Standard Disclaimer: Yes, yes I know this is the boring part were we make no claim to the Potterverse and anything attached to it. It's all owned by JK Rowling.


Harry Potter and the Spiritus Crystalus

Chapter 10


Christmas Dinner at Grimmauld Place…

It was just a little after noon when Tonks arrived in the Burrow to help the kids collect their stuff and get ready for the move to Grimmauld Place. Since Harry owned the house, he had turned over the top floor to Remus when he married Tonks. The second floor, main floor and basements were reserved for use by the Order, although Tonks and Remus used the kitchen on the main floor for their meals.

Harry and Remus had decided shortly after Harry was given the estate that Remus would stay there until the war was over. And as manager of his financial assets, Remus would also see about making Grimmauld more livable. That little task was done last year by borrowing a few house elves from Hogwarts to refurbish the place. It was Dobby who actually came up with the way to remove the painting of Mrs. Black that offended so many people. He simply removed the entire wall, banished it, and then multiple elves replaced the wall.

Remus and Harry had split the Black family fortune. Harry had insisted on that. In fact, it was the only way Remus could get Harry to accept it at all. This made Remus, for the first time in his life, a very wealthy man. It was a condition he wasn't used to, and had it not been for Tonks, he probably would have continued to dress in his old shabby clothing. Even Remus admitted that the money did come in handy at times.

Remus and Tonks had spent the better part of the last three days chasing all over London in their attempts to decorate the bedrooms for their new family. Decked out in Gryffindor red and gold, they had set up three bedrooms, one for each of the children. To say that they were nervous would be a major understatement. Remus was nervous, Tonks was terrified.

When Tonks and kids were ready, they met up in the living room of the Burrow. Everyone was going to floo to Grimmauld for dinner. Tonks took the children through first, followed by Harry, Ginny and Ron and finally Molly and Arthur.

Harry, as usual, tripped on the way out of the floo and fell to the floor.

"OY! Now that's more like it!" Ron shouted with a laugh. Ginny and Hermione, who had been waiting for them, laughed and helped Harry to his feet.

"Honestly Harry, I don't see how you can do so many difficult things when you can't travel by portkey or floo without falling down," said Hermione in exasperation.

"It takes practice, 'Mione. Besides, I keep hoping you'll invent an easier way of transport," he replied, trying to maintain his dignity. Hermione would have replied to that comment, but she was busy snogging Ron.

Harry and Ginny moved away from the floo and greeted the Grangers.

"Hello Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger," he said.

Emma looked up at him. "Harry, after last year, you'd think we'd be beyond the formality. I owe you both my husband and my daughter's life and you're sheltering us in this lovely home. Don't you think it's time you just call us Dan and Emma?"

Harry smiled. "Alright then, Emma. Have you enjoyed your holiday so far?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry. We've spent time with Hermione, and we've helped Remus and his wife decorate the rooms for the children."

Molly broke in, talking to Remus and Tonks. "Tonks, why don't you two take the children and show them their new rooms? I'll pop into the kitchen and make sure dinner is moving along. Come down when you're ready."

Tonks shot Molly a look of gratitude. Remus offered a hand to the twins and they all went upstairs.

All three kids had similar rooms. The main differences were the bookshelves and desks in the two older kid's rooms for doing their homework. Jason's room had a nice selection of stuffed and animated toys for him to play with. The twins, having gotten used to sleeping apart, loved their new rooms. Jason thought the new toys were the best. He grabbed Tonks and hugged her tight, bringing tears to her eyes.

The two adults gathered all of the children in their bedroom after showing them where everything else was. Sitting them down on the bed, Remus conjured two chairs for himself and Tonks.

"I know we talked about this back at the Burrow, but I want you to know, this is your home now. The papers came through yesterday making it official. We're your parents now and we are going to take care of you," Remus said with a smile.

Erika gripped Eric's hand tightly then reached down to take Jason's hand. "You're going to be our Mum and Dad? For real? You're not going to send us away?"

"No sweetie, we're not going to send you away. You can keep your last name if you want, or you can be Erika Lupin," Tonks said.

"I think I'd like to be Eric Lupin. It's easier to spell," said Eric shyly.

Remus laughed. "Alright, Eric Lupin it is!"

"And we can call you Mum and Dad?" Erika asked, almost as shy as Eric had been a moment earlier.

Tonks gave her a big smile. "I'd really like that, Erika."

A few minutes later, the five members of the Lupin family descended the stairs to rejoin their guests.

Ron and Hermione, Later that same evening…

Ron and Hermione had slipped off to the study after dinner. Ron had something he wanted to talk to her about, but he didn't want to discuss it in front of his friends and family.

Hermione sat on the loveseat in front of the fireplace. Hermione had her legs curled up under her. She knew Ron was upset about something and she watched him as he paced in front of her, trying to figure out what he was going to say.

"Ronald, relax. Just tell me what you want to say," she told him.

He stopped pacing for a moment, and looked at her. His look was one of both pain and longing. He had been thinking about this a lot lately. It had been bothering him, eating at him in fact.

Finally, he sat next to her but tried not to touch her. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and he hung his head.

"'Mione… I'm beginning to think you would be better off with out me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Hermione was too shocked to reply.

"I'm just no good. I wanted to give you an engagement ring for your birthday this past September and I couldn't even find work this summer to pay for it. I'm not rich like Harry. You're so much smarter than I am. My grades are only fair. You could do so much better…" he said, tears streaming down his face

Her face went through a myriad of emotions and for a long moment she sat there saying nothing. Then she got up on her knees and moved over to him and took his face in her hands.

"Ronald," she began softly, "I don't care how much money you have. Harry and Ginny both told me you were trying to find work this summer. There's a war on, Ron. People aren't hiring and they're saving what they have. You're exactly what I've always needed. I'm always too serious and would spend my life buried in books. But you show me there's more to life than just books. You show me how to enjoy life Ron, how to have fun. That's one of the things I love about you," she concluded.

Then she kissed him softly on the forehead and pulled him into an embrace. "The ring will come in it's own good time. What I need now and always is your love, not some ring. You big bloody prat, how could you think you're not good enough for me?" she murmured. He wrapped his arms about her and held her tightly to him.

Neither of them noticed a frowning Remus walk away from the study door.


Somewhere in England, Location unknown…

"Report!" snapped Voldemort.

"Master, all is in readiness for tomorrow," the Death Eater replied. "We have three Death Squads that will make a lightening attack, then portkey away. With the holiday crowd, we expect the devastation to be quite impressive. Additional attacks will be made in muggle London at the same time."

"It had better be," threatened Voldemort.

Muggle London…

One of the biggest disadvantages of being non-magical was that people couldn't see truly magical creatures such as Dementors. For this reason, the authorities had absolutely no clue what caused four city buses, full of comatose people, to crash.

When the same thing happened the next day to a subway train, the authorities became concerned enough to contact the World Health Organization and the American Centers for Disease Control, asking for assistance. The British Department of Public Health issued an alert advisory which was sent to every hospital in the country.

For the first time, the BBC reported outbreaks of a strange sleeping sickness, which resulted in coma. A unique kind of fear crept into the hearts of Londoner's, a fear which hadn't been seen since the blitz. It wasn't a panic yet.

The Ministry of Magic, preoccupied with its own concerns, finally became aware that something was seriously wrong within the muggle community.

Diagon Alley, three days before New Years…

The attack was as sudden as it was deadly. Fortunately, the Death Eaters made two fatal mistakes in their planning. The noontime holiday crowds were not as big as they had anticipated, and a group of Aurors was on hand with trainees to monitor the crowd.

Thirty Death Eaters portkeyed to a spot just in front of Gringots and started shooting into the crowd. Within moments, they were under fire from ten Aurors and ten trainees. The Aurors and the trainees would have been overwhelmed, but two minutes into the battle, more than twenty-five goblin guards joined in the fray from Gringots itself.

In the end, only ten Death Eaters managed to escape, but the damage was done. Two Aurors were dead, and four trainees injured. There were ten civilians killed and more than thirty injured. There was also considerable damage to property.


