Neville Longbottom was the only one still awake when Daisy arrived at Potter Manor that night.
He had spoken with Trevor for about half an hour at Susan's party, and the brothers had come to something of an understanding.
To Neville's surprise, the two were much more alike than he had expected. Being raised by his gran, who had to carry the load on her own, he knew that his childhood had to be vastly different from Trevor's. After all, his brother had had not only his parents, but a best friend in Jamie and a set of godparents in the Potters. In short, he had had everything that Neville had coveted his whole life.
It was clear that Trevor and Jamie were friends - and that Trevor was not just along for the ride because Jamie was supposedly the boy-who-lived or the chosen one or whatever. Later in the day, when Neville had seen Jamie and Trevor bantering back and forth, the exchanges had almost seemed like his interactions with Harry.
So, where did that leave the Longbottoms? Trevor had no idea, as Frank and Alice (and the Potters) tended to meet with the Order most evenings, and the boys were not invited to those meetings - yet. When Trevor had asked what their father planned to do to reconcile the issues within their family, Lord Longbottom had scowled and walked away.
It was disappointing to Neville, that the image of the man he had built over the years had been so inaccurate. But then again, if Frank Longbottom had been the straightforward and honourable man Neville had thought him to be, none of this would have happened in the first place.
Before parting ways, Neville had given Trevor the same warning Harry had delivered to his parents. He placed himself personally at House Potter's side in the blood feud, and told Trevor that he had sworn an oath to that effect. He would not be in a position to tolerate any interference on the part of House Longbottom on that point.
Trevor had asked if he would remove himself from the family, if it came down to it. If pressed, would he choose Harry Potter over his own family?
Neville said nothing. That Neville's response was not an immediate no told Trevor how serious his brother was. Neville had turned out to be nothing like he had been told, and that - even more than the events of their reunion - made him wonder what else his parents had gotten wrong.
They parted amicably, with an agreement to meet at some point before the end of the summer, but the whole conversation weighed on Neville's mind hours later.
He was sitting in his room, looking out at the night sky, when Daisy arrived.
"Death eaters are attacking the Bonses!" she shouted. Neville's eyes snapped to the little elf, already in her uniform. The style and color of the fatigues told him what was happening, and her words nailed down the specifics - Bones Manor was under siege.
"Where's Harry?" Neville asked, standing up and moving to his wardrobe.
"Master Harry and the Colonels are preparing to defend the house. Mistress Susan is helping protect her auntie." Daisy's report was as succinct as she could make it, and it had taken practice to get the elves to speak quickly and clearly when time was of the essence. That didn't stop Neville from smiling to himself at the mention of Mistress Susan.
"Wards?"
"They're blocking everything but elveses. The dark ones are draining the stones from the north, and have more of them to the south to stop a runner," she replied.
Neville laced up his boots as he considered the situation. "How many?" he asked.
"Two dozens attacking from north, six blocking the south." She paused, then popped away. Harry must have called her.
By the time she returned, Neville was combat-ready. He walked out into the hallway, and saw that Ron and Luna had already gotten their gear ready, and were waiting for him.
"Do we call the aurors?" Ron asked, wasting no time.
Neville started to answer, then paused. They knew that at least a few death eaters had infiltrated the DMLE, for what better target was there for an insurgent terrorist force than the nation's law enforcement arm? Harry and Neville had debated this point over and over - could they trust the aurors as a body? It only took one spy to misdirect a message or prevent a deployment, after all.
"Daisy?" Neville asked. The elf appeared after a moment's pause. "Can they get out using the floo?"
"No, Mister Longbottomses," said Daisy.
"What is Harry's plan?" asked Ginny, as she walked up to the group, still pulling on her gloves.
"The Colonels and Harry be setting up a kill zone to the north, Miss Ginny."
"And if we go there, we'll be in the way." said Ron, his expression thoughtful.
The elf nodded vigorously. "Master called it a rich target place, sirs."
"Target rich environment," corrected Hermione, absently. "So we go south."
"We go south, and sweep toward the manor. How close can we get, Daisy?" asked Neville.
Daisy frowned. "A bit further than the back fence here."
Of course, the backyard would be much deeper than the front - Bones Manor was not a large farming estate like some other wizarding manors were. It was simply a large residence, with room for several families. It made sense that the death eaters would put their wards up to match or overlay the existing wards - which meant that they could either show up in the middle of a firefight, getting in Harry's way, or come overland from the rear and surprise the six death eaters held in reserve.
