Chapter 10:

Voldemort's Assault

Harry reappeared just outside the Death Eater base in Knockturn Alley. He immediately cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and then crept silently up to a dingy window to look inside. There was little to see inside the abandoned shop except for the small table sitting in the center of the small room. There was also a fireplace set into the wall to be used for Floo connections presumably. Harry stared into the empty room for several minutes until Bellatrix Lestrange walked in from a door in the back. Harry grinned evilly as he realized that Bellatrix was here alone. He whispered to himself, "This is going to be like taking candy from a baby."

Then, Harry stood up and kicked open the door. As the door swung wide, Harry dove through onto the floor to avoid the hexes that Bellatrix immediately threw at the door. She had her wand out as she looked wildly around the room, "Who is it? Who's there?"

Harry spat out mockingly, "Don't tell me that ickle Bellatrix is afraid of the baby wee Potter."

Bellatrix snarled, as she gripped her wand tighter, "You won't be so confident shortly, Potter. You may have me at a disadvantage, but the Dark Lord is going to have you begging for mercy shortly."

Harry laughed, "Are you talking about his pitiful little attack tonight. Dumbledore already knows about that, and is prepared to counter him."

Bellatrix spun at the sound of Harry's voice and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

It did her little good, because Harry had Apparated to the other side of the room, using her yell to mask the pop of Apparation. He muttered quietly, "Expelliarmus." The jet of light caught Bellatrix in the back, and sent her wand spinning away from her. Harry waved his wand, and said, "Accio wand." Bellatrix made a wild diving grab for her wand as it sped past her, but she missed by scant inches as it zoomed towards Harry. He caught the wand, and then removed the Disillusionment Charm from himself, so that Bellatrix could look him in the eyes.

Harry shook his head in amusement, "To think that you are one of Voldemort's top lieutenants, its absolutely disgraceful. If this is the best that the poor fool can come up with, winning this war is going to be easy for me."

Bellatrix snarled, "You aren't going to defeat the Dark Lord, Potter. He has spies inside the very school that you go to. Even Hogwarts isn't safe for you."

Harry snorted, "Spies, huh? I presume you're talking about Snape and Malfoy. I dealt with those two earlier. Malfoy is dead, and Snape isn't far from it. Not to mention, he will be useless from now on since I modified his memory."

Bellatrix paled, "What did you modify from his memory?"

Harry chuckled, "He had information that I only allow people to have before I kill them."

"What is that?"

"Snape discovered that I am the Dark Phoenix." replied Harry.

Bellatrix laughed haughtily, "You can't be the Dark Phoenix, Potter. The Dark Phoenix has defeated several Death Eaters quite handily, and has escaped detection. He is obviously a powerful wizard, and you are nothing more than a boy with an over inflated opinion of himself."

Harry laughed uproariously at this statement, "You have been listening to Snape haven't you. That fool's opinions of my abilities have always been far less than what I was capable of." Harry pulled up his sleeve, and revealed the Phoenix Mark on his arm, "That should alleviate any doubts you have about my identity. Now, I think it is itme to end you since you know my secret." Harry advanced menacingly on Bellatrix, and then flicked his wand, "Crucio!"

Bellatrix fell screaming in pain. Harry held her under the curse for a few moments, and then let up. He mocked her, "Does that hurt, ickle Bella? Do you want the big bad Phoenix to stop?"

Bellatrix attempted to catch her breath and respond, but Harry hit her with the Cruciatus Curse once again. He sneered at her, "You shouldn't have told me how to do this curse properly, Bella. Now, I am your worst nightmare."

Harry was just about to cast the curse on Bellatrix for a third time, when he was warned by the wards around Hogwarts that the castle was in danger. He swore loudly, "Damn! So Hogwarts was the target for tonight. It seems that your boss has saved your life tonight, Bella. We will meet again." Harry snapped her wand, and then threw the pieces down beside her before Apparating to the castle.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Dumbledore had taken Crabbe, Goyle, and Snape to the Hospital Wing. While there, the alarms around the school sounded. Cornelius looked around in alarm, "What does that sound mean, Dumbledore?"

Albus replied darkly, "It means that several Dark wizards have crossed the outer wards to enter Hogwarts grounds."

Remus asked immediately, "How many, Albus?"

Dumbledore sighed as he drew his wand, "At least twenty-five. Minerva, go and alert the Aurors to get here as quickly as possible. Apparently, Hogwarts is his target."

Arthur Weasley pointed out, "At least Harry isn't here. You-Know-who can't get him if he isn't here."

Another voice sounded out behind them, "He isn't going to get me even if I am here. I've got a few surprises for Voldemort."

All of the wizards in the room spun around to see Harry standing behind them in the Hospital Wing. Even Dumbledore seemed flabbergasted, "Harry, how did you get here?"

