In The Darkness

Chapter Nine: The Return

'I don't believe it,' Draco said as Harry stood smiling in the doorway, 'that's just not possible.'

'Why?' Harry said, in his normal tones as if he had never been away, 'you must have got the message – I did say I wasn't dead – didn't I?' he shot them all a puzzled look.

'Well…yes,' Ron spluttered, 'but…we…bloody hell, welcome back,' and with all fifteen years forgotten he embraced his friend, all the warmth and friendship flooding back into them both.

'And I've only been gone a couple of hours!' Harry said as Ron pulled back, 'looks like the kids didn't miss me though,' he added with a nod to the still-sleeping forms of Minerva and Philip.

'What do you expect?' Hermione replied with a smile, 'it's almost midnight, well past their bedtime–' but she was cut off as the entire hall tried to squeeze through he doorway into the corridor to see what had happened.

'Okay, let's calm down people,' Neville began, immediately striding forwards so none could see Harry, but no one could hear him above the clamour of voices, sighing he put his wand to his throat and spoke again, his voice magnified superbly;  'CLEAR IT OUT!' and within seconds the doorway was clear except for one wizard who wandered back into the hall dizzily clutching at his ears. 'God, I love that,' Neville said with a grin after removing his wand, 'now, ready to let them know that you're back Harry?'

'Yes,' was the quick reply, 'but it's time to let them know that we're all back.'

*              *              *

'What news?'

'None my Lord, that fool Vartin was caught by Longbottom's operatives.'

'WHAT? Are you trying to get yourself killed by incompetence?'

'No Master, I only seek to rid myself of it.'

'Hah! You lie swiftly, but no mind, even if they have Vartin, with Potter gone there is no hope, are the others gathered?'

'Yes my Lord.'

'Then I will address them soon.'

*              *              *

'Settle down for crying out loud!' Neville shouted over the din that had arisen in the hall where most of his department was cramming themselves in, beside him at the front of the room stood Harry, Sirius and Draco, off to the side with the children were Ron and Hermione. Waving his wand near his throat in what could have been a threatening manner Neville gained silence only when the wizards and witches clamped their hands over their ears so they couldn't hear anything. 'Thank you,' Neville said with a gaze upwards, shaking his head he removed his cloak and dropped it over a chair, 'now, as you all know Harry Potter is back, and if you didn't notice before, well here he is to prove it. Now, what you should also know is that Draco Malfoy is also alive and well, because for the last fifteen years the two of them have been doing…well frankly our jobs.' At this point there was a low murmur of voices throughout the room, many wizards turned to each other and began to speak, and again Neville managed to quell them by waving his wand randomly. 'Now–' he began only to be cut off by Seamus's entrance with company.

'Bloody Hell!' was the Irish wizard's first comment, 'It's Harry Potter!'

'Thank you Seamus,' Neville replied with that tone.

'Harry Potter!'

'Yes Seamus.'

'Harry Potter!'

'WE GET THE PICTURE FINNEGAN!' Neville shouted, causing most of the room to burst out with laughter at Seamus's face afterwards, taking a deep breath he spoke again normally, 'now would you please sit down?'

'What about this one?' asked the other wizard who had come in with Seamus, he shook Vartin roughly by the cloak.

'He can watch for all I bloody care at the minute,' Neville replied, sighing and looking up at the ceiling again as if for inspiration, or maybe something else. 'Anyway, like I said Harry and Draco have been doing our jobs while living as Muggles, exceptional Muggles perhaps, but still they have lived this way nonetheless. And in doing this they have noticed the same things as us,' here Neville paused, looking round the room, his eyes dark and serious, 'the Dark Forces are returning indeed, and in force as well. I have seen this firsthand and we have slowly been affected, as you know many wizards and witches have lately been involved in this Muggle violence shaking the globe, well it turns out that they were in fact assassinated.'

'Tonight there was an attempt on my life, the lives of the Weasley family, on Draco and Harry, tonight also Dean Thomas was killed, I would ask for a minute of silence from you all.' Closing his eyes Neville bowed his head in prayer and the entire room followed suit except for the Dark Wizard who stood by Seamus, seizing his chance he slipped a hand inside his robes and withdrew something that he concealed as the heads raised, no one had noticed.

Stepping forward Harry took over while Neville moved back beside Draco who whispered in his ear then left the hall by the door that led to the offices. 'As Neville said, we have been observing this build up of events and after tonight I can only conclude that they have reached their peak. By research we determined that if the assassinations were to end they would do so with him, the attempt on his life confirms that, and morbid as it may sound so did Dean's death. This leaves us with one question left unanswered, what do we do now? Well I have an answer, and I can guarantee you won't like it. Once again the time has come for us to fight, for nigh on twenty years we have lived in a relative peace, yes there have been skirmishes but for the most part peace.'