The Burrow…

Harry was sitting in the kitchen with Ginny, Molly, Ron and Hermione. He was leafing through his mail, mostly stuff from Remus about his portfolio. Remus was still using a service to screen Harry's mail, but occasionally something slipped through. Spotting a letter he didn't recognize, he opened it and pulled out a parchment.

When the letter was removed, a photograph and a rather flimsy piece of clothing fell to the table.

Ginny picked up the clothing and photo and looked at Harry, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Harry immediately started to stammer. "D-D-Don't l-l-look at me like that. You know that sometimes mail slips through the screeners."

Ron reached for the obviously posed, less than clothed photo, and Hermione smacked his hand. "You don't need to gawking at Harry's fan mail either, Ronald," she said archly.

Harry threw the letter and photo in the fireplace. Then he gently removed the g-string Ginny was twirling at him and tossed it into the blaze.

He was about to go back thumbing through his mail when his locket suddenly thumped hard against his chest. Ginny caught the motion of the locket under his shirt and eyed him curiously. He returned her look with more than a touch of panic.

"Harry? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think another attack is starting," he said barely above a whisper.

While the others watched in concern, she got up from her chair and pulled him into a tight embrace. He closed his eyes and tried to fight the feelings of loss and pain. Instead he concentrated on his internal phoenix song and the love he could feel flowing from Ginny.

Fortunately he was either coming to control these episodes, or it wasn't as bad as the others. In any event, within fifteen minutes it was all over and Harry was feeling better. Ginny was about to go back to her seat when Harry pulled her into his lap.

He kissed the nape of her neck and just sat there looking over the rest of his mail. Since his hands were busy holding her, Ginny sorted it for him. At the bottom of the pile was personal letter from Remus. Ginny opened that letter and both her and Harry read it. Harry didn't mind sharing his correspondence with Ginny. He had been sharing that sort of thing with her since the beginning of last summer.

The last paragraph of the letter caught his eye. He waited for Ginny to catch up with him. He could tell she had by her shocked inhalation.

"'Mione, read the last paragraph of this letter would you please?" he asked sliding the letter in her direction.

After a moment she gave a screech, startling Ron. Then she grabbed him and gave him a kiss that left him speechless.

"What the… what's…" Ron trailed off looking bewildered at his girlfriend, sister and best friend, who were all grinning at him.

"Mate," Harry began, "seems ol'Remus overheard a conversation of yours on Christmas day. He was about to talk to a friend of his to see if something could be done, when his friend started telling him about this new keeper they'd spotted. Seems they were planning on offering a reserve keeper contract to this guy, with an option to start."

As Harry continued to talk, Ron's mouth dropped and he stared at Harry in shock.

"Yes Ron, Remus was going to put a good word in for you with the general manager of the Chudley Cannons. But it seems it wasn't necessary. In fact, before we return from holiday break, you should be getting a letter telling you about their offer. And there's a one thousand galleon sign up bonus," Harry said with a huge grin.

Molly looked pale and sat down next to Ron. She looked at him in shock for a moment before she pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace.

"I'm going to play Quidditch professionally?" he whispered to himself. "I'm going to play Quidditch professionally!" he said again in a shout, then lunged for Hermione.


Hogwarts, Headmasters office…

Dumbledore sat behind his desk, reading the latest reports from Order members in the field when someone knocked on his door.

"Enter," he called.

Wan Chang entered the room. The past month had done much to change her attitude and her demeanor towards both her teachers and her fellow students. Unfortunately, many of the students refused to give her the chance to show that to them.

She had been nearly disowned by her family until Dumbledore intervened on her behalf and stopped that from happening. As a result however, she was spending the holiday break at Hogwarts. She was a solitary figure who spent most of her time either working on detention assignments or just taking walks in the castle itself.

"Come in, Miss Chang. Please, take a seat," said Dumbledore. "Would you care for a lemon drop?"

"No, thank you Headmaster," she replied.

"So what can I do for you today, Miss Chang?" he asked gently. Dumbledore knew this girl had made a terrible mistake, but he didn't see any need to continually grinding her face in it either.

"Headmaster, I've thought about this a lot. I'd like you to know that I didn't have any part in the attack on the students in the school. I know who some of them are but if I tell you, then I'd only have more students out for my blood…" she faltered at this point.

He nodded in understanding and motioned for her to continue.

"I don't think the attacks on students have stopped. I thought you ought to know that. This past month had been… painful for me… and very illuminating. I understand why I have to be punished Sir, and I've accepted that. But…" She paused and squared her shoulders. "Sir, I know what's coming to Hogwarts. The whole school knows. I also know that Professor Potter and his friends would never let me help them. But I'd still like to help, even if in just a small way. Do you think it might be possible for Madam Pomfrey to teach me some healing spells, so I can help when the time comes?" she asked timidly.

He sat there for a long moment, measuring her sincerity. Finally, with a twinkle in his eye, he replied, "My dear, it takes great strength of character to admit to be deserving of punishment, and even greater strength to be willing to work for the common good when so many are opposed to your helping at all.

"I will speak to Madam Pomfrey and, if she is willing, I'll assign you to her as a part time assistant. You will continue with your regular detentions and assignments until Madam Pomfrey assures me she feels you can increase the workload in the infirmary. Then we'll cut back on the other assignments.

"I am pleased with your progress Miss Chang and your request gives me hope that you may yet become a valuable member of our society. I will inform your parents of this, and I will speak to Professor Potter. I doubt that many of his friends and comrades will change their minds about you, but if I know him, he will take steps to make sure they do not add to your burden."


The next morning at the Burrow…

Attack on Diagon Alley, Boy-Who-Lived Does nothing!
By Rita Skeeter

Yesterday morning, followers of You-Know-Who, also known as Lord You-Know-Who, perpetrated a vicious attack on Diagon Alley. During this short raid, twelve people, including two Aurors, were killed and nearly forty injured. Ten Death Eaters were seen escaping the scene.

Ministry sources say the Auror force is stretched to the bone and unable to adequately cover all areas of concern. In the meantime, this reporter has learned that the Boy-Who-Lived is on holiday break from his time at Hogwarts, spending the time with his current girlfriend and her family. His callous disregard for the lives and safety of the Wizarding world continues to astound us at the Daily Prophet and we call on the Ministry to force him to action. It is this reporter's opinion that if this current girlfriend is that much of a distraction, then the Ministry should take steps to keep the two of them apart.

A Ministry spokesman for the Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, rejected our call this morning and ejected this reporter from the Ministry building. This violent behavior is typical of the attitude the current administration has had towards the press since the election of Amelia Bones and this reporter cannot help but wonder if we weren't better off with Cornelius Fudge as Minister…

Harry laid the paper down on the kitchen table with a big smile. Ginny, Molly and Ron were fuming after reading the headline.

"Harry, how can you smile after that?" Ginny asked, her fists clenching spasmodically.

Harry chuckled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Love, you know this kind of thing is bound to happen, especially after an attack. But I have a plan. Ron? Do you think you could convince 'Mione to come over and join us for a little trip today?"

Molly looked at Harry, her eyes narrowing, "What have you got up your sleeve, Harry? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were about to prank someone like Fred or George!"

Harry smiled innocently at her. "Tell you what Molly, why don't you come along with us? This shouldn't take more than an hour or two," he said.

Ron went to floo Hermione. Ginny and Molly pestered Harry for details, but he said he didn't want to ruin the surprise for them. When Hermione arrived, Harry told her about the little trip they were all going to make and promised her that she, most of all, would enjoy it.

Trooping out to the living room, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and stepped into the floo. With a shout of "Daily Prophet Main Office" they were gone in a flash of green light.

Ron and Hermione quickly followed with Molly right behind. Ron was especially pleased to see Ginny helping Harry to his feet.

"Harry, what are we doing here?" asked Molly.

Harry grinned and winked at her, murmuring, "Just watch, Molly."

Harry led them past a protesting secretary towards a door that read 'Oswald Gonzalez, Managing Editor'. Ushering everyone in, he closed the door behind him. Inside was a short brusque man with a huge mustache and a noticeable bald spot.

