor," Harry said and then resumed his seat.

The judge nodded and returned to the papers in front of him. "Since all of the witnesses have testified to the characters of the plaintiff's in the investigation, there will be no need to recall them. I have read through everything and see no resistance to this suit. I do have one question for Lord Potter."

Harry stood up. They certainly weren't wasting any time on this.

"Did you truly witness the events as you say they happened on the night in question?" the judge asked. "Were you under the influence of a mind altering drug or potion?"

"I did see the events as they happened that night, sir. I was sound of mind at the time," Harry said.

"Well the Wizengamot investigation proves otherwise. So I shall rule in favor of the plaintiffs Mr. Snape and Mr. Malfoy and grant then everything that they are seeking," the judge said, setting off a celebration in the courtroom.

The judge banged his gavel a few times until the courtroom grew silent.

"You will immediately turn over all of your assets and property to the plaintiffs," he instructed Harry.

Harry bowed. "Of course. Gringotts will be instructed to immediately."

Harry turned and left the courtroom and went to the apparition point and went from there to Gringotts. He wanted to be seen in public at Gringotts to establish the fact that he indeed went there. He spent a half hour there and left just as Snape and Draco were entering the bank. He nodded to them and they just sneered at him. Harry apparated out and went home. He 

walked into the house from the outside, picking up the Muggle paper that lay on the gate's flagstone, making sure the two Aurors saw him. He entered the house and slapped the mask to his face as the house was full of gas leaking from the stove that he rigged up. The explosives he got would certainly add to the explosion. He sat there and waited for the mailman to show. He went out the front door leaving the mask on the little table next to the door. He had changed clothes, wearing cutoffs and a t-shirt. He collected the mail from the mailbox, waving to a few people walking by. That would help establish facts that Harry was seen at the mailbox. He went back into the house as the two ill disguised Aurors watched. They literally jumped out of their skins when the house went up in a huge fireball. People dived for cover as wood and stucco went flying. In seconds the house was fully engulfed in flames. There was no way anyone could get in there. Harry watched from a dark shadow of a building three houses down the street as people went crazy. He nodded. He'd done the job well. The investigation would reveal a faulty stove and only bits of his remains would be found. Time to move on.

It didn't take long for the news to spread. People showed up to see for themselves. Aurors arrived to maintain control. Umbridge herself arrived at the scene to see for herself. She watched as wizards tried to put out the fire. The next thing she knew was a hysterical Hermione arriving at the scene and pushing past the Aurors. She managed to grab a hold of Hermione.

"LET ME GO! HARRY!" she screamed.

Percy grabbed her other arm as two Aurors tried to hold her back as well.

"Miss Granger!" Umbridge cried. "Do calm down!"

Help arrived in the form of Hagrid. He stepped out of the crowd and wrapped his massive arms around Hermione and the others let go. Hermione struggled furiously, screaming Harry's name out in terror. Ron appeared next to them and stared at the remains of the house.

"What the hell?" he cried.

"It just blew up," a bystander said. "He came out for the mail, waved to us, and then went back into the house. A moment later it blew up!"

Snape and Draco arrived at that moment and stared at the fire and the remains of the house. They said nothing. Nobody really said anything. Hermione finally collapsed into a sobbing mess. Hagrid held her close to him, rocking her gently and trying to calm her. Snape walked over to Hagrid and handed him a small potions vial.

"Give her this when you can," he said softly. "It will help calm her."

Hagrid nodded and took it. Snape returned to where Draco was standing. Hagrid turned from where he was standing and started off for Hogwarts. Ron followed him up to the school and into his hut. Hagrid laid her down on his massive bed and offered the potion to her. She took it and then accepted a bit of tea.

"What happened?" Ron asked. "A friend of the family had fire called and told me that Harry was gone, his house blew up."

Hermione turned to them. "I… I got a fire call too, from one of the Gryffindors who was in Hogsmeade. She said she had heard of Harry's house blowing up. I came to see. Oh, it can't be true! Harry can't be dead!"

"We don't know that," Hagrid said. "All we can do is to wait."

There was a knock on the door and Ron went to answer it as he was the closest person to it. McGonagall was standing there looking horrified.



"I just heard, Hagrid. Is it true?" she asked. "Is Harry gone?"

Ron looked up at her. "We don't know. I was there to see after a friend of the family called me. Harry's house was burning really good when I got there. There was no sign of Harry."

McGonagall sat on the bed next to Hermione and gathered her into her arms. Hermione broke down once more. McGonagall simply held her until she wound down. She settled her back down on the bed. Hermione closed her eyes and went to sleep. Hagrid got a comforter and spread it out over her. He turned to Ron.

"I need to go back and find out what I can. Will you stay and watch her?" Hagrid asked.

Ron nodded. "I will."

Hagrid left the hut and Ron turned to the older witch.

"Now what do we do?" he asked.

McGonagall looked at Ron with firm resolve in her eyes. "We keep on going."

