Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, considered by many to be the most powerful wizard in the world, was stuck in a conundrum. Hogwarts had let out less than a week ago, and that made for many duties for the Headmaster. He had to review the upcoming budget, give raises where appropriate, review the professors' disciplinary actions, their average grades in their classes, as well as a host of other things. To be fair, the Deputy Headmistress was more than qualified and wiling to assist in these matters. However, this summer break was completely different. The Headmaster felt indebted to the school as a whole for what he deemed as personal failures during the last school year. He had allowed the ministry too much leeway, had not fought hard enough to keep his position, and failed his most important mandate; protecting the students of Hogwarts.

Some would say, that with his numerous and highly involved positions, that he was spreading himself thin. He was already Headmaster of one of the best schools in the world, as well as the Supreme Mugwump. On top of those very prestigious titles, he held a chair on several very important committees, not to mention the he was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Only his closest confidants knew why he worked himself so hard, and spread himself so thin, but they would keep his secrets to the grave.

At any point in time, given his numerous positions, the Headmaster (as that was by far his favorite title) had numerous plans and schemes, and contingent plans and schemes in case those came into fruition. To be honest, for a man of his talents, most of his positions did not require too much of his time or mental capacity, but all of his positions allowed him certain privileges and insights that he often used to help those in need. His crusades against the classist bigots in the government came second only to his desire to help those less fortunate. The Weasley family with their financial woes, Remus with his lycanthropy, and Hagrid with his many struggles, were simply some of the better known cases of his humanity.

His conundrum now, though, dealt almost exclusively with Harry Potter. He had failed the boy once more. He couldn't officially have a favorite student, but if he could Harry Potter would easily take the title. He, admittedly, allowed Harry a great deal of leeway, but he did so believing that students would learn more by making mistakes; they simply had to be allowed to make mistakes and not be punished for it. In Harry's case, with what he'd lost, and the pressure tossed on him from the moment he was born, Dumbledore could sympathize with the boy. Harry dealt with so much, and yet was still a good human being. It was a wonder that Harry didn't destroy offices more often. The memory brought a smile to the headmaster's face. It was likely one of the few times he had been afraid for his safety. It was justified though. Harry deserved such an outlet after another loss was thrust upon him, this one preventable. Albus Dumbledore would forever live with the burden that he had inadvertently caused the death of Sirius Black.

"Headmaster Dumbledore sir?" A voice had broken into his thoughts. "Was there something that you'd like to add?" The man, Sam, continued.

"My apologies Samuel, an old man found himself lost in his thoughts. No, you and this committee have done a brilliant job making strides in the name of change. It may seem as if things will never change, but remember that change on such a grand scale may manifest itself in many ways." Albus responded, smoothing their fears. His gaze caught the eyes of the other 6 people in the room, and as one they stood, bringing the meeting to an end.

Dumbledore beat a hasty retreat and Apparated directly to his office at Hogwarts. He was still going through the tedious process of putting his office back together. A few wand waves had taken care of most of the damage, but the silver instruments had to be recalibrated. Few would immediately recognize them for what they were, but these instruments were extremely essential to the protections of those under him. The silver instrument in front of him allowed him to monitor the wards at #4 Privet Drive, and essentially the protection of Harry Potter. It was linked to the medallion that he always wore around his neck.

Being sensitive to many types of magic, Dumbledore had redoubled his efforts when he felt the medallion vibrate a few days past. It was quick, and went back to normal not long after, but it had meant to him that Harry had been threatened. The magic wasn't exact of course, as falling down the stairs would make it buzz as well. However, without the silver instrument, the medallion could only give limited feedback, and usually well after an event had passed.

He knew, of course, the entire schedule of those scheduled to guard Harry around the clock, and felt confident that he would know of any immediate danger to the boy. However, he also understood that one had to factor in the opportunity for human error. No one was perfect, and yet this situation caused for a certain level of perfection and accountability. He needed a failsafe should there be any human err. He would work dedicate all of his free time and work meticulously to fix this machine first.

It was because of this that he was never alerted to the battle that was taking place in the suburban streets of London, just a few miles from the home of the Dursley's.