Neville thought for a moment, then nodded. "So, a bit over a mile and a half overland. We can do that."
"Brooms?" asked Ron. They could cover that distance quickly, but brooms would be quicker still.
Hermione answered that question as she walked up, satchel of potions in hand. "They'd see us coming, and warn the others. We need to sneak up on them."
"Agreed," said Neville. He looked around the group, and saw that the others were as ready as they could be. "Last question, do we tell the Order? Or the Aurors?"
Luna grinned back at him. "Why not both?"
oOoOoOoOo
The meeting of the Order that night was uncomfortable at best.
Despite the clear tension between Sirius and James, the Order continued to meet in the basement of Grimmauld Place. Sirius wanted to keep a close eye on the Order, and this gave him the perfect means to do so. Remus and Tonks, both privately disgusted with the Potters, gave him two more sets of eyes and ears in the room - useful when he was not present. Already they had heard grumblings about his dual role as Lord Black and Potter Proxy from James.
Privately, Sirius had made his choice - he would support Harry all the way. Publicly, however, he was taking a more moderate approach, acting cautious but welcoming to the Potters and Longbottoms, even as he served as Harry's proxy in the Wizengamot. Keeping the Order in his home - and under his wards - helped to keep him informed about who was saying what to whom.
Frank and Alice Longbottom had been revealed to the members, much as James and Lily had been weeks before. The reunion was much less of a shock than that of the Potters, for news about the Longbottoms' miraculous recovery had been in the Prophet for the past week. Even so, it was obvious that their reception was muted at best, a fact that seemed to bother James and Dumbledore.
Their son Trevor had been mentioned, but did not attend the meeting - nor did Jamie Potter.
Lily Potter had arrived late, and sat next to Alice in the back of the room. She had been visibly upset about something, though it was unclear what that might be. Her husband had a look of worry when she entered, but said nothing.
Sirius Black also watched her enter, and sighed. He had a pretty good idea what his old friend was upset about, seeing as it was Susan Bones' sixteenth birthday. If James and Lily thought that Susan was still betrothed to Jamie, then today would've been the day for Susan to find out. Harry had not expected them to make a play for the betrothal, but Sirius would put very little past the Potters at this point.
They both trusted Amelia to put Lily in her place, and it appears that she did exactly that.
James and the Headmaster were reading from a list they had made of known death eaters - some new and some old. As they went down the line, Kingsley Shacklebolt interrupted them a surprising number of times.
"That one died in Crawley last week," was a common refrain, right up until James asked him to explain how so many death eaters died in one place at one time.
Kingsley shrugged. "They attacked the home of a half-blood wizard, in force, after breaking his wards. He took exception to that. Shortly after entering, the death eaters triggered a trap of some sort, and fourteen of them were incinerated when the house exploded."
Everyone stared at the auror. Finally, Dedalus Diggle cleared his throat. "And which half-blood wizard owned the house, Kingsley?"
Sirius and Kingsley shared a glance, before the auror replied. "Lord Harry Potter, Dedalus."
"Of fucking course it was," grumbled James.
Dumbledore looked annoyed at the news for the briefest instant, before returning to his calm, passive expression. The change was incredibly subtle, but Sirius and Remus both caught it. Now that they knew what to look for, they knew that Harry had been right about the Headmaster.
The meeting continued, and Sirius noted that a surprising amount of discussion focused on ways to block legislation in the Wizengamot. Several of the remaining dark families were taking advantage of Minister Fudge's continued tenure in office to push through laws that would help Voldemort's cause. Taxes on muggleborns, additional restrictions on creatures, and so forth.
What concerned Sirius was that some of Dumbledore's proposals, always supported by James and Dedalus, would only matter once the war ended. With Voldemort as a threat, was it really necessary to fight changes to tariffs?
An hour into the meeting, Kingsley excused himself, saying that he had been summoned through his auror badge. Dumbledore sighed at the weary faces around the table, and sat back in his chair. "This is as good a stopping place as any, it would seem. Let's take fifteen minutes to refresh ourselves."
The room quickly emptied, leaving only the Headmaster, James, Frank, and Dedalus. Once the basement door closed, Dumbledore smiled. "Alright, boys, you can come out now."
From the far end of the room, behind the training dummies, and Jamie and Trevor appeared. Sheepishly, they walked over to the table and had a seat across from their respective parents.
"That was an impressive disillusionment charm, Mister Potter," Dumbledore said kindly.