"Who in the bloody hell are you people?" bellowed Gonzalez.

"Good morning, Sir. My name is Harry Potter and I'm here to talk to you and Ms. Skeeter," replied Harry in a neutral tone.

Gonzalez's eyes lit up in surprise. Rushing to the door he shouted, "Polly! Get Rita in here now! And tell her to bring her quill!"

"Please, have a seat Mr. Potter. I must say I never expected to meet you. Quite an honor, yes sir! Quite an honor!" he spouted at them as they arranged themselves in seats in front of his desk.

In another moment Rita Skeeter came rushing into the room and stopped in surprise. Then she moved around to a chair next to her boss and pulled out her quick quote quill and some parchment. Before anyone even started to speak, the quill was writing.

"Mr. Potter! Harry! So wonderful to see you again!" she said. She noted the people with Harry, cringing slightly at the presence of Hermione. Then she plunged on, "What's it been Harry, two years since we last talked? You don't mind me calling you Harry do you? So what's your impression of the current administration?"

Harry ignored her questions. "Mr. Gonzalez, I'd like you to meet Ginevra Weasley, my fiancée. Her mother and my guardian until I came of age, Molly Weasley. My brother Ronald Weasley and his fiancée Hermione Granger," he said, pointing to each of them in turn.

"As you can see, my relationship with Ginevra is far beyond girlfriend at this point, and her family is my family. Now my question to you is, why do you have this apparent desire to wage a public vendetta against me in your publication?" Harry asked.

All through Harry's speech, Rita's quill continued to write.

"Vendetta, Mr. Potter? We only report things as we see them, Sir," Gonzalez sputtered.

"So, it is your intention to continue to make up stories about me in your paper, Mr. Gonzalez?" Harry asked.

"We don't make up anything Mr. Potter! To suggest we'd compromise our journalistic integrity borders on slander!" shouted Gonzalez.

"Oh really?" replied Harry softly. With a wave of one hand he summoned the parchment from underneath Rita's quill and started to read it over her shrill protests.

"Hmmm… 'Harry Potter threatens Daily Prophet with death and destruction.' That's quite true I suppose, had I actually said that instead of just thinking it. Oh my, here's another quote. 'Harry Potter says the current administration is corrupt and should be recalled.' Again, I never mentioned the current government. And another. 'Harry Potter defends his ragtag family, despite rumors of prostitution'. Are you seeing a pattern here, Mr. Gonzalez?" he asked in a steely tone, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Rita started to sputter, "You can't intimidate the press, Harry Potter!"

"You're absolutely correct, Rita. Had I been an average citizen, I would have had to put up with your lies and not been able to do anything about it," he replied calmly.

Harry cast a spell which shattered Rita's quill. She jumped with a startled yelp. Then he leaned back and smiled at the two of them.

"Unfortunately for you both, there is something I can do about this," he said. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out some papers and tossed it on Gonzalez's desk.

"Mr. Gonzalez, that is to inform you that, as of three days before Christmas, I acquired a majority share in the Daily Prophet. I am now, in effect, your boss. You will print only the verifiable truth from here on, or I will have you replaced. Ms. Skeeter? You, madam are fired. You have thirty minutes to clean out your desk and leave the building. And as a final warning Ms. Skeeter, I will be speaking to Director Kingsley today about your unregistered animagus status," Harry said coldly.

Gonzalez was trembling violently as he read the document Harry had given him. Rita turned pale as his words hit home.

Gonzalez looked to Rita. It was time to cut his losses and save his own skin. "You heard the boss Rita. Get out."

Rita looked totally shell shocked as she left the office. All of Harry's friends were staring at him. All, that is, except Hermione. She was jubilant and looked as if she would leap up and start dancing in glee at any moment.

In a much more deferential tone, Gonzalez asked, "Will there be anything else you'd like from us, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Mr. Gonzalez. I would hope that tomorrow's front page contains not only an apology to my family for the recent publications, but also full retraction of your comments concerning the Ministry, whom I happen to believe is doing a fine job of things. I want the Daily Prophet to become synonymous with truth in print. I want people to respect the paper for its integrity. Do you think you can handle that? Or am I firing two people today?" he asked.

"Yes Sir! We can do that, Mr. Potter!" he stammered.

"I'd also like to see the paper start running a series of articles explaining how people should respond and react to a Death Eater attack. I'd suggest sending someone to talk to Professor Severus Snape at Hogwarts, or Director Kingsley Shacklebolt," Harry added thoughtfully.

"I think that's all for now. We won't take up any more of your time. I'm sure you have many things to do, Mr. Gonzalez. You do, after all, have a newspaper to publish," Harry said with a smile, standing up and offering Gonzalez his hand.

As Harry led everyone back to the floo, they could hear Gonzalez shouting in the background.

"POLLY! I WANT AN ALL HANDS MEETING IN TEN MINUTES! STOP THE PRESSES!"

Harry snickered as he and Ginny went through the floo back to the Burrow.

Once home, everyone was a bit shocked by Hermione. The calm, bushy-haired, prim and proper bookworm let out a loud whoop and hugged Harry.

"Can you believe that? That bloody bitch of a witch finally got what she deserved!" Hermione yelled, leaping into the air.

"Hermione, language!" Ron yelled, looked stunned.

Suddenly the two stopped and stared at each other, astonished. Harry doubled up, laughing at the sudden role reversal. He dropped to the couch and his knees weakened. Molly and Ginny sat next to him, both laughing at the young witch's behavior.

Harry managed to calm down enough to say, "Well, I think the days of seeing my name dragged through the mud by that newspaper are over. I should have bought that paper years ago. Hermione have you ever thought of a career in Journalism?" he asked with a smirk.

Hermione frowned. "No, not really Harry. I've always thought about being a teacher or maybe a researcher working for the Ministry. Why?" she asked.

"Damn, so much for the idea of giving you two the Prophet for your wedding present," Harry chuckled. "I'll have to think of something else then. I wonder if Luna and Neville would like it?" he mused.

With that, he stood and walked out of the room, leaving everyone staring after him, mouths gaping.


Minister of Magic's Office, the next day…

Amelia Bones sat at her desk reading some disturbing reports from the Office of Muggle Affairs. If the trend continued, she'd have no choice but to contact the British Prime Minister and inform him about the war raging across his country.

The door opened and a secretary stuck his head in. "Minister, Director Shacklebolt is here, asking for a few minutes of your time."

"Send him in please," she replied.

Kingsley came in and took a seat, under his arm was a folded up newspaper. "Minister, I just finished giving the strangest interview I've ever had from a reporter for the Daily Prophet. Have you seen the paper today?"

"No, Kingsley. Normally I have a secretary make clippings for me to go through, and that particular paper rarely has anything of value to say," she replied a bit annoyed. She thought his visit was about business, not what a tabloid was doing!

Kingsley tossed the paper on her desk and suggested that she might want to make an exception to that rule today. Quickly, she scanned the headlines.

Daily Prophet under new ownership!
Rita Skeeter arrested by Ministry Aurors!
Prophet Retracts story and apologizes!
Coming soon, a series on Home Defense!

Amelia leaned back in her chair, a huge grin on her face. The largest single paper in the Wizarding World had just joined the war effort on their side.

"I thought you'd appreciate that, Minister," said Kingsley with a grin of his own. "It must be this new owner who's dictating the new editorial policy."

She remembered overhearing the request to buy fifty thousand shares of DLPH, and who made it. "Oh, I can assure you Kingsley, the Prophet has a firm hand guiding it now."

Kingsley nodded. "Well, I just wanted to show you that, Minister. If you'll excuse me?"

Amelia nodded at him absently while she read the paper. As Kingsley closed the door behind him, he was sure he could hear the Minister laughing!


Return to Hogwarts…

Harry got up early on the day they were due to return to Hogwarts. He had packed the night before, so he managed to escape the usual Weasley last minute mayhem. Instead, he took the opportunity to walk the property, pausing every so often as he walked.

Molly watched him carefully from the kitchen window. To her it almost looked like Harry was saying goodbye to a place he had come to love, but never expected to see again. She fought hard to control her emotions.

