A counsel of War

Harry spent the next 3 days of the Beltane holidays at the manor with Susan. He had invited the Weasleys to stay but Arthur chose to return to his own manor.

The day after the dual weddings, Susan woke Harry with some urgency, "Harry, wake up."

Harry bolted upright, "What happened, Sue?"

Seeing that he was instantly alert, she said, "Moody is here to see you."

Harry nodded, "Let's not keep him waiting."

Without another word, Harry leapt from his bed. He transfigured his pajamas into a t-shirt and sweatpants as he strode from the room. With another gesture his slippers became cross-trainers.

When they entered the parlour where Moody was waiting, Moody spoke without any preamble, "Lad, the General has summoned you to a meeting starting in one hour."

It only took Harry a second to realize that if the Master Auror was delivering this message personally, it was for security reasons. He answered, "Alright, Master Auror. We will be there."

As Harry turned to leave the room, Moody called him back, "That's not all, Lad."

As Harry turned around to face him again, Moody continued, "Our team caught up with Michael Corner in France. You might like to hear about that."

Now, Moody had his full attention, "That's quick work. What did your people find out?"

Moody adopted the at-ease posture that he always did when submitting a report. He looked at a point a few inches above Harry's left shoulder as he recited, "The person of interest was apprehended at a rental cabin on the French Riviera. When questioned about the afternoon in question, he could only remember that he had spent the time in the company of one Lisa Turpin but he didn't remember the visit from the Aurors. Upon questioning his father, it was discovered that he had no recollection of demonstrating spells to his son at the hour the incident of under-aged magic occurred. He was at his place of employment at that time.

Michael was carefully probed by an Obliviator on loan from the French Ministry of Magic. He was able to uncover the true memory of Michael Corner's meeting with Auror Savage but nothing more. It was determined that young Mr. Corner's memory had been altered. It was also determined that deeper probing to retrieve the true memory had a significant chance of doing permanent damage."

Harry asked him worriedly, "It's pretty clear that he was compromised. Was there any follow-up with Lisa Turpin?"

Moody nodded solemnly, "Indeed there was. Our people found the same implanted memory there."

Harry asked, "Are you certain that the memory was implanted in both of them?"

Moody shrugged, "I'm no expert in the art myself. The Obliviators in both cases reported that the thing was not very well done. Lisa's mother reported that she had not heard anything about Lisa being involved with Michael corner before, never mind him visiting her at their house. But I don't put much faith in children telling their parents about what they get up to at school."

Harry shook his head as if to deny the report, "They were missing. I missed them at the wedding reception for Bill and Fleur. They have altered memories of where they were that afternoon. They have been compromised."

Moody asked, "How badly does that hurt us?"

Harry asked one more question, "is there any way of detecting if they are under the Imperious curse?"

Moody answered, "Typically, when someone under that influence has been found out, they fly into a murderous rage. There was nothing but confusion from the both of them when they were questioned. To answer your question, I don't think so, Lad."

Harry grimaced, "In that case, I don't think they could have hurt us too badly. The catapult location is my secret. They could not have given that away. Every member of the Order of the Snow Leopard had to sign a parchment with some tricky protection enchantments worked into it. If they try to talk about Order secrets, they conveniently forget about them before they can say anything. I think that the worst they could have done was tell that catapults exist and that's bad enough.". He turned to Moody then and sighed, "Of course, I will have to take them off of catapult duty just in case there's more than an altered memory involved. I can't take a chance on those things being turned against our own forces."

Moody said gravely, "Of course, I have to report all this to the General."

Harry nodded his approval, "We can do that together. He should know."

As Alastor made his way back to the floo exit, Harry called Dobby and ordered breakfast. Normally, he liked to cook for himself, but he had to bathe and dress for a meeting with the Minister.

20 minutes later, he sat down to a massive serving of bacon and eggs with fried potatoes and the obligatory treacle tart to top it all off. There was a fresh copy of the morning edition of The Daily Prophet. Susan joined him with a much smaller portion on her plate.

As Harry tucked in with a will, he scanned the front page. He cringed when he saw the lead headline:

"The Chosen One gets betrothed"

Fully half of the front page was taken up with the headline and a picture of him, down on one knee, proposing to Susan. Well, what did he expect, pulling a stunt like that at the social event of the century? Morbid curiosity compelled him to read on:

"You heard it here. Just after the first dance at the double wedding reception for Sirius Black to Emeline Vance and Remus Lupin to Nymphadora Tonks, a party that was hailed as the social event of the decade, Lord Peverell aka Harry Potter aka The Boy Who lived, brought things to a screeching halt. He stopped the music and got everyone's attention while he proposed to one Heiress Susan Amelia Bones.

Story continued on page 10"

Harry put the newspaper down and groaned, "I hate tabloids."

Susan nodded gravely, "I have read the whole article. It went on for three whole columns without mentioning another word about the double wedding. It seems that all they care about is gossip."

Harry's nostrils flared, "I suppose that a visit from Aunt Andromeda to remind Barnabas Cuffe about the terms of his employment agreement might get things back on track."

She kissed him on the cheek, "You can see to that later, Dear. For now the General is waiting for you."

As Dobby cleared away the remains of breakfast, Susan produced a leaky Wellington, "Moody left this to take us to the meeting."

As Harry reached out to touch the boot, he felt the tug from behind his naval and they were off. A moment or perhaps five minutes later, the portkey deposited Harry and Susan in the village where the Ministry top brass were living, outside the cottage that was the headquarters for General Longbottom. Harry was disoriented for a moment as he had fully expected to find himself at the Ministry of Magic. Susan took his arm and they walked into the cottage. As they looked around, they saw that all the top brass of the Ministry was present. Also there was Bossompierre, a French official that Harry had met at Bill and Fleur's wedding reception. He had come with allies from France and was the only one other than the Delacours from the French side to attend the wedding.

After Harry and Susan were seated, Frank started speaking, "Harry, the final battle is almost upon us. We have drawn up a very detailed plan. I want your input before we make it final."

Harry demurred, "General, when it comes to straight up fighting, I'm your man. But when it comes to leading troops and large battle plans, I'm sure you're better at it than I am. Why do you need my opinion?"

Frank smiled, "Well, you declared a blood war. That takes precedence over my authority as the General of the ministry forces. You need to have a say in anything that the ministry does."

Harry nodded, "You have a point there. OK, let's go over the plans. I'll let you know if there is anything I can add."

The General rolled out a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area. He began, "Monsieur Bossompierre will be in command of the French contingent. Madam Alexandrov sent us a letter informing us that she will lead the Bulgarians when it is time for the battle. The Aurors have been divided into platoons, each one under their own commander."

Harry nodded, "That sounds good, General. Please do go on."

"Our platoon leaders are: Rufus Scrimgeour, Gawain Robards, Rufus Bartley, Hestia Jones, and the last one is led by Savage."

Harry noted, "Minister, I don't know about Savage's capabilities but the others are fine."

"Savage is an extremely able Auror. He served with Dawlish in the past. As you know, Dawlish was killed in the battle of Hogsmead. Since then Savage has been without a partner. He has also been an Auror captain since the end of the last war. He has my full confidence."

Harry pointed out what seemed to him to be glaring omissions, "What about you, General? Or Sirius, Remus, Aunt Amelia, godmother or the Master Auror?"

Frank replied, "Regent Lupin will be in charge of the werewolf contingent and under your direct command. At least, that is what I assume."

Harry nodded, "Of course, that will avoid a lot of potential misunderstandings."

Frank nodded, "As for the rest, along with Kingsley, we will form a tactical reserve. That will give our battle plan the flexibility to respond to the unexpected. Moody will be leading our group."

Harry nodded his approval, then asked, "What do we know about Riddle's forces?, General"

Frank shook his head gravely, "Although we really hurt them at the Battle of Hogsmead, They have received reinforcements since then. According to our best intelligence, another 70 German mercenaries and 100 Austrian mercenaries have entered Wizarding Britain."

Harry slammed his fist down, "What?! Why were they not arrested at the border?"

Frank shook his head, "for one thing, doing that would have burned our intelligence assets in a big way. For another reason, there are no warrants for any of them and their papers were all in order. Even under a state of war, it would have caused several international incidents to stop and arrest them. Besides, knowing that their only allegiance is to gold, I believe we can break them if we make the battle too messy for their taste."

Harry shook his head, "If they're anything like the Germans that were fighting in Hogsmead, they are no cowards. They would rather die than break a contract."

Frank raised an eyebrow, "That's something we needed to know. What else can you tell me about them?"

Harry said, "They are well organized. They know how to fight in formation, much more like an army than Riddle's usual band of posturing idiots. They are also completely ruthless. They did not hesitate to kill witches or wizards of any age or ability. They must be dealt with by extreme prejudice. Do not even attempt to take any of them as prisoners."

Frank asked, "What about the Austrians?"

Harry shrugged, "What about them? I'm sorry, I haven't fought any of them yet. They are a complete unknown to me."

Monsieur Bossompierre spoke up, "These Austrians." He spat on the floor, "I know them. They are the worst sort, blood mages if I am not mistaken. They are bad enough as dark wizards go, but if they get any of your blood…" He concluded by making a slashing motion across his throat.

All eyes turned to Monsieur Bossompierre. Frank asked him, "Do you know how to deal with their type?"

Monsieur Bossompierre grinned fiercely, "It would give me the greatest pleasure, Monsieur General."

Frank nodded firmly, "Very well. As soon as we are able to identify the Austrian forces, they are yours to deal with as you see fit."