"Thank you, sir." was the quiet reply.
The adults regarded the students, and the students in turn regarded the adults. Presently, Dumbledore inclined his head at Jamie. "You have concerns."
Jamie nodded. "I feel like I should be doing more, Headmaster. If I'm to be the Boy Who Lived, I guess I need to know what that means, exactly."
Albus nodded sagely. "It is wise to know what you're walking into, always."
"It's what my mum would do," Jamie replied, not thinking about how many times his mother had been surprised since their return. "Sir, you talked a lot about the Wizengamot, and I wanted to know if we were doing anything to fight Voldemort there, instead of finding his hideouts and learning his plans and so on."
The Headmaster looked closely at the boy, as if evaluating him. Was the boy ready to know the plan? Could they afford not to tell him? What if Harry got to him first?
"Jamie, my boy," Albus began. "You have to understand that we are in a war. Do you know what the purpose of war is, Mister Potter?"
Jamie nodded, this had been hammered into him ever since his lessons began to focus on the Ministry and recent history. "War is politics by other means, sir."
"Exactly," said Dumbledore, happily. "Exactly right, my boy. In Britain we have the Light families and the Dark families. Some remain neutral, but most follow one or the other of those groups. Now, look at the first war - it was Dark families who followed the Dark Lord, but Light families who opposed him." He leaned forward in his chair, looking closely at Jamie. "In other words, politics by other means."
"And you are the leader of the Light, Headmaster?" interjected Trevor.
Dumbledore nodded. "For now, yes."
Jamie and Trevor shared a glance. "For now, sir?"
Again, Dumbledore nodded. "No one lives forever, my boys. Someday, I will retire and step aside in favor of the younger generation. But I can't do that until I know that the Light will continue to guide Wizarding Britain after I am gone."
"Who would take your place, then?" asked Jamie.
"Oh," mused Dumbledore. "We would need someone whose magic is unquestionably light, who believes in everything that our faction holds dear, and who has spent literally their entire life preparing to fight against the darkness." As he spoke, his twinkling eyes focused on Jamie.
The surprise was clear on Jamie's face. "What?"
Another nod. "Yes, Jamie, when I retire I intend for you to succeed me."
This was nowhere near what Jamie expected to hear, and he couldn't keep the shock out of his voice. "I don't even sit on the Wizengamot, how would I succeed you? That doesn't make sense."
James spoke up. "Once you take the Potter seat, and once you've defeated Voldemort, the nation will rally around you, just as they did the headmaster in the 40's."
Harry will love that, Jamie thought to himself. He looked at his father, and realized that James had known this part of the plan from the beginning. "You plan to remove Harry from the seat," he said. It was not a question.
"Your seat," James replied, calmly.
Jamie looked from the Headmaster to his father, and back. "You want to remove the Lord of my house, to install my father, and eventually myself, in a seat on the Wizengamot."
James sighed. "He's no Lord, Jamie. It's a fluke of magic that he holds the ring."
"Dad, for better or worse, he does hold that ring." He looked at his father, shaking his head. "After your last encounter with the family magic, are you really eager to test him again so soon?"
This is not going where it needs to, thought Dumbledore. "Jamie, my boy, Harry took up the Lordship as a means to an end. Nothing more."
Jamie stared at the Headmaster. Were they talking about the same Harry Potter? "Based on everything I've seen and heard since coming back, he is fighting for the Light, sir."
"So he says," Dumbledore allowed. "But young Harry is fighting to end this war, and that is all. Once you have ended it for him, he will be free to live a normal life." The grandfatherly smile had returned, and Dumbledore's voice was calm and reassuring. "But there will still be work to be done."
Jamie finally put the pieces together. "You're not working on winning just this war," he said, almost in a whisper.
"No, my boy," replied Dumbledore. "Harry wants to win the war? Fine, let him try. Even the Dark is focused on taking power by force. But we know how important it is that Wizarding Britain be guided by the Light. While they scramble to end this battle, we are setting the stage for winning all future battles."
"You want to win the peace," said Trevor, amazed at the audacity of the plan. "That's why we hid, isn't it?"
Dumbledore nodded. "When the dust settles, the Light will again have saved this nation from itself. And the wizard they will have to thank for it is you, Jamie. When you ascend to the leadership of the Wizengamot, you will stand at the beginning of a golden age for Wizarding Britain." His eyes twinkled as he spoke, pride in his voice. "That golden age will be built, led, and controlled by the Light. Maybe for a century, if you handle things correctly."
