Yorkshire

The day started out ordinary enough. The muggles were going about their business when a man, dressed in robes and wearing a mask appeared beside the road. With a gesture from the stick he was holding and a few nonsense syllables, a jet of green light flew from the stick. It struck a van that was parked at the side of the road, the vehicle exploded in a shower of burning metal.

Curious onlookers began to come out of the local shops to see what had caused the disturbance. With a pop, the man disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared.

Mr. Clive who had seen the man disappear thought he was seeing things which were not there. No one could just vanish into thin air like that.

There was quite a crowd gathered around the burning wreckage that had been a panel van only a minute ago. As they were asking about what had happened, it was old Watson who started telling them what he saw. The old fellow had a talent for telling tales but his account was interrupted by a steady thudding that was getting louder. As the ground began to shake, a boulder came hurtling through the air and crushed a couple of the bystanders.

When they looked for the source of the ground shaking thunder and the flying boulder, they refused to believe their own eyes. It was something that they had only heard in legends. It was a giant! His Huge boulder-like head was higher than the two-story buildings on the street. Although his strides seemed unhurried, he was covering more ground than a running man could. He bent down to pick up a car in both hands. There was somebody in it!

The crowd screamed and started to run for cover as the car came hurtling through the air to land where they had just stood. A couple more people who weren't fast enough were crushed under the wreck and the driver was not much better off.

He tore up a lamp pole with each hand and started smashing vehicles, buildings and people. Nobody could out-distance the giant on foot. No building could stand up to his battering. The muggles who were able to get to their cars drove away as fast as they could. Fires were starting in some of the destroyed buildings.

A team of wizards from the Ministry's Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures arrived on the scene. Their leader shouted at the giant, "Stop right there or we will have to put you down!"

The giant made to crush him under his foot but the wizard had the presence of mind to disapparate before the huge foot flattened him. The team responded by firing coordinated volleys of stunners at the huge head and they only succeeded in making the walking mountain angry. It had been a long time since any wizard in Britain had to battle a giant and they seemed to have forgotten that not only are they massive, their hides are also highly magic resistant. In any case, they needed backup to have any hope to stop this one and they put in a call to the ministry for help.

The raging giant charged at the wizards, trying to bat them with the lamp poles or crush them under his feet. They kept disapparating away and apparating at his back, continuing to pepper him with stunners and bombarda. They coordinated high-powered stingers, first at the giant's right eye, then at his left. Bellowing with rage and confusion, the giant dropped the lamp posts and tried to shield his eyes. In blind fury, he kicked out at the wizards who were tormenting him, catching one of them in the chest and head. The wizard tumbled backward and landed in a limp heap. Before the giant could attack the downed wizard again, his companions distracted him while one of the wizard's companions summoned the injured wizard from where he lay then sent him off to St. Mungo's with a portkey.

The spells were not bringing the giant down. They tried banishing large boulders and trees at him. He either swatted them aside or, much worse, caught them and hurled them back at his attackers. To their relief, so far, there were no death eaters present. Nor had any muggle law enforcement arrived. That was a good thing. The muggles would only be in harm's way. Death eaters would certainly complicate things.

With a loud crack, a team of ten Aurors arrived. With the precision of hard practice, they spread out in a semi-circle. On a signal from their leader, they let loose with a volley of high-powered bombarda. The giant was knocked back from the impact, but barely harmed. The giant bellowed with rage. Picking up a large tree with both hands, he swept the Aurors with a single swing. They saw the blow coming with the horrible slow-motion inevitability of a nightmare. They disapparated at the last possible moment to apparate at the giant's back and fire again.

One of the wizards from the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures got the idea that firing a stunner directly into the giant's ear might bring him down. Perhaps moved to rage at the destruction of his fellow wizard, he acted on the impulse and apparated to the giant's shoulder. Before he could test his theory, the giant plucked him off with his terrible crushing grip and hurled him to the ground with a sickening crunch. Not content with the wizard's death, the giant crushed the lifeless body under his massive foot. Another of them caught a piece of debris to his head and fell under a pile of falling rubble as a building collapsed.

The Aurors regrouped and started to conjure objects to bring down the beast. That was when about 30 death eaters arrived. The death eaters were casting killing curses in all directions. They were not there to engage the Aurors in duels. Before the Aurors even realised that the death eaters were there, a few of them were down. By the time the Aurors got wise, the death eaters had disappeared. That left 5 Aurors with about 6 employees of the Department of Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures dead. When the backup team arrived with the ministry Obliviation squad, the Giant was long gone and the Dark Mark was in the air trumpeting Voldemort's strike against the Ministry.

Manchester

The wizarding district in Manchester was not as huge or grandiose as Diagon Alley. It did not have the extensive security measures in place the way Diagon alley did either. A group of about ten masked figures appeared in the street causing immediate panic. People screamed and ran in all directions, trying to flee. The group of death eaters wasted no time. They fired off the killing curses at everyone they could see and set the buildings on fire. Taking only another second to place the dark mark in the sky, they vanished again. By the time the ministry Aurors arrived, they found people putting out fires or weeping over their murdered loved ones.

These scenes were repeated all over Britain. Magical communities, muggle communities, it didn't matter. Before the day was done, terror was a reality. About 20 wizards and witches plus another 30 muggles lay dead. Some were dead from the killing curse, meaning that they had no sign of how they were killed while others bore the grizzly reminders of what happens when a giant attacks. Some key places were fairly safe like Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, St. Mungo's and the ministry building. General Longbottom knew that if he was going to make people feel safe again, he had to find a more effective way to respond to attacks in other places.