Monsieur Bossompierre, grinned, "Merci. We shall show them no mercy."

Harry nodded, "What about our numbers?"

Frank recited, "We have about 170 Aurors, 30 members of the Order of the Phoenix, 50 Aurors from France and another 50 from Bulgaria. We also have the werewolf unit led by Remus Lupin which will help a great deal against their werewolves. I don't know about the number of the Order of the Snow Leopard though."

Harry glanced at every face in the room before he answered. Of course, he was checking, with a light touch of Legilimency that nobody was going to speak any of this information outside of the meeting, "This is likely the most closely guarded secret in this war. I only share this with the greatest reluctance. Starting last summer, some of my closest friends at Hogwarts began a rigorous training program. At the beginning of the school year, many more joined us. The Master Auror has overseen much of our early training. Of course, he was sworn to secrecy as were the Aurors who survived the Battle of Hogsmead. So here it is: At present, there are 50 trained in advanced combat, dueling, spell-chains, dodging, shielding, blocking and formation combat. They have also been extensively trained in deadly spells, how to use them, how to identify them and how to defeat them. They are the reason why the Battle of Hogsmead was not a total loss and they have improved since then. Currently we have 50 able and willing warriors, 10 medics and another 10 whose primary duty is to get the non-combatants to safety."

Frank's eyes widened, "That explains a lot. Of course, the Order of the Snow Leopard is under your direct command. Now, as to the battle plan, they have giants. Our best guess is there are 30. On the bright side, they should be pretty easy to spot."

Harry said, "I've prepared a special surprise for the giants. If my crew's training is any indication, those giants will never get within melee range of the castle."

Frank asked, "Can you give us any more details about that?"

Harry shook his head firmly, "I could, but I would rather not. The effectiveness of this partially depends on it remaining a secret."

Frank continued, "Right then. They will also have dementors. If they get past the wards, they could create havoc inside the walls. Pretty well all of the Aurors can cast a full Patronus, so can all of the Order of the Phoenix. If we stay sharp, they should be no more than an annoyance."

Harry said, there is a different way available to deal with them, but that must be done two days before the final battle at minimum. Get a message to me if any concentration of them is discovered before the main battle."

Frank addressed the other people in the room, "Consider that an order. The dementors will be pre-empted if possible. The giants will be taken out early."

He pointed to the map, "Now, as for the village of Hogsmead itself, that will have to be evacuated. Collateral damage to property would be bad enough, but we must protect the lives of our citizens and prevent any possibility of a hostage situation."

Then he pointed at several areas on the map: the forbidden forest, some hills and buildings outside the castle grounds while saying, "Then there is the terrain, plenty of hard cover and opportunities for stealthy approaches. What can we do about that?"

Harry pointed to the Astronomy tower, the gate towers and a few places around the parapets of the outer wall, "We will have look-outs at these locations, equipped with omnioculars. That will cover most of the approaches. If you think it will help, we also have hippogriffs and thestrals. We can put spotters in the air. With disillusionment charms they would be difficult to spot. The master Auror has already tested devices that we could drop on them with no chance to reply."

Frank turned to Moody, "How effective are these devices?"

Moody's face twisted into a hideous grin, "Aye sir. They're effective. I expect a lot of 'em will never get into wand range."

Frank pointed to the lake and asked, "What if they attempt an underwater approach?"

At this, Harry had to restrain himself from laughing, "Between the mer-people and the giant squid any that get through that way will be water-logged, harassed, disoriented and considerably reduced in numbers. Of course, they will find us ready to greet them."

Harry made an arc through the area between the green houses from the castle to the lake and said, "This is where Professor Sprout and her botany students have prepared a nasty surprise for anyone emerging from the forbidden forest. Please advise all of your troops to stay clear of that area unless they are escorted by professor Sprout or a student wearing a green badge. The entire zone is quite deadly."

Frank asked, "What about The Forbidden Forest. If they choose to come through that forest, they will be hard to resist because we can't destroy the forest to get to them."

"I thought Hagrid had talked with the centaur herd", Harry said.

Frank shook his head, "Hagrid talked with them but they refused to do as he asked. They said that they wouldn't involve themselves in the affairs of wizards and that was that."

Harry huffed, "They are a stubborn and proud lot. They would rather step out of the way and let the death eaters waltz on through than help us in any way. Unless I miss my guess, the Acromantula just might reduce their numbers a bit." Pointing to the small mountain at the far edge of the forest he said, "We have a giant of our own there. He has no love lost for Riddle and his goons and I believe that Hagrid has been teaching him how to fight. And of course, even if they do manage to get through the forest, there is the plant perimeter for them to deal with and then there is the ground too."

Frank nodded his approval, "Sounds like you've been thinking about this for a long time."

Harry nodded, "Yes, I have. But I cannot take all the credit. A certain Ronald Weasley is a tactical genius. All I told him was that I wanted a plan to soften them up as much as possible before they could even begin to fight back."

Moody nodded his approval, "They'll look like they've gone through a meat grinder by the time we have to deal with them."

Frank said, "As for that, our forces are divided up into small tactical units. They can combine where greater force is needed. Mobility and flexibility with devastating force will win the day. That's all for the battle plan."

Harry asked, "General, I trust that you have seen the report on the obliviation of Michael Corner?"

Frank answered, "Yes Harry, I have seen the report. Without knowing his role, I don't know how bad that might be."

Harry said, "I keep information compartmentalized. Michael Corner and Lisa turpin were both compromised. They are members of the same team. They may have revealed the existence of the anti-giant weapons, but they would not have been able to say more than that. The parchment that every member of The Order of the Snow Leopard signed when they joined would cause them to forget what they know if they try to talk about it. They have to be replaced, of course, we cannot know if they will be compelled to turn those weapons on our own forces when the time comes. The bad part is that Riddle likely knows how we intend to deal with his giants. If he holds them back until the weapons can be located and destroyed, they will be a considerable force to overcome."

The general asked, "What are the chances of that happening?"

Harry answered, "The location and type of those weapons is my secret. The weapons themselves are nearly indestructible. The crew and the mounts are vulnerable, but it would be the wildest stroke of misfortune that a random attack could hurt any of them."

Frank said, "In that case, I suggest that you keep that crew on the weapons, out of combat, until the giants show up. Even if they are never used, the deterrent will keep the giants off our backs. It seems you have thought of everything."

Harry grimaced, "When one is trained by mystics, they have to do these things or regret it later. But still, there may be something that we both missed. With your permission, I'll go over the plan with my tactics specialist."

Frank raised an eyebrow, "Tactics specialist?"

Harry shrugged, "Yes. A close associate that has a real gift."

Frank nodded, "Very well then. When can I expect your revisions?"

Harry answered without hesitation, "You will have your revisions, if any, this evening."

Frank's face twisted up with barely repressed revulsion, "As for those other items that must be destroyed, do you have a plan?"

Harry nodded firmly, "My other associates are quite capable of getting that done, when the time comes. This is how we will choose both the time and the place of the final battle. Those items are already in their possession. They only wait for the time to be right."

Frank had to know. He asked, "And what about the final one?"

Riddle will be weakened and fearful. I'm sure that he will want to keep the last one close by during the final battle to reassure himself that it is safe. His fear shall be his undoing."

Wards and Ward Breakers

The Ward Master looked too old to be allowed to be alive. His head was not shaved, but there remained a pock-marked scalp that shined between the old scars. Even his beard that had been glorious decades ago was gray, stained yellow with the tobacco he still chewed, thin and wispy. When he spoke, his rumbling baritone still held plenty of power, "It would appear that this massive, ancient and formidable ward scheme is all that protects the ramparts of Hogwarts."

The youngest wizard in the group, who still looked to be over 50, clean shaven, balding, compact and fit, spoke, "'All'? Any one of those wards could squash us flat, leaving barely breathing, unconscious wrecks of our former selves for the authorities to deal with. I wouldn't give a bronze Knut for our chances once the Aurors get a hold of us."

The old man stared at him for a moment, "Yes, 'all'. We can easily tear down those wards one-by-one."

The third man in the room, who looked to be about 80, a full head of silver hair, with dark intellegent eyes peering out between his eyebrows and full mustache spoke next, "I concur with your findings, Master. But that is not the job."

The ancient one spoke again, "Too right. We must employ the greatest discretion. Our work is to avoid detection at all costs, leaving a thin veneer of the wards so that they will appear to be in full force, but a single concerted attack will cause them to crumble." He thumped the heel of his staff against the floor for emphasis.

There was a thoughtful silence while the other ward masters worked their way through the problem. They knew that the ancient had already worked everything out, but he detested people that could not think for themselves. He would not speak until one of them came up with the answer. At length, the youngest one spoke, "I believe that leech-stones will do the job. A bit tricky though, we will need many of them and they will have to know when to taper off or stop."

The third ward master spoke, "A bit of Arithmancy in this job. No, the leech stones can't stop. They just have to draw the wards down less and less, until there remains but a shadow. It is an asymptotic function."

The ancient one nodded with some satisfaction, "Now, how would you go about that?"

The youngest one laid out parchment and quill and began to render the wards in ink. When he was done, he turned the draught of the ward scheme so that the ancient could read it.

The older man traced out the runes with his long fingers and said, "It's going to run hot… at first."

The ancient patiently traced out the runes with his bony forefinger, saying nothing until he was done. He nodded, "yes, this will do. How will you deliver them?"