"And you'll be there to tell me how to handle things correctly, won't you?" asked a very quiet Jamie, wondering who would answer.
James smiled indulgently. "Of course, Jamie, we will never abandon you."
Jamie was proud of his control, in that moment, for he did not look up to glare at his father. Of course you won't abandon me, you already did that to Harry and see how it turned out.
That thought brought another question to mind. "Harry said that being the boy-who-lived had been difficult, that he was alternately praised and hated, most of the time for reasons beyond his control." Jamie looked at his father, searchingly. "How do we know that that won't happen to me?"
James and Dumbledore shared a look, before the Headmaster spoke in a quiet voice. "Jamie, your brother is a complex young man. He has the capacity for great good, but just as great is his potential for darkness. His schoolmates have seen some of this, and that is why he has had his… difficulties, I suppose you might say."
"He's my twin, sir," said Jamie. "Would I not have that same potential? In either direction?"
James shook his head. "You've spent close to fifteen years dedicated to being the best light wizard you can be. Between that single-minded focus and your inevitable defeat of the dark lord, there is no one who could question your place as Leader of the Light."
Trevor could hear the capital letters in the title, and the reverence with which Jamie's father used the term. Glancing over at Jamie, he could see that his friend's expression was very carefully neutral - but that his body language spoke of great uncertainty. No surprise, there, he thought.
"And Harry…" Jamie's voice trailed off at the pained look on James' face.
"Harry isn't suitable for this, Jamie." His father ground out the statement without the usual anger that accompanied any mention of his older son, but the tension in the man was present nonetheless.
"For any number of reasons, my boy, it has to be you." Dumbledore said.
Jamie nodded, as if accepting the burden. He hoped against hope that none of the adults could sense the turmoil of his emotions in that moment. "This is a lot to take in, Headmaster," he said quietly.
Dumbledore nodded, his entire demeanor radiating good humor. "Of course, Jamie, of course. We all understand that. Why don't you and Trevor head upstairs and have some refreshments, while we finish up down here."
"Of course," Jamie said, and the boys stood. "Thank you for being honest with me, Headmaster."
That brought a smile to Dumbledore's face. "No, Jamie, thank you."
oOoOoOoOo
In the Lord's study, Sirius Black looked across his desk at Remus Lupin. Between them, the mirror continued to show the training room, where now the Headmaster was speaking quietly with Dedalus. Frank and James had left, presumably to get something to eat with the others.
Without warning, the mirror cut out. Remus glanced down at it, wondering what had happened.
Sirius, however, just shrugged. "One of them mentioned something that is hidden under Fidelius. The mirror can't pass it along unless we're all in on the secret, which we're clearly not. So it shuts off."
"I think we've heard enough, don't you?" Tonks growled from across the room. She was pacing angrily, her hair a bright shade of red.
"Oh yes," replied Sirius. "We've heard plenty."
"Harry's going to lose his mind over this," Remus observed.
"The instant James slapped Harry, they were on a collision course. It was only a matter of time." Sirius shook his head sadly. "This doesn't sound like the James we knew at all."
Remus looked uncomfortable at that. "I'm not so sure." Off Sirius' look, he continued. "I mean, he always talked about using the Potter vote to combat the dark, didn't he? I figured he'd work with his father, but then the war escalated and before we knew it the Potters were dead or in hiding." He sighed heavily. "All this seems too much, though. Hiding for fifteen years, leaving Harry, you, all of it - just to take over for Dumbledore?"
"Don't forget the Longbottoms, either," added Tonks, still pacing. "James gets power, what do they get?"
"Trevor Longbottom would be the trusted right hand of the chosen one," Sirius replied, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Where a Potter goes, a Longbottom follows."
"I haven't spent much time with the kid," said Tonks, "But that doesn't sound like him, exactly."
"No, it doesn't," agreed Sirius. "That was something Neville said to Harry, when they decided to start their training."
Remus started to say something, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. He met Sirius' eyes, and gave him a quizzical look. "Time already?"
"No," said Sirius. Raising his voice, he called out to the visitor. "Come!"
At his word, the door unlocked, and a worried Kingsley Shacklebolt entered.
He did not wait for preliminaries, but dove right into his report. "Bones Manor is under attack."
Sirius and Remus both stood. "What happened?"
Kingsley held up the mirror. "Tell them what you told me, Neville."
oOoOoOoOo
"How certain is this, Mister Longbottom?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt.