Remus Lupin was in bad shape. He had actually just completed another transformation, and his body and magic was sore. It usually took him no less than half a day to recover enough to where he could actually move around with minimal discomfort. Even though the potions from Severus helped a lot to deal with the pain and the ease of the transformation, the human body was not meant to change shape in such a way.

Usually, in the time nearing his transformations, his magic wasn't always responsive to him. In some cases, especially spells that dealt heavily in Transfiguration, it was nearly impossible for him to complete a task. He had to make sure that he kept all of his magic simple and away from transfiguring one thing to another, which was seemingly a big deal for the magical world. One never realized just how often they relied on their magic in order to do day to day tasks.

Remus, a very powerful and fairly accomplished wizard in his own right, usually attempted to keep a good handle on his magic. If anything, Remus always strived to be careful, especially with his lycanthropy as an issue. Being able to turn into a werewolf once a month made his day to day living a bit more difficult than most wizards. Not only did he have to keep a good lid on the werewolf instincts, he had to make sure that he physical manifestations did not disrupt anything either. He was, quite literally, physically stronger and faster than most other wizards. Quite literally, he could pick Hagrid up. The danger posed there was that he could easily hurt someone that was not Hagrid's stature.

With the danger in his magic being shared with what could, technically, be another entity, Remus had to always be in control. He had learned Occlumency from Dumbledore at a very early stage, and usually had a number of potions on his person should the pain become unbearable, even with the Wolfsbane Potion in his system. It was one of these that had him currently had in a restless, but deep sleep.

On top of that, a few days ago, once he had truly embraced the idea of being Harry's Godfather, he had felt another part of him in the back of his head that allowed him to feel Harry in a matter of speaking. Not only could he feel his relative health, but he could, at times, feel the raw power of the boy's emotions. Harry, being the powerful wizard that he was, had very powerful emotions and always seemed to be in a state of flux. Remus often felt a spike in his own magic as a result of his Godson.

With his magic in a constant flux, and with it being an unusually strong episode, Remus never felt his magic spike in regards to the danger that was befalling his newly acquired Godson.

Nymphadora Tonks stood in the shadows under an invisibility cloak, quietly counting the strands of hair on the back of her hand. Today, like most of the other days she had been on guard duty, was dreadfully boring. The family that she was keeping an eye on was the quiet, happy sort, and she was really only here in the off chance that Deatheaters came snooping around. She possessed a medallion with which she could call for reinforcements within a moment's notice. But, that was only in the worst case scenarios.

She thought back to her accomplishments since she had graduated Hogwarts. To many, she was seen as a very quirky, and extremely clumsy young woman. Many at the Auror Academy hadn't wanted to ever work with her because of these attributes. In a sense, it was extremely true that she was indeed a clumsy person, but as she reflected, she knew that she could have ended up much worse; especially since she had been a member of the Black family.

In truth, she had never been comfortable in her own skin. As a Metamorphagus, she had the unique ability to alter parts of her body, and in some cases, change completely into a different person with a moment's thought. To some, it was her greatest strength. To her, it was her greatest weakness. After all, how could one know who they were if they were always a different person? It had made Auror school extremely easy, but made her social life very difficult.

In her time at Hogwarts, she was only popular as long as she was making other people happy. They always wanted her to turn into something different for their amusement. Guys that feigned interest in her did so only because they wanted her to adjust certain parts of her body. She had received many detentions as a result of her retaliating against their very physical advances. With the detentions came the rumors, and it forever haunted her.

In the Auror Academy she excelled once she put her full focus on her academics. She was still clumsy, after all her body was always changing, but she was a fierce dueler and one of the more powerful new Aurors. Meeting Sirius, once Dumbledore had convinced her that he was not a criminal, had changed her perspective on many things. His carefree attitude, despite having been locked away for 12 years, was always soothing to her after a particular harsh day. He had once told her that she shouldn't take life too seriously because she would never make it out alive. Those were perhaps the wisest words that anyone had spoken to her, and coming from her cousin who wasn't too much older than she was, made it all the more meaningful. If anything, it made her life far more meaningful.