The youngest man shook his head, "We will need hundreds of them. They will need to weigh about half a ton each so that they do not melt under the load, possibly a bit smaller if we can get them in contact with ground water. Transporting and burying that much stone without being detected is going to be difficult."

For all the reaction the Ancient gave to that speech, he may as well have been carved from stone. The third man gave a respectful pause before he began, "Although it is far from trivial, shrinking that many leech stones is within our abilities. We can also enchant them to burry themselves until they are ten feet underground or come into contact with water, whichever comes first, before they return to their original size. That should mask the heat they will produce when they are working. And finally…", he glanced significantly at the younger of the three, "we only need to take down the wards on one side. That should take, maybe 40 leech-stones at the most."

The ancient nodded his approval, "Very well. Begin preparing the leech stones. Tomorrow night, we shall see just how hard it is to avoid detection while taking a stroll through the forbidden forest."

To ensure that there would be no misunderstandings, the Ancient handed a scroll to each of the younger ward breakers. The scrolls contained the exact rune scheme that was to be inscribed on to each of the leech stones. The three of them apparated to an abandoned quarry where granite had been mined decades ago. Between the three of them, they had the 40 leech stones carved out, inscribed, shrunken and stored in a few hours. Their work done, they donned muggle clothing and apparated to a muggle inn not far from Hogsmead where they ate and slept until dusk the following day.

As dusk approached, the three men left the inn. As soon as they were out of sight, their muggle clothing was replaced with robes in dark gray. On brooms, they flew through the hills around the back of Hogwarts where they set down at the edge of the forbidden forest. The ancient placed tracking spells on each of the younger ward breakers and unfurled a map to track their progress. The ward breakers each took what resembled a small bag of gravel and went through the drill of applying every anti-detection charm known to wizarding kind on themselves.

They had their assignments. They were to find the outer limit of the ward-line, turn back-to-back, take 15 paces off the trail, drop the first leech stone, then drop another leech-stone every 30 paces along the ward line until their sacks were empty. They had to drop the stones as close to the ward line as humanly possible while avoiding detection at any cost.

The two ward breakers walked along the footpath that led into the forest hand-in-hand because they had no other way to know where the other was. The older of the two cast a detection spell every 30 paces afar so as to detect the distance to the ward line.

At one point, a few centaurs came toward them on the same path, talking about how things had been quieter since Grawp moved to the cave. The younger ward breaker dragged his companion around behind an old oak tree until the centaurs passed.

A few minutes later, the older ward breaker cast his detection spell and a wall of softly glowing green light appeared in front of them. The two men turned back-to-back and counted off 15 paces before they dropped their first leech stone. As soon as the leech stones hit the forest floor, they burrowed out of sight.

The two men had to contend with tangled undergrowth, tree trunks, large boulders, thorns but they persevered, dropping another leech-stone every 30 paces.

The younger one encountered the gigantic webs of the Acromantula colony. At age 50, he may have been considered young and reckless by the ancient one, but he was no fool. He quickly realized that no death eater would be attacking the castle by going through this mess. He also knew that if he so much as touched one of those threads, he would be spider food. He cast a detection spell that caused the spider web to glow in his sight and carefully picked his way around the trap. When he picked up the ward line again on the other side of the nest, he could see that the sky was already beginning to lighten. It took him a few more minutes to place the last of the leech-stones.

Throwing caution to the wind, he mounted his broom and made a bee-line for the rendezvous point, where he found the other two looking angry and impatient.

The Ancient dispelled his disillusionment asking, "What took you so long?"

The younger ward breaker answered, "Spiders. Really big spiders."

The three of them mounted their brooms and flew off through the hills in the pre-dawn twilight. In three days, the mighty war wards of Hogwarts would be weak enough to fall under a concerted attack. In a week, a toddler wizard in a bad temper would be able to knock them down. The leech-stones would remain there, buried, sapping the strength from the war wards until they were found, dug up and destroyed. But, unless one knew exactly what they were looking for, the weakness would not show, even to the most skilled wizard. The wrecking crew had earned their pay.

Quietly, out of sight, the leech-stones reached their set depth or came into contact with ground-water and stopped burrowing. They were already sapping the strength from the war wards as they slowly returned to their original size. Deep underground, nobody would notice the stones growing hot as they wasted the magical energy from the wards as heat. At the end of three days, with most of the energy from the wards gone, the leech stones cooled slowly, but continued to tap off the energy to keep the wards from reenergizing themselves from the massive leigh lines running under the great castle.

The unknown castle

The dark lord sat in council with the head of the German mercenaries. He asked, "What do you have for me, Wagner?"

With Bellatrix gone, Severus somehow turned against him and Lucius a weak-minded, ineffectual fool, the wand for hire had become his most trusted servant.

Wagner answered in an even tone, "little that you do not already know, dark lord. The Ministry forces make ready to bring you to battle. Our forces have been taught discipline. We have them outnumbered. It would appear that they expect you to attack Hogwarts. I was unable to discover the reason why.". With his last statement, the German was inviting Voldemort to tell him why he must attack Hogwarts. But there was no change. The dark lord would keep his own counsel on that subject."

Voldemort nodded ever so slightly, "What do you know about the catapults?"

The German whistled through his teeth before he answered, "I had the two students captured who were named in the letter which you received the other day and they were questioned under the Imperious curse. We were only able to confirm that catapults exist and that the two we captured have been training with them. It would appear that they are positioned to fire toward Hogsmead or the Forbidden Forest. Yes, they are intended to kill giants. The only other thing they revealed was that it is a student that has been training them in combat magic."

Voldemort's eyes flashed red as he bored into the German. He asked in a deceptively soft voice, "Why were you not able to discover more?"

The German rubbed his chin as he answered, "The exact location of the catapults is hidden under a Fidelius Charm and neither of them is the secret keeper. Any information about the students training or their commander is protected by some unknown charms. When they are questioned, they seem to forget what they know. We probed them and could get nothing more."

Voldemort summed up, "For all we know, we will be facing about 150 Aurors, perhaps 30 werewolves and an unknown number of children."

Wagner nodded, "Yes. That is our best estimate."

Only Voldemort really knew the extent of the forces at his command, but he seemed satisfied. He asked, "And what of the mighty war wards of Hogwarts?"

Wagner grinned with some satisfaction, "The ward-line through the Forbidden Forest has been compromised. According to the report from the ward breakers, an over-powered stunner will cause them to crumble."

Voldemort asked, "Will the old fool detect their work?"

Wagner shook his head, "Do not underestimate the Headmaster. You do so at your own peril. But, no, I don't believe he will. I have been there to inspect the work myself. Those wards look just as solid and formidable as ever. I only hope that the ward breakers did not double-cross you."

Voldemort simply answered, "Rookwood has vouched for them." He gave a moment for Wagner to take in all that was implied when one vouches for another under his leadership. He continued, "Very well. How shall we deal with these catapults before we release the giants?"

Wagner replied, "We will have the giants use the hills behind the school for hard cover. Using every stealth measure we can devise, we will use a few wizards on flying mounts over the castle. We will have the giants show themselves and duck back under cover. When the boulders begin to fly, we will track them to their source and destroy the catapults. Once the main attack is underway, we can release the giants because the catapults will either be destroyed or the children operating them will be too distracted to be effective against the giants. I understand they are not easy to re-aim."

Voldemort nodded, "Very well. We shall begin by attacking the main gate. It is what they expect and we shall not disappoint them. That force shall augment their numbers with animations so that it shall appear that I have foolishly sent all my forces against them there. Their orders are to make as much noise as they can and overcome the wards there. Lucius will be in charge of that detail."

Wagner produced quill, ink and parchment then started to take notes.

Voldemort continued, "The giants shall be deployed to the hills behind the castle. They will advance when we have neutralized the catapults. While the castle defenders are distracted at the main gate, our flying stealth force will take position over the castle. Once the diversionary force begins their attack, one or two of the giants will allow themselves to be spotted. Our stealth force will eliminate or capture the catapults as soon as they reveal themselves. Our main force will be deployed along the ward-line in the Forbidden forest. If we encounter any opposition while setting up, they will die quickly and quietly. No showing off. We will bring down the ward-line and charge on the rear flank of the defenders. The giants will begin their charge the moment the wards are down. The werewolves can charge in ahead of us and cause whatever havoc they may. Anyone not defending the front gate will be too distracted to even notice that the wands have arrived."

Hogwarts

The students returned to the castle the day when the holidays ended. That evening, there was a feast which surpassed any feast they ever had during the year. It looked like Dumbledore had pulled out all the stops to ensure that the students would remember this gathering for the rest of their lives. For his part, Dumbledore wanted to treat them to a feast together, one last time before they fought a war. Nobody could know who would survive the oncoming war.

During the feast, Harry sat in a huddle at the Gryffindor table with his friends. He had erected privacy wards, but he spoke to them quietly, "Guys, we have a lot to do and little time to get it done. From now on, there will be no more running around the lake. The early mornings will be for spell practice in the Chamber of Secrets. We will keep the evenings free to spend with friends, write to family and study. Believe me, we're going to need every minute of it."

"Study?", Ron said in horror, "You can't seriously be thinking about exams when we're about to fight for the freedom of all Wizarding Britain!"

Hermione glared at him while Harry explained, "You had better believe it mate. I don't want to be the one that has to tell your mother why you didn't get any OWLs. When she's done with you, you might wish you had died in the battle."

The colour drained from Ron's face as he let that sink in, "Right then, study it is."

At this, even Hermione laughed.

As the feast ended, Dumbledore stood, "I have a few notices to give before you all trot to your warm beds."