The boy's face certainly looked serious - or as serious as a small face can look when shown in a handheld mirror delivered by an elf. But if there were an attack on the Director, Kingsley would have expected an all-hands alert, and there had been none.
On the other hand, Neville had been able to signal Kingsley through his badge - something that Director Bones must have arranged, probably in support of Harry. She had not instructed him to breach protocol to assist Lord Potter and his team, but it was clear that their activities had her tacit approval. When Kingsley had stepped out to answer the message, an elf had appeared and handed him the mirror - and there had been the face of Neville Longbottom.
So, for now, he'd listen.
"It's confirmed, Mister Shacklebolt," Neville replied, keeping his tone in line with a junior auror reporting in. The formal address reinforced that impression, and made him that much more likely to listen - which was probably why the boy had used it. "We have word from Harry via an elf. Two dozen death eaters attacking from the north, another six at the south blocking the back exit. They were hammering the wards as of five minutes ago, but by now the wards have probably fallen."
"Madam Bones has a protective detail." replied Kingsley. "Why haven't they reported in? Their badges will work through pretty much any wards."
Neville looked pained. "They would, sir, if one of the two aurors on duty hadn't been a death eater. He killed his partner, and then made an attempt on the Director."
Kingsley's eyes grew wide. "Did she survive?"
"She did," Neville reported. "She was meeting in her study with the Muggle Liaison to the DLME at the time. He assisted her in neutralizing the threat." No one noticed the brief glance Sirius and Remus shared at the mention of a muggle, both knowing exactly which muggle it had to be.
"Awfully late for a business meeting," Kingsley remarked. A very few muggles were legally allowed to know about magic, usually those who had direct contact with the Ministry. It was unusual for one to meet with their opposite number at a wizarding home - unusual, but not impossible.
Neville shrugged, saying nothing. Harry still didn't want Colonel Ramsay's relation to House Potter known, if at all possible. The Prime Minister had given them the perfect cover when he officially informed the Colonel about magic, and they would use that cover as long as they could.
Kingsley looked to Sirius and Remus. "If we can't trust the aurors, then that leaves the order - and we just happen to be meeting right now."
There was no time to debate the matter, and Neville had to act quickly. Even with a plan and surprise, Harry could not hold out forever. They needed to get him some support. "I don't like it, but if the Order is able to help, we could use you."
Tonks walked back into the study, wearing her auror robes. "Kings, the attack is happening as we speak, right?" Off Kingsley's nod, she continued. "And Neville said that their Floo was disconnected?" Another nod.
Sirius' eyes widened at the prospect. "You want to raid the Floo office."
"We'll never have a better shot," she replied. "We always find out hours later, when everything is back to normal and the duty team has 'fixed' the problem. But if we can catch them in the act…" her voice trailed off as Kingsley grinned.
"I'm in," he said. "We have two dozen order members here, they can back Harry's play. But the Order can't check on the Floo office."
Remus got it now. "Whereas two aurors can."
"Exactly."
oOoOoOoOo
In the basement, only two Order members remained.
"I wonder," began Dedalus Diggle, "if we should not have just left the Potters and Longbottoms at Falcon's Rest for a while longer."
Dumbledore hoped he did not look as tired as he felt, but the events of the summer so far had been taxing. "The Ministry attack was the perfect moment, Dedalus," he said. "It was not as we planned, but it served our needs."
"Mostly," the old wizard said, looking over his glasses at the Headmaster.
"Mostly," Dumbledore allowed.
"And young Mister Potter," Dedalus continued. "Do you think he will be the one we need?"
Dumbledore looked over to his friend, and nodded. There was only one Mister Potter that mattered, after all. "We have spent fifteen years shaping Jamie into the perfect Light wizard. Every lesson, every exercise, every interaction, has built to this moment."
"No one knows that better than I, Albus," Diggle said, without heat.
This was an old argument between them. The Headmaster had always played the long game, and risked planning too far ahead. His ultimate battle against Grindelwald, for example, could have happened years earlier had different choices been made early in the war. Diggle always looked for a better way, which usually meant a quicker way.
Every day that the war continued, witches and wizards died. Ending it with haste was in everyone's interest, no matter which side of the war they served.
"Then you should keep the faith, my old friend," said Dumbledore, his voice once again filled with calm confidence. "James Potter, Junior, will be the ideal weapon of the Light."