"I Apparated."

Remus blanched, "You can't Apparate in Hogwarts, Harry."

Harry snorted, "You can't. I manage it just fine."

Dumbledore sucked in a deep breath, "How did you accomplish such a thing?"

Harry sneered, "Considering all the things that you have kept from me over the years, old man, do you honestly expect me to tell you any of my secrets?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I suppose not. We'll worry about that later. For now, we must deal with the problem at hand. Voldemort and his followers will be at the castle gates very soon."

Harry gripped his wand, and smiled gleefully, "Yes, I know. Its time to teach some Death Eaters a lesson."

Dumbledore adopted a stern expression, "Harry, I'm afraid that I can't allow you to go out into combat. It would be too dangerous."

The expression on Harry's face went from one of glee to downright fury in less than a second. He stepped toward the Headmaster menacingly, "Allow me?" he screamed, the fury apparent in his voice. "How dare you? You will not be allowing me to do anything, old man. I will do as I please, and you will do nothing to stop me unless you want to suffer dire consequences."

Dumbledore attempted to remain calm in the face of Harry's fury, but his voice betrayed his emotions, "What dire consequences, Harry?"

Harry growled, "If you attempt to stop me, Albus, I will not hesitate to attack you. I will handle Voldemort, and I expect you to stay out of my way."

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, you aren't ready to face Voldemort. I haven't given you the training you need to be able to handle his powers."

Harry sneered, "Just because you haven't given me the training that I need, old man, doesn't mean that I haven't received it. There are other ways to learn to use your powers. As a matter of fact, I found a teacher that was willing to teach me the things that I wanted to know, instead of the things that he wanted me to know. That was the mistake you made, and now I will do things my way. You are no longer of any consequence."

After that statement, Harry strode from the room with his wand gripped tightly in his hand, and a determined look on his face. Dumbledore looked to Remus and Arthur, "Well, we have little choice, but to follow him into battle." The three of them went and met up with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix in the Entranceway. Dumbledore looked around, but could find no trace of Harry. He sighed, "Everyone, we will soon be going out to face several Death Eaters. The Aurors will be here shortly, so we should be able to hold the castle. However, I must point out that this battle could cost us greatly. We must protect this school and the students in it. Now, let us go forth to do battle."

The members of the Order of the Phoenix charged out with their wands held at the ready to find a force of about forty Death Eaters waiting for them. The Order as one released a volley of Stunning Spells, but they did nothing as they bounced off a powerful shield that had been erected between the two forces of wizards. Voldemort's voice boomed out, "Hold, Dumbledore. I wish to speak before we do battle."

Dumbledore replied stiffly, "What do you want, Tom?"

A tinge of anger was apparent in Voldemort's voice as he replied, "Do not call me that, you Muggle loving fool. I came here to offer you a truce, if you will turn over the Potter boy to me. I have unfinished business with him."

Before Dumbledore could begin to articulate a response, Harry's voice rang out over the area, "Why don't you go to hell, Tom. I am not a pawn for you and Dumbledore to use. If you have conditions for surrender, then you should address them to me. I am the Master of this castle, now."

Suddenly, Harry appeared as he whipped off his father's invisibility cloak. He looked Voldemort right in the eyes, and sneered, "Unless, of course, you are too frightened of the wee Potter brat that you don't wish to speak to me face to face."

Voldemort raged, "How dare you, boy?" Voldemort flicked his wand, "Crucio!" The spell hit Harry, but it didn't seem to do anything, as Harry stood there smiling at Voldemort.

Then, Harry snorted, "Do you really expect that pitiful of a curse to work on me, Tom? I am your worst nightmare, and I am about to prove it in front of all your followers."

Harry brought his wand over his head in a long whipping stab, and shouted, "Naturam Expellas Fervor!" A rush of wind shattered the shield that Voldemort had erected and sent the Death Eaters tumbling with the sheer force of it. Then, Harry stabbed his wand directly at Voldemort and screamed, "Crucio!"

Voldemort fell writhing to the ground in pain, as the host of surrounding witches and wizards looked on in utter disbelief. Several Death Eaters recovered from the wind and hurled spells at Harry. He removed the Cruciatus Curse form Voldemort to block the curses, and Voldemort immediately Portkeyed away. His Death Eaters quickly followed him. Harry turned around to confront the Order, and stood before them as they all continued to stare at him in utter disbelief. Even the normally unshakeable Albus Dumbledore appear to be too shocked to utter even the smallest sound.

A/N: sorry for the atrocious delay in getting this out. My schedule has clamed down somewhat, so I should have out the next chapter within two weeks. There's only a few more to go, but the end should be a wild ride. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my work. I enjoy reading the reviews as always. Happy reading.