"I'm with you," Ron said.

McGonagall smiled. "Thank you Mr. Weasley."

Harry didn't have long to wait. Snape and Draco appeared in the street in front of 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry was glad the house sat in a desolate place by its self. It would make this easier. He watched as Snape unrolled a scroll and read a spell off it. It would cancel all of the protective wards, charms, and spells on the place. He watched as the crowd of eager DE's rushed inside. Snape and Draco smirked to each other just as Harry pushed the button on the remote detonator. The house exploded as he planned, the explosives going off as he planned. He chuckled at the shocked expression on the faces of the people in the street. Draco looked like he was about to have kittens, while Snape looked like he was about to have a fit. Harry withdrew and went to the burrow. He settled in to wait for what he knew would be the raiding party to arrive at the Burrow. The enchantments showing people inside the Burrow were working very well. Harry didn't have too long to wait. The DE's arrived in the front yard and cast their standard attacking spells. A majority of them entered the house while one overeager DE cast fire spells on the house. Harry grinned. The sucker was going to be reporting to Voldemort as to why he was the only survivor. He hit the remote detonator and the Burrow blew up. The lone DE got blown back a few feet as Harry ducked behind the thick tree he was behind. He popped out a moment later. He appeared in the very well hidden cave he had found in the hills behind Hogsmeade. He sat down and started planning his next moves.

The Wizarding World was in a complete uproar. Harry Potter dead! The Weasley House blown up in a DE attack! The Black House blown up! Umbridge sat in her office and looked at the evidence presented to her late the next evening. There was very little remains left of Harry Potter. The fire had been contributed to the faulty stove. Voldemort had been extremely pissed about losing his DE's at the Burrow and at the former Black house. He'd tortured the overeager DE for his mistake in blowing up the house before the DE's inside had a chance to escape. The former Black house explosion had been contributed to an over looked ward. Harry had done his job well. Snape and Draco had been severely punished for that mistake. Draco was screaming angry. He wanted to bring Harry back to life and throttle his ass until he was dead. Voldemort challenged him to do it and Draco had mouthed off, telling him that he didn't have the power to do such a thing, so fuck off please. Voldemort had laughed and then 

tortured Draco for saying such things. Draco wisely held his peace until he was out of the Riddle Manor. He'd gone back to Malfoy Manor and proceeded to throw a major temper fit, scaring the house elves and trashing his room in the process. Snape had retreated to his house at Spinner's End and drank himself drunk, counting himself lucky to not have stepped into the former Black House. What was even worse was the Gringotts goblins informing him and Draco that all of the Potter vaults had been closed save one. Snape demanded the contents of that vault and the Goblins handed him one gold Galleon. He'd controlled himself and decided he would apparated to Potter's house and force him to reveal what he had done with his vault as the Goblins refused to tell him where they were, only to be shocked at the sight of the burning house. That had drained him of his rage and now he had nothing to show for his supposed victory over Potter. At least the brat was dead. He had been there with Hagrid when the Aurors swept the house for Potter's remain only to find bits and pieces that once was Potter. One of the Aurors had nodded to Snape and he met the man in an out of the way place.

"It's Potter's remains, there's no doubt. We've discovered the cause of the explosion to be a faulty stove. He must have turned it on to cook something and then boom. We found a majority of his remains in the kitchen. Sorry, Snape. I knew you were counting on getting that brat. Our Lord isn't going to like this," the man had said.

That turned out to be the understatement of the year. Snape was still hurting all over from the pain curses Voldemort subjected him to. He grunted and reached for the scotch and poured himself another glass. He drank half the glass in one shot and then sat and thought. With Potter out of the way, there should be no more opposition to Voldemort. The only thing left now was to complete his takeover of the Wizarding World. At least that was going right on schedule. He smiled. He was going to enjoy being headmaster of Hogwarts. He'd need help in controlling all of the brats there and he'd use Slytherin House for that purpose. The Carrows were nasty people but they sometimes went too far. No, Slytherin House would enjoy the job. He'd use the older seventh years for that purpose and give them carte blanche. He laughed out loud and then groaned as the pain hit. He leaned back as the pain faded away. It was just a matter of time.

Ron had escorted Hermione home to her parents and told them the news. Cassandra escorted Hermione upstairs and to bed while Thomas talked with Ron. Then a Ministry official called Ron with the news that the burrow was gone. Ron had gone blank and Thomas feared for his mental state. He settled Ron down in the guest room and wondered what the hell was next. He began to consider getting out of town for good, maybe going to another country. He didn't know that Hermione had planned on all of this. Hermione would put her plan into effect a week after Harry would be laid to rest. All she needed to do was to go into seclusion until it was time to act. Ron was up the next morning staring into a cup of coffee as Hermione stumbled down the stairs. She sat at the table with Ron. Nothing was said between them. Hermione wanted to tell him everything but didn't. It was necessary for the deception to work. Her parents walked into the kitchen and saw both teens sitting there. They didn't know what to say. Both of them went about their morning routine. Neville called just as they were getting ready to leave for the day. Neville invited them to stay at his house for the day and both of them went. Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe being with friends would help them, at least she hoped they would.