Hogwarts

"Giant attack: 11 dead including 10 muggles, 15 injured

Yesterday was a day which proved disastrous to the ministry forces when a Giant rampaged through the countryside in Yorkshire causing unprecedented destruction. The Aurors were dispatched to deal with it. Five of them were killed at its hands while 6 employees of the Department for Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures lost their lives. Muggle casualties were limited to only two. It has been reported that two more Aurors sustained serious injuries. About 13 more muggles were severely injured and may not live. The injured are being treated at St. Mungo's.

While the giant attack was in progress, around 30 death eaters, in a cowardly hit and run raid, caused the majority of the deaths and vanished before they could be engaged in battle. The former executioner of the Ministry of Magic, Walden Macnair was reported to have been leading the death eaters.

The department of Misinformation and the Obliviation Squads of the Ministry are working to obliviate every muggle who has seen the Giant while spreading misinformation that the damage and deaths were caused by a hurricane."

This had been the news in the Daily Prophet with a picture showing the Giant tearing up lamp poles with one hand. Harry read the paper and sighed. He knew that they could have taken down the Giant if there were sufficient wizards on their side. He presumed that none of the Aurors or employees of the Department who were involved had ever faced a Giant before.

There was another headline on the lower half of the front page.

"Death Eater raids: 10 dead, 5 injured

10 wizards died and 5 were grievously injured in a series of attacks in the hidden wizarding district in Manchester and in other similar remote places.

Before the ministry forces could retaliate or the Wizarding Patrols could intervene, the death eaters were gone. It is similar to their modus operandi of the previous war where the death eaters adopted Guerilla style warfare and had caused considerable damage to the morale of the Aurors and the people.

General Longbottom has promised severe retaliation for the attacks."

Harry knew this would be a severe blow to the morale of the ministry forces. Having lost 31 lives in a day was a catastrophe. The ministry would have to retaliate heavily. He however did not understand why Dumbledore did not tell him anything about the attacks. Snape definitely would have told him.

He was also wondering why the mystics did not intervene. They definitely could have killed the giant.

The Chamber of Secrets

Harry was waiting for Vikram when he arrived in the Chamber. The first question which he asked of the older wizard was, "Why didn't the mystics intervene? They could have killed the giant."

Vikram sighed, "Harry, Guruji has asked us to not to intervene. We did our bit by training you but now it is your duty to do what you would. I can help you train and practice but that is all. Besides, there are only a handful of Mystics in Avalon right now since most of them have been called to Africa. We cannot be everywhere at the same time. Also your ministry Aurors would have questioned us if we intervened and they saw us."

Harry nodded, "I need your help with something Professor."

Vikram was very eager to help, "How can I help you?"

Harry asked him, "Can you help me find the lost Ravenclaw Diadem? We need to find it before it is too late. We lost 26 in a day. That is a tremendous loss. We cannot afford more of them."

Vikram nodded, "I think you should start with trying to find who had it last. I know for a fact that Rowena did not have it when she died. Her daughter had taken it from her. From that time, the history becomes untraceable. You would need to establish the links. Find what happened to her daughter, Helena."

Harry nodded. He knew this would need to be done in secret because if Tom got suspicious then he could move it away and they would be left with nothing. All he knew was the appearance of the room where the Diadem was. He needed to find it before it was too late.

Vikram was speaking, "Harry, how are your preparations for war going?"

Harry mused over things for a moment before he started speaking, "We are starting to divide the students into combatants, medics and those who can keep an eye on students we have evacuated. The contraption for the poison is almost ready and we will be using it extensively. For reasons of safety, I would rather that only some of the most trusted Aurors used them because if it got into the hands of the wrong people, it can wreck havoc on our forces. Seamus and his crew are quite proficient with the catapults. That will be an unpleasant surprise if any giants show up here and thanks to the Fidelius charm, they are guaranteed to remain a surprise."

Vikram was satisfied with the preparations, "it looks like you have almost everything covered Harry. I will point out if you are missing something. There is one piece of advice I would like to give you though. You should test your students to see how quickly they can respond to emergency situation. I believe you can summon them individually through the Protean Charm."

Harry nodded, "We might as well do it sooner than later. We want to be sure that they will respond quickly when called upon."

A drill

In the next session in the Room of Requirement, Harry caught hold of some of the students. These were not part of the order but some of those who had been training with him. He had sent messages to them before the session to stay back after the others were gone.

After everyone else was gone, he started addressing them, "I suppose that you are wondering why I asked all of you to stay back. The thing is that I need some help from you, that is if you are willing."

One of the muggle-born, Patrick Stewart, a sixth year Ravenclaw said, "Think nothing of it. Just let us know what we can do for you?"

Harry smirked, "I'm glad you asked. The thing is that I need to test you to see how quickly you can respond to my messages. That is, if I send a message to you through the wand holster attached to your arm, I want to see how soon you can arrive. This will be useful if I am planning something including you in it."

Patrick nodded, "When you need us, just send a message."

Another of them, a seventh year Hufflepuff asked, "How will we know if we are sleeping at the moment when you send us a message?"

Harry smirked, "The protean charm on them is tweaked to emit a buzz when I am sending such messages to you. You will know."

They agreed and left.