Molly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Arthur, his own eyes misty as he watched Harry from the window. She placed her hand on his and squeezed.

"He'll be fine, Molly. He's a strong, fine man. I wish we could have gotten him sooner, but he'll always be ours," Arthur said softly.

Molly nodded mutely, taking comfort from Arthur's words.

Eventually Harry made his way back to the house, a soft smile on his face. Molly turned back to fixing breakfast while Ron and Ginny ran around in a state of total panic upstairs.

It was decided they would go to Grimmauld, pick up the Lupin twins and Hermione, and then take muggle taxis to Kings Cross station.

The Lupin's and the Granger's were waiting when the Weasley's started coming through the floo. Tonks was staying behind with Jason, while everyone else went to platform nine and three quarters. Just before everyone left the house, Jason ran up to Erika and Eric. The little boy hugged them both, then shocked everyone present.

"Bye-bye," he said very quietly.

Erika hugged him back, her eyes shiny with tears. "I knew you'd get around to talking sooner or later, Jason!"

Tonks knelt down next to the little boy, her own eyes moist with unshed tears. "Jason? Will you say something to me?" she asked.

Jason threw his arms around her neck and hugged her. "Love you mum." he said. Tonks let out a cry of her own and held the little boy tightly to her.

Remus, Arthur, Dan and Harry dug handkerchiefs from their pockets and offered them to their women. Ron looked around frantically for something, anything to offer Hermione! She solved her own dilemma by hugging him and wiping her tears on his shoulder.

Ginny sniffled a little and looked at her brother, then at Hermione. "You've got a lot of training to do with that one, you know."

Hermione looked at Ginny while still holding Ron and nodded. "I'm working on it. Some projects just take more time than others," she replied.

With a final parting farewell, the group left for the station and their ride back to Hogwarts.


The Great Hall the next morning…

Harry felt uneasy this morning. Ginny hadn't joined him last night and he'd had trouble sleeping. His dreams were plagued by old nightmares interspersed with dreams of the sword. Because of his trouble sleeping, he'd gotten up early this morning and completed his run well before most of those in the castle even thought about getting up.

Sitting in the Great Hall at a table alone, and with few other students present, he pulled out his sketchpad and started drawing. As he drew, his eyes glazed over. He drifted somewhere between the state of wakefulness and sleep.

"HARRY!"

Suddenly, Harry snapped back to awareness and he looked around in shock. The Great Hall was full of people! Ginny and Hermione were looking at him in concern. Dumbledore sat at their table this morning and he watched them all over his half moon glasses.

"Are you ok?" Ginny asked, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "It looks like you haven't gotten any sleep. Don't tell me you were up training again?"

He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that he seemed to be encased in. "No… No Gin, nothing like that. I just didn't sleep well last night. I finally gave up around four a.m. and got up. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I came in here and started to draw something and fell asleep."

Ginny frowned. "Harry, you were still drawing when we came in. You couldn't have fallen asleep."

"That's not quite true Miss Weasley. But perhaps we'll find the answer if we examined what he was drawing?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry looked down at his sketchpad, startled. He started flipping back to the last picture he remembered drawing. He had drawn eight pages of the sword! Mutely, he handed the sketchpad over to Dumbledore who started looking at the drawings from the page he indicated.

Dumbledore arched an eyebrow as the sword seemed to undergo a step by step transformation in each consecutive drawing. The first page showed the sword starting as bar stock, being forged and made into a sword. There were several sketches of the sword on an anvil, being struck by a hammer, and then another series with hands grinding down the edges, finally filing them and polishing the sword. By the middle of the series, the sword was complete, except for the hilt.

The series continued with the carving of the crest of Gryffindor on the hilt, along with the strange indentations. Then there was one page of the sword with some sort of attachment to the hilt before the pictures changed to the sword as it was today.

"If I didn't know better Harry, I'd say that you had drawn these images as the sword was being created. It appears to be a very interesting depiction of the history of the sword, especially this image," Dumbledore said as he handed the pad to Harry, open to the page with the sword and its attachment to the hilt.

Harry stared at the image in consternation, then he gave the pad back to Dumbledore. "It appears, Sir, as if there's something hanging on the end of the hilt. It's almost like it was added as an afterthought," Harry said.

"Yes Harry, that was my thought also. It would explain those indents on the hilt if there was something that was supposed to attached there, would it not?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry thought for a moment, then looked into Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes with an emerald gaze that sparkled. The two men beamed at each other.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sir?"

"Quite Harry. At one time there was something attached to the hilt for a specific purpose, which was later removed," replied Dumbledore quietly.

"Now the question is, how do we find out what it was?" Harry asked.

Harry started thinking while Dumbledore thumbed through the sketchpad, looking at the other images Harry had drawn.

Ginny grabbed Harry by the chin. "I don't think you're going to do that today, Harry. You look exhausted. Your eyes are bloodshot and you have huge bags under them. I think its going to be an easy day for you and an early night," she said, her voice full of concern.

Ginny ran her hand through the hair on the back of his neck and he shivered. Damn, he thought, she knows how relaxing I find that. She's doing it deliberately!

Dumbledore watched the couple with amusement for a moment before continuing to look through Harry's book. He stopped at one image in surprise.

"Harry, what is this place?" asked Dumbledore with a small smile.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he focused on the book. Ginny had nearly put him to sleep! It took his mind a moment to wake up enough to realize what Dumbledore was talking about.

"Oh, that. I meant to show you that before the holiday break, Sir," he replied, trying not to yawn. He went on to explain how his search for information on the sword led him to the paintings, and how that had led to searching the unused rooms below the dungeons until he found the corridor with the strangely shielded doors.

Dumbledore leaned back in silence for a moment. "You know, when I was made Headmaster, my mentor told me about the 'lost' sections of Hogwarts. You may have stumbled onto one of those sections Harry. Astounding! Think of what might be down there!"

Hermione looked eager, so Harry decided it was time to needle her a bit. "Umm… 'Mione, you don't want to go down there. Remember the bats?" he reminded her with a grin.

Hermione put a hand to her bushy hair and frowned at him until Ginny giggled. "I'll figure something out, Harry," she said tartly. "Perhaps we should all check out this lost corridor of yours."

"That's not a bad idea, 'Mione. But I'd suggest wearing pants instead of the school skirt. It's pretty grungy down there and there's a ladder about twenty feet long that we'll need to climb down."

Dumbledore handed the sketchpad back to Harry. "I look forward to hearing your report on what you find, Harry. I daresay I'm too old to be climbing ladders these days. I'd suggest waiting until the weekend, after you've had a chance to rest some?"

Harry took the pad back nodding in agreement. "Oh, one other thing, Professor Potter," Dumbledore continued as he stood up. "I trust you will be more careful with any new spells you develop?"

Harry shot an evil glare at Ginny and Hermione. "Yes, Headmaster. I will see that there are no further 'leaks' of new spells."

Dumbledore smiled benignly and walked away from the table.

Harry turned to Ron. "Mate, you have a game this month, don't you?"

Ron nodded. He then glanced at Hermione, swallowed and replied, "Yeah, we have a game on the last weekend, why?"

Hermione leaned back and looked down at her plate, hiding a smile. As predicted, a letter had arrived for Ron before they left home. Now, he and Hermione were shopping for a ring under her tightly controlled budget. She didn't want Ron spending all of his bonus money on a ring.

"I think that maybe this weekend we'll all take a crack at that corridor and see what we can find. Perhaps Hermione can figure out what's shielding those doors. With four of us, we should be able to contain those bats easily enough," Harry said.

"Good enough Mate. I'll go along," Ron replied.

Harry eyed the two girls. They both looked at each other then nodded at him. He checked his watch and sighed. "Well, I'm off. Jack and I are supposed to be meeting Moody and some of his students this morning."

Harry kissed Ginny on the cheek, then stood and left the Great Hall leaving his three friends behind. Ginny watched his retreating back, frowning.

"Ginny," began Hermione, but Ginny interrupted her.

"Yes 'Mione, I know. We've got to get him to slow down and rest more often," she said softly. "Although, only Merlin knows how we're going to do that. I'd slip him a sleeping potion, but he can smell them a mile away."