The mood was very somber at Neville's. A lot of people were there, a majority of them was the inner circle of the DA. All of them offered their condolences to Hermione. A few of the kids present speculated that it was revenge motivated. The talk flew back and forth until Ron finally had to say something.

"We are going to defend Hogwarts against Snape and his crowd. That plan hasn't changed. We will do it in Harry's name. Somehow we will kill Voldemort and get revenge for Harry and everyone that bastard has ever killed," Ron said.

"Glad to hear you say that, mate. Me Mum's got the feeling that things are going to start happening in September," Dean said.

A few other people echoed that and Ron knew that life was about to get very tough. He hoped he was up to the job. He'd been slipping onto the grounds of Hogwarts on a regular basis setting up thing and preparing for what would be an epic battle. He knew he could count on a lot of people for help. He'd spent a good part of his summer setting things up and he was damned if he was going to let all of it slide now. He found new determination deep inside of him to see this thing all the way through. He looked up when Neville came back into the room followed by an Auror.

"Ron, this guy wants to talk to you," Neville said.

Ron eyed him distrustfully.

"My name is Dennis Nelson," he said grandly, expecting Ron to be awed by him, "I am here to escort you to see the Minister."

There was silence at that pronouncement.

"What does she want?" Ron snapped.

The man glared at Ron. "I don't know, and don't take that tone with me, boy!"

That infuriated Ron and he grit his teeth in anger. "My best friend just died and you act as if it was nothing. You come here and order me about. How dare you!"

Ron's temper was starting to get the best of him and the man stepped back and drew his wand. Neville stepped up to Ron behind him and put a hand on his right shoulder. "Easy, Ron. Calm down. He's just a stooge."

The man glared at Neville as a few of the kids chuckled.

"Go and see what Umbitch wants. Keep your cool," Neville said.

Ron nodded as the relaxed. The Auror slid his wand back into the pocket of his robe as he relaxed. Ron followed the man out of the room and to the fireplace. He flooed directly to the Ministry. They stopped at the wand check in and then the man led Ron to the elevators. They went up to the Minister's floor. Ron thought he was going to be sick the moment he stepped inside the office. The whole room had been pinked out. He looked at the plates of kittens pained on them lining the walls. He wished he knew which one of them had sold out Harry back at Hogwarts so he could burn it off the wall. He reined in his temper and turned to the toad like figure sitting behind the great desk.

"Ah, Ronald Weasley. I am sorry to hear of the loss of your home and your family," she simpered. "I have called you here to discuss with you the impending funeral of Lord Potter."

Ron nodded. "What do you want?"

"I thought it would be touching if you gave a eulogy for your dearest friend," she smiled sweetly. "It would be the right thing to do."



Ron wanted to wipe that smirk off her face but then decided it would be his last chance to try to set the record straight concerning Harry.

"I'll do it," he said.

She brightened up immediately. "Wonderful!" she clapped her hands. "It will be so nice."

The message was clear. Stick to the subject or else. She stood up and escorted Ron to the door. Ron continued to look around memorizing the layout of the room in the event he needed to plan a break in.

"When is the funeral?" Ron asked politely.

"Nest week Monday," she said. "Is Miss Granger going to be there?"

Ron nodded. "Yes, she will. I expect a lot of Harry's school friends will be too."

"That's very good," she said.

An idea was forming in Ron's mind. He needed to get out of there to think it through properly.

"Shall I let you know the exact numbers?" Ron asked politely.

"No thank you dear," she said. "Just be ready with your speech."

Ron stepped into the floo and went back to Neville's place. He reported on what had happened after he used his wand to scan the room the Auror had been standing for any kind of listening spells, finding none.

"I memorized the office layout thinking we could stage some kind of break in during the funeral," Ron said.

Neville shook his head. "Nice idea, but no way. That office will be very well protected. There's no way we could pull it off. Leave this one alone."

Ron sighed and turned to Hermione. "Want to help me with this thing?"

Hermione gave Ron a slight smile. "I'd like to," she said softly.

They went back to her house and got to work on it.

The morning of the funeral that was to be held on the Hogwarts grounds was a wet and dreary one. The casket that held Harry's supposed remain sat on the stage. There was a large crowd, even bigger than the one that turned out for Dumbledore's funeral. The Wizarding priest rambled for a few minutes and then turned to Ron. Ron approached the podium and looked out over the crowd.

"Harry Potter was more than just my best mate. He was my brother, my confidante, my partner, and the best man I'd ever known. He never backed down from anything. He stood straight and tall, never afraid to tell the truth, and always stood firm in what he believed," Ron said, noting a number of people on the stage including Umbitch and the rat of his former brother nodding. He recalled the meet they had before Ron had taken the stage.