That night, two Hufflepuffs and two Slytherins got a message from Harry. It simply said, "I need you all at the Astronomy Tower in 10 minutes, armed for a duel. Do not get caught by Prefects."

At the same time, two Ravenclaws and two Gryffindors were getting a message, "I need you in the Dungeons within 10 minutes, armed for a duel. Do not be caught by the Prefects."

The badgers and the snakes were in the dungeons so they had to climb to the top of the castle while the lion and the claws were to descend to the lowest levels. Dumbledore had put more people on patrol that night. Harry told him that he was testing his students and asked the Headmaster to make the test somewhat more difficult. Dumbledore readily agreed.

In total there were 24 Prefects including the Head Boy and Head Girl. Their numbers were augmented by four teachers, Minerva, Vikram, Pomona and Filius had been put on duty to supervise that the prefects were not abusing their authority. Dumbledore himself was in the shadows keeping watch while he had the portraits and the ghosts watch the castle. In a way, there was simply no way for the students to go to the top of the castle or in the dungeons evading surveillance which had been laid out for them. Just to increase their troubles, Harry had asked Peeves to give trouble to the students.

To top it off, he had chosen two puffs who could not work together. These had some issues with each other and Harry knew that they would fare badly in battle if they could not rely on those who were fighting beside them.

The puffs were Gwendolyn Shaw and Rupert McNaughton. They hated each other. They had some squabble when they were in second year. Ever since then they had a grudge for each other. Harry knew about it because he had seen them being nasty to each other in his practice sessions.

Rupert barked, "What do you think you're doing Shaw?"

She snapped in reply, "Who do you think you are to ask? I can do whatever I want."

When they left the portrait hole, they met the snakes who were Harriet Jackson and Celeste De Angelo. They were said to be friends with each other. When they met the puffs, they greeted them jovially, "Hello you two. I guess you got the same message as us?"

They nodded, "Yes we did. Are you headed to the Astronomy Tower?"

They nodded and they grouped together. The snakes noticed how the two Puffs kept their distance from each other.

Harriet asked, "Are you two still squabbling? It's been four years."

Gwendolyn said, "That's right and he still hasn't apologized."

Rupert growled, "It wasn't me. I would have apologized if it was. I'm telling you again, I did not throw any dungbomb at you."

Before Gwendolyn could say anything, Celeste said, "It is about time you knew the truth. I know for a fact that Rupert didn't throw the dungbomb. It was Warrington."

Gwendolyn was unconvinced, "I don't believe it. You're lying."

She sighed, "I have nothing to gain by lying to you, Shaw. Believe what you want. Right now, let's concentrate on getting to the Astronomy tower. I would appreciate it if you would be quiet. If we are caught on the way due to your squabbling, I swear by Merlin that I will make your life hell."

Their first test came on the first floor where they almost ran into the Hufflepuff sixth year prefects. It so happened that they were ascending the moving stair cases when they heard voices and they realised they were about to be caught.

Making a decision in that moment, they cast disillusionment charms on each other though Rupert refused to let Gwendolyn do it so Celeste had to do it for him. They were done at the last possible second. As they finished applying the charms, they could hear the Prefects coming.

As the Prefects turned a corner, they were hiding in dark corners. When the Prefects passed them, the Puffs stunned them.

On the second floor, they had no problem. They did not encounter any prefects. They got lax until they ran into Vikram Rana who was on the lookout for them. They employed the same tactic with him but being a mystic and sensitive to magic, he could feel that they were there under disillusionment charms.

When he stopped the students tensed for a moment. He cautiously moved his hand forward to grab hold of them when suddenly he went rigid. There was Elsa Kuruvilla behind him, grinning with her wand held out in front of her. Profusely thanking her, they went forward. They were almost caught by Professor McGonagall who was prowling in her cat form. Since it was not very bright, Gwendolyn tried to pick up the cat to pet it thinking it was one of many which roamed around the castle when suddenly Rupert had to pull her hand back hissing in her ear, "That's McGonagall."

She shuddered slightly. Before she could do anything else, there was a dull thud and the cat fell to the ground. The students had enough presence of mind to keep their faces hidden because someone among them had only petrified her.

Their real test came on the sixth floor where they had to duel with some masked men. There were a few more of them going towards the seventh floor. They realised that Harry had asked them to help because the school was under attack!

The masked men didn't have an aversion to using some of the borderline dark spells against them. They did not give them time to retaliate. The four kept dodging while they waited for a lull to begin casting. When it did not come, they exchanged glances and decided some strategy among them.

Gwendolyn who was near to Rupert cast a shield which covered both of them and he dropped his shield. This had the benefit of having him shielded while he fought with them. Their opponents had not visualised such strategy so two of them were down before they could adapt. By the time they were ready to retaliate, Celeste and Harriet stunned them.

When they were sure that their opponents would not suddenly get up and start casting again, Rupert said, "Let's see who is under those masks."

Harriet shook her head, "Let's bind them in ropes and leave. We do not have much time left."

When they finally did reach the Astronomy Tower, it had been 15 minutes. When they burst into the open, two of them were stunned from behind. When the other two turned around, they were stunned by someone who had been standing under disillusionment charm.

The claws and lions didn't do too badly. The lions were friends with each other and they knew that Harry or someone would definitely be lying in wait for them somewhere in the castle.

Harry struck them before they thought he would. They had just exited the portrait hole and were on their way to the dungeons when the twins appeared before them grinning, "Are you fine lads breaking curfew?"