Hermione reached across the table and took Ginny's hand in hers. "We'll figure something out."


Saturday in the lost corridor…

With the four of them, they were able to overcome the bat issue easily enough. However, to be on the safe side, Hermione had conjured two hats for herself and Ginny.

Now all four were at the bottom of the ladder, examining the corridor they were in. There were no torches down here so they had to rely on spelled lighting. Hermione was busy checking the door Harry had tried to open before. She ran several detection spells over it, muttering under her breath.

Harry watched her for a moment, but was distracted by a rhythmic pulsing he felt more than heard. His attention was drawn back to Hermione when she stepped back from the door and stomped a foot in frustration.

"Harry, I don't know what's shielding these doors. Whatever it is doesn't show up on any detection spell I know," she said, practically whining. "Can't you use Wings to get beyond the door, Harry?" she asked.

Harry shook his head saying, "I need to know where I'm going, Hermione. I can't just flame travel to a place I've never seen before."

Ginny frowned at the two of them. "'Mione, if your detection spells don't work, then maybe they can't detect this kind of shield, maybe it's different somehow? Do we try Alohomora again?" she asked.

Hermione froze for a moment, staring at Ginny. Then she shook her head. "That's it! The detection spells can't detect it because it's not human magic! The detection spells can only detect human spells! Oh, but what other creature would be casting magic here?"

Harry slowly broke out into a huge grin. "I know. Something Professor Snape said last month. She said Dobby and the House Elves know more about Hogwarts than Dumbledore! How much would you like to bet that shield is a elfin shield?"

The other three looked at him speculatively for a moment.

"Dobby!" Harry called.

There was a loud pop and suddenly Dobby was standing before them.

"Harry Potter! Yous call, Dobby come! Why is we in here? This is elf storage areas," said the little elf.

Harry knelt down. "Dobby, we're looking for some paintings of Godric Gryffindor. We think they may be down here somewhere. Do you know where they are?"

"Dobby show yous! Follow me, Harry Potter!" the little elf cried and took them down the corridor. The four friends looked at each other and, shrugging, followed.

As they walked down the seemingly endless corridor, Harry felt that throbbing pulsation become even more pronounced. He looked around at his friends, but they seemed oblivious to it.

When Dobby stopped, Harry examined the door in front of them. It looked no different than any other door they'd passed. With a wave of his hands, Dobby collapsed the shield.

"It's safe for yous to go in, Harry Potter! Dobby will help yous find the paintings," the little elf said.

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes at his friends then they entered the darkened room. Dobby activated some torches along the wall and they could see hundreds of paintings lining the walls of the room.

It took them several hours, but they eventually managed to locate four very dirty portraits of Godric Gryffindor in which he seemed to be holding his sword. Harry shrunk those portraits and stuck them in his pocket to look at later. The throbbing was driving him to distraction.

Harry left the room without even waiting for his friends, still following the corridor. Finally, he stopped at a door. It looked like all the others, but somehow he knew this door wasn't shielded.

Reaching out for the door, his hand passed right through it. Startled, he realized that the door must be an illusion. He stepped through the door.

Ginny looked up from the painting she was examining. "Harry?" she called.

The other two looked at each other and then towards the open door.

"OY! MATE!" yelled Ron, looking worried.

Dobby looked at the three nervously and scuffed at the ground.

"Dobby, did you see Harry leave the room?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, Miz Weezy. I saw him leave. He goes to the heart to talk," replied Dobby.

The three bolted from the room, only to be brought up short by a strange gold and silver translucent shield blocking one direction of the corridor. Dobby appeared in front of the shield with his arms outstretched.

"Yous cannot pass," cried the elf. "It is death if yous do!"

Hermione grabbed Ginny and Ron, holding them back. "No! That's a judgment shield," she whispered.

The two looked at her curiously. "It's very old, very dangerous and powerful light magic. Normally, it's invisible. It becomes visible as a warning to stay away. I read in 'Hogwarts: A History' that one was once seen in the school," said Hermione, her voice filled with awe.

Ginny looked at the shield, then back at Hermione in anguish. "What do we do?" she asked in a whisper.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. His gaze was focused on the corridor beyond the shield. "We wait, I guess," he replied.

Harry was in an impossible room. The room wasn't overly long or wide, but the ceiling extended upwards until it wasn't visible at all. All along the room, at regular intervals, were cubbyholes and each had a wooden bar at the bottom. The cubbyholes were about four feet high and three feet wide. There were twenty of them at eye level, with twenty more above those. Squinting, he realized that the cubbyholes stretched up as far as he could see.

In the center of the room was a stone square column roughly five feet high. Atop the column was a single block of stone, which appeared to be little different than any other block of stone found at Hogwarts, except that this stone pulsated with a soft, welcoming light. The light beckoned to him, its rhythmic pulsing seemed almost like a heartbeat.

Moving towards the column, he walked around it carefully, examining it. On each side of the column were strange runes and the crests of the four founders of Hogwarts. The top stone had a single glyph carved in it and under it the word 'Lailoken'.

Harry reached out and touched the glyph. Although the stone itself was cool to the touch, he felt comforting warmth fill his body, starting with his fingertips. His eyes fluttered for a moment, then closed. The stone flared with a startling blue intensity, filling the room with light. Harry, fixed to the spot by his touch, was overwhelmed by a series of visions of Hogwarts, the single concept that Harry could understand, was one that simple said 'welcome'. The stone flared again, its luminosity doubling, trebling, and quadrupling in seconds.

Harry's friends sat a few feet away from the Judgment shield. Dobby had brought them some sandwiches and drinks while they waited. Ron was the one who noticed first.

"Is it me, or are things getting brighter in here?" he asked, perplexed.

"I don't think it's you Ron," replied Hermione. "I think Harry is somehow causing this."


Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts…

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office talking with Minerva McGonagall, Serena and Severus Snape.

"Headmaster, I understand you're trying to rehabilitate that girl, but I don't trust her in the infirmary," Serena said hotly.

"Serena my dear, we have to extend her some level of trust if we are ever to expect her to be able to trust us again. She is but a child still, and Madam Pomfrey says she has been most helpful and quick to learn the healing arts. It is my deep hope that…"

The Headmaster stopped talking. On his perch, Fawkes stood up tall and stretched his wings, singing a song of jubilation. The walls shimmered with a bright blue light and there was a clear piercing tone, as if someone had struck a crystal bell.

Fawkes pulled in his wings and puffed out his chest, looking incredibly smug at the three people. He sang a soft crooning tone that was both soothing and happy as the light faded from the walls.

Well done fledging! There is still hope for the light, thanks to you, thought Fawkes. The summoning has begun.


Somewhere in England, Location unknown…

Voldemort sat in his chamber cackling with glee. His servants had brought in several muggles whom he had just finished torturing to death.

"Send for Wormtail! I wish to give him orders for more attacks," Voldemort said. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

The muggles were terrified of a strange new disease, not knowing it was his Dementors. The Wizarding World was only just starting to notice. Soon, the whole world would know of his power and his ability to strike terror everywhere.

Wormtail rushed into the room. "You called, I came, my master," the man whined, bowing low.

"Excellent Wormtail! I have more targets to give you for Oogla-Dain," Voldemort said, sneering at the cowering figure.

Voldemort bolted to his feet abruptly. His head exploded in a flowering of pain the likes of which he had never felt before. His hands flew to the sides of his head as if to hold it together. His red eyes drained of their malignant color and for a moment, just a brief moment, the blue eyed Tom Riddle looked out across the chamber in fear. One thought percolated through his head. POTTER! Then his eyes rolled upward and he pitched forward, falling on top of Wormtail.


The Lost Corridor…

Hermione had almost talked Ron into going to the Headmaster for help when a figure appeared down the corridor.

As Harry approached the shield, it faded away. His three friends stood up and faced him. Ginny rushed over to his side and grabbed him by his arm.

"Harry, where have you been? You've been gone for hours! We were so worried…" she trailed off as he looked down at her upturned face and smiled softly.