He took a moment to inspect the crowd before he spoke again, "As you can see, the ministry has deployed more Aurors to the castle to keep it safe from the outside. I ask all of you to stay inside and stay out of their way. They have their orders and they will follow them regardless of who you are. Once curfew starts, you will remain in your dorms. Anyone caught breaking curfew without adequate cause will be expelled and sent home in disgrace. Now off you trot to your warm and comfortable beds."

The making of plans

The next evening, it was time for the meeting of the Order of the Snow Leopard. Everyone had gathered together in response to the summons that Harry had sent. As the students took seats around the table, Harry looked at every one of them carefully. A year ago, he had been merely on speaking terms with most of them. He would not have guessed that they would unite against a common foe under his leadership.

Over the last year, Harry had begun to understand the nature of the wizarding world. He now understood that they would have rallied to him anyway even if he had not come into his inheritance or wield as much power as he did. They tended to follow anyone who had the quality of leadership. It was mother magic's blessing that Harry had been trained by the mystics to bear the burden of leadership. They had certainly brought him a long way from the boy who was mediocre at best in magics, who knew little about this world where he was one of the elite and a protector of people. These students had joined him and helped him on the path of his destiny.

On his right sat Susan. She might never know it but she had changed his life in a major way. She had become his relief from all the insanity that was the wizarding world. She was always there for him and supported him no matter what. She was the anchor to his life. He didn't even want to think about how his life would be without her.

To his right sat Daphne Greengrass, another young lady that had impacted his life in a major way. She had given him a new way to see the world when she sneaked into the hospital wing to meet him. A Slytherin coming to meet the Gryffindor Golden Boy had made him consider that maybe not all Slytherins were evil. He knew she harboured feelings for him but that was unrequited love. He knew she wasn't dating anyone because she compared everyone to him and they just didn't measure up. He sincerely hoped that she would find someone who would give her all the love that she deserved.

On Susan's other side sat Ron and after him Hermione. They were his best friends, in fact his first friends and more than siblings to him. They had helped him even before they knew that he was Harry Potter. The Weasleys treated him as one of their own. He had found a family in them. Ron and Hermione stood with him at every moment when he needed them. Harry knew that they would do anything to help him.

On Daphne's other side was Neville Longbottom with Hannah Abbott beside him. Neville was his brother in all but blood. He went with Harry in any situation as long as Harry wanted him to. Neville stood by the old alliance between their families and the bond that they had due to being brothers to each other. He did as Harry wanted, without asking any questions but trusting in Harry's judgment. He was the one that Harry would rely on in case he had to have someone at his back in a duel. Hannah who was sitting beside Neville had proved herself a worthy friend and able member of this little order. Harry knew that Neville trusted her with his life and she was Susan's best friend. That was all that he needed.

Beside Hermione sat Ernie Macmillan. Ernie had proven his worthiness to Harry with his wand. He had fought, bled and lost his girl friend already in the war. Ernie had seen too much of personal grief in the last year yet he stood by Harry and was ready to fight the war which meant a lot to Harry personally.

Lastly there were Terry and Mandy. Terry and Mandy had proven themselves worthy in the battle of Hogsmead. They had first herded students to safety and then had arrived in time to supplement Neville and Dumbledore, thereby giving time to Ron and Hermione to get away. They were always ready to do as he wanted, no matter what.

Then there were the twins. They had loved him like a brother, helped him out of some tough corners, didn't desert him even when Ron wasn't talking to him. They were like brothers to him and he was glad that they were on his side. With those two on his team, Harry could dare to think of something reckless to do. One of the advantages of being friends with Fred and George was that they would make one think that anything was possible.

There was also Justin who had fought and bled in the battle of Hogsmead. He had proven his worth to Harry many times over and if Harry couldn't trust him then he could trust no one.

Daphne reminded Harry to get down to business, "Harry, what is the plan?"

Harry came back from his wool-gathering to answer her, "The plan is almost complete. We are going to give battle to Tom Marvolo Riddle and his men soon. The preparations are in place and the forces of the Ministry are getting anxious. We are only waiting for the hammer to fall. We have done everything in our power to weaken Tom Riddle as much as we could. Today I am giving out your assignments. Remember them and do as you are directed when the war is upon us."

As they all listened to him raptly, he started speaking, "Fred and George, you are in charge of evacuation. You know all the ways out of this school. When the signal comes, you are to make sure that all those students who are not going to fight get out through the secret ways. At the exit of every secret way, we have Aurors waiting who will be handing portkeys to students which will take them to safe houses. Remember that most of the Slytherins who will be sent with Du Vant to safety should be shown the exit which lets out near the hill where the cottage is situated. The known supporter s of the dark are to be sent to the safe houses manned entirely by Aurors. Professor Snape and a detail of Aurors will see to that. Also, make sure that Milicent Bulstrode and Draco Malfoy are among the students in that group."

As they nodded, he turned to Hermione, "Hermione, you will lead a group of students near the double doors. You will have Kingsley Shacklebolt with you. You'll answer to him entirely. Unless push comes to shove, you will follow his orders. If you feel that you need to act on your own due to circumstances, do so."

He then turned to Ron, "I know you want to go with Hermione but I need you for another job. The transfiguration courtyard which can be accessed from the outside and is surrounded by balconies from above is your responsibility. You and your squad will work under Gawain Robards and will do as he asks of you. Trap any hostiles that dare to come into the courtyard and then make them rue it for their lives."

He then turned to Ernie, "I would have asked Neville for this but I need him for another job. You, my friend, have to lead the gardeners on the greenhouses side and deploy whatever Professor Sprout may think will come in handy against the death eaters. However ensure that none of our own walks into those things." The members of your team will be wearing green badges.

Ernie nodded and Harry turned to Daphne, "You will ensure that no student remains behind who doesn't have any business being here. If you find someone lurking in the shadows and shows hostile intent towards you then feel free to take them out. Also, you are responsible for the infirmary and to ensure that medical assistance is given to those who need it."

He then turned to Ginny, "You have to lead the students in the upper wings of the castle. If any comes that way then feel free to take them out."

He then turned to Seamus, "Seamus, while I know you are as ready as you will be yet there is a duty cast upon you. Please ensure that none of your crew abandons their station until the giants are down. Do not release so much as a single boulder until you are certain that the giants are fully committed to a charge. If any of them get into melee range, it will be very bad for our side. You are our best hope in this regard."

To Hannah, he said, "To you I entrust the duty of rousing the students and helping whoever you find in peril. You shall have a squad behind you and your orders are not to engage in every conflict that you can see but to tilt the balance wherever you can."

To Du Vant he turned, "I want you and your squad to help the werewolves with Remus Lupin. He has very able fighters at his side yet he can use all the help that he can get. Other than that, you have to help the Aurors as best as you can."

To Neville, he turned at last, "my brother, we both know this destiny that has been thrust upon me could have been yours. While it falls to my lot to kill Tom yet there is something that I want you to do. The great snake of Tom is still left and until we kill her, we just can't take him out. You will have to seek her actively and kill her. I am sure Tom will not leave her at his hiding place but she will be in the battle. Your duty is to seek and kill the snake. Except that you will do nothing until you have accomplished this mission. The sword that you have learned to wield so beautifully should be more than enough to finish the job."

Susan asked him, "What about you and me?"

"We will be searching for Tom through everything to find him alone and remove his head. You will have to hold my hand when I do that though."

She kissed him on the cheek in excitement.

When the meeting was dismissed, Harry asked Neville to stay behind. For this, he even encouraged Susan to move on. When the mirror was secured, Harry asked, "Neville, do you have your sword with you?"

Neville patted the left side of his robe, "These days, I'm never without it, mate. Why do you ask?"

Harry produced a carefully sealed crystal phial from a pocket of his robes, "Get your sword out. Nagini is a horcrux. She won't die easily. Your sword will need to be treated with this to get the job done."

As Neville drew his sword, it grew to its natural size. Before Harry poured, he asked just to make sure, "Is this made of goblin silver?"

Neville nodded, "Yes, it's at least a thousand years old. Father and Mother pick it out from the family vaults."

Harry said, "Good. This stuff is basilisk venom. Once your sword has been treated with this stuff, it can destroy horcruxes. But I must warn you, there is very little that can cure basilisk venom. Even a small nick could be fatal. Do you understand the danger?"

Neville said, "Maybe I should get another weapon for this job then."

Harry shrugged, "If you have another Goblin wrought silver sword lying about, sure. But any other metal will be destroyed."

Neville shook his head, "No, not a sword. Would a war-axe do?"

Harry just stared at his friend in silence while Neville produced a two-handed war-axe and laid it on the table. The head was forged of Goblin-wrought silver in one piece. The blade was fully a foot wide. On the back of the blade was a war-pick. The haft was made of solid iron-wood. There was no engraving or ornamentation. This was a very simple, efficient weapon of war. The only thing Harry could find to indicate that it was magical at all was a single rune on the butt of the haft to make it unbreakable.

Harry looked at the implement of destruction and asked, "Blimey! Where did you get that from?"

Neville said, "According to legend, this belonged to Lars the Bloody about 1300 years ago. Dad thought I might need it."

Harry quickly drizzled a few drops of the venom on one side of the axe-blade. When all traces of the venom were absorbed, Neville flipped the weapon over and Harry repeated the treatment on the other side of the blade.

When he was done, he said urgently, "I can't stress this enough. Be very careful that you don't nick yourself with that thing. Keep the head covered at all times unless you are actively killing something with it."