Sirius dying had been a crisis that she wasn't sure that she could completely overcome. He had made her promise to take care of Harry in the event that anything happened to him. And so she would. After meeting the young man in question, she could see why Sirius cared for him so much. He was a strong, compassionate, humble teenager that had faced an extremely difficult life to only be 15 years old.

"I don't know how he can be so strong all the time!" She thought sadly as she resumed her counting. Dumbledore would have her head if she let anything happen to the person she was guarding at the moment.

At that moment, a piercing scream cut through the stillness of the air, shattering the tranquility of the peaceful neighborhood.

"Bloody hell Hermione!" Tonks cursed as she raced from her hiding spot and into the home.

Hermione Granger had been passing the day away with light reading, and by that, she was reading a dusty tome entitled Debts of Love which was loaned to her by Headmaster Dumbledore. The book itself was of no importance, but it did allow her to take her mind off of a lot of issues at the time, most of them concerning her bestfriend Harry Potter. She hadn't heard from him this break as of yet, which worried her. She knew that losing such a polarizing figure could be traumatizing to a person's psyche. Harry, more so than others, seemed to have a very short fuse. More exactly, he seemed to have had a much rougher life than many others. She had lost her Grandmother at a young age, and the pain and emptiness had stayed with her for quite some time after.

In Harry's case, it had to be far worse. Not only did he lose his parents before he could truly get to know them, but he had lost the next best thing after only having had Sirius in his life for a short period of time. Even worse, he was almost immediately tossed back with the Dursley's before he could even talk to his friends about how he was feeling. She would never forgive Dumbledore for that, ever. She knew Harry, probably better than anyone else, and she realized that he tended to keep a lot of his emotions bottled up as opposed to facing them head on and actually figuring out a way through them.

Harry Potter deserved much better than the world was currently giving him, they all did. It often irked her to no end that they were often referred to as "children" when some of the things they had been forced to accomplish would strike fear in the hearts of adults. She respected adults, understood the need for authority figures, but was not truly a fan of unnecessary restrictions on her and the lives of her friends. If anything, Harry, at least, deserved far more.

She had been reading when she suddenly found herself feeling faint. Suddenly it was a struggle to keep her eyes open, her heart rate increased, and her wand sparked angrily from her atop her bedside table. More noticeably, to her anyway, was the piercing pain that she felt in her forehead, nearly exactly in the same spot as Harry's scar.

"Merlin's beard!" Hermione swore inwardly. That brief flash of pain, though, would only be a precursor to the storm of pain that would buffet her. It was her loud jarring scream that drew a frantic and concerned Nymphadora Tonks crashing through her bedroom door, blowing it to pieces. Whether it was purposeful or one of her clumsy mistakes, no one would ever know.

"Hermione! What's wrong?" Tonks shouted, surveying the neat room with a quick glance, wand at the ready.

"I- I don't know. I can't really expla-!" Hermione started, and stopped as her body began convulsing horribly. Tonks stood in shock for a few moments before she expertly flicked her wand, muttered a spell, and calmed the shaking body of the teenager.

"Hermione, take a deep breath! What the bloody hell is going on?" Tonks spoke hastily. For once in Hermione's memory, she could see no trace of the playful Tonks that she had come to know and appreciate, and she could finally see every bit of the Auror that the woman truly was. It was a frightening difference.

"I think we have to go! I think- I think that Harry might be in trouble?" Hermione spoke, knowing immediately that she sounded foolish. After all, how in the world would she know that Harry was in trouble?

Tonks frowned deeply before responding to the frightening girl.

"I haven't heard any reports back from his guards. We usually check in every hour. In fact, their due in for another check-in within the next few moments." Tonks spoke while checking her watch. Hermione growled in frustration.

"Tonks, I know that something is happening to Harry. I- I can feel him. He's hurting badly. He needs us. He needs me." Hermione spoke, on the verge of tears.

"Hermione, I believe you." Tonks began, "But, how are we supposed to find him? Do you know where he is? Do you know what's happening to him? Do you know how to get him? These are all important questions, that we need to answer! We can't just run off and go any which way!"

"He my best friend!" Hermione nearly shouting, wondering why it was taking Tonks so long to be on her side and believe her.