"I'm fine, Gin," replied Harry, then he caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"Harry, what did you do?" asked Hermione, burning with curiosity.

Harry's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I'm not sure if I can explain it 'Mione. I think I had a conversation with Hogwarts. I think we'd best go to the Headmaster's office. I'm sure I'm going to be explaining this to him, as well."

The four of them went to the end of the corridor and up the ladder. Once they had moved the bats back into the hole, Harry closed the trapdoor.


Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts…

Dumbledore wasn't surprised when Harry and his friends showed up at his door. He had, in fact, been expecting them for several hours.

Dumbledore waved them inside and then went to his floo to summon McGonagall and the Snapes. While they waited, Dumbledore made the obligatory offer of lemon drops. All but Hermione declined, causing them to snicker.

Once the teachers arrived, all eyes turned to Harry.

"Harry, I don't know what you've done this time, but whatever it was, Fawkes is most impressed and pleased by it," said Dumbledore. At the mention of his name, Fawkes puffed out his chest.

"To be honest Sir, I'm not sure what I did. If I can borrow your Pensieve, it might be best if I show you what I encountered," Harry replied.

Once Dumbledore set the Pensieve on his desk, Harry deposited his memory into it, but didn't activate it.

"As you know," Harry said, facing the others in the room, "we've been trying to figure out why I keep getting images of Godric's sword. We'll, we found the place where the house elves store stuff Hogwarts is no longer using, including these four paintings." Harry pulled the paintings out of his pocket and enlarged them.

"After I found the paintings," he continued, "I felt umm… a 'call' I guess is the best way to describe it. I walked towards the source of that call and entered a room that I've never heard about in any history book…" He shot an apologetic glance at Hermione. "This is what I saw."

He activated the Pensieve and an image appeared above the bowl. Dumbledore stared intently at it, his visage almost wistful. Hermione gasped when the name 'Lailoken' swam into view. They could see Harry reach out and touch the name and the stone flared with light. Harry ended the memory at that point.

"Lailoken," whispered Hermione in awe. Several of the teachers looked at her in amusement. Ginny cocked an eyebrow at her in question.

"Lailoken is a name of an English prophet during the time of King Arthur," Hermione explained to Ginny. "Most muggle scholars believe he is the source of the legend of Merlin."

Dumbledore nodded approvingly at her. "Actually, Merlin used several names during his lifetime, Lailoken being only one of them. The room Harry entered was always, in my mind, a myth. It was said that during the building of Hogwarts, the four founders first built a 'Heart Chamber', a special place from which all of Hogwarts' magic derived. Obviously Hogwarts decided that Harry needed to visit the chamber, but for what purpose? I can only surmise that the top stone on the pillar is a relic from Merlin's time.

"I envy you, Harry. You have visited a place I believed did not exist," finished Dumbledore softly, his eyes distant as he remembered the image in the Pensieve.

Harry looked the four paintings and slumped back in his chair in dismay. "I had hoped these would be of use, but even in the better light the images are too dark and dirty to make out any detail."

"I'm not so sure, Harry," said Serena softly. "Let me see if I can clean these up and bring out the detail in them."

Harry nodded gratefully to her as she shrunk the paintings down and put them in her pocket.


Meeting at the Ministry…

Harry, Jack and Severus Snape had taken the day off today to attend a meeting at the Ministry with Alastor Moody, Hestia Jones and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Dumbledore was supposed to attend, but had been detained unexpectedly.

"Now we all know that we have an eight day time frame during which we expect the attack to occur," said Jack Parsons. "I think it's important that we delay the evacuation of the students for as long as possible. If we moved them out of the school too soon, we risk the chance of a parent tipping Voldemort off and making him aware that we know he's coming."

"I believe I have a solution to that particular problem Professor," Dumbledore replied mildly as he walked into the room. Dumbledore just loved dropping these little surprises on people.

"I have just finished a conversation with Madame Maxime of Beauxbatons in France. Professors Sprout, Sinistra and Vector will escort the first, second and third years to Beauxbatons. The parents will be owled with a message, stating their children will be attending a two-week cultural exchange, hosted by Madame Maxime. Even as I speak, portkeys are being made up," stated Dumbledore.

Jack nodded gratefully to Dumbledore as the old wizard took a seat. "Well that settles that. Now, the question is, how close do we shave the evacuation? Ideally, I'd like to see the lower classes out of the school with at least two days time for us to move forces in and get everything prepared. I'd like more time, but two days is a minimum in my book."

Jack looked around the table and, seeing no dissent, said, "Ok so the students are gone by the fifth of April. What's next?"

Hestia raised her hand and Jack nodded for her to speak.

"Around April first, St. Mungos will be bringing in supplies. They expect to release several healers to Hogwarts on the sixth. The Ministry defense teams will be moving into Hogwarts on the sixth, as well. Remus Lupin informed me that the Goblin Brigade will be arriving early on the morning of the seventh," she concluded.

"Has anyone given any thought as to how we're going to use the Goblins?" asked Harry.

Jack eyed Harry carefully. "What's on yer mind, Harry? Spill it," he said.

Harry looked around the table. As the youngest person there, he still felt uncomfortable, but all he saw was interested looks.

"Alright then, we're dealing with a castle. If this were the typical castle warfare, the opposing force would encircle the castle and begin standard siege warfare. But I don't think Voldemort is going to be that sophisticated in his attack. I think he's going to drive straight for the gates," Harry said carefully.

Jack looked at the ceiling for a moment then turned back to Harry. "That makes sense Harry, but how does it affect the Goblins?" he asked.

"Well, if we hide half the Goblin detachment in the Forbidden Forest and kept the other half in reserve…" he trailed off, watching Jack intently.

A feral grin appeared on Jack's face. "Yes. We could flank his troops and force him into a two-axis fight. I like it! And if he does make a drive for the gates, we'll be able to pull most of our fighters from their positions and concentrate them around the gates."

Several hours later the meeting broke up. A lot of material had been covered and, while he had done no physical work, Harry was wrung out.


Somewhere in England, Location unknown…

Voldemort slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to find himself staring into the face of Wormtail.

"Master, you must drink this potion," the short man whined. "You have been unconscious for two weeks and need your strength."

Voldemort reared up on the bed Wormtail had conjured. "POTTER!" he spat. "He did this to me! I will make him pay for this!"

He looked around and found that, other than himself and Wormtail, the chamber was empty. "Where are my faithful servants, Wormtail?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

"My Lord, many of your inner circle fled when you did not awaken. For the past ten days I have been the only one here," said Wormtail groveling before him.

Voldemort's eyes smoldered dangerously and he activated his link to his servants, summoning them back to him.

"Is Oogla-Dain still here Wormtail?" he asked.

"Y-Yes, My Lord. He has been awaiting your recovery," replied Wormtail.

"Send for him Wormtail, I would speak with him," Voldemort said in a quite voice.

Wormtail shivered and rushed from the room. A short while later he ran back in, his terror obvious. Running to Voldemort, he dropped to his knees and cowered. The temperature in the room dropped considerably as another figure glided in. The figure approached Voldemort, its visage hidden by a hooded cloak.

"Oogla-Dain, welcome," started Voldemort. "I have a job for you. One which I think you and your brothers will enjoy…"


Quidditch and Wings…

Today, Ron and his Horntails were facing off against the Fireballs. It was a game that Harry had wanted to be there for, but his locket had given him several warning thumps during the day and he had learned not to ignore those warnings. So now he was standing atop the Astronomy tower having told his friends to go off to the game. Ginny had wanted to stay behind, and Ron was annoyed that he wasn't coming to see him play. But, in the end, they all left for the Quidditch pitch.

It would have been cold but the tower had a permanent warming charm on it. The skies were overcast and the clouds were dark and threatening, typical English winter weather. Harry paced back and forth, checking the skies and the castle grounds. He really didn't know what he was looking for.

He was surprised when Serena and Severus came out of the entrance to the observation platform. They were equally surprised to see him.

"Harry, I would have thought you would be down at the pitch watching the game," Serena said.

"Umm… No Professor. But if I'm interrupting something, I can go elsewhere," he replied distractedly while still scanning the skies.