During the next week, the storm brewed slowly. The Aurors who had been placed in the castle turned a blind eye to everything that Harry and his friends did but they kept a very close eye on the Slytherins who had been reporting on the students.

Harry and his friends spent most of the day going through their curriculum preparing for their exams while they were being watched. In the early morning they made their way to the Chamber of Secrets before the sun came over the horizon.

The morning practice sessions went on for two hours or more. Harry had them working in their squads. He wanted them to practically read each other's minds by the time the final battle came.

Outside the castle, things were progressing. The French Aurors and the Bulgarians were practicing with the British Aurors, learning to coordinate their work. They did not have to deal with constant interruptions from the death eater raids all up and down Wizarding Britain. The Mystics were intervening to foil the attacks on Muggles. It seemed that the rapid response of the Aurors to past attacks on magical communities had convinced the death eaters that such an attack was more trouble than it was worth.

A group of 5 death eaters dared to launch an attack on Hestia's hearth. The restaurant was bustling at capacity with what appeared to be muggle customers, when the attackers walked in through the front gate. Although they were not wearing their death eater masks or robes, the host recognized them for what they were immediately. He went through the motions of checking the registry for their reservations while tapping the security rune under his desk with his wand. This was the silent alarm. Quietly, under the tables where they were sitting, the patrons of the restaurant drew their wands and watched the newcomers in the mirrors. Since no death eater had ever been permitted to eat at Hestia's Hearth, they had no idea what was going to happen next.

The host tactfully explained, "Our apologies sir. As you can see, we are at capacity and you have no reservation."

The man snarled exclaiming, "I'll clear some tables for you!"

All five of them whipped out their wands and began to fire curses at the people seated at the nearest tables. In an eye blink, shields appeared and the tables were raised as barricades. The curses either bounced harmlessly off the shields or splintered tables. The host would have been caught in the cross-fire, but he dove under his desk and laid flat on the floor.

The answering barrage of Bombarda curses from the patrons quickly reduced the five death eaters and the entrance to the restaurant into a rapidly settling cloud of dust. Some of the death eaters managed to raise shields, but that made no difference to the end result.

Mr. O'Neil came running from the back office wielding his wand and asked, "What, in Merlin's name?"

The host raised his head from the rubble and said, "Sorry, sir. Death eaters."

With the help of the muggle born witches and wizards in the restaurant, the mess was cleaned up in short order. Mr. O'Neil made a call to the Ministry. It was quickly agreed that nothing of the attack was to appear in the papers. Neither the Ministry nor Mr. O'Neil wanted to draw any attention to the muggle born intelligence operation that was working out of his restaurant.

The war call

The next morning, Dumbledore sent for Harry. When Harry arrived in the Headmaster's office, he found the General, the head of Aurors, Monsieur Bossompierre of the French Aurors and a woman were there in his office with Algernon Croaker.

They all stood as Harry entered the room. Dumbledore invited Harry to sit, "Harry, welcome. We are glad you could join us. Please have a seat. We have matters of some importance to discuss." As Harry helped himself to the poufy chair nearest to the door, they all took their seats.

Dumbledore made introductions, "Harry, of course you know the General and Monsieur Bossompierre. This charming lady is Madam Alexandrov, the head of Aurors in Bulgaria."

Harry immediately rose from his chair to bow to her and perform proper courtesy, "Charmed, Madame."

Once Harry was back in his seat, Dumbledore continued, "Harry, the General would like to know if we are ready."

Harry nodded firmly, "Headmaster, The Order of the Snow Leppard and the werewolves are as ready as they will ever be. How are things going with the Ministry forces?"

Frank answered, "Under the tender tutelage of one Alastor Moody, they have become proficient. We are ready to proceed. Shall we let Mr. Riddle know that we have his personal artifacts, the items as precious to him as his own life?"

Madam Alexandrov asked, "Vill you tel me, Mr. Longbottom, vot do you mean?"

Frank shook his head gravely, "Pardon Madame but this is a state secret. I will only say that this is the darkest of magics. The less you know about it, the better off you are." Frank turned back to Harry, "Yes. The time has come. I will arrange for a message to be sent to the lugubrious one himself. He should receive it in two days time."

Harry said, "Once he receives that message, I doubt it will take him two hours to launch his attack. I will arrange with my friends to have a little surprise for him right about the same time."

That Evening, Behind the Mirror on the Fourth Floor

Harry began solemnly, "The time we have been preparing for is coming. The day after tomorrow, Tom Riddle will attack this castle with every bit of might he can muster. I have done everything I can to teach you how to survive. We will all make it through this battle together. Nobody could ask for more excellent friends than you."

Ron asked, "What do we have to do?"

Harry answered, "There will be no practice from now until the battle. You have my leave to spend this time as you will. The day after tomorrow, right after breakfast, I will need Fred and George to evacuate every non-combatant student. The safe houses are prepared. Tomorrow all arrangements for the defense of Hogwarts will be finalized. Stay out of the way of the Aurors and the foreign forces. If one of them gives you an order, carry it out."

As they all left, Harry turned to those who remained behind. They were Ron, Hermione, Neville, Hannah and Susan.

He pulled all of them into a hug. They all clung to each other, comforting their closest friends before the coming battle.

As they broke apart, he turned to Ron and Hermione, "You two have been my first and closest friends since that first day on the train. Ron, you have been as close as any brother. Your whole family practically adopted me. That was genuine love that I can never repay. Hermione, you have always bossed me around and been as my sister. I've always counted on your resourcefulness and clear thinking. If two heads are better than one, we three have certainly been better than two. I would not want to fight this battle without you, my constant companions through every adventure. We cannot know what will happen during the battle. I just wanted you to hear that, just in case…"

They both pulled him into a hug again. When they broke apart, he turned to Neville, "there are no words that I can say to you and explain what I feel, brother. They often say that 'where a Potter goes, a Longbottom will follow but this time, a Potter will follow a Longbottom. We will have many wars to fight after we have successfully sent Tom to the fiery pits of hell to be judged for his crimes."

He then turned to Hannah, "You know you have a very special place in my heart. You didn't begrudge that your best friend pined for me since we came to Hogwarts. You stood by her. You didn't seem to mind when I finally started to date her. You were brave enough to apologize when you felt that you should do so. I also thank you for taking care of Neville. He is a big boy who can kill death eaters and plant dangerous trees but he is soft of heart. Thank you for being his girl friend."

That Same Evening, Somewhere in Rural England

In a small cottage in the countryside, Professor Vikram Rana visited the two strangers who lived in the area. The man, who was the host for the night, was old. He looked ancient with a wrinkled face, bushy eyebrows and an aura around him which showed that the man was more than he appeared.

Vikram bowed to the man, touching his feet in reverence, "Pranam Guruji."

"Ayushman bhav, vats', said the old man touching his head and blessing him.

The other man asked, "What news do you bring?"

"Guruji, a message has come from Africa in which Guruji has asked us to request you to exorcise the horcruxes of their possession", said Vikram with his hands folded.

"I don't always understand Harsh's motives", said the old man, "it is not his battle yet he is doing everything to help this boy."

"Guruji, Vari had told me about it before I started training the boy. Varah Mihir, who never comes to the settlement, arrived one day in haste. He demanded to see Lord Sharang at once. Lord Sharang, as you know holds the old seer in high regard. He met him at once. The seer told Lord Sharang that he had seen it in his omens that the boy will kill the abomination known as Voldemort and that the Mystics will play a big part in it. He also foresaw that without our help, the boy would be very hard pressed to defeat him and it will only end with taking a lot of innocent lives. It is at his orders that Lord Sharang put forth all our resources to help him. Also, consider that this helps us on our mission to eradicate evil as we were sworn to do when we forsook our former lives and took the cloak."

The ancient wizard nodded, "I will do as he bids. If this is the will of mother magic then so be it."

Vikram stood up from his place, "I will take your leave now, Master. I can't go missing for long periods of time from the school lest questions are asked about me. As a special request from The Chosen One, the exorcisms should be carried out starting at ten in the morning, the day after tomorrow. If we time it well, he will get one devastating shock after another just as he is trying to attack the school. It will whip him into a frenzy. Do not exorcise the diadem until you receive my signal. As long as he believes it remains hidden, he will not be able to think of anything else."

The ancient man nodded, "It will be done, child. May Mother Magic bless you."

The bugle sounds

That night at Hogwarts passed uneasily. The vast majority of students spent a good part of the night packing and sitting up late, talking with their room-mates. The house elves were kept busy, running snacks to all the dormitories. Even the students that were staying to fight packed their things because win or lose, it was unlikely that the castle would be in any shape to host students for a while.

The members of The Order of the Snow Leopard, on top of packing up their belongings, laid out their armour, cleaned and tuned their brooms and wands, checked their potions and other supplies. They talked about their time at the school, and the things they had done while they were there.

Of course, Harry had all this stuff managed. He meditated and retired early. The early morning sun, as it peaked above the horizon, found him meditating. In his mindscape, he was going over all the details of the grounds and every step of the battle. By the time the other students began to stir, he had already played out 10 different variations of the battle. That was when messages started to come in on his holster. Some of the other students were gathering in the Chamber of Secrets and they wanted to meet with him. He sent out a general message to all the members of The Order of the Snow Leppard that he would be there in ten minutes.

When Harry arrived, everyone in the room stood up and burst into applause. It took a few minutes for him to take it all in before he gestured for everyone to sit down and let him speak. They all made themselves comfortable sitting on cushions on the floor before he began.