"We can only hope," Diggle replied. Then he had a thought that brought a look of concern to his face. "Albus, will Hogwarts be safe this term? With both Potters vying for position?"
"Of course," the Headmaster said, nodding. "This is your granddaughter's first year, isn't it?"
Diggle nodded. "I won't have her in the crossfire between James and Harry." He did not mention which James he meant, for he did not know what James senior would do once Harry was safely in the castle and away from the war.
The door to the basement opened, surprising both men. The Headmaster's privacy and locking charms should have prevented that - but then they saw Sirius Black, and knew that he had invoked the house's own wards to bypass the Headmaster's charms.
One look at Sirius' face, and they knew something had happened.
"Bones Manor is under attack," reported the Lord Black.
oOoOoOoOo
Harry Potter had not heard the Order approach from the north, had not cared who was responding to the attack. All he knew was that Voldemort had struck at Susan and Amelia while he was busy dueling.
After all of this, to lose either of them - or both! - was utterly unthinkable. Harry sprinted into the manor with his wand out and a promise of death for anyone who stood between him and the Bones family.
Before he could make it to the staircase, he heard boots entering the rear of the manor. His wand came up, preparing to strike, before he heard the voices of the intruders.
"Friendly!" shouted Neville Longbottom. It was an unmistakable word, and not one that the enemy would be likely to know to use. Neville had heard the blast that took out the front door, and knew Harry was coming - and he knew that Harry would be in a mood to shoot first and ask questions later.
"Friendly!" replied Harry, automatically. "Upstairs study, Amelia and Susan and the Colonel were up there." Without slowing, he started taking the stairs two at a time.
"Were?" asked Ginny.
"Be ready for anything," Neville said, as the team moved to follow.
oOoOoOoOo
When Albus Dumbledore and several members of the Order of the Phoenix entered Bones Manor, they found Harry Potter sitting at the bottom of the grand staircase, one arm around Susan Bones. The other arm was being tended to by Ginny Weasley, of all people. Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley were standing nearby, wands out, as if they expected more death eaters to attack.
Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood were levitating five fallen death eaters down to the ground floor. Rather than force everyone to move off of the stairs, they were simply lowering the bodies down off of the landing. Dumbledore did not get a close enough look at the bodies to identify them, but he could clearly see that all four were quite dead - killed by piercing hexes of some sort.
When coupled with the bodies strewn across the front lawn of Bones Manor, it painted a picture of a brutal fight.
The wound on Harry's shoulder was further evidence of the battle. The boy's shoulder had a gash across it, and the skin surrounding the wound was already purpling.
"A dark curse, Harry," Dumbledore said.
Harry looked up, as if seeing the Headmaster for the first time. Then he chuckled. "Yeah. Hurts pretty bad, too."
"Who got you?" asked Sirius. He wanted to walk over and take care of his godson, but knew that he had to keep his distance - at least, when the Order was involved.
"I stepped left when I should have stepped right," Harry answered. "Tom got a lucky shot."
Dumbledore shared a glance with Dedalus Diggle at that comment. Voldemort was here?
"Fortunately," continued Harry, "I managed to tag him as well."
"Did the knife trick work?" asked Luna, who was still helping Hermione move the bodies from upstairs.
"Sure did," said Harry, giving the ravenclaw a smile. "I wonder how Tom will deal with the present we left for him."
"What present?" asked James Potter, clearly annoyed at not knowing what was happening.
Harry looked at his father, and the smile faded from his face. "We treated a set of throwing knives with basilisk venom, Mister Potter."
"You took an enormous risk with that, Harry," said Dumbledore.
"Not really," replied Harry, coolly, "Seeing as how I seem to be immune to basilisk venom, thanks to Slytherin's Beast from second year."
"Still," said Dumbledore, before trailing off. He hadn't known about the side effects of a basilisk wound mixed with phoenix tears, but he should have. If Tom dies now, he'll just become a spirit again. The boy may have ruined everything!
"Why didn't you call the aurors?" asked James.
Harry pointed at one of the bodies, now laid out in one corner of the entrance hall. When the Order members looked, they saw the auror robes. "Because the night started with that auror - who was a marked death eater, I should add - executing his partner, and then attempting to kill Madam Bones."
Sirius, who already knew this, watched James and the Headmaster for their reactions. Both were surprised at the revelation that death eaters had penetrated the DMLE. It almost made him want to shake his head - what other department made more sense as a target, if you were Voldemort? All that work James and Dumbledore had spent trying to figure out who wore the mark, and there was at least one they knew nothing about standing next to the Director of the DMLE.