"Ronald, I hope you do not follow in that boy's footsteps. See where it got him? He's dead because he erred badly," he said as Ron grew red with rage. "His beliefs got him killed."

Percy leaned in closer to Ron. "We know that the Weasley Clan has left England. We were not fooled by your trickery at the Burrow."

Ron's eyes had gone red with anger but he managed to hold back from decking Percy. "Then there's no hope for you. You have truly sold out to Voldemort."

Percy didn't reply to that. "Be careful in what you say up there. We will be listening. You will be answering to me."



"Harry believed in equality," Ron continued. "He believed that anyone wanting to be heard should be. He believed in a unified Wizarding world. His dream cannot die. I urge all of you to take up his cause. He is gone, but his spirit will always be here. His spirit will always live in all of us who knew him best."

Ron lest the stage and went to sit down with Hermione. His mind wasn't on the rest of the funeral and the toad presenting Harry posthumously the Wizarding world's highest honor, the Order of Merlin, first class. As he stood up to help Hermione to her feet after the funeral was over and the casket had joined Dumbledore's, he caught the eye of a short man by the stage. He nodded to the man and he nodded back. He guided Hermione into the great hall for the wake that was being held. He stood by Hermione as she spoke to a few friends. Neville came to stand by her and Ron slipped away. He saw the short man nod to him and discretely point in a direction behind the wall of the great hall. Ron slipped behind the wall and discovered the toad and Percy talking.

"So what now?" he asked her.

"We go on as planned. There is nothing to stop us now. Potter is out of the way now. Our Lord has nothing to worry about. Snape will take over Hogwarts on September first as planned. If anyone gets too vocal about it they can have a serious accident," she said.

Percy nodded. "I know my former brother Ronald will get very vocal about it. I can count on that. I'm sure some of the other Gryffindors will get vocal too."

Umbridge sighed. "That won't do. They can have their chance to do so the first night back but then after that no more. They will settle down and accept it or they will never get their Wizarding or witch's licenses."

Percy casually pulled off his outer robe to reveal short sleeved shirt and slacks. He raised his left arm up to pull off the hat he was wearing and Ron nearly gasped out loud. Percy had the Dark Mark on his left forearm. He had turned traitor. He'd gone over to the other side. Ron sat back in shock. How? Why? He wanted to run up to him and find out why. He felt the anger boil up within him. If Percy knew about the illusion at the Burrow then the DE's would know. But why did they attack? Did Voldemort want to get rid of a bunch of incompetents? He turned his attention back to the conversation.

"Okay. I'll get back to the ministry and get to work," Percy said.

Both of them left the room and Ron slipped out as well after a few moments. He rejoined Hermione, his head spinning with the revelation. Somehow he had to copy the memory and send it to the family in the Americas. It would really tear his Mum's heart to find out the truth.

Neville and the others stared at Ron after he told them what he had heard and seen. Hermione sank into a chair. Neville then did something that wasn't in his character. He went to a cabinet and pulled out a tall bottle of Firewhiskey and glasses. He poured it out and handed the glasses around. He raised his.

"To Harry. May he never be forgotten, and may all of us avenge his death," Neville said before drinking down the glass.

He turned and tossed the glass straight into the empty fireplace, the glass shattering against the hard stone. The others echoed what Neville had said and followed his example. He took the empty bottle to the kitchen and came back. He looked around at everybody.

"We will make those bastards pay. Each and every one of them. No mercy," he said.



There was a lot of agreement to what he said and he knew they would succeed, or die trying. Each member left one by one as the evening wore on. Ron and Hermione were the last to leave. Ron saw her home and then he went to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. He had some last minute work to do before the Hogwarts Express pulled out of King's Corners Monday morning. He pulled the map of Hogwarts out of his trunk after making sure the security seals were intact. He spread it out over the table in the room and got to work once more. He had a few last things he needed to put in place and he'd do that the first week he got back to the school. He sat back and sighed. This was getting harder than he thought but he was determined to see it through.

Harry set down the paper he'd snatched from the back of a store in Hogsmeade with a slight smile on his face. From what was written about Ron's speech, he'd tried to tell people the truth about Harry. He felt good about his friendship with Ron and he wondered what the hell possessed Umbitch to give him the medal. There was no way she would ever do that while he lived. The only kind of metal she'd try to present him with was for a slave collar around his neck. That he had no intention of ever wearing. He sighed and looked at the copy of the Hogwarts map he had. Every time Ron made a move on the grounds the notation would appear on Harry's copy. That way he could avoid the traps and add to the caches already on the grounds. He'd marveled at Ron's plans and knew they would succeed. He turned to the notes that Ron was writing out and stiffened when he saw the notation about Percy having the Dark Mark. That would explain a lot of things. Percy would be a person to avoid for sure if and when he conducted a raid on the Ministry. He caught Ron's notes on Umbitch's office and groaned when he saw the note about the plates of cats on the walls. He was so sure then that one of the cats in the plates had been a spy for Umbitch. He was sure that that particular plate would be on the office wall in the Ministry. Scratch that plan. Harry stood up and stretched, his muscles popping. He sat on the floor in the lotus position and allowed his mind to drift. There had been no more clues in Dumbledore's book past the night that he and Harry went to the cave. The last entry dealt with the cave and that was it. Harry sighed and turned his mind away from that problem and started meditating. He needed to prepare for his next mission.

