Firebird-fenix - Thank you for your input. In this story, Hermione was not chosen by the gods. She will not be resurrected as Harry was. At this time, I have no plans to bring Hermione back from the dead.

A/N - this is a short chapter. My mother was in the hospital and just got home Tuesday afternoon. It was either publish a short one or skip a week to get the full chapter out. I elected the former.

CHAPTER FIVE

The fireplace in the Hogwarts' headmaster office ignited and Dumbledore walked through the green flame. Immediately he was immobilized with magic chains and knocked to the floor. Dumbledore turned his head and his met him with McGonagall's intense anger and her wand pointed directly at his face in a shaky hand.

"Do you think I am an idiot, Albus? Did you think I wouldn't notice? The day after Harry Potter's disappearance, a miraculous treaty is forged with Voldemort?"

"Minerva, I think you're quite…"

"SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD! How convenient it must have been for you! Throw away one child's life and everything goes back to normal. Oh, right… it wasn't just one life… it was TWO! You killed Hermione, too. Easily one of the brightest children to ever WALK these halls in decades."

"Minerva, I don't know what y…"

"DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME AGAIN, or so help me…" Minerva growled at Dumbledore. Her eyes were fixed on his face. "You. Didn't. Even. Look. For. Them."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. He was so fixated on how to get rid of Potter, and was so intoxicated over how much he didn't have to worry about Voldemort for the time being, he had let his guard down and forgot how his immediate behavior could compromise his actions.

"You sent others, but you didn't go yourself. You cared so MUCH about the welfare of Harry Potter and his importance for his prophesied future. You never went because you already knew where they were."

Albus remained quiet, while he was busy focusing on McGonagall, his hands were searching the secret pockets concealed on his robe.

"I was so ready… so willing to BELIEVE you. Give the benefit of the doubt." Tears streamed down Professor McGonagall's cheeks, "and then that damn prophecy exposed you. It told everyone that you failed Harry Potter."

"So" Dumbledore thought to himself, "The prophecy didn't say I killed Potter. Only that I failed him. McGonagall only put it together because she's known me for as long as she has. She obviously hasn't told anyone else yet, otherwise she wouldn't be here confronting me, by herself."

"Well," Minerva scoffed triumphantly, "for your information, Harry Potter is returning. For judgment, Albus. FOR OUR JUDGMENT! I can only imagine what kind of revenge plan he has in store for the world that tortured him and abandoned him at every turn."

Dumbledore was considering the last words she spoke. Potter was returning. Clearly the failsafes protecting Potter were much stronger than he had anticipated. It didn't matter. He had to find out what Harry's return meant, but first he had to get free.

"You seem to have your mind made up, Minerva. What do you intend to do?"

"I'm going to stake you to the ground in front of the school, Albus Dumbledore! Whatever judgment Harry Potter is coming to deliver, he can deliver it to you alone. I won't let any more students come to harm."

"Shouldn't you be handing me over to Aurors, if you're so certain I'm a threat?" Dumbledore goaded. His gambit was almost ready to put into play. He just needed a few minutes more.

"Oh please. Fudge has been taking full credit for the peace treaty since it's announcement. If that poor boy's death was such a lynchpin of the deal, Fudge would have known about it. No, this is what you deserve."

Dumbledore sighed.

"You may be right, Minerva. However, I can't allow it to happen." Dumbledore spoke assuredly as he activated the device in his hand. The device glowed briefly and then shattered the magic chains binding him. The force of the repulsion threw Minerva against the wall behind her as rattled portraits tumbled down to the ground around her.

Dumbledore, now free, got up immediately and summoned Minerva's wand to his hand.

"How?" groaned Professor McGonagall weakly, laying on the floor. The room was spinning and she was clutching the back of her head while attempting to prop herself up.

"Silly woman." Dumbledore replied. "Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for such a straightforward attack? Do you honestly think that you're the only one who has ever attempted to bind me against my will?"

Dumbledore held up his hand but Minerva, still dazed, could barely see it.

"Touch-activated Notice-me-not wards tattooed with disillusioned ink into the palms of my hands. Just strong enough to keep any would-be captor from seeing what I do with my hands. Once activated, I could have built a muggle bomb in front of you and you'd never have known until it was too late, but all I truly needed was the time to locate, and activate a small device that released a previously set charge of magical energy targeted directly at your binding spell."

"You murder… r… r" McGonagall collapsed.

"Stupefy!" Dumbledore hit the already unconscious Minerva McGonagall with a stunner. He was certain he was safe, but there was too much at stake to take unnecessary risks.

First things were first. There were too many conscious entities in the immediate area. Dumbledore raised his wand.

"OBLIVIATE!"

The memories of the portraits, the sorting hat, and McGonagall from the previous 24 hours was erased. But with everything that had happened, it was a temporary fix. As soon as Minerva learned about the prophecy again from any number of students who had overheard the prophecy, she would piece everything together again and the two of them would be right back where they started when he had returned from the states. He was hoping he wouldn't have to kill her. She had been a dear friend and a resourceful tool for decades, but now she was undeniably a loose end, and he knew her fondness for Harry Potter and Hermione Granger would never allow her to see the long term benefits that their sacrifice would have produced had his gambit been successful.

Dumbledore quickly weighed the options and sighed at the final conclusion. Minerva McGonagall's usefulness had come to an end, she would only ever exist as his enemy from now on. It was time to say goodbye.

"Immobulus" Dumbledore cast softly, almost sadly. Within her chest, Minerva's heart stopped beating. Dumbledore sighed again as he disillusioned her body as her lips began to turn a deep shade of blue.

Dumbledore placed Minerva's wand on his desk and then moved to his chair. He spun his wand and the chair levitated and flipped over. He turned the disillusionment charm off and a small lockbox appeared attached to the bottom of the seat. A swish of his wand unlocked and opened the lockbox. Inside was the Philosopher Stone sliver, a vial of bluish gray fluid, and a few documents, neatly folded. Dumbledore scooped up the contents and began to pack his necessities into a bag he would later shrink down and escape with should he need to. He needed to make absolutely sure it was a no-win situation before he abandoned all of his machinations and flee Britain to warmer climates. His next stop would be to see Fudge.

The dark wizards were firing volley after volley of all manner of spells at the ebon clad Potter. An anti-magic field was preventing any magic from coming within a meter of the bipedal beast now standing over a very unconscious Alecto Carrow. Harry Potter's eyes were burning brighter as he bent his fingers like a clutching claw over her body.

"ANIMA… TUA… MEA… EST"

The incantation was spoken again but what came between the words and after was what truly chilled the spines of those closest… the unnatural language that sounded like cosmic static was emanating from Harry's mouth and echoed by his dark aura. Alecto's body began to shudder violently as a bright gray mist was being extracted unceremoniously from her torso, leaving her now lifeless body behind. The glowing mist screamed out with Alecto's terrified voice as it was pulled out and concentrated in Harry's hand. Harry then latched his fingers around the spiritual energy and lifted it to his bony crown. The addition of the spirit to the two others, the remnants of Avery and Nott, recently harvested themselves, created another small flash of light as it, too, was imprisoned and began generating an ethereal, soul-white flame from the crest of the structure of vertical bones encircling Harry's head.