Disclaimer: J K Rowling owns the rights and likenesses of all the characters in the Harry Potter series. This story is meant to add to the world she created. Any conflicts are accidental and they yield to her reality (canon).

16. The Plan

Harry had just finished classes for the day when a message spell flew through the closed door and entered his head. The meeting was scheduled for nine o'clock that night. He would learn what the Order was going to do to stop this latest attempt to bring back Tom Riddle. The next four hours were going to be long to say the least.

Dinner passed quickly for the teachers. Harry spent the evening until the meeting on his broom flying around the pitch. He even played in a small, friendly game of tag with some students in the waning early March sunlight. The group, consisting of mostly third and fourth years, was surprised and pleased with Harry's involvement. He even gave them tips on flying and movement. A few were trying to improve enough to tryout for Quidditch next year.

As the night drug on, Harry wondered pointlessly about the castle. A meeting with Peeves broke up the monotony. A few well placed charms and the poltergeist was flying off in search of safer waters to cause mayhem. Harry final found himself traveling up the stairwell to Dumbledore's office.

Upon entering, Harry found he was one of the first arrivals. Ginny and Hermione greeted him with understanding smiles. Mad-Eye was next to enter followed by the remainder over the next five minutes. A group of around twenty five sat or stood in the office. Dumbledore glanced around the room and began the meeting.

"We are here to share the latest bit of information that was gathered recently from Bellatrix Lestrange. She has told us that Draco Malfoy and his friends from school compose the largest amount of the current Death Eaters. A few members from before remain and are now under Ministry surveillance."

"Why are Draco and his friends not under watch as well?" Asked Molly.

"The information concerning them was learned by unofficial means and they can not act officially on the information. They are passively monitoring them, but nothing direct." Dumbledore's eyes rested on Harry as he said this.

Many members followed his gaze and fixed theirs on Harry as well. Only Tonks and Kingsley kept theirs on Dumbledore.

"She is still alive," said Harry. "What more do you want? What more does she deserve?"

"I am not accusing you Harry," said Albus.

"You sure about that, Albus?"

"Did you break a guarantee you made to me, Harry?"

"Nope," was Harry answer.

"Well, now that the older Death Eaters are being taken care of by the aurors." Kingsley nodded. "We can choose our actions for the remainder. Any ideas?" Asked Dumbledore.

"We should eliminate them before they can kill any others," said Marrows.

"Capture them and put them in Azkaban," said Molly.

"I like Marrows idea," said Mad-Eye.

"Should we become like them, Mr. Marrows?" Asked Albus. "On what charges, Molly? We know from previous experience that the Death Eaters conduct themselves in ways to hide their actions or at least in easily excusable ways. The Malfoy family may not have the power it once did, but there are still many sympathetic old pure-blood families out there. They have felt oppressed and betrayed by the Ministry in the last fifteen years. Many of the reforms we put in place effects their lives directly. They will be resistant to destroying a public family such as the Malfoy's. We would need real proof to convince them. I feel we should investigate and try to build a case against Draco."

There were murmurs and various comments of agreement or dissention. Harry couldn't believe that history was going to repeat itself again. He shook his head thinking of all those lost the last time. Some of the group noticed Harry's movement and grew quiet. They remembered the last time he disagreed with a plan of Albus's and there was nearly a division of the Order as a result.

"Harry, do you have something to say?" Asked Albus remembering the past. "You are a full member now and I will entertain your suggestions."

"Sirius." The mood in the room dropped immediately. Everyone remembered the circumstances behind that name. Harry remained steady in his position. "Percy." Molly stifled a tear and Arthur wrapped an arm around her. "Remus." Harry wavered a slightly. "The students, teachers, innocent people. All lost the last time we chose to wait-and-see. How many lives rest on your head, Albus, from that decision? I disagreed the last time, but I backed down because of your experience. We could have torn apart his group. Removed the killers from the plans before they happened. So many deaths could have been avoided if we had acted. So many lives could have been changed for the better.