"Ok. How sure are you? Do you know where he is? Or what's wrong?" Tonks asked as she began to flick her wand and use the messenger spell that Dumbledore had created. She needed to know where Harry's guard was, and what the situation was. As much as she wanted to immediately believe the girl in front of her, she could not help be thinking of Mad-Eye Moody shouting his favorite phrase in her ear!

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE! The enemy will not wait for you to become aware of them." On Hot Missions, the missions where only the top and most senior Aurors were assigned, they all attributed their success to the power and authenticity of this message.

Her sharp intake of breath suddenly stopped the pacing Hermione.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, frantic. Despite the Pain Numbing Spell that Tonks had cast on her, she could still feel the strength of the pain that Harry was enduring. It was like nothing she had every felt before.

"My messenger came back with the messenger undelivered. Grab your wand, we need to get to Privet Drive as quickly as possible." Tonks spoke hastily, finally sending off a few other messengers in various directions, alerting key member to a possible RED Alert. She knew that it was highly likely that the Orders on duty simply fell asleep, and that a RED Alert could cause a bit of a panic, but she also knew that she had to be safe, even if she was wrong.

"What was that?" Hermione, ever perceptive, asked as Tonks crossed the room and grabbed her right arm tightly.

"I just sent out messages to all Order members that are currently on duty to be on high alert as we have a team that is currently unreachable. That's called out RED Alert. If, for some reason, there is no response within the next 5 minutes or so, I will issue out a BLACK Alert, which basically screams out a call for help for any Order members at all." Tonks explain hurriedly, while dragging Hermione into the alleyway behind her home and out of range of the wards. With a loud CRACK the two witches disappeared, thoroughly scaring the daylights out of a young squirrel burying a nut.

Tonks and her passenger, Hermione, reappeared in an alley. From a few glances around, Hermione could see that this was an affluent neighborhood, and seemingly in a good area. From her guess, she was assuming that the house that they had appeared behind was the home that Harry had been raised in. From the outside looking in, one would be hesitant to believe any of the stories that Harry had reluctantly shared in regards to his relatives. And yet, she had seen these very same people and knew that they were the worst sort of people possible, and they weren't very easy on the eye either.

"Come on, we have to go in and check the house out. The wards will not allow anyone to just Apparate in. Keep your wand ready, but try not to use if at all possible. And if the worse is to happen, then you get yourself out. Do you understand me Hermione?" Tonks said in a vicious whisper, and without waiting for an answer, she tapped one of the wooden planks of the gate and made it vanish.

A few quick spells from Tonks and they were suddenly within one of the cleanest homes Hermione had ever stepped foot in. In fact, in some ways, the house was too clean. Her own home, while far from messy, felt lived in. This home, on the other hand, felt bare and possessed a depth of sheer emptiness. It made Hermione shiver in it.

"If you see any of the Muggles, stun them before they can make a sound. I am hereby giving you emergency authorization to use magic with me." Tonks stated, while moving into the living room through the kitchen.

"It's too quiet in here Tonks." Hermione spoke finally, nearly frightened by the sound of her own voice.

"I know. Gives me the creeps. I've only ever been here one time before, and I hated it. Come on, his room is this way." Tonks replied as she led the teen to the staircase. Once upstairs, Hermione let out a gasp as she beheld the sheer number of locks on the bedroom door.

"Those fucking monsters!" Hermione growled loudly causing Tonks to shush her in response. Opening the door, Hermione was greeted by one of the smallest bedrooms she had ever see. Sadly, she was sure that her own bathroom attached to her bedroom was larger than this room. Even being sparsely furnished, the room felt constricting. She wasn't sure how a teenage boy could stand an entire summer stifled within. It was no wonder Harry was always ready to leave and escape. It was no wonder that he thought of Hogwarts as his home.

The next thing she noticed was a flash of white flying through the air of the small room. It took her a moment, but she finally recognized Hedwig looking as distressed as an owl could possibly look.

"What's wrong girl?" Hermione asked in a soothing tone, stroking the owl as she landed on her shoulder. Though the owl couldn't talk, she bobbed her head back and forth in a very aggressive manner.