They were alert and started throwing stunning spells at the twins. Fred and George however were much better at casting and dodging. Besides they were unbeatable as a team than the likes of those two students. The twins made short work of them and then went off to find the Ravenclaws.

Elsa Kuruvilla had escaped detection by anyone until she reached the dungeons. When she was nearing the potions dungeon, she found herself hoisted by one ankle.

The other claw, Matthew Montgomery was cautiously sneaking forwards towards the dungeons when he was attacked by two of his house mates, Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst. He duelled with them for some time before the fifth year Ravenclaw prefects found them.

Padma hailed them, "What are you all doing?"

Terry had the audacity to grin, "As it turns out, me and Mandy were duelling with Matthew here."

Padma snapped, "Why are you all duelling? Not to mention breaking curfew?"

Glances were exchanged between them and Terry who had his wand in his hand sent an inaudible stunner at Anthony. Padma, who realised in the nick of time, what he was doing, had stunned Mandy. Matthew escaped in the chaos of the situation. He also came upon Elsa who was hoisted upwards down by her ankle and released her. Together they cautiously walked forward towards the Dungeons when Susan met them.

She was grinning, "You both did well. This was a test to see if you could swiftly respond to the situation. You were about 2 minutes late. I don't think Harry will think badly of you for this. You can return to your dorms now."

In the meanwhile, Padma had been backed up by Hermione Granger who just happened to be passing through that floor on her patrol. She helped Padma bring down Terry who was the last one standing. After Terry was subdued, Padma waited for Matthew to return. They got Elsa as a bonus. Hermione and Padma subdued them easily.

Unknown Castle

A meeting of Voldemort's inner circle was in progress. They gathered after they read the news in the Daily Prophet which boosted their morale. To think they had delivered such a blow to wizarding Britain in such a swift manner was euphoric for them and Voldemort. Most of them were starting to question their loyalty to Voldemort, they knew that they could not openly question him unless they wanted to die.

Besides, Voldemort had his own uses for them. If he ever was able to take over the Ministry, they would have their run of Wizarding Britain and would be free to do whatever they pleased. He might be half-blood but he was feared by the light. They could cash in on his reputation to get whatever benefit they could.

"The Giant attack has destroyed the Ministry's morale a good bit", Voldemort was saying, "They will not be foolish enough to take me lightly for some time now. In the mean while I have some work to do. I want you all to sow terror in the heart of the ministry for me. Do what you can and do not hesitate to kill as many as you can. However remember that Harold Peverell has to be killed only by me."

Bellatrix asked, "Master what will we do about our followers? They cannot fight the Aurors and win against them."

Voldemort turned his cold gaze towards her, "Now that you mention it, Bella, you are to take over the training of my faithful. Teach them to be ruthless. Teach them to kill. Teach them to win. You may use whatever means you wish to motivate them to greater efforts. I expect that you can improve their showing against the ministry attack dogs. In the meanwhile, I shall be out of Wizarding Britain to recruit more followers."

He turned to Greyback, "Fenrir, you have served me well all these years. I need you to spread fear of my name in Wizarding Britain. Make them fear me again. I will reward you most handsomely for your services. Dolohov, Rudolphus and Rabbastan will help you and you can use any many followers as you wish."

Fenrir smirked maliciously, "I will do your bidding, master."

Finally Rookwood said what the others did not want to, "Master, are we permitted to hunt the ministry officials and the order members in your absence?"

Voldemort sneered, "Kill as many of them as you can, Augustus. I especially want you to kill General Longbottom, his wife, Amelia Bones and every other blood traitor who dares to oppose our cause."

He turned to Severus, "Severus, you are to come to this castle once a week to gauge the progress of my followers. In the meanwhile keep Harold Peverell and Albus Dumbledore's attention away from us."

Severus curtly nodded, "Yes my lord."

Voldemort beckoned the wand-maker forward, "I want you to outfit my followers with wands. Parkinson will ensure that you get all the materials you require."

With that he dismissed the meeting. Since Severus was needed at the castle to convey the information to Dumbledore, he promptly took his leave while Bellatrix was still sitting at the table. He turned to her, "Bella, I want you to do a service for me about which Severus must know nothing."

She enthusiastically nodded, "I will do it, my lord."

He started speaking, "Bella, I assume that you have read the rubbish in the Daily prophet that mudbloods are descended from wizarding families. I want you to kill those mudbloods first."

She cackled, "It will be done, master."

The reason he did not want Severus to know about the attacks on the muggle-born was because Severus had once asked him a boon to spare Lily Potter. The attempt to grant that boon had been his undoing. Maybe Severus still harboured a foolish sentiment for the muggle-born and he would have told Dumbledore about it. He could not take any chances by giving too many secrets to the same person. Besides, if he kept giving secrets to different followers they would fight with each other to get his attention and that would keep them from plotting against him.

Voldemort also knew Bella was insane even before she was sent to prison. It was her insanity, her fervent devotion to him and her prowess with a wand along with the magic in her blood which made her amenable to Voldemort. She was the only witch in his inner circle and she had got that place due to her talents though lately Voldemort was feeling that she was not as powerful as she had once been. He would have to wait and watch to ascertain if his trusted lieutenant had lost her edge. What he did not know was that since her marriage had been dissolved and she had been ousted from the House of Black, the family magics had abandoned her. She was no better than a muggle born now. The only things left to her were her own personal brand of magic, her cruelty and her prowess with a wand. While she could not use family magics of any of the families anymore, she was still a dreaded witch. Whoever faced her would have the time of their lives trying to defeat her.

