A/n: This chapter involves death of several characters mentioned in the books. Please don't be offended if some of the details are slightly disturbing.

Chapter 12:- Attacks

The Hogwart's hall was as usual splendidly decorated. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside. It was further adorned by thousands of candles hovering in midair. Dumbledore sat at the teacher table. Harry noticed that Professor Quirrell was trying to avoid eye contact with him. He and Ginny had just joined Ron, Hermione, Fred and George and Neville. The sorting this year was an uneventful affair. As the sorting hat was being taken away, Dumbledore stood up. [A\N sorry can't write a song.]

"Welcome dear students and fellow staff to another year at Hogwarts. I know all of you are rather famished from your trip, but I must make a few announcements. Firstly I would like to announce that Hogwarts would begin an apprenticeship program. Two students from each class of sixth and seventh year will be selected by their respective teachers and will be given special training. They will also be assisting the teacher in their classes. Furthermore Hogwarts is proud to welcome three new members to its staff. We are already in presence of one of them the other two will be joining us later this year. But right now let me welcome you, Professor Umor Quirrell."

There was a stunned silence among the older students as the younger students clapped their hands welcoming the new teacher. Harry's classmates who had not met Quirrell in the train were really shocked to see the new DADA teacher.

"I am afraid the looks of some of the older students in the hall calls for some explanation." said Quirrell. "I know that my brother had served Voldemort while teaching here. But I am not my brother. I am Umor Quirrell and I certainly am no way associated with Voldemort."

Many students flinched on hearing the Dark Lords name.

"And now my dear students" said Dumbledore, "let the feast ...."\

But Dumbledore was not able to finish his sentence. Neville was screaming his lungs out pointing at the ceiling. Harry looked up and for the first time he was able to see the actual ceiling of the Hogwarts Great Hall. The magical enchantment to make the ceiling look like the outside sky was gone. Then to everyone's horror, one by one every candles lighting up the great hall went out. Hogwarts was engulfed in darkness.

There was absolute chaos in the great hall the younger students were screaming or crying. Even the Slytherines looked very confused.

"Look! Look at the sky." yelled Colin Creevey.

But he did not need to point. Almost everyone's attention was focused at the formerly enchanted ceiling. Something enormous was coming down very slowly from it. Harry tried to focus his eyes to see what it was but the hall was still too dark to see it properly.

"Lumos" yelled all the teachers as well as few of the prefects.

But as soon as the light from the tip of their wand lit up the great hall, there was a cumulative gasp of shock. The object that had descended from the roof was an enormous cross. Crucified in it was Igor Karkaroff. Hovering above the cross was the ill famed Dark Mark.

Even before they could recover from the shock the skull began to speak in the snake like voice of Voldemort.

"Good Evening everybody. Sorry to disturb your feast. Now that I have your undivided attention let me get down to business. This is the place where my magical life began. This is from where my reign of terror will begin. This is from where I will be crowned. You muggle loving fools thought that Potter would save you. Dumbledore will protect you. Watch as the Dark Mark shadows over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the presence of the great Albus Dumbledore. I accept that there have been a few failures of my side in recent time. But that changes today. No one shall stand in the way of Lord Voldemort and the death eaters. Let me show you what happens if someone dares to do so."

Just then Karkaroff's body erupted in flames and within seconds he was burnt into ashes.

"Tonight on the first of September, I Lord Voldemort issues a challenge to Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and all those who wish to side by them. On Halloween this year I Lord Voldemort will lay siege to Hogwarts School and destroy every muggle born student. I will give the purebloods a chance to join me, but the remaining students and staff will be annihilated on the day you celebrated as the day of my defeat. Good Night every body I assure you we will meet soon."

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It took the magically amplified voice of Dumbledore to calm the students. He ordered them to return to their dorms. Ron, Hermione led the young students to the Gryffindor dormitory. Harry was surprised to hear that the password was 'snuffles'. Once inside the mood was like that in a funeral.

"How did he do that?" Ron was the first to speak. "Of all the places there is we thought at least we were safe here."

"Well Hogwarts has never been very safe has it Ron." said Hermione. "Voldemort has always managed to sneak past and try to attack Harry."

"You just made my point Mione." said Ron. "He sneaks around. That's what he does. He never enters the great hall and challenges Dumbledore."

"He wanted to show his powers." Spoke up Ginny. "Harry humiliated him at Diagon Alley. He wanted to make a statement."

"It's not just that Ginny." said Hermione. "Can you imagine terror his one statement is going to create? I will not be surprised if by tomorrow every muggle born student is on their way home. They know they will be the primary target when he attacks."

"I am afraid you're wrong Hermione." said Ginny. "Every battle involving Voldemort has just one person as the primary target."

"Harry Potter!" they said in unison.

"Speaking of whom, where is the Boy-Who-Lived?" asked Neville.

"He is by the window on the other side. He says he wants to be alone."

"Oh dear!" said Hermione. "If I know Harry he will find a way to blame himself for this too."

"I don't need to." came Harry's voice. "A couple of first years just asked me if I am so great why did I not do anything about it."

"Harry they are scared, they don't know what they are saying."