Sighing heavily Harry paused as if burdened, then straightening up he continued, 'But now this time is at an end, just like Lord Voldemort needed to be destroyed, so does this new threat, and we need to do it,' Harry's emerald eyes blazed and he looked into each and every person in the room. 'I am not willing to let the fear and terror that existed before return, I do not want our children,' at this point he gestured to Minerva and Philip, 'to live the life that was left to me.'

'We must end this threat before it becomes a force to powerful to reckon with, and as we speak the odds are that it is gathering power, preparing for whatever is planned.' Pausing again to look round all the faces before him Harry seemed to exude determination and strength, 'the only thing left to do is fight, and I will fight…who of you will fight with me?'

The room was silent, no one breathed as if they would destroy the atmosphere he had created, even Neville seemed lost for words. Then there was a slow and hesitant step that was loud in the room, looking to his right Harry saw Ron step forward, his son in his arms, his lips trembling as if unsure of what he was saying until he looked Harry in the eyes, then they stiffened and he opened his mouth; 'I will fight with you.' Wordlessly Hermione stepped up beside Ron, giving Harry a simple nod and a small affirming smile, slowly more of the room began to stand until finally all were, with a grim smile Harry nodded his head.

'Thank you,' he said, quietly but it was heard throughout the room as if magnified by the sheer electricity of the moment, then at the other end of the room the Death Eater snapped back his arms, elbowing Seamus in the nose with a crack and the other operative in the stomach, winding him. Revealing the concealed object in his hand, he whipped up the handgun and trained it on Harry.

*              *              *

'They are all present Master.'

'That will do Malfoy, any news of Vartin before I begin?'

'None my Lord.'

'Very well, sit down with the others Lucius,' in the darkness shadows shifted until a dark audience sat in front of a twisted form, raised on a dais. 'My loyal servants, the time has come at last to prove you worth, you may be apt Muggle killers, you may have eliminated the followers of that fool Longbottom, some of you may even have killed Harry Potter.' At this point, there was an intake of breath that was barely heard, 'yes, Harry Potter is dead, my spies in the Ministry confirmed this, I do not know what killed him but that does not matter, with him gone so is their hope,' the twisted figure almost spat out the last words.

'And so this leads us to a point in time, where things will change for us and for all, because from this point on, the world will be ours.' They paused but did not expect to hear cheering, the wizards were to well trained for that, 'it is almost midnight, on the stroke of that hour we will begin, you have your assignments, go.' And with that the shadows shifted until only one remained with the figure in the darkness, 'ah Lucius, as your assignment has completed itself I can think of only one such reward…your son, turn him or kill him, the choice is yours.'

*              *              *

Vartin's face twisted in anger and hate as he squeezed back on the trigger that would unleash the clip of bullets into Harry's body, then with a mad cry Draco leapt though the wall behind the Dark Wizard, and as he turned Draco kicked the man squarely in the chest. The gun went flying to be caught and harmlessly emptied by one of the operatives, looking up at Harry with a grim smile on his face, Draco replied to the earlier question, 'there's no bloody way you're having a fight without me.' Picking up the wizard he threw him into Seamus's grasp, 'Next time always keep one eye on everyone else during prayer, or just live with wizards like him for fifteen years.' Smiling humourlessly Seamus took Vartin by his scruff and led him through the hall and into the passage, shutting the door as Neville took the stage again.

'Well, as if that wasn't indicative enough I don't know what is,' he said as the gathering sat back down. 'Now, I have been talking with Harry and Draco, we have reached a conclusion on the matter of what should be done next. Well, not knowing entirely what we are facing the best thing to do is be vigilant and wait for them to make the first move, not so that we can hide, but so we can be prepared. None of us know when the forces against us will strike, and strike they will, I can personally assure you of that if you need it.' Neville paused and briefly looked around the room but no one challenged him, 'Good, well if that's all for now?' he turned to Harry and received a nod.

'Right, first I want two teams to go and sweep Diagon Alley; Seamus when he returns will lead one, and Boot can take the next. All the rest of you will remain here after they've left for a briefing,' behind him the door opened and Seamus stepped through, 'good, now I want you all focused out there, this is no exercise or single lunatic, God save us this could be war–' and with an almighty crash the room shook throwing him and others to the floor, then the lights crackled out plunging them all into the darkness.

Conjuring a flame in his hand, Harry threw it upwards so it hit the ceiling and spread, lighting the room, his face was grim and determined as he turned to Neville, 'it is war.'

A/N: Things are going critical in chapter 10: conflict.