September first arrived. Ron pulled himself out of his bed at the Leaky Cauldron and yawned. He opened his eyes and stumbled to the door as a knock sounded. He opened it to find Tom on the other side with a pot of coffee.

"There are snoops about," the old man whispered.

Ron nodded. "Thank you for the coffee, Tom. I'll be down in a bit for breakfast."

"Best you hurry, the dining room is filling up fast," Tom said a bit loudly.

Ron watched him turn away and head for the stairs. He closed his door and poured himself a bit of coffee. He drank the first cup straight, and then took another with his usual sugar and cream in it. He checked to make sure his trunk was secure and then went into the shower. He took his time as the hot water flowed over him. He emerged from the bathroom and looked around the room. Nothing had been disturbed. He got dressed and resecured his trunk with House Elf locking spells that Dobby had taught him. Never knew that little Elf was so powerful. Ron went down to have breakfast. He lingered over the paper, watching the stairs discretely. He paid for his breakfast and ordered a basket of food to go. He wondered if he would see Hermione there at the platform.



Hermione had gone to bed in an empty house. She had spoken the key words into her parent's ears as they slept the night before. They had packed up and left on the early morning flight to Australia. That broke Hermione's heart even more. She knew that it was for the best. She didn't want to see them hurt. She packed that night before going to bed. She made sure to include her diary, the one she had specially prepared to carry off the illusion that she was extremely despondent and depressed. It was part of her plan. If everything went well, she would rejoin Harry in the hills around Hogsmeade and they would slip away and start their Horcrux search. They knew about the diary, the ring, and the locket. Harry had the locket in his possession. He had planned on slipping into the castle to retrieve the Sword of Gryffindor and then use it to destroy the locket. She hoped that Harry would carry it off. She sighed and lay in bed for a time before closing her eyes and going to sleep.

Hogwarts. McGonagall stared at Snape and Umbridge. They had just informed her that Snape was to be the new headmaster at Hogwarts. Snape smiled smugly at her.

"Really simple, McGonagall. I am now in charge of this school. You will remain as the transfigurations teacher. I have selected an old friend of mine to be the assistant headmaster. A couple I know will be taking Filch's place as caretakers. I trust they will do a better job than Filch had," Snape said.

"And just who are these people?" McGonagall asked.

Snape smiled. "The Carrows will be the caretakers. Aaron Blackheart will be the assistant."

McGonagall's jaw dropped in shock. She staggered back and managed to regain her balance. Thos three were the worst of the DE's. And they were coming here.

"You will be expected to keep those Gryffindors of yours in line or else," Snape stated.

McGonagall nodded and turned to leave. She got out of the office that had been Albus's and made her way down the stairs. She went to her office and sat down behind the desk. She turned to the bottom draw and pulled out a bottle and poured herself a glass. She downed the glass and then sat back in the dark. She felt her heart get heavy and hoped they would survive the year. They had to. She immediately sat back up and wrote a note on special parchment that would alert all of the staff and the teachers. She had gone out and started her own resistance after Ron had confided in her his plans to defend Hogwarts when the time was right. She sighed and hoped that everything would work out.

Ron arrived at the platform feeling very alone and vulnerable. Up and down the platform he watched the families saying goodbye. He hoped they all would make it home for the winter break. He turned and got on the train. He found an empty compartment and sat down. He hoped that Hermione would find him. The train sounded the whistle and it slowly began to move. Ron looked up as the compartment door opened to reveal Hermione. She didn't look good. She looked like she had been through the wringer. Neville, Luna Lovegood, and Michael Corner came in. Hermione sat down and leaned against Ron. Ron put his arm around her and pulled her in close.

"Draco Malfoy is the Head boy this year," Neville said simply.

Ron groaned. Things just went bad.

"His bitch Pansy the Pug is the Head girl," Luna said, jolting everyone in the compartment.



Nobody had ever heard her curse before. Luna had always been very relaxed. Something had changed her.

Ron sighed. "Okay, so that means that Slytherin House just moved into a position of power over the school. That means something has happened."

"A former Slytherin is headmaster," Michael suggested.

"A very big possibility," Ron said. "Umbitch is making her moves on behalf of Voldemort in the first move to retake Hogwarts."

"We need to be extremely careful in our moves around Hogwarts," Neville said. "I'll pass the word to the inner circle to watch their backs. If any of them get indentified, the gig is up. Perhaps we need to exercise hard security."