"That still does not mean I am excused. Don't you see I helped him come back. Every life he takes means more blood on my hands."

"That is not true Mr. Potter. A man is responsible for his actions only." came the voice of Minerva McGonagall. "Mr. Potter I know the events of the evening has greatly disturbed you, but I must ask you to accompany me to the headmaster's office. He is waiting for you."

Harry quietly followed McGonagall to Dumbledore's office but was surprised to see that there were more people there. Almost the entire staff of Hogwarts barring Hagrid was there. Also present was Enemar and a man who looked quite a lot like Enemar but was slightly shorter and had a goatee.

"Thank you for joining us Mr. Potter. We can now start the meeting." Said Dumbledore.

As Dumbledore was about to sit on his chair, Nymphadora Tonks came rushing through the door.

"Professor there has been another attack! Its Privet Drive."

"What!" exclaimed Dumbledore? "But how?"

"We don't know sir. Every house in the region barring number four was been burnt to the ground."

"Oh God!" said McGonagall. "Arabella."

"I am afraid we lost her. Her house was the first to be attacked. They burnt her alive."

"What about others? What about the aurors? And Harry's family?"

"We lost one of the aurors the other four are injured but will live. As per the head count forty-two people died. But there is some more grave news. Harry's aunt and cousin managed to escape but Harry's uncle tried to leave his house to shoot the death eaters. He was killed by the killing curse."

Harry closed his eyes. It was just too much to take. Another family orphaned. Forty-two people dead. Arabella Figg, the woman who had looked after her throughout his life burnt alive. It just could not get any worse. But it did.

Then Lupin just burst into the room.

"Sir, we have some bad news."

"We know Remus. We heard about the attack on Privet Drive."

Remus' face went stone cold. "I am afraid that was no the news I have sir."

Dumbledore's face, already showing heavy lines of tiresomeness, gravened even further.

"You remember the attack on Indus earlier this year. Well we just got news that whatever was left of Indus was completely destroyed about an hour ago by a horde of death eaters led by Voldemort himself."

"Oh"

"God"

"No"

Exclaimed Enemar and the other person simultaneously.

"Dumbledore, Voldemort is heading for Mohenjo Daro. We must head for Indus."

Saying that the two people rushed out the door.

"Sir. Can you explain what Enemar just said? What is Mohenjo Daro?"

"Mohenjo Daro is the city of the dead. It is supposed to be destroyed by the desert in pre historic times. But enough of history lessons, Lupin as you just heard Privet Drive was attacked earlier today. Go and see that the ministry is doing all it can to assist the muggles. Rest of you sit down we have some grave things to discuss."

"Sir how can this be happening? How can he be at three places? He was here at Hogwarts during the feast. How can he get to Asia so fast?"

"I am afraid Tom's powers have grown to phenomenal heights. He is capable of doing things unimaginable in the wizarding world."

"Does this mean he is going to attack Hogwarts?"

"I am afraid so. You know something? Ever since he came back I knew Hogwarts would be his target. He tried to attack it once before you know?"

"What? When?" asked the lot in chorus.

"Two years after he finished school he was just obsessed with dark arts. He had formed a small army from the followers of Grindelwald. He thought if he could attack Hogwarts and take over he could bend the mind of every young wizard and witch and finally establish his rule. Fortunately for us he attacked during the summer vacation. We were pre-informed about the attack by one of our spies. We were able to thwart his attempts."

"You were able to thwart his attempts." said Professor Flitwick.

"I still remember. That monster was almost unstoppable. His shield blocked everything we hurled at him. And his offenses; He had just defeated me in the duel and was about to kill me when Dumbledore came in. You could see the fear in his eyes. Dumbledore challenged him, but he refused and ran. His minions attacked us instead. That was the second time I have seen Dumbledore actually kill. He killed twenty two death eaters in one blow."

"Something, which I am not proud of. Voldemort refused my challenge because he had other plans. He wanted to kill the last heir of Rowena Ravenclaw who was then the headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet."

"But why Professor? Why does he want to take over Hogwarts?"

"Because Hogwarts is the birth of magic as you know it Harry. It contains powers and secrets hitherto unknown to anyone. As you have read in Hogwarts a history, this castle originally belonged to the Great Merlin. He passed it to his step son Godric Gryffindor who originally came up with the idea of this school. He and his three friends found Hogwarts on this castle. But even they did not have much idea of the power of Hogwarts. No one does. Slytherine wanted to learn more about this power. But he did not want to share it. When he left Hogwarts he swore that one day he or his heir would spill the blood of all the heirs on this very ground and then rule over the entire magical world from here. That is why Hogwarts has always been a target for Voldemort. He wants to fulfill the two aims of Slytherines. Destroy wizards who are not purebloods and kill the last heir of the founders."

"So what do we do? We can't sit here and watch him kill all these children."

"No we will not sit back anymore. He has issued a challenge and we shall accept his challenge. This Halloween Voldemort will not attack Hogwarts. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry will attack Tom Malvoro Riddle."

To every ones surprise the last statement did not come from Albus Dumbledore, it came from the leader of Dumbledore's army, Harry James Potter.

End Of Chapter 12

TBC