That evening, Voldemort left the unknown castle for other countries in Europe including Russia. He also intended to visit Transylvania to recruit the vampires to his cause. If they decided to join him, his forces would be augmented beyond imagination. In the past, he had sent his followers to try to recruit the leeches to his cause. They had refused saying that they were under threat of extinction by a renowned Vampire Hunter called Petrov. Voldemort was willing to kill this Petrov if he proved to be an obstacle to realising his dreams. He also had acquaintances in other countries, dark wizards who had studied Necromancy with him under Master Abaddon who lived in Ancient Greece.

Unknown to him, Petrov was busy exterminating Vampire Covens. In the last 6 months, he had destroyed 3 covens which had made the blood suckers fear his name. He had told them to humour Voldemort and host him under their roof but not commit to him. They were to send word to Petrov immediately. He was not going to kill Voldemort but could not resist the opportunity to cross wands with him.

That evening, he left Wizarding Britain. He expected that he may be abroad for the next two months. He would face some opposition but it had been a long time since he had faced some real challenge. He needed to sharpen his knives now before his eventual confrontation with Harold Peverell. He also needed to find his master Abaddon. He would be able to learn something more in Necromancy to win this war.

He had placed Bellatrix and Severus in charge of affairs. Bellatrix was to be in charge of training the troops and directing attacks on the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Severus would look after his followers and ensure that Dumbledore and Peverell could not get at them.

Gringotts

Ragnok was in his office when he received a letter from Albus Dumbledore. It read:

"Greetings King Ragnok,

I am writing this letter after having been inundated by requests from several of my students who are called muggle-born. After the recent article published in The Daily Prophet regarding the Magical Ancestry of Muggle-born, I am writing to enquire if there is a way that the inheritance rituals can be conducted for these students in the school. What would b the cost of the tests and other related details? While I am determined to get this test done for them, this letter is just a humble enquiry into the matter and not to be taken as an offer.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Order of Merlin, First Class

Head Master, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Chief Warlock, Wizengamot

Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards"

Ragnok was amused. This letter brought lucrative opportunities for him since opening of vaults which had been closed for decades would speed up commerce. Yet they were bound by their own rules. The inheritance ritual could not be conducted unless the students were sponsored by someone. The cost of the test was considerable for the average earning wizards yet they were negligible for someone who was indisputably the richest wizard in Europe. Besides, the number of Vassals he had, the more power he would hold in Wizarding Britain.

Picking up a piece of parchment and a quill, he began to write a letter to one who was an ally of Gringotts, perhaps the first wizard to have been chosen for the honour. They were honour bound to work for the betterment of his interests and so would he.

Rosier Estate

In the entrance hall of the Rosier Estate, a witch was sitting in a chair near the fire place. This witch who was used to lavish comforts was now in solitude away from those who once crowded her and heaped praises on her. This witch was Narcissa Malfoy nee Black who was staying at the Rosier Estate since the night she had met with Harold Peverell in Hogsmeade.

Narcissa was worried. She knew that she was safe in the Rosier Estate but she was scared for Lucius. True, he was a death eater but he loved his family. He had always cared for them. She knew he would fight at the Dark Lord's side and would eventually die either at the hands of the Aurors or the death eaters if he tried to betray them. The Dark Lord was not one to take kindly to traitors.

She had meant to go back into hiding after Harry had granted her boon but he had made her stay back in Wizarding Britain and placed her directly under his watch. She of course knew Remus. The Marauders were only two years younger than her in school but she had never interacted with him before. He was the smartest of the Marauders who never engaged in a fight but sat on the sidelines.

When she came to the Rosier Estate, he showed her to a chamber upstairs which was lavishly decorated. She was allowed to keep her elf with her but Harry forbade her from trying to contact Lucius. He said that doing so could jeopardise Lupin's safety as well as her own. She also did not want to contact Lucius anyway. For her, the primary concern was the safety of her son who was all that was left to her. The Malfoy name was mud at the moment. It would be years, generations or maybe never before it would have some semblance of respect.

"What are you doing here?", she heard someone growl at her.

She realised that she had not heard the floo roar. A witch had stepped out of the fire and was standing before her with a wand pointed at Narcissa. The witch was young, somewhere about 23 years of age, shoulder length black hair, slightly upturned nose and dressed in the robes of an Auror. She knew she had never met this individual before this day. She could not understand why she was hostile to her however Narcissa was not one to be intimidated so easily. She was not a Black for nothing.

The young witch snapped at her again, "Will you speak or do I have to make you speak?"

Narcissa casually said, "The likes of you cannot make me speak. Perhaps you should learn some manners about how to talk to your elders."

The newcomer growled, "I do not need to show my manners to death eaters like you."

The taunt stung her but she kept her face impassive. She did not deign to reply. Before spells started flying, it was Remus Lupin who chose that moment to appear in the entrance chamber.

He asked the newcomer, "Dora, Why have you come here?"

The young witch turned to him, "What is she doing here? Have you taken it into your head to entertain death eaters? Does Harry know about it?"

Remus exclaimed, "Oh Merlin! Firstly, she is not a death eater. You can check her arm for yourself if you don't believe me. Second, she is here because she petitioned Harry for a boon of safety for herself and her son, Draco. Harry, as Lord Black granted it. She is bound by her word not to engage in this conflict or share any information about us with her husband."