"And the floo was shut down, I suppose?" commented Diggle.
"We're working on that," said Remus, getting looks from James and Dumbledore.
Before anyone could ask what he meant, the flames in the fireplace turned bright green. All eyes turned to the now working floo, only to see Kingsley and Tonks step out.
"We were right," Kingsley said, carefully not mentioning if he was reporting to Dumbledore or Harry. "The night crew in the floo office was made up of two wizards, both wearing the mark."
"Merlin," said Diggle, shock on his face.
Harry took in the look of surprise on the face of the old wizard, and then saw the same surprise on the face of the Headmaster. "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that no one thought to check the floo office when attacks like this one keep happening? Where the floo just happens to shut itself off right when there's an attack?"
"There's only so much that can be done, Harry…" began Dumbledore.
Possibly for the first time in his life, Kingsley interrupted the Headmaster. "Actually, Tonks and I came up with the plan when we learned of the attack here, Albus." He shared a look at Tonks, before continuing. "We thought it might be our best shot at catching them in the act."
"And it was."
All eyes turned to the staircase, where Madam Amelia Bones was walking down slowly, a large sack floating behind her. Harry was relieved to see that the Colonel was not in evidence - he would have been portkeyed away before the Headmaster or Minister could find him at the scene of a death eater attack. All agreed that his involvement should be kept secret as long as possible.
If asked, Amelia would claim that she sent him home before the shooting began.
Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she looked at the Headmaster. The Headmaster, in turn, looked back. Neither was willing to break the silence, so in the end it was Dedalus Diggle who spoke first.
"Do you have any thoughts on Mister Potter's murder spree out front, Madam Bones?" Diggle asked.
Amelia arched an eyebrow at that. "I'd say that I was disappointed, Lord Diggle, simply because a few of them managed to get away."
James Potter had had enough, at this point. "He can't just be allowed to kill people and get away with it!"
Harry kissed Susan on the forehead, and then stood up. No one missed the gesture. He walked toward the Order members, considering how to respond. Everyone in the entrance hall seemed to hold their breath in anticipation.
Before he could speak, however, the fireplace glowed green once more, and Cornelius Fudge stepped out of the floo. Aurors Dawlish and Hightower followed him, their wands out.
The Minister was just about to begin blustering when Amelia's voice called out, silencing him. "Dawlish! Hightower! Show me your left arms." When both turned to look at her, she showed her wand. "Now!"
Dawlish revealed his bare forearm, having figured out what she was after. Hightower glared at her.
"How dare you accuse me of being a death eater!" he snarled at his Director. He did not have a chance to say anything further, for at that moment Tonks stunned him. When he crumpled to the floor, Shacklebolt pulled up the man's sleeve, showing no dark mark.
"He's clean," announced Shacklebolt. "Just an idiot."
"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Minister Fudge.
"The meaning of this, Minister, is that one of the aurors on my protection detail was a marked death eater. He killed his partner and tried to kill me." She gestured at the dead auror in the corner. "I wanted to make sure your protection was what it should be, and it seems that it is."
"Oh, well," he muttered. As he took in the sight of the five dead bodies, Fudge paled noticeably. "I was told there was an attack?"
Amelia nodded. "Thirty death eaters attacked, Minister, as well as the dark lord himself."
"Oh, oh my," whimpered Fudge.
"Lord Potter was here visiting with my niece, and graciously assisted in our defense." Amelia continued. "He delayed the main force out front, while I worked on bringing down the anti-portkey wards."
"Delayed?" James Potter scoffed. "He slaughtered them, is what he did."
Fudge looked at Harry Potter, who clearly had been in some sort of battle. "How many did you kill, Mister Potter?"
Harry looked evenly at the Minister. "I believe I am responsible, directly or indirectly, for over a dozen kills out front. Maybe more."
"Is that bragging I hear, Harry?" sneered James.
Harry turned to his father. "Mister Potter, I was defending the lives of my betrothed and her guardian, as well as conducting a defensive action against wizards with whom our House has a declared blood feud." His voice rose as his eyes bored into James, who involuntarily took a step back. "This is a matter of House Honour, a subject about which you know sweet fuck all, so if you please, be silent!"
The last two words seemed to have a power of their own, carrying Harry's authority as Lord Potter. Whatever angry retort James had prepared died on his lips, and the best he could muster was an angry glare at his son.