Harry began, "I suppose that most of you did not get a good night's rest last night. This is the last day before the final battle. We have all trained hard and we are as ready as we will ever be. What's more important, we have made friends. Through training and hardship, we have forged bonds between us like no other class in Hogwarts history. This is the last time we will all meet here. There will be no practice today. Here are your orders. You are to spend this day with your friends and family. You are to eat well, rest and stretch. Most important, you are all to get a good night's sleep tonight. I thank every one of you for your incredible hard work, dedication and loyalty.". He paused for a moment while many of them said, "All that and more, Harry.", and "Of course.", and "We'll follow you anywhere."

Harry continued, "There is one more thing. Sorry, but a lot of you are not going to like it. I have discussed this with General Longbottom and he is quite insistent. All witches and wizards under age 15 will be evacuated along with the non-combatants."

There were groans of dismay among the fourth year students. Some of them grumbled, "You can't kick us out now", and "No way!"

Colin Crevey piped up and said, "You can't, Harry. I'm the best sharp-shooter you have."

Ginny Weasley stood up from her place, "You had better take that back, Harry Potter, unless you want to be on the receiving end of a Bat-Bogie Hex. I've been training with the others since early last summer and you know I'm one of your best."

Harry addressed her stiffly, "My best would be able to follow orders, Miss Weasley. If you can't do that, I will personally put you in a full-body bind and deliver you to Lord Weasley." The retort was like a splash of cold water on her hot temper.

Harry continued, "I have a special assignment for you and Collin. You will be sent to the safe-house with those students who are suspected of being death eater sympathizers. You will assist the Aurors with keeping them in line. Against other students, I have complete confidence in your ability to handle yourselves."

All the time he was talking, Harry adopted the stance and tone of a commander who expects his orders to be obeyed. Ginny said, "Yes sir", and sat down.

Harry had chosen to make an example of her because he knew that others would follow suit if he could make her follow his orders.

As Ginny sat down, Harry turned to others, "The same goes for all of you. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded and the meeting was dismissed shortly thereafter.

As the students went away, Hermione asked him, "Why did you do that Harry?"

"Hermione, you do realize that the taking of lives is a grim business? No matter how innocent or righteous a killing is, it leaves a blemish upon one's soul. Whatever we see or do in the war will haunt us for the rest of our lives. For myself, I can live with it and take all the blame upon myself but I can't see others getting scarred for life. This was thrust upon me the moment Voldemort turned his wand on me the first time. The rest of them however are innocent and their innocence should be protected at all costs. Everyone whom I have forbidden from fighting today has never killed anyone or shot a curse at someone except in practice and I am determined to keep it that way. As for the rest of you, I would have asked you to leave too but I know that it would be worse than pointless. You would stay anyway and resent me for trying to push you around. You will do what you believe is right anyway and you may as well do so with my blessing."

Ron said, "Too right, mate. We aren't going to leave you no matter what you do to get rid of us. We have been through all of this for you and we will remain with you till the very end."

The next day was spent in relative silence. The students mingled with each other yet there was a tension in the air that no one wanted to talk about. The Great Hall which generally bustled with activity at meal times was a solemn affair. There was such silence that you could hear a pin drop. The students didn't even talk with their best friends but just sat together.

Even the teachers looked more of a grim lot than usual. Severus Snape who had started to look a happy man for the last few days, had again got the grim demeanour that he was famous for. There had been a lot of changes in the man though. He had stopped wearing black robes but wore grey robes now. It also seemed that he walked in such a way as if the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders. Look solemn today he did, but there was also a gleam of determination in his eye that had not been there before.

McGonagall was surveying the students as if she was trying to take them all in together for the last time before something big went down. The way she wiped her eyes when she thought no one could see, one would think that she had recently lost someone.

Pomona Sprout was not present in the Great Hall. The house elves brought food out to her and the students that were working with her out by the greenhouses where they were hard at work preparing some unpleasant and deadly surprises for the death eaters. The entire perimeter at the edge of the Forbidden Forest was prepared with the deadly flora. Unless the death eaters had an exotic herbology expert with them, nobody would be getting through that way.

The charms teacher was also absent. He was going around the school to check on the general enchantments and casting some of his own. He was working with Argus Filch to seal all the places where any opening could be made into the school.

The only one who seemed unaffected by all that was going on was Dumbledore. The old Headmaster was sitting in his chair, seemingly completely at ease. The way he would sometimes smile at some students or lean in to say something to Professor Vikram, it looked like things were perfectly normal for him.

Vikram was elated. He was glowing with a glow that no one could explain. In fact, some of the students could swear that they had seen him fingering his wand all the more, just as if he was going to start casting any minute.

The evacuation of Hogsmead

Alastor Moody arrived at the head of 50 Aurors in the village. He conjured a chair for himself in the square of the village while the Aurors went from shop to shop and informed the residents that the Master Auror wanted to see them at once.

A summons from Alastor Moody wasn't something that one could ignore. When they arrived in the village square, they found that Alastor Moody sat in a comfy chair while five of his sub-ordinates namely Scrimgeour, Robards, Hestia Jones, Savage and Higgins stood behind him, at attention.

As they crowded around him, Alastor stood and started speaking without preamble, "The General has received information from some sources that the village is at the risk of war anytime now. To prevent any unnecessary deaths, he has issued an order to evacuate the village by evening today."

As the residents started to protest, he let out a blast from his wand, "I didn't decide these things. The General, the Chief Warlock and Lord Peverell have made this decision and request you all to co-operate with us. So what will you do? Will you listen to your heroes or act like petulant children and whine until the threat is upon us. The residents of Hogsmead would be a liability to the ministry if an attack happened here right now. The Ministry wouldn't be able to effectively answer them if they have to care for the residents of the village. Make your decision and be quick about it. We haven't got all day."

One wizened old wizard asked, "How long will we be gone? I need to know what to pack."

Alastor answered, "Pack for a week. We will alert the safe-houses when it is safe to return."

After a lot of discussion among the residents of the village, Aberforth Dumbledore stepped forth, "Most of the villagers have agreed to evacuate. Some of us, however, are veterans of the previous war. We will stay here and give those ponces a proper pasting."

Alastor stood and clapped Aberforth on the shoulder, "I wouldn't have it any other way. As for the rest of you, we are here to help get you packed and out of here. You will be taken to safe- houses where you may shelter until the battle is over."

The operation proceeded with military precision. In the space of two hours, clothing and supplies were packed. Businesses were boarded up and so were the cottages. When the residents were ready, they were taken in groups by port-key to the safe houses hidden here and there in the Scottish highlands. By the end of the third hour, the village of Hogsmead looked like a ghost town with only the Hogshead Tavern showing any sign of life.

Who knows who will live and who will die?

The Great Hall had been quiet all day. The evening meal was particularly grim. Between mouthfuls, many of the students looked around, speculating grimly as to who would no longer be with them the same time tomorrow. The inner circle of The Order of the Snow Leopard sat together at the far end of the Gryffindor table. With the privacy wards Harry put up, nothing but muffled murmuring escaped the immediate area. Even the movement of their lips was blurred as they quietly discussed the war plan for the coming day.

The practices had been cancelled for the last two days to give students time to spend with their friends. During that time, when they were not in class, Harry was in Susan's company in the Chamber of Secrets. The Headmaster and the house elves had finally finished cleaning out The Room of Requirement, but Harry had noticed Ron and Hermione Going there together and decided to leave them alone. Neville and Hannah had been passing their time in the Mermaid Sanctuary, but after dinner this evening, Neville was there with Dumbledore.

The old wizard spoke to Neville fondly, "Neville, I don't know if we will both survive the battle tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to know that you have been the best apprentice I could have hoped for. Never question if I would have chosen Harry over you. Of course, he is powerful, but he is also hasty and headstrong. You are much better suited to what I was able to teach. You think things through. Your courage and loyalty are rare. Your family magics are as old and powerful as I could possibly have hoped for. Your calm and even temper give you the ability to be effective in a crisis. I am happy that you will carry on my legacy."

Neville bowed his head, "It is true that when you offered to train me, I thought it was only because you could not train Harry. But as you worked with me, holding nothing back, I understood that I was your first choice. I have learned more from you in the past year than I did in my first four years at Hogwarts. Master, I will not fail you tomorrow."

Dumbledore nodded, "Of that, I am sure, my boy. Remember that if something were to happen to Harry it will fall upon you to lead the students. Take heart from the courage that we all possess and lead them. No matter what personal loss you face, you must stand and fight."

The Chamber of Secrets

Harry was sitting in a very comfortable chair with Vikram by his side. Vikram was speaking, "You have to lead the charge against them, lad. When Voldemort comes to present a challenge, you move out to answer him and accept the challenge. You are the leader of this force and you have declared the blood war."

Harry glared at the stone wall in front of him as if to divine his future for the next 36 hours in its texture. He was in fact, going over the battle plan again in his mind. He answered without turning, "No master. I am not denying it. In fact, I know that I must deal with Tom at last."

The mystic nodded, "What is the layout of the ministry's forces?"

This was one part of what Harry had just been working out in his head, "The ministry has 170 wands for its part, the Order of the Phoenix has about 30 members and the Order of the Snow Leopard is down to 38 members now that I have forbidden anyone below fifth year from fighting. We also have a force, 40 strong, of werewolves at the plantation who will arrive by morning at the castle. We also have 100 fighters from France and Bulgaria."

Vikram shook his head, "Too little, Harry. We need more wands at our side".

Harry asked cautiously, "Are the mystics planning to join us?"