The young witch eyed Narcissa wryly, "I would not touch her with a ten-foot pole, Moony."

Remus frowned, "Does your mother approve of your conduct towards her sister?"

Narcissa frowned, "My sister? I do not know this individual, nor do I have any sort of relationship with her."

Remus smirked, "Well, since Dora is not willing, let me make the introductions. Mrs. Malfoy, this is Nymphadora Tonks otherwise known as Tonks daughter of Andromeda Tonks nee Black and Theodore Tonks.". He turned to Nymphadora then, "I assume you already know your auntie."

Realisation dawned on Narcissa then and she turned to Nymphadora, "You are Andy's daughter? How is she?"

Nymphadora did not answer her question however and turned to Remus, "Remus, I wanted to know if you would agree to take me to dinner in a new Restaurant in Muggle London? I have the perfect place in mind."

Remus uncertainly looked towards Narcissa who said indifferently, "I will be fine here Mr. Lupin. I have already promised Lord Black that I would not betray his trust."

Muggle London

Tonks did not immediately go to the Restaurant. She dragged Moony along with her to her home first. She chose a silver gown with hints of amber to wear and a pair of high heels to go with it. Her wand was in the holster attached to her wrist hidden under her sleeve. She insisted that Remus change into something decent. He humoured her by wearing Gryffindor red coloured robes of Acromantula silk with a black shirt and brown trousers. He topped off the ensemble with dragon hide boots.

The Restaurant "Hestia's hearth" was a new one situated in the suburbs of London tending to only the very elite. It offered a wide variety of cuisine to its patrons. Even though it was absurdly costly, the place had a waiting list. One had to book his place about a week in advance.

The interior was well done with the architecture resembling a Greek building with the rooms being arranged around in open courtyard where five immensely big braziers were kept lit with greenish fire to keep things warm around them. The roof of the restaurant was made of what appeared to be overlapping tiles. The floor was made of polished basalt, covered with exquisite looking carpets. The rooms were decorated with silk tapestries depicting important events from Greek history, Egypt, Rome etc. There were paintings on the walls which showed famous landmarks around the world including the seven ancient wonders of the world. The furniture was as cosy as it could get with no two chairs or stools being exactly the same shape.

Lupin had been taking in the place since he entered. When he was certain of his observations he asked her, "This is not a muggle establishment, is it?"

She smirked, "No. As far as I know, it was established by some muggle-born who could not get a venue in Diagon Alley or any of the adjacent alleys. He only employs muggle- born here. The most interesting bit I have heard about this place is that they have never given a reservation to a death eater. I brought you here because it is more peaceful here than in Diagon Alley and I am not much of a fan of muggle establishments. Who knows, suddenly I might change my appearance and we would need an obliviation squad to deal with the consequences."

He chuckled, "There is that too."

By this time, a waiter had shown them to their table which was in one of the private parlours where they could eat in peace. The menu was vast. It contained lists of food items from almost every cuisine that they could imagine. There was Indian, Chinese, Italian, Greek, American and so many cuisines that they had no idea of.

They took around ten minutes to read the menu before they made up their mind to order something from the list. Before they were served with the main course, the waiter served them with appetizers.

While they nibbled on their appetizers, she asked him, "What have you thought about marriage?"

He arched an eyebrow, "Why are you suddenly so worried about marriage?"

She said apprehensively, "I am scared, Remus. As the war heats up, things will get more and more dangerous with time. I don't know if we will survive the war or perish. I, for one, don't want to find myself in the afterlife, regretting that I did not marry when I could have."

He understood and took her hands between his. He pressed them warmly, "I understand Dora but I have been scared for different reasons. I am a werewolf and I do not know if I can procreate. If we do have children, I fear what would happen if our children turned out to be werewolves?"

She said softly, "Remus, you think too much. Who is to say that we are getting children tomorrow? As far as I know, it takes 9 months. Besides I am sure Harry would find a cure soon enough for Lycanthropy."

He smiled, "I surely hope so."

Tonks did not talk about it more but her words had stirred something in Remus, a longing to marry this beautiful witch and to sire children. She was right that war was at the door and no one knew what would happen. Marriage was a topic he had not thought about in his life but it felt like a certainty in that moment. James was happiest when he was married after all. When Harry arrived, Remus had felt such joy for the boy who was his nephew. May be marriage was not that bad after all. However he needed to bounce this idea off Padfoot before giving more thought to it. Sirius was the one who knew him best and he would not do anything without telling him.

Ministry of Magic

A meeting was going on in the Ministry. Moody, Frank and Amelia were present with some of the senior Aurors. The topic was the Giant Attack and the death eater raids. The problem was that they could not keep their eyes on everyone and everywhere. It was natural that there would be some deaths since that was what war did. The aim of this meeting was to prevent fear and apprehension from growing in the wizarding population. If the morale of wizarding Britain was harmed at this moment, it might mean that more witches and wizards would join Voldemort's forces rather than die at their hands.

Frank addressed Moody, "Alastor, what have you got for me?"

Moody didn't have much in the way of useful information for him but he told what he knew, "the Giant was brought to the place by Walden Macnair. There were about 10 death eaters with him who later came to kill muggles and Aurors. Since the Aurors were seriously ill-prepared to deal with a giant, they fell before the Giant. The Death Eaters faced little resistance when they arrived. As is their modus, they apparated in threw killing curses around and were gone before additional back-up could arrive. In the raids in the wizarding districts and areas, the raids were led by Parkinson and about 10 death eaters. There too they adopted the same modus and were gone before back-up could arrive."