"Is something wrong Harry?" asked Severus.

Harry turned to face them. "I'm not sure, Professor. I have an uneasy feeling and I've been getting warnings," he said.

The two Professors glanced at each other before turning their gazes back to Harry. Severus was about to say something when he noticed Harry's posture had gone rigid. He turned to look in the same direction as Harry. All he could see was a low moving dark cloud, little different than the storm clouds above it.

Serena gasped, then grabbed Severus' arm tightly. "That cloud's moving against the wind."

Harry broke from his shock and quickly gave his ring a twist. "That's not a cloud, those are Dementors! We're under attack," he snarled. Without waiting for a reply, Harry transformed into Wings and vanished in a flash of flame.

Ron had just managed to block another goal attempt by the Fireballs when his ring pulsed wildly. He looked around frantically as students and players stopped what they were doing to glance around. A quaffle sailed right past him to score for the Fireballs, but no one was paying attention. Ron signaled to Madam Hooch for a timeout, but before she noticed his signal, there was a scream from above him.

Wings appeared above the Quidditch pitch and dove for the ground, screaming a warning. He flew low over the stands then turned for the center of the field where he transformed back into Harry Potter.

Harry amplified his voice. "ALL STUDENTS BACK TO THE CASTLE! DEMENTORS ARE ONLY A MINUTE OR TWO AWAY! PHOENIX BRIGADE, TO ME!"

Dumbledore stood in the stands and amplified his voice, "TEACHERS, GET YOUR STUDENTS TO THE GREAT HALL."

Ron flew down to Harry. Dropping his broom, he asked, "How bad is it, Harry?"

"Bad, Ron. There must be thousands of Dementors approaching," he said as Hermione and Ginny joined them.

"We need to hold them off long enough to get the rest of the students inside. I don't know what we'll do after that," Harry said tensely. He knew the Patronus would only drive off a Dementor, not kill it, and there were a lot of Dementors coming.

The brigade quickly separated itself from the rest of the student body and formed up into their squads. The approaching Dementors were visible now, low on the horizon and closing in quickly.

Ron arranged the squads to form a line facing the approaching menace. As the front wave of Dementors came down to ground level, the brigade cast their Patronuses. Harry stepped out in front of the line and joined them, sending Prongs tearing into the front rank of Dementors.

Harry could see they were barely slowing the Dementors down. "Ron, fall back to the wall. Pick up any stragglers on the way," he ordered tersely.

"FALL BACK TO THE WALL! MAINTAIN INTERVALS AND PICK UP ANY STRAGGLERS," Ron bellowed. The command was echoed by the squad leaders and the Phoenix Brigade started to move.

Slowly, the brigade was pushed back. Their Patronuses would buy them some time, and then they would be forced to recast the spell. The problem was the Patronus was a terribly draining spell. One by one, brigade members failed to successfully cast the spell.

By the time they reached the gates, over half of the brigade were exhausted and unable to cast another Patronus. Harry had continued to send Prongs out among the oncoming creatures, but it was getting harder and harder to cast the spell. Ron was carrying Hermione over his shoulder. She had exhausted herself casting and had succumbed to the depressing effects of the Dementors.

Harry placed a hand against the castle wall, breathing heavily. He glanced at Ginny who was leaning up against the wall, her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. She opened her eyes and looked at Harry. He could see the despair in her eyes. Without saying a word, he knew she was saying goodbye.

Harry's magic flared. His hand, touching the castle wall, burst into light. The light touched the wall and spread around the castle. There was a bell like sound and the sky above Hogwarts filled with flashes of flame as hundreds of phoenixes appeared. His free hand lashed out and a bright white wave of light hit the front rank of Dementors, causing them to recoil in agony.

The phoenixes dove for the Dementors, talons outstretched. As they dove, they sang a song as one voice, a song of triumph and joy. The combined effect of so many phoenixes singing was incredible. The sound was awesome, as if some huge tear had been opened between this plane and the next and a heavenly choir was singing in exaltation. The Phoenix Brigade took heart from the phoenix song and redoubled their efforts. Even Ginny and Hermione revived enough to cast their Patronuses. Harry's magic surged again and the Dementors in front withered and smoked. Those in the back recoiled from the phoenix song and started to writhe.

Again and again the phoenixes dove and swooped into the packed Dementors, their song decimating the ranks of the dark creatures. Where they struck with their talons, the Dementors cloaks ripped and smoke steamed from the wounds created. Those not hit by talons twisted and thrashed under their awesome song.

Time and again Harry's magic surged and, with each rush of power, the front rank of Dementors died.

The Phoenix Brigade started directing their patronus to encircle the dwindling Dementors. Slowly, the number of terrible creatures dwindled until nothing but foul, smoking cloaks remained.

Harry swayed. He leaned against the wall for a moment, and then opened his eyes. The phoenixes were landing in front of the brigade, sometimes in ones and twos, sometimes twenty or more at a time. He knew what he had to do. Fawkes appeared over his head and sang to him, lulling him.

Harry stepped away from the wall and transformed into Wings. He glided a few feet to the ground and looked out over the massed phoenixes. There were hundreds of them. Behind him stood the Phoenix Brigade, Professor Dumbledore and many of the school's teachers, watching this rare spectacle in awe.

Fawkes circled Wings then landed to face him.

Well done, Fledging. Today you pushed back the dark in more ways than you can imagine.

Harry could hear a murmuring chorus of agreeing voices in his head.

Thank you, my brothers. I am forever in your debt for your aid. Had it not been for you, things would not have gone well. For myself, my mate and my friends, I thank you. May our nest, always be your nest.

Harry felt the warmth of approval coming from the crowd of great birds.

When the time comes, Fledging, we will appear again. Stand fast, child of the light. You are not alone.

The thought didn't come from Fawkes, but from a multitude of voices, which echoed in his mind.

As one, the phoenixes took flight, and then vanished in a flash of flame. Fawkes sprang aloft and glided over to land on Dumbledore's shoulder.

Wings turned to face the crowd, which had gathered behind him. His fatigue was extreme. He struggled to force himself back into his normal shape. Slowly and painfully he made the transition to his human form, then he collapsed on the ground.

Dumbledore and several of the other teachers strode forward to assist him. Ginny wanted to go to Harry, but Ron held her back.

"We're all tired Ginny, you as well. Let Dumbledore bring him in this time. Help me with 'Mione while we get everyone back to the castle."

Ginny looked torn, but she was exhausted and still suffering from the depressing effects of the Dementors. She nodded and took Hermione's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. As a group, the Phoenix Brigade trudged wearily back to Hogwarts. Behind them followed Dumbledore, a few teachers, and a lone figure on a levitated stretcher.


Somewhere in England, Location Unknown…

Voldemort was in fine form. He had spent most of the day torturing members of his inner circle for abandoning him. Oogla-Dain had launched his attack on Hogwarts and soon he'd learn of the results. Voldemort knew that even if there had been thousands of people casting patronuses, they could not really hurt Oogla-Dain and his brothers.

Hogwarts must be a mass tomb by now! He thought gleefully. Even that fool Dumbledore could not hold off that many Dementors! Potter must be dead!

Upstairs in another room, a low level Death Eater was making a report to Wormtail.

"Are you sure of this?" asked Wormtail with a shiver in his voice.

"Yes, Sir. I just came from Hogsmeade. They're saying that the castle was attacked, but there were very few casualties. They're calling for massive amounts of chocolate. Honeydukes is said to be emptied of its supply," replied the Death Eater.

"What else are they saying?" asked Wormtail, his voice taking on a dangerous lilt.

"I overheard two Aurors talking. They said that all of the Dementors that attacked were destroyed. They were quite emphatic about it. None escaped, and the Aurors sounded relieved."

Wormtail's hand snatched up his wand and, before the Death Eater could do anything he shouted, "Imperio!"

He watched for a moment as the curse sunk into the Death Eater before speaking.

"Such devotion to duty must be rewarded. You shall report this news to our Master," sneered Wormtail.