The tension broke when Fudge managed to croak out another question.
"How do you know that Lord… well, you know, him… I mean…" His voice trailed off when he saw the impatient look on Harry's face.
"I dueled him outside, Minister Fudge," said Harry.
"And his familiar attacked Susan and I," continued Amelia.
Dumbledore paled. Nagini had been the last horcrux, if his theory was correct. "Did the snake escape?"
Amelia's eyes narrowed, and she flicked her wand at the large sack that had settled behind her. It upended itself, dumping the corpse of Nagini onto the marble floor.
"Ah," whimpered the Minister.
Harry ignored Fudge, focusing his attention on James and the Headmaster. He saw the worried look they shared, and his eyes narrowed. Then he remembered his reunion with the Potters at Grimmauld Place, where they had discussed the idea that the dark lord had made horcruxes. He remembered that James and Sirius had agreed with his theory that Nagini was one of the horcruxes - perhaps the last, if Dumbledore's theory that Voldemort had made three was accurate.
Perhaps Voldemort was now mortal.
It was obvious that Dumbledore had come to the same conclusion from his reaction to the ruined corpse of the snake. Then the Headmaster turned, and saw that Harry had seen that reaction. Dumbledore's eyes narrowed for an instant, as if he had been caught giving away information, before he went back to his usual grandfatherly demeanor. The act was wasted on Harry, now that he could see through it - but he wasn't about to tell Dumbledore that fact.
For a brief instant, he worried about his brother. If Voldemort was indeed mortal, would Jamie get deployed as the 'boy-who-lived'? Would he be prepared?
Would the adults in his brother's life protect him, like they never had protected Harry?
"Cornelius," began Amelia, in her Director Bones voice. It was a clear signal that she was taking command of the situation, and that she didn't care what anyone else thought.
"Yes, Amelia?" Fudge asked, turning his still pale features in her direction.
"I'm going to have my aurors interview the captured death eaters tomorrow, before we ship them off to the continent." She gestured at Harry, who had kept his eyes on the Headmaster. "I'll also have someone interview Mister Potter, so that we have an accurate picture of what happened tonight."
"The dead…" began the Headmaster, but Amelia cut him off with a glare.
"The dead are all marked, Albus," she said, her tone harsh, as if she was annoyed at having to explain the situation. "Even if he was not acting on my behalf as Lady of the Manor, or Regent Bones, or as guardian of his betrothed, you know as well as I that the blood feud excuses everything he did tonight. He was under direct attack by the other party to the feud. Legally, you cannot touch him."
Now it was Fudge who glared briefly at the DMLE Director, causing Harry's eyes to narrow. A glance told him that Neville had seen it too. Fudge may be a problem, he thought.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was again the one who broke the tension. "I believe we can take it from here, Director," he said. "You should get some rest."
"Potter Manor is open to you, Amelia," said Harry. "Until your wards are back to 100%, you and Susan are welcome." He ignored the renewed glare from James as he spoke.
Amelia looked to her niece, and got the nod she had expected. With a smile, she nodded to Harry. "You are gracious, Lord Potter. Of course we accept."
"Good," Harry replied. "Dobby!"
Dobby appeared, still wearing his fatigues. Harry ignored the looks the elf got from the Order members still present, and spoke directly to the Elf. "Everyone back to base, Dobby, plus Amelia and Susan."
The elf gave him a salute, before popping away. Amelia and Susan were taken first, followed by Neville, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione. Harry was the last, and he offered the Order a wave before he, too, had vanished.
Fudge made his excuses and left as well, taking the floo. Soon, it was just the aurors and a few of the Order members who remained. Dumbledore looked to Dedalus Diggle, and sighed.
"I was right," he said quietly. "This is a problem."
A/N: This chapter shows us a bit of the aftermath of the battle, as well as where our other players were during the action. I'm the sort of writer who lets readers carry some of the load, and thus the timeline isn't called out in a hatnote or whatever - but I think it's pretty clear what is happening when. It turns on Harry rushing to Susan and Amelia - and Ramsay, who gets out of dodge before questions can be asked.
As I noted to one reader, it has been a rather busy summer, hasn't it? We're over 100k into this story (!) and it isn't even August yet. After all of this, it will be nice for everyone to get some quiet time at school, where nothing exciting happens, right?
Thank you again to Grimjaw for giving these chapters the sanity checks they need to make sense.
Feedback, as always, is welcome.