Ron nodded.

"Just to be on the safe side lets go to communications alpha plan," Ron said.

Before anyone could answer the door to the compartment opened to reveal a sneering Draco Malfoy with his usual twins behind him.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A loony, a Weasel, a mudblood, and a retard," Draco sneered. "What a motley crew this is!"

Ron moved his head to look at Malfoy and noticed the shiny Head boy badge. "I see you found your Head Boy badge in a box of kiddie cereal or you paid a bit of gold for it. Which is it?"

Draco snarled at Ron in anger. "I'll have you know it was given to me by the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"So you did buy it with a bit of your dear Daddy's gold," Ron mused. "Hope it was worth it, Ferret boy."

Draco lunged forward with wand in hand and pointed it at Ron's head. "I should kill you for that!" he shouted, chest heaving.

Ron closed his eyes and waited for the killing curse. When it didn't happen, he opened his eyes to see a fuming Draco.

"No, that would be too easy. I have plans for you, Weasel boy. See ya," Draco said and stalked off.

Ron gave a laugh. "Stupid fucker. He just doesn't get it. No matter how good the bad guys are or think they are, they always fuck up in the end. I'm going to so enjoy kicking his ass."

"Just be careful," Neville warned.

Ron grinned. "I will. He's such an airhead."

Hermione settled against Ron and went to sleep once Ron draped a blanket over her. She had her head in his lap and Ron gently stroked her face as she slept. He set up his chessboard and took on all comers. He collected a few more pieces of intel, things that made him believe that something was up. The Slytherins were acting way too confident. That led him to conclude that Michael's observation was accurate. Well, they would find out soon enough.

Harry moved slowly through the crowd in Hogsmeade in his old man's disguise. He saw a lot more people than usual and he wondered if Hogsmeade was being set up for an attack. He made his way to the Three Broomsticks and settled into a corner at a tiny table. He ordered a beer with a whiskey chaser and settled in to wait for Tino. Tino arrived in his own disguise and joined Harry.

Master Koshou wishes you well, Tino said in a stage whisper.



Harry sipped his beer and nodded. The Hogwarts Express has not arrived yet, and there are more people than usual here. I wonder.

Tino nodded. The other brothers have been watching them carefully to see if any of them are the ones we are looking for. If these be the enemy, then the leadership is not coming up for air. They are keeping low for now.

Harry leaned back and stretched. He drained half of his beer and then took up the whiskey chaser in the shot glass. He downed it quick. Tino's eyebrows went up.

You must be careful. You need a clear head, Tino warned.

Harry looked up. You worry too much, my brother. This is strictly a watch them move around mission. Nothing has happened yet. Tonight's action at the castle will tell us which way the wind is blowing. Then we shall know for sure.

The new headmaster has not approached me yet. Filius was kind to bump into me in the marketplace and warn me of a different wind blowing a week ago. Since then I have not gotten a summons to the castle, Tino said.

That is strange. I thought McGonagall would have called for you by now. Perhaps she is no longer in control, Harry said.

That would mean a DE has taken over the headmaster's spot, Tino said.

I am certain of it, Harry nodded. The question is who?

Both of them sat there for a bit and watched people move around and in and out of the bar. Harry knew he had to step up the timetable for his sneaking into the castle to retrieve the Sword of Gryffindor. It was essential to his plans.

Will you enter the castle tonight then? Tino asked.

I must. The Sword of Gryffindor is crucial to my plans, Harry said.

I wish you wouldn't. It is too dangerous, Tino said.

Harry nodded. I thank you for your concern, my brother. I will succeed.

Tino smiled as he looked at Harry. Is that why you went creeping around the castle late at night? Were you committing the layout to memory?

Harry smiled back. Of course. It was Dumbledore's idea. One that I heartily endorsed. Never knew that the knowledge would come in handy one day.

Success my brother, Tino said before he slipped away.

Harry finished off his beer and slowly got to his feet, using the table and the gnarled cane for assistance. He slowly hobbled towards the door, people stepping out of the way respectfully. Harry made it do the door and turned to look back. His mind took a picture of the interior and he filed it away in his cabinet of memories. God willing he'd come back here when all of this shit was over and have a cold beer with friends. He turned and hobbled out the door and slowly down the street to the Shrieking Shack. He stopped when he heard the Hogwarts Express train whistle in the distance. That caused him to pause and in his mind's eye the memory of the first train ride here and his first look at Hogwarts all lit up at night became strong in his mind. He got choked up with the emotions he was feeling. He put that memory back into his book of memories and turned to the street once more. He got to the edge of the road and turned left to go into the alley between a pair of buildings. He ducked behind a dumpster and used the shadow to port himself back to the cave. He had work to do.