Frank turned to Rufus, "Rufus, what have you done about it?"

Rufus took some time to form an answer and then started speaking slowly and clearly, "I dispatched wizarding patrols as soon as I could but perhaps that was not enough. The problem that we have is that we did not come to know of the attacks until it was too late. Despite the increase in our numbers, we still do not yet have sufficient numbers to put a watch in every corner of Wizarding Britain. We will need help from many of our neighbours but so far we have got nothing."

Sirius who was sitting quietly asked him, "Rufus, can we not ask the ordinary wizards and witches to send a message calling for help to the ministry almost the moment troubles starts? I mean every wizarding home or shop has a floo. They can send a call for help almost instantly."

Rufus shook his head, "The problem is that even if we ask them to do it, not many of them would. I tried to ask some. They told me that they do not place their trust in us but the figure heads of the ministry such as our esteemed General here or the Chief Warlock or the chosen one. For instance if Harold Peverell were to ask them, they would do anything for him."

Frank immediately refused the idea, "That would not work, Rufus. Harry is in school. We cannot expect him to interfere every time an attack happens. If we were to place too much reliance on him then why do we have our esteemed Aurors here? He is a fighter beyond compare but if we keep turning to him every time then it would make us look bad."

Moody nodded with his decision, "I agree. We cannot ask too much of the lad. He is a fighter but it is the ministry's duty to care for the people. We should not burden him with our expectations too much."

Sirius didn't say anything. He had different ideas in his mind. He knew that Harry did not like the limelight but he was also amenable to do things if they were for others' benefit.

Hogwarts

The students were at breakfast when Hedwig came to Harry with a letter. He had sent her to Viktor Krum in Bulgaria a week ago with a letter. He had changed his earlier plans and now was supposed to be arriving in Wizarding Britain in January about a week from now. Harry had offered to make arrangements for him to stay. The letter read:

"Harry Potter

I will be arriving to Wizarding Britain through the portkey you have sent for me. I accept your offer of hospitality. I must say I was positively surprised when I got the letter from the management of Puddlemere United to come and play for their team.

I have agreed to join them. They have offered to show me their stadium and introduce me to other members of the team before I start playing for them. With there being no club quidditch in Bulgaria, it would be easy for me to spend the rest of the year playing in Britain for them.

Viktor Krum"

When he finished reading the letter, he noticed others were looking at him in anticipation. He did not answer them but tucked in his food.

Hermione asked him, "Who wrote to you?"

He said offhandedly, "Viktor did."

She asked, "Viktor who?"

Harry eyed her, "Hermione how many Viktors do we know? Of course it is Viktor Krum I am talking about."

Ron asked him, "What is he writing to you for?"

Harry smirked, "Because he is arriving in Wizarding Britain this weekend Ron. I have offered for him to stay in one of the houses that I own."

Ron asked indignantly, "What would you need that git for?"

Harry warily said, "I have told you already, Ron. He is one of the best seekers in the world. I want him to play for Puddlemere United. Also his family is very renowned in that part of Europe. He can get people for our side to fight in the upcoming battle. We need more numbers on our side. I don't understand one thing though. Why are you so down on him?"

Ron spluttered something incomprehensible and his ears turned red but Harry understood. He was apprehensive that Hermione would pay more attention to him than Ron. He was still not over his insecurity.

"Hi Harry", said a firstie dressed in Slytherin Silver and Green. Harry recognised Steven Ainsworth, "Hi Steven. What can I do for you?"

Steven thrust a piece of parchment into his hand, "This is for you."

Before Harry could ask him anything more, the boy was gone. Harry opened the piece of parchment. It was unnamed except for initials at the end which read DE. It read:

"Lord Black

In disposal of the duties entrusted by you to us, we have been keeping an eye on Draco Malfoy and the children of Death Eaters. Recently Theodore Nott received a missive from his father asking him to kill Draco Malfoy. From what I found out, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe are on this plan with him while I do not know about Gregory Goyle. Also, it has come to my knowledge that some student in this castle has been tasked with finding out your routine and people you interact with so some use can be made of the information.

From what I know, an attempt on Malfoy's life will be made in a couple of nights. There was no other way for me to send this message to you promptly.

DE"

Harry read the parchment. He felt his anger rearing its head but he knew he could not act in haste. He would have to lay a trap and catch them in the act. It could mean harm to Malfoy but he would have to take the risk or he would not get them. A student working for Voldemort was also a worrying thought. Perhaps a meeting with Severus was in order.

"What is in the letter mate?", asked Ron.

Harry shook his head, "Just some family business. It is nothing to worry about at the moment. I will need help later though."

With parchment and quill, he started writing a letter for John Dawlish, the Auror who was posted at the Hogwarts outpost. When he was done writing it, he sent it with Hedwig telling her to take it to him promptly.

That day they had a transfiguration lesson. Professor McGonagall was having them revise Vanishing spells. They were at it for the third class in a row and were trying to learn vanishing more complex organisms now. She was determined to ensure that they would be able to do it with their eyes closed, if they needed to do so.