"I can't believe I'm even going to ask this, but what is she saying?" Tonks said, while standing near the window and looking out.

"I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with Harry." Hermione spoke. With the name of her Master, Hedwig bobbed her head even harder and gave a loud screech.

"I'd say you were right Hermione!" Tonks spoke while coming closer to investigate. "Do you know where he is girl?" She asked the owl, mentally slapping her forehead as the ridiculousness of the question settled in on her. Hedwig, though, bobbed her head in what would definitely be an affirmative in the human world.

"Can you take up to him?" Hermione ask softly, he heart starting to beat fast. Something deep inside of her, coupled with her own pain, let her know that something was very wrong with her bestfriend. Another soft hoot from Hedwig, and suddenly she floated over to the closed window, indicating that she needed to be free. Hermione was only a second behind the bird and roughly shoved the window open.

"Come on, we have to follow her!" Tonks called to Hermione, while she herself was already heading out of the bedroom door. Rushing down the steep staircase was dangerous, but the two witches managed to make it to the bottom without hurting themselves, and ran straight out of the front door. Hedwig was waiting on a tree nearby and took off immediately with the witches jogging behind.

"Do you know how to track an owl? What if he's far away? We can't Apparate to him can we?" Hermione asked, her emotional state eating away at her rationality.

"We can't track her. At least, I don't know how. But we can maybe use a spell to point towards Harry. I think Dumbledore has a charm embedded in him that allows him to find his general location. He taught it to a few of the Order members in case Harry ever got lost….or captured." Tonks stated, ending the sentence hesitantly. Hermione stopped short and threw her hands over her mouth in shock.

"You don't think he was captured do you?" She asked fearfully.

"I don't know. I really don't. His guard for today would have reported anything suspicious that they had seen or heard. It's protocol. We just have to hope for the best." Tonks replied as she continued jogging, forcing Hermione to keep up with her. Hedwig had long since flown ahead of them, but something told Hermione to continue to run in that direction. In fact, if she had taken the time to think about it, she would have been mildly surprised that she wasn't even breathing hard. The thought would hit her later.

As they turned a corner, they could suddenly see dark smoke billowing into the air, and in their ears, faint screams. Tonks suddenly reached out to grab Hermione strongly by the arm, and before the girl could protest, had Apparated both of them several blocks further ahead. The smoke was much more visible and the screams much more audible.

"Why didn't I do that before?" Tonks asked, barely out of breath. The run itself had been nothing to her as she had to run daily for her Auror warm-ups. Besides that, in Auror training, they had often been forced to run at near full speed for several minutes without a break, after an already exhausting training session. However, she did take notice of the energy level that Hermione still retained, despite not having an apparent history of being very active.

She wouldn't be able to ask about it, because at that moment one of her instruments, a Dark Magic Detector, was vibrating strongly on the string that she had it attached to under her shirt. Most Aurors went without it, preferring to use a spell, but this had specifically been a gift from Mad-Eye Moody, her mentor and an Auror legend. Essentially, its purpose was to pick up the spells that were powered by ill Intent, and because it gave off far less magic than an actual spell would, Mad-Eye Moody had sworn by it. It had the added benefit of having saved her life numerous times, too, but it was a handy trinket. After all, it did little good if giving off your presence caused the people that you were hunting to hunt you instead.

What was usually a mild vibration to alert the wearer of the magic in its vicinity, was not a vibration of such force that it momentarily took Tonks by surprise. What it indicated to her was the sheer strength and number of the Dark Magic that was in the air. It made her shiver as she inwardly prepared for the worse.

"Hermione, no matter what, keep your eyes straight ahead." Tonks tried to warn, but the girl wasn't listening. She was poised, on the tips of her feet as if straining for a few extra inches to see something of vast importance. "What's wrong Hermione? There may be a lot of bad things in there, and you may not be ready to see them." Tonks stated, suppressing the memories of the first time she had seen dead bodies.