Ron jerked awake when the voice announced the eminent arrival at Hogsmeade. He gently shook Hermione awake and she sat up. Ron reached in the overhead and pulled down 

his day pack that Harry had given him for his last birthday and pulled his robe from it. He pulled it on and closed the colorful Lion clasp. He helped Hermione with hers. She hugged him and then they left the compartment and headed for the platform. He helped Hermione down and they headed for a cart and boarded it. Neville, Luna, and Michael joined him. The trip from the train to the castle was quiet. Nobody said anything simply because there wasn't much to say. There would be plenty to say after the welcoming feast. Then it would be time to adjust plans, put things into place and into motion. The cart stopped at the main doors to the castle and they got out. They followed the other kids into the castle. It was all lit up as it was always was. Ron felt something different in the atmosphere. He couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"This place feels different," Neville remarked.

Ron nodded. "I know. I can feel it."

"The dark is here," Luna said. "It's smothering me."

Ron suspected that Luna was one of those that felt magic around them. He'd have to ask her later. They followed the crowd into the great hall and settled down at their house table. Old friends greeted each other. Ron felt alone as he missed the boisterous banter of his brothers Fred and George. He missed Ginny as well and was thankful all of them were safe in the Americas. They settled down when a short figure emerged from the shadows. Ron's jaw tightened when he recognized the short squat figure. It was Umbitch. Everyone quieted down and listened. Ron could feel the tension in the air. This was it. The moment of truth. They were about to find out who was going to be the new headmaster.

"Good evening, children. How nice to see all of you again!" Umbridge smiled.

Ron resisted the urge to heave up.

"Now there is much to inform you so I shall get started. There is a few changed to take note of this year. First off is your new headmaster. He will have quite a job ahead of him so I hope all of you will assist him in every way possible by following all of the school rules and so on. Please welcome your new headmaster, Professor Severus Snape!" she announced.

Slytherin House exploded in cheers and applause as Snape took the stage. He was smiling. The sight sent shivers up and down Ron's spine. This was definitely not good. He really had his work cut out for him.

"Oh hell," Neville whispered as Slytherin House carried on.

Snape waved his hands for quiet and Slytherin House calmed down.

"Thank you for that most enthusiastic welcome," he said. "There are more changes to speak of. The gentleman that is taking the assistant headmaster's job is Aaron Blackheart. A very nice couple named the Carrows will be taking the caretaker's job. Mr. Filch has decided to retire from us and has already departed Hogwarts. A number of teachers have decided to retire as well and have left Hogwarts. Hagrid will be kept on as groundskeeper. He has declined to teach this year. I am pleased to announce to you the Head Boy and Head Girl is Mr. Draco Malfoy and Miss Pansy Parkinson. They have my full confidence. Other changes will become evident as we move on. I trust all of you shall give the staff and teachers your full cooperation," Snape said.



Ron turned back to the table and didn't pay any attention to the sorting or the mountain of food appearing in front of him. He reached for his goblet to take a drink and saw a note inside the cup.

"The Hogwarts Elves wish you well, General Weasley. The spy network is in place. We shall report to you through Dobby," the note said.

It disappeared and was replaced by soda. Ron took a drink and discovered coke. His mind began working as the news sunk in. Snape was the headmaster. He's brought in DE's to help control. Teachers left. Hagrid was removed and kept at the groundskeeper position. That was a blessing. Hagrid could be the go between with the Centaurs and other creatures in the Forbidden Forest. Ron began thinking that there was still hope.

Harry sat down hard in the shadows above the great hall. This was unexpected. He had hoped it would be McGonagall but apparently it wasn't to be. This would complicate things. Harry hoped that Ron would operate very carefully from here on out. They couldn't afford a slip up. He turned and melted into the shadows. He made his way to the headmaster's office. He spotted the Gargoyle at the entry and the look on his face suggested the poor creature was in misery. Harry withdrew and decided to use the very secret entry. He went down one floor and looked both ways and then slipped into the girl's bathroom. He entered a stall and closed the door. He tapped on a certain brick and it popped out. It moved until a tiny etching of a snake looked at him.

"Open," Harry hissed.

The bricks parted to reveal a hole. Harry slipped into the hole and the bricks closed up behind him as the catch to the stall door popped open. As soon as it got dark a light winked into existence. Harry followed the light down the passageway to the staircase. He went up until he got to the top. He paused at the top as the snake on the brick in front of him nodded. The bricks parted once more. Harry looked into the now radically decorated office. It was nothing like it used to be when Dumbledore had been the headmaster. He paused for a minute and nodded to the portrait of Dumbledore sleeping on the wall. Harry turned to the glass case containing the Sword of Gryffindor and started reaching for it. Suddenly he heard a hissing and he looked around the office for the source of the sound. He looked up at the pictures on the walls and the former headmaster and headmistresses and saw them waving their hands at him. One of them waved his wand at Harry. The smoke coming from the wand broke off and formed words. Harry read the words.

"Snape cursed us. We can't speak. Dumbledore in suspended state. Sword is a fake. Tracking spells on it. Leave it," the message said.