At the end of the class, she asked the lions to stay back. When they were alone, she started speaking, "This is your OWL year. Your exams are hardly 4 months away now. Starting tomorrow you will have your career consultations. The schedules will be posted on the notice board in your house today. Also I would caution you all to start preparing for the exams which are not very far now. I will be disappointed if any of you score anything less than an E in my subject. If you need some help, the doors of my office are open to you."

Similar notices were given to the students of the other houses. They would be busy for the next few days in career counselling.

That evening, brochures were distributed in the Common Rooms to the fifth years about the careers they could pursue based on their grades. Harry and some others had taken seats near the fire. They were poring over them.

Hermione who was looking through some of the brochures asked him, "Harry, what have you decided for yourself?"

Harry said offhandedly, "I don't know Hermione. None of these options strikes me as the perfect one for me."

She asked, "I thought that you wanted to be an Auror, didn't you? What happened to that dream?"

Harry asked her curiously, "Hermione can you really imagine me being an Auror? I mean sure I can fight but do you think I would enjoy it if I am to catch petty thieves and burglars or occasional killers? I cannot be a curse breaker because I have so many obligations to dispose of that I would hardly have time to be a curse breaker. I am already a part of the ministry in a greater capacity than I would be if I joined them after my NEWTs? I would however love to play Quidditch for some time before I would leave and live life in peace. May be some club would agree to take me on their team."

He asked Ron, "What about you mate? Didn't you want to join the Aurors?"

Ron shook his head, "I don't know Harry. I mean I wanted to join them but playing Quidditch for a professional team sounds more exciting. Besides it would allow me to remain at home as much as I want except for when I am travelling with the team. I think I'll keep trying until some team selects me to play for them."

Hermione said appreciatively, "That's nice, Ron. You must do what you want to do. If you don't feel like working in the ministry then you can do what you wish."

Harry turned to Neville finally, "What about you, mate? What have you planned for yourself? I assume that since Uncle Frank and god mother were Aurors that you would follow in their footsteps?"

Neville shook his head, "You're all mental. I don't want to be an Auror. I'll pursue my mastery in Herbology or Transfiguration before going into the teaching profession. I want to have a nice quiet life."

Harry finally asked Hermione, "What about you? What do you want to do after Hogwarts?"

She went into her rapid-fire mode, "I think I'll join the ministry. I'll work for the betterment of the magical creatures who don't know their rights. There are a lot of things that need to be done for them."

Harry smiled, "That's very ambitious of you, Hermione. I wish the best for you."

The career counselling

The next day, Harry walked into the defense class to find Hermione eyeing him strangely. He self consciously thought that he was looking funny or something but he could find nothing wrong with himself. He finally asked her, "Hermione, what's the problem?"

She asked him, "Did you by any chance forget that you have career counselling with Professor McGonagall today?"

Harry sheepishly grinned, "I guess I did. I will see you all later in the Common Room." Saying so, he ran all the way to McGonagall's office to find he was just about on time. She smiled when she saw him, "Harry! I guess you forgot you are scheduled for career counselling today?"

Harry nodded. "Sorry professor."

She waved him off, "Think nothing of it. Take a seat now and we'll get started."

When he sat, she consulted a few parchments before she started speaking, "So what have you thought about your future?"

Harry didn't know what to tell her. True he was inclined towards playing Quidditch but saying that to Professor McGonagall sounded silly. Still, she was waiting expectantly for him to answer, "I guess I haven't yet made up my mind about it, Professor. I mean last year I wanted to be an Auror but now that I think about it, I find that I am not really inclined towards it."

She nodded, "So what have you thought about as a career?"

He reluctantly asked her, "Can you suggest something to me, Professor?"

She said, "Okay. Let's list all the potential careers for you. You said you wanted to be an Auror until last year so let's start with that. They require at least 5 E's in your NEWTs out of which four shall be Defense, Transfigurations, Charms and Potions. You can take another as an elective. I see that you have been marked highly in defense in all your tests especially those set by competent teachers like Remus Lupin and Vikram Rana. Even the death eater who posed as Alastor last year marked you an O in his tests. Since you did not appear in the term end examinations, I have nothing to compare you with others. Filius has been giving you O throughout this year and I would be disappointed if you scored anything less than an O in your OWLs. Severus has been giving you extra credits in all of his tests this year simply because you can brew three variations of a potion at the same time. Bethsheda is very impressed with your improvement so far and says that you would scrape an O without trouble in your OWLs. You have been doing fairly well in Transfigurations and I expect you to get an extra credit in the subject. With these grades, you would have no problem getting accepted in Aurors. If you want to work for Gringotts, you need E in Charms, Transfigurations and Runes which you can easily score. I do not however think you would want to work for muggle liaisons though. For healers they need E in charms, Transfiguration and Potions which you can score without any trouble. They ask for 5 E's if you want to work for the ministry in general."

He nodded, "Professor, I don't want to do any of these things. I mean I could be an Auror but I cannot go about their daily routines and sit behind a desk, I have no interest in working for Gringotts and I do not want to join the ministry as an employee. I actually want to play Quidditch for some time after graduating. Then I would think about another vocation, perhaps as a teacher or something."

She gave him a brightening smile, "That's a good career choice, Harry. If you want to play professionally for a team, you need to be at your best for the Scouts who come to every game. I would try to get some of them to pay attention to your flying skills. I dare say that with your skills, they would be falling over themselves to sign you up."

"Thank you Professor. You are being too kind to lavish such praise on me", he said. He of course could not tell her that he was part owner of one such team which would be more than happy to recruit him. With that she dismissed him.