Later that evening, Hogwarts…

Dumbledore walked to the entrance of the Great Hall. It had been turned into a makeshift infirmary. Many of the Phoenix Brigade and other students were suffering from the depressing effects of the Dementors, but there had been few true casualties. A few broken bones caused by the rush to get out of the stands, but no one had been kissed, thank Merlin!

Calls for chocolate and help had been sent out from Hogwarts. Aurors now patrolled the castle grounds, while healers from St. Mungos rushed around dosing people with chocolate. As news of the attack got out, the people from Hogsmeade started showing up at the castle, offering their own personal supply of chocolate. Honeydukes had sent their entire supply up to the castle.

Prefects, armed with calming draughts, were circulating among the first and second years, dosing people as necessary.

Dumbledore stood by the entrance to the Great Hall looking at the students, his students, and he suppressed a shudder thinking of what today could have turned into.

"Albus," said a soft voice behind him.

He turned to see Minerva McGonagall and Amelia Bones. "Albus, I think you need some chocolate, as well," said Minerva, pressing a large piece in his hand. He took the chocolate and nodded at her before taking a small bite.

"Headmaster, things could have gone far worse than they did today," said the Minister.

Slowly, the uplifting effects of the chocolate raised his spirits until his eyes once again twinkled at the two women. Minerva was especially pleased to see this.

"Is it true? Phoenixes and Harry destroyed all those Dementors?" asked Amelia. "We've collected over twenty five hundred Dementor cloaks. That's got to be nearly the entire known Dementor population!"

"Yes, I fear that the results of today's attack are not what Voldemort expected. But it was very close. It was the phoenixes that turned the tide. Harry killed hundreds, but even he would have been overwhelmed had the phoenixes not shown up," replied Dumbledore.

"But Albus, where did they all come from? There were hundreds of them! And what about that strange meeting that took place right after the battle?" asked Minerva while Amelia cocked her head curiously at Dumbledore. She had not heard about that part.

"I have been thinking about that, Minerva. Do you remember the image of the Heart Chamber Harry showed us in the Pensieve?" he asked.

Minerva nodded mutely.

"I have given a lot of thought to those cubbyholes in the walls with the wooden bars. What if they were places for a phoenix to perch? I think that, somehow, the four founders enlisted the aid of phoenixes in building Hogwarts, and those are the perches for them to rest upon. The symbol of the phoenix has always been tied to this school and nearly every Headmaster has had a phoenix companion.

"As to the meeting, alas I fear we will have to wait until Harry awakens before we can find out more," he concluded.

"Will he be alright, Headmaster?" asked Amelia with concern.

Dumbledore nodded, "He is exhausted. His magic nearly spent. I daresay he will need a large amount of chocolate when he awakens, but he took no injuries. Had it not been for him and his brigade, I shudder to think of what today would have brought."

The three of them turned to look at the students who were bedded down in the Great Hall, as an uneasy silence settled over the school.


Hogwarts Infirmary, two days later…

Harry heard a voice. It was distant, but someone was talking. He opened his eyes and blinked at the blurry world that presented itself. A cluster of people was nearby, but he couldn't tell who they were. His hand reached above his head, searching for his glasses, when they were placed in his hand. He put them on and looked up at Madam Pomfrey, blinking.

"You know Mr. Potter, I was just saying to myself the other day that it doesn't seem like a regular school year without an extended visit from my favorite patient," she said with a snort. Obviously, Poppy Pomfrey had a twisted sense of humor.

Ginny raced into the room, but skidded to a halt as Madam Pomfrey glared at her. Running in her hospital indeed!

Madam Pomfrey turned back to Harry and handed him a huge chunk of chocolate. "I expect you to remain in this bed until I release you for dinner, Mr. Potter. In the meantime, I want you to eat that."

Harry looked at the huge piece of chocolate and he shuddered. It must have weighed over a pound! Ginny waited until Madam Pomfrey had returned to her office before she flung herself at Harry. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her fragrant hair. They held each other for a long time before she pulled away from him. She searched his eyes carefully.

"I'm fine, Gin," he said softly. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

She smiled at his reassurance and took a seat next to him. A moment later the doors of the infirmary burst open again and Molly rushed in. She swept Harry up in one of her bone crushing hugs.

"I was so worried about you! How are you feeling?" she asked, searching his eyes carefully.

Harry blinked in surprise then looked between the two of them and started to laugh. Like mother, like daughter! Molly took up the seat on the other side of the bed. Then both women frowned at him as he tried to explain what was so funny.

When he was finished, both of them told him to eat his chocolate. Harry chuckled. When both women glared at each other, he collapsed in helpless laughter.


Cleaning the paintings…

"How is the restoration going, Serena?" Severus asked from the doorway of the potions lab in their quarters. It was now early February, and the Dementor attack was nearly a week behind them.

She was bent over one of the paintings, examining its cloudy surface. When she straightened and turned to face him, he could see the weariness in her face.

"It's going well, I think. Aunt Claudia had some good ideas, which I was able to incorporate into a cleaning solution. Thank Merlin these aren't magical paintings. Somehow I don't think the occupant would be please by my ministrations," she said with a grimace.

When she reached around and rubbed her lower back, he walked to her and brushed her hands away. Massaging her tired muscles for her, he smiled when she groaned in pleasure. Looking over her shoulder, he gazed at the paintings laid out on the table in front of them. The four paintings had been removed from their frames and were now covered in a hazy, white substance.

The concoction was an enzyme solution they had brewed up a week ago. It smelled horrible, but seemed to do the job. They had needed time to test the solution on small areas of each painting to judge absorption time and penetration, but they'd eventually come up with the right mixture. At least, they hoped.

Serena's Aunt Claudia had been a tremendous help. As an art restorer for the New York Met, and a brilliant witch in her own right, she had been able to give them valuable tips on incorporating the use of magical and muggle techniques in creating a way of cleaning centuries of dirt and grime from the priceless paintings Harry had found.

"How much longer?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him.

Leaning back, she smiled. "Not long," she replied, glancing at the clock.

When she pulled away from him a few minutes later, he let her go and watched. She pulled out her wand and cast a modified cleaning charm. They both smiled when a grungy, dirty haze lifted from all four paintings and hovered. With a few flicks of her wand, she directed the grimy cloud away from the newly cleaned paintings and into a wastebasket. Tucking her wand away, she approached the paintings again, Severus on her heels.

Before them lay the four newly restored images of Godric Gryffindor. There was some minor damage to each of the paintings, but it was old. The cleaning solution had done its job brilliantly and hadn't added to the damage at all.

"We'll have to get these to the Headmaster's office and let Harry know," Severus said, a bit absent-mindedly, his eyes riveted on one of the images before him.

"Hmm. Yes," she replied, staring at the same image. "Severus, am I mistaken, or is that the hilt Harry's been talking about?"

"You're not mistaken," he replied quietly. "I think that's exactly what he's been looking for."


Authors Notes:

What happened to the crystal? Heh, we're not telling, but you'll see it again.

Does Dumbledore keep a close eye on muggle news? It certainly doesn't appear that way from canon. But in any event, our Dumbledore doesn't, unless it has an impact on one or more of his students.

Wan was let back into the school because the court ordered it so. Face it, she's important to our storyline. Do you really want us to hide her out of the way?

In chapter 8 Harry clearly states the trapdoor to the lost section of Hogwarts does NOT appear on the Marauder's map. The map does reflect the changes to the castle even if we didn't mention that.

No, neither my Wife, nor myself, ever took Latin in school. However there are several handy online English to Latin dictionaries which make spell word creation a little easier, that is if you want your spells to be in Latin. I chose Latin because it existed as nearly a universal language in Europe for over one thousand years, so it makes sense that the older spells would be in Latin.

And before anyone gets on our case about what Harry did to the Dementors in this chapter, I'll repeat, Harry is not super Harry. We envision Voldemort to be incredibly powerful, powerful enough that he could handle his own Death Eaters if they turned on him en masse. Harry has to match his power. Without help of the Phoenixes, Harry Potter would have been Harry smoking corpse Potter.

One last note to the person who's been grounded: Get off the computer! Don't make us channel Molly Weasley on you!

Bob and Alyx