"Harry's there." Hermione spoke, barely above a whisper. The words alone drove the breath from Tonks body as she realized the implications, but before she could say another word, Hermione was moving into the area. Tonks was torn between screaming for the girl to stop, and racing after her. She chose the latter and with her heart heavy, she followed Hermione. For her own sake, Tonks was happy that Hermione had her eyes set on her destination and not on the death and destruction around her. The mutilated corpses of these poor victims was enough to make her lose her breakfast from hours ago. Suddenly, she ran into the back of Hermione. Peering around the girl she saw the tell-tale flash of green light followed by the sound of someone disapparating away.

"Tonks…. I.. I can't feel him anymore." Hermione stuttered out as she seemed to sway back and forth in place. Tonks, fearing that the young woman could fall at any moment, put a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean you can't feel him?" Tonks asked.

"I don't know. When I think about it, I've always been good at reading his moods and his emotions, but I never stopped to think that maybe I was reading him too accurately. And…and it only happened with him. And now… Now, I feel nothing." Hermione responded.

"Come on girl, let's find him." Tonks responded.

It didn't take long to find the center of the battlefield. Tonks immediately recognized the still form of Vernon Dursley, and the dark cloaks and masks of fallen Deatheaters. On top of that, her charm was stopped vibrating altogether and was now increasing in heat, something it had never done before. A few more meters forward, and Tonks finally laid eyes upon the Boy-Who-Lived, eyes wide open, a determined look forever etched onto his face. Before her lay the slain form of Harry James Potter.

Though it was truly only moments, to Tonks and Hermione it seemed as if an eternity has crept by in the time it took for another wizard to arrive. The wizard in question was the famed Alastor Moody, her mentor and retired Auror. The man had appeared with a loud POP a few dozen meters away, and limped closer to where she currently stood. His magical eye spinning so fast in so many directions that she wondered if he actually saw anything.

"What's the meaning of the Code Red?" Moody barked in his usual gruff voice, immediately expecting a response. When he realized that one was not forthcoming, he crept a bit closer to see what held the attention of the witches. Both eyes immediately fell onto the battered, broken, and very deceased form of Harry Potter. His breath caught, and he momentarily panicked, but years of training and being in hazardous situations quickly persevered and he managed to school his features. Even still, when he turned his head to look at Nymphadora Tonks, the panic was clear in his eyes.

"Quick girl, how long has he been here?! Hurry!" He fairly roared. Hermione, still in her catatonic state, remained silent. Tonks gave Moody the highlights of their excursion, summarizing and skipping the necessary parts.

"That's it. We've maybe only stood here for all of three minutes before you arrived." Tonks finished, still eying Hermione out of the side of her eye. Beside her, Moody quickly whipped out his wand and shot a spell off with great force. Moments later, the form of Albus Dumbledore quickly popped into view, his silent appearance and grim demeanor nearly breaking Tonks heart. His brilliant twinkle nowhere in sight, Albus Dumbledore quickly assessed the situation and took command, his strong voice breaking through the heartache that had kept Hermione and Tonks stock still.

"Tonks, you are to escort Miss Granger to HQ. A perimeter has been set up for this area. Once you drop her off, I will need you to gather the Weasley's and take them there as well. Then you are to notify the rest of the members of the security status change. We are Code Black as of this moment. Severus, I need information, urgently. Alastor, I may need your assistance, we may still have time, but we need to clear this area. Kingsley will take command here and see what he can ascertain. You have your orders, I trust you will not fail me." Dumbledore spoke, keeping tight control over his features as his own innate magic "tasted" the air around him.

Tonks, nodded mutely, and without warning grabbed Hermione and disappeared in a CRACK. Severus Snape, nearly invisible in his silence, nodded to the Headmaster before pulling up the dark hood of his cloak and vanished swiftly with a POP.

"Albus, what can we do?" Moody asked, now that he was sure that no one else was around. "The boy looks to have been struck by the Killing Curse. As powerful as you are, I highly doubt that you can bring the boy back. It can't be done. You can't give life." He continued. He watched as Dumbledore nodded sagely, his expression still nearly unreadable.

"Alastor, my dear friend, I am afraid that where young Harry Potter is concerned, the word can't does not apply." Dumbledore spoke before reaching down to touch the forehead of Harry Potter. At his touch, the two disappeared. Alastor, flabbergasted, quickly followed to the most sensible location, The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.