"Where is it?" Harry said.

The words reformed. "Dumbledore took it someplace."

Harry nodded and turned to leave. He got back into the wall and it buttoned up once more. Harry watched the Snake crawl off to somewhere and realized he had been there to let Harry in for the last time and then was to disappear. Harry turned and followed the fireball down the stairs. It took him past the girl's bathroom and down further than he had ever been. As he moved forward, the passage behind him filled in. Hogwarts was acting to help Harry. Harry knew that Hogwarts was completely on his side. He reached the ground floor and paused as the bricks moved aside. It was completely dark outside. He moved forward and into the bushes. He watched the bricks move back into place and knew he would never be able to get 

back in that location. He shadow ported back to the cave and went for the journal once more. Dumbledore had written something about the Gryffindor Sword. He flipped through the pages until he found the reference. It stated he took the Sword with him to the forest of Dean and that was it. Harry put down the book and thought. What if he hid the sword in the Forest of Dean? That would mean that the DE's didn't have the actual sword. Snape had created a fake prior to Harry's 'accidental death' in hopes that Harry would come for it and the DE's could trap him in there. Harry was glad he had waited to pull this off. He sat down in his conjured chair and pondered his next move. He sighed and scratched his head. Things were getting serious now. He decided to wait for Hermione to appear. In the meantime he'd go into Hogsmeade in his old man's garb and assess the situation in town.

Ron headed to the Gryffindor Tower with the other Gryffindors. Hermione clung to him and Ron felt better about having her with him. He'd sworn an oath over Harry's grave that he'd take care of her for the rest of her days and he wasn't going to fail. He hoped she wasn't going to pieces. They entered the tower and the commons room. Ron nodded to Neville and he swept the room discretely and came up with at least a dozen listening spells. Ron nodded grimly. He expected that. Michael came down from the dorms and nodded to Ron, holding up seven fingers. That meant all of the boy's dorms were bugged. Snape and his gang apparently wasn't taking any chances. That meant they would have to use communications plan alpha. Ron sighed and sat down with Hermione. She leaned against him. Ron held her hand for a bit until a Gryffindor girl named Melanie came over and offered to see her into bed. She escorted Hermione up to bed. Ron sighed and let his emotions go. He sighed once he managed to pull himself back together. Neville patted him on the shoulder and he looked up. Neville nodded to Ron and Ron smiled bravely. He knew Neville was with him to the end, no matter what was going to happen. Ron headed up to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. McGonagall went around with the class schedules. She stopped by Ron and handed him his and handed Hermione hers. She glanced at it and set it aside and went back to her breakfast. Ron sighed and looked at her list. It was nearly identical to his. He'd get a Gryffindor to look after her in one class. Snape stopped by the table and looked around. He met no resistance. Inwardly he cringed at the sight of Hermione. A part of him started to react but his dark nature shoved the emotion down hard and he sneered at her.

"Missing your boyfriend, Granger? He stuck his nose in things that didn't concern him and he paid for it. Watching him burn in that house was a glorious sight," he chortled.

Ron's temper flared and he started to rise. Snape turned to him and smirked.

"Careful, Weasel. Detention on your first day wouldn't do you any good," he snarled.

Ron allowed Neville to pull him down into his seat.

"At least Longbottom has good sense," he snapped.

He stalked off as his robe billowed out behind him.

"Don't worry, Snape old boy," Ron thought to himself. "Your day is coming."

He turned to Hermione and she smiled at him for just a moment and then went gloomy once more. The first bell went and Ron stood up and escorted Hermione to their first class. The school year had started.

The week went by slowly. The other changes slowly became evident. The Quidditch house team had to inform when they were having tryouts for the positions that were open. Ron had a hell of a time getting people to try out. In the end he managed to get a team 

formed. Naturally he had to inform Snape who they were. The other two houses had similar problems. They had to apply to get permission to have practices. The Slytherin House team had no problems forming the new squad. Draco was the captain of the team. He strutted around with the two very shiny badges on his chest. Ron wanted to pin those badges someplace else. Moving around the castle got harder than normal. It seemed there were Slytherins everywhere. Everybody quickly began moving around in threes to avoid trouble, but it did no good. Everyone but the Slytherins kept getting into trouble each time something happened. As hard as Ron worked to avoid trouble he kept getting into trouble. Hermione was getting the worst of it. The Slytherins kept on taunting her about missing Harry. She began to miss classes, slipped deeper into depression, and began acting funny. Ron was getting really worried about her. He did what he could to keep her from going insane. She was losing it and Ron didn't want to lose her at all. Gryffindor House helped Ron all they could, but it wasn't enough. One morning one of the Gryffindor girls ran down to the commons room where Ron was and handed him a note. Ron stared at it for a moment and slowly sank down into a chair.

"I've gone to join Harry," was all it said.

Hermione Granger was gone.

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