Vikram shook his head, "No. Lord Harsh has forbidden everyone but me from interfering directly in the war. We have done our bit in this war by training you and giving you the tools that you need to fight this war. You will need to look for help elsewhere."

Harry shrugged, "I had to ask. What about you, Professor? Are you going to fight the war or will you leave just before the fighting starts?"

Vikram rubbed his hands in glee, "I am going to participate in the battle. That was one reason that I chose to join this school when I was asked. I will lead Du Vant and his friends against the werewolves. The Weasley twins have prepared some very nasty surprises for them."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Do I need to know?"

Vikram grinned, "No you don't. Now I will take your leave Harry. Tomorrow you have a big day ahead of you."

Elsewhere in the castle, the owlery was emptied. All the owls whether they belonged to the students or the school were made to take flight. This was done so no news could be sent. Elsewhere the elves were packing the students belongings and sending them to the student's assigned safehouses as Dumbledore had asked them to. Preparations were being made and they were ready to fight.

Unknown Castle

Voldemort sat brooding while he took in the reports from his inner circle. None of the news was good. His attempts to keep the Ministry forces off balance and distracted by conducting random raids on the muggles had been thwarted. To make things worse, none of the survivors could remember what had happened other than a deep fear of going on such a raid again. One squad that had been sent to raid a muggle restaurant in London had simply disappeared without a trace. There were no reports of these raids in any of the newspapers. His eyes flashed red and his fist tightened around his wand with every report. He would have to launch the big attack and launch it soon, while he still had forces under his command.

A barn owl entered the castle and flew straight to Voldemort. The owl alighted in front of the snake-faced dark lord and extended its leg. As soon as Voldemort relieved him of its burden, the owl took off and flew away as fast as its tiny wings could carry it.

The letter bore no seal or crest. Having been duped by letters containing curses in the past, Voldemort was wary and passed it to Rowel to open it. The big hulking death eater opened the letter and passed it back to Voldemort while keeping his eyes averted from the letter, trying not to read any of its contents. He knew doing that would mean instant death.

The letter read:

"Dark Lord,

I have been on the run from the ministry since the battle in the ministry atrium, hiding in one of my safe houses on the continent. I have been trying to gather intelligence and wands to join our cause. I have managed to raise a force of 20 paid mercenaries who would willingly die at a word from you.

I have learned from an old warlock over here that the old fool has made inquiries about some kind of soul magic called "Horcruxes". The warlock was able to find that the old fool has some horcruxes in his possession at Hogwarts. He is seeking means to destroy them.

A team of British Aurors led by Atkins was sighted on the continent breaking down doors of the practitioners of soul magic. It is believed that they were looking for a way to destroy horcruxes. I believe they may have found one or more by now. My contact also told me that the ministry has found a group of warlocks and mages who can exorcise any item of a horcrux and it is this way that they intend to destroy the horcruxes.

It has come to my attention from my son at Hogwarts, who is not suspected by the light side that Peverell and Dumbledore have arranged a gathering of warlocks and sorcerers who can destroy horcruxes and they are planning to do it within the next few days. They believe that a horcrux is hidden somewhere in the castle. When they find it, they will destroy all the horcruxes in short order.

I am trying to return to the Isles at your service as soon as I can manage it. The borders are proving quite difficult to breach for me.

At your service,

Greg Jugson"

The letter sent Voldemort into a rage. His eyes radiated with a malevolent red glow. A dark penumbra surrounded him. His wand flashed threateningly with lightning discharges. No one in the room dared to speak lest they draw his attention to them and die. They all did their best to shuffle away from him while making no noise or obvious movement.

The old fool had played him! Somehow the one person that Voldemort truly feared had learned the secret of his immortality! The old man had been planning his ultimate demise for some time now and he was close to completing his plan.

He went over his horcruxes in his mind: The ring was gone from the Gaunt shack and a trap left in its place. The locket was gone from the cave by the sea, the infarie that guarded it destroyed and a fake left in its place. The cup of Hufflepuff was gone from Bella's vault, seized by the Potter brat. He had destroyed the accidental horcrux in the brat himself during their battle in the Little Hangleton graveyard. And, the diary was destroyed. That left the diadem of Ravenclaw, hidden in the Room of Requirement and Nagini. They were already seeking the diadem.

But what of the destruction of the horcruxes? He had passed out when he destroyed the horcrux in the Potter brat. Although fragmented and in another living being, the destruction of that portion of his soul had deeply effected him. Even though he had been in several battles and severely injured since then, there had been no unexplained feinting except once during the summer after this resurrection when he was jolted awake from a slumber he had fell into. He felt nothing when the diary was destroyed, but he had been a disembodied wraith at the time. No, the ring, the cup, the locket and the diadem were still intact. He was sure of it. He would have felt it if they had been destroyed. They tethered him to this plane of existence. Perhaps, if he moved swiftly enough, he may yet recover them.

For a moment, he considered entering Hogwarts by himself and attempting to recover the artefacts by stealth. But, if he was discovered, they would simply send the Potter brat against him and he would have yet another really bad day. He eyed Wagner and thought, No, to regain his precious horcruxes, he would have to commit a double feint: one to draw the Ministry forces far from Hogwarts; and another to draw attention away from his real goal. He recalled that a large number of his dementors were no more. It seemed that the light side had some unknown ability to destroy them. For his mission to succeed, he wanted the Potter brat as far away from the battle at Hogwarts as he could get. With that thought, the plan clicked into place.

He turned his gaze on Wagner, "Wagner, you will send a small force, say about 30 death eaters, backed up by 50 of my dementors to Bangor in Whales. Have them attack the university there and make sure they inflict as many casualties as they can. I don't particularly care if the attack is entirely successful. Just make sure that it is public, messy and terrifying. Do not be subtle. Get it done today."

Wagner asked, "What about the force that has been thwarting our attacks on muggles? We may have to deal with them."

The dark lord slammed his fist on the table, "They are of no consequence. They seem to work in small groups. They will be no match for us." Then considering he said, "Very well. Make that 100 dementors."

Wagner answered, "Yes, Dark Lord. It shall be done. What about the rest of our forces?"

Voldemort had been working on this for some time now. He unfurled a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area and launched into his battle plan. Some of the members of the inner circle participated in the briefing that followed, but mostly it was Voldemort and Wagner that worked out the fine details. At the conclusion, Voldemort said, "We attack at noon. Just make sure that Lucius leads the first wave personally."

As the chamber of the inner circle emptied, Voldemort picked Nagini up, "We can't let you be exposed, my friend. For all I know, you can..."

Voldemort's words were cut short as he felt his legs go weak and he fainted, falling flat on his noseless face. When he regained consciousness a few moments later, he realized that the old fool must be destroying his horcruxes one by one. He would have to hurry or by the evening, his tethers would be gone.

Hogwarts

The morning scene descended into chaos as the students woke up to find their trunks gone. The students who were staying to fight had their battle robes and armour laid out for them. Everyone else had a single outfit of their everyday attire laid out for them though they were to report to the Great Hall in their ordinary clothes and then retreat to get dressed up when the school was emptied.

Every common room had their bulletin boards cleared. The usual clutter had been replaced with a single large announcement:

"There will be a general assembly in the Great Hall for Breakfast promptly at 8:00 AM.

After breakfast there will be essential announcements.

All are required to attend.

NO EXCEPTIONS!

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"

They donned their robes and went down to the great hall as instructed. The conversation was all speculation about what the announcement was going to be.

The speculation continued all the way through breakfast, fuelled by several Aurors in their uniform robes joining the students at breakfast that day. Tables had been added to seat them all around the outside of the Great Hall. Many of the other students noticed that some of their numbers were comfortably sitting with the Aurors and looked very nervous but none talked about it. When the students were full of excellent food and their heads full of rumours, breakfast was pretty much over.

The murmur died away immediately when the Headmaster stood up. Every eye in the room was turned upon him as he began to speak, "My dear students, I suppose you are all curious as to why there has been such a dramatic change to our usual routine?" He paused while some of the students murmured. Then he raised his hand for silence again, "It saddens me to say that we must evacuate the school. It has come to our attention that the dark wizard Tom riddle, also known as Voldemort will likely launch an attack against this very school in the near future. This is why your belongings have been removed to safe-houses. Now I ask the volunteers to rise and identify yourselves?"

Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Professor Snape, Du Vant and the Aurors all stood up from their seats.

Dumbledore continued, "These people will sort you to your destinations and see to it that you arrive there safely."

One of the second year students stood up at the Gryffindor table, "What if we want to stay and fight?"

Dumbledore spoke firmly but kindly, "Some of our number will stay and fight. You already know who you are. ". He glanced significantly at the students who were sitting around Harry or who had fought in the battle of Hogsmead, "Our combatants are highly trained. They know what they have committed to do. Any student that is over the age of 15 and highly proficient may choose to join us. But I advise you, you may not live to regret it."

The second year began to object, but Dumbledore interrupted him, "Everyone under the age of 15 will be evacuated. No exceptions. We expect that the school will be besieged and attacked. This is no place for young children. The Ministry forces will be much more effective if they do not need to look to your safety."

With a bang from their wands, Fred, George and Lee Jordon moved to their assignments. George went to the Ravenclaw table. Under the eyes of two of the Aurors, everyone below fifth year and a considerable number of the older students too, stood up and followed George out of the Great Hall. A few of them tried to resist but a word from Professor Flitwick, Cho Chang and Elsa Kuruvilla got them to follow the 7th year Gryffindor.

He led them to the statue of the witch on the 3rd floor where Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing in his Crimson robes. He led the way by jumping down. The students followed him through the tunnel. They emerged through the trap door at the end of the tunnel into the cellar of Honeydukes. Hestia Jones formed them into groups and issued them with a portkey for each group. As one group vanished, the next group climbed up the ladder and took their place.

When George's head emerged from the trapdoor, he said, "That's the last one. I'm heading back to the school." There was a muffled rumbling a few minutes later as George caved in the passageway behind him.

At the end of the portkey journey, the students found themselves in a manor house, surrounded by forest, managed by Molly Weasley and Dedalus Diggle.

Fred led the Hufflepuffs below 4th year to the passage behind the mirror. Zacharias Smith glared at Harry and joined them. Very few of the other Hufflepuff students over age 15 chose to leave. Arthur Weasley waited for them there. He led the students through the passage that emerged near the cottage on the hill. As they emerged from the cave entrance, Bartley Higgins formed them into groups and distributed a portkey to each group.

When Fred emerged from the cave he said, "That's the last one. Keep an eye out, won't you?"

Bartley chuckled, "You can count on that."

After Fred disappeared beyond the cave entrance, a lonely seagull kept its vigil near the cave entrance. This passage would remain open with many nasty surprises for uninvited guests at the far end.

The portkeys carried the Hufflepuffs to an old resort, surrounded by mountains, by the seaside in Cornwall. Andromeda Tonks and Ted Tonks helped them find their cabins as they arrived.

That left Lee to wrangle the Gryffindors. All of them, right down to the first years, protested loudly. They were going to stay to fight and nobody was going to tell them otherwise. That was when Professor McGonagall descended from the head table like a thunderbolt, her lips as thin as a ruler edge, wand in hand, "you will accompany Mr. Jordan or you will be… expelled. And if that isn't enough, Peeves will be happy to pelt the lot of you with dungbombs. Now move it!"

Peeves cackled gleefully, hefting a substantial pack of ammunition as he grinned.

The younger students were willing to face off against Voldemort and his death eaters, but they did not want to cross their head-of-house. However every single student over 15 stayed.

Lee Jordon led them to the passage behind the grand staircase. Collin and Ginny loitered at the back of the group. Discretely, Jordan pointed them toward the dungeons. They just nodded and disappeared in the direction he indicated. From there, Charlie Weasley led them through the passage to the exit. Gawain Robards met them to form them into groups and issue each group a portkey.

When Lee emerged from the passage, he said, "That was like herding cats! But that was all of them." When the last group of students was gone, Lee and Charlie went back through the tunnel, collapsing it behind them as they went.

The Gryffindors were greeted at the safe house by Dowager Lady Longbottom, Lord Greengrass and Lady Greengrass. When the students were received, Dowager Longbottom apparated to the gates of Hogwarts to join the battle.

That just left the Slytherins. They were divided into two groups. Du Vant took those who were of neutral families or were on the side of light to a room in the dungeon that was full of old portraits and abandoned furniture. Some of them indicated that they would stay and fight, but they did not want to be seen by the known death eater sympathizers. Du Vant told them that it was fine and they were not assigned portkeys. Auror Whitby met them with the trapdoor in the floor already open. He led the way through the passage to the exit. Madam Bones herself formed them up into groups and gave each group a portkey as they emerged.

When Du Vant emerged and said, "That's all of them, Madame Bones.".

She quickly said, "The count is off. We're short by ten."

Du Vant answered her proudly, "They have decided to stay and fight. I'm going to join them now."

She clapped him on the shoulder saying, "You're a good man, Du Vant. Good hunting."

Du Vant coloured at the compliment, "I'll do my best. Thank-you."

With that, Whitby and Du Vant headed back through the passage, collapsing it behind them.

Lord Ainsworth greeted them at the safe-house. His entire family had volunteered to take care of the students.

The rest of the snakes were placed under escort by Professor Snape and four Aurors to the broom-closet near the entrance to their own common room. The look that crossed Graham Montague's face as he realized that the light had known exactly where there secret passage was located was priceless. He had been played. What else did the light know about their activities?

Aberforth Dumbledore led the way to the exit in the alley behind the Hogshead. The Aurors and Professor Snape saw to it that every one of them found their way to the exit. They were inconspicuously joined by two more first years, a boy and a girl that nobody seemed to recognize. Draco Malfoy and Millicent Bulstrode were also in this group.

Rufus Scrimgeour waited for them. As they exited the passageway, his no nonsense approach and the four Aurors backing him up, saw to it that they all took their portkeys to the safehouse.

When the last group was gone, Snape gave Rufus a curt nod and headed back to the school through the tunnel with the four Aurors in tow. Since the death eaters certainly knew about this tunnel and believed that the light did not, this tunnel would be left open and trapped. No death eater would be permitted to emerge from the other end alive.

These students arrived at a safehouse that was managed by Aurors. It was comfortable enough, but there was no mistaking it for a luxury hotel. Its purpose was to contain the students, plain and simple. The Aurors that managed the place were new to the job. They were to keep an eye on the students, to make sure that no communication left the safehouse and keep every one of them there for the duration.

Brewing trouble! I don't think so

Graham Montague was thinking and thinking furiously. The Ministry was laying a trap for the dark lord and his forces and he had to do something. They knew! They knew about the secret passage. They almost certainly knew about all the intelligence that had passed through there. They may have even modified it. His operation had been compromised. He had to let his Dark Lord know!

Montague may have looked like a muscle-bound low-brow, but he had a first-rate brain behind his unibrow. Looking around, he realized that everyone he recognized was firmly connected with the dark. The house was in the middle of nowhere, and no floo in sight. But no matter, he could apparate. There were only four Aurors to keep watch on all of them. By signals, when the Aurors were not looking straight at him, he let the ones he could count on know what he was planning. Time was slipping away and they needed to act quickly.

When everyone was ready, Montague and six others sprang from their seats, aimed and shouted, "Bombarda!"

The Aurors were wearing their battle robes and armour, so the damage was minimal, but the spells took them down all the same.

Draco Malfoy stood, his wand pointed at Montague's chest and sneered, "What do you think you're doing, Montague?"

Montague turned on him, "I don't answer to traitors, Malfoy. If you want to prove your loyalty to the Dark Lord, now is the time."

Malfoy spat on the floor, "I don't care about your dark lord. That pathetic son of a squib cannot defeat Peverell in an honest duel. Tell your goons to stand down or die."

One of Montague's associates turned his wand on Malfoy, "If you are not with us then you are against us, Malfoy. We'll put you down like the traitorous dog …!"

His posturing and speech was cut short when Millicent Bulstrode lunged at him and landed a left hook that laid him out unconscious.

Montague aimed his wand at Millicent and began to shout, "Stu…! Yargh!"

He hurtled down the hallway, end-over-end because Malfoy hit him with a non-verbal Flippendo before he could finish his spell.

He leapt back to his feet, wand still in hand, shaking with rage and growled, "You're a dead man! There are only two of you. I'm going to rip your head off and shove that wand…"

"Make that five", Jugson interrupted what surely would have been a colourful threat. Alongside him, Everly and Dryden had their wands out and pointed at Montague and his friends.

Montague barked, "Have you lost your minds? You lot are supposed to be working for me!"

Everly laughed, "Working for you? You stupid git! What was ever in it for any of us to work for you?"

Only now did Montague realize how completely he had been foiled. While the scene played out, the two unknown first-year students were taking care of the Aurors and were relieved to find that they would not have to do any healing for they were only knocked out cold and didn't sustain any damages due to the armour that they wore.

Jugson continued, "There is only one side for a Slytherin, Montague. It is the side which is the most beneficial to us. Lord Black has promised to restore our reputation and standing when the war is over. Unlike your so-called dark lord, he has been known to keep his word."

Montague tried to appeal to other students in the room, "Will you not help us? Will you fight not for the Dark Lord?"

Jugson laughed again, "You are wasting your breath, Montague. They are true Slytherins. They are looking to their own interests, unlike you and your posse. You lot look like dark Hufflepuff to me, following the pretender like a lost puppy. We know better."

Dryden turned to Malfoy, "We will remember to mention this to Lord Black, Malfoy. Be assured that this little service of yours will reach his ears. He will repay your loyalty most liberally."

Draco shrugged, "I didn't do this for any reward, but thanks anyway. Get these idiots bound up and confined. We don't want any more trouble from them. We have to attend to these Aurors before they bleed out or there's going to be hell to pay. Can anyone here do healing?"

By this time, the Aurors were already beginning to stir. The two unknown first years had already been attending to them. The trio quickly cast full body-bind curses on Montague's cohorts, but they made the mistake of leaving their ring-leader for last.

First, Montague attempted to disapparate. That failed, leaving him pale. Then, realizing that he was right next to the door, he opened it and dashed out, leaving it open behind him.

It was all Jugson could do to keep from laughing out loud as he watched Montague make a run for it. He casually pointed his wand at the back of the fleeing boy and plastered him in the head with a bludgeoner. The seventh year made an impressive furrow in the grass as he slid to a stop, using his face for brakes. The next moment, Draco stunned and bound him.


A/N- So this is the second last chapter of this saga before the final battle. I hope I have been able to keep you all entertained throughout the series. Though going by the handful of reviews that I have received, I guess I wasn't that good.

On the side, yours truly is now a full-fledged author and my first ever novel is going to be published soon. It wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't started writing fanfiction. Also thank you all for the motivation and support that you all have lent me through the last 1 year and a few months. Show some love to this chapter, eh?