"But no, we waited. And people died at their hands. We watched as the death toll grew. As children were orphaned if they were lucky, we waited. For what? A better chance for me to kill him. A trapped, wounded animal will strike out at its attacker without planning without thought. Voldemort could have been that animal, but we left him to plot and plan. He attacked when he wanted, not when we forced him.

"Draco is not the mastermind Tom was. He is arrogant and overconfident. He will not take loses calmly. Now that Bellatrix is out of the picture, he is leading the group. He never learned from his mistakes in school, and he won't now. If we hit them now and remove as many as possible, he will be forced to strike or recruit harder. Let us end this before it really begins. We have been down that road before and we know where it leads. I will not repeat my fifth or sixth years again, Albus."

Those in the room were looking around for others reactions. They had never seen Albus Dumbledore receive such a dressing down before. Slowly, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Marrows, Arthur, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Kingsley, a few others, and surprisingly Molly gravitated to stand behind Harry. Hermione was conflicted between loyalty in Harry and faith in knowledge and experience with Dumbledore. Snape was decidedly with Albus and he voiced his opinion.

"You think you know everything, Potter?" Came the snide response from Snape. "Just like always, the great Harry Potter, knows best. You are the one who is overconfident and arrogant. You will make the same poor choices that led to your idiot godfather's death."

Many held their breath waiting for the battle to ensue. Harry calmly replied but made no hesitation to express his thoughts on the subject.

"Still pissed at yourself for failing to save that worthless sack of shite all those years ago, Snape? Draco was a lost cause and you knew that. His father had too much influence over him growing up. Once Lucius lost, fled as the coward he was, all the power and esteem Draco reveled in was gone. He was on the outside and he craved to get it back. This was the only way to get it. He knew no other way and accepted nothing less from anyone. You were a Death Eater. You know why they do it. Can you honestly say that those known to us could be saved?

"Should we attempt to save their own children now or wait until they have been perverted fully like Draco was? His own son may not be salvageable, but his friends might be. I learned to choose my fights carefully when growing up. I choose this one, now. I will not allow history to repeat itself. Albus, you are wrong to wait. We must act or we will bury more of our own. I can not bury another friend. My wife was the last. I swore it to her. They need Voldemort's wand to complete the ceremony or mine. They aren't going to get either."

"Do you know where Tom's is, Harry?" Asked Kingsley.

Harry swiftly reached into his right boot and drew a wand, yew, thirteen and a half inches long. He felt the air tingle around him and the others did as well. "I have never let this wand out of my sight since that day. I will let no one else touch it. Samantha has never seen it. If they need this thing so badly, why don't I just break it now? If it would stop him from returning, it is a small thing to do."

"Harry, you should not do that at this time," said Dumbledore. "We do not know what will happen if you do. Tom could be bound to that wand in some fashion. Breaking it could free him."

"Or end him," said Harry. "I am not afraid of the mystery, but I want to see what happens to him if I do it. But we are getting off the subject." Harry slid the wand back into his boot.

"Headmaster, you know this would be a fool's errand," snapped Snape. "Do not indulge the boy."

"Severus, hind sight has shown me that I may have made a mistake before. The results were costly, but I feel the price was worth what was accomplished. If I had made another choice, things could have ended up worse or better." Albus went silent for a bit.

"Alright, Harry. I will listen to you this time. Your counsel has never proven wrong and you have been quite adept at getting results. I yield to your chosen path. We will take the fight to the Death Eaters that we know about. There is one exception, you must wait for the meeting with Draco or Voldemort before you do anything. It is the price of leadership. You will be needed here as a teacher and when or if Voldemort's spirit is confronted. I doubt many could resist him if he wished to possess them."

"Yes, Sir," Harry conceded. "I will not lead any missions, but I will not let you spread them thin either. I want no less than five people per Death Eater on the missions. We go in silently and quickly. Hit them hard, and drag them out. If they use an unforgivable curse, do not hesitate to return the favor. Anyone who isn't comfortable killing a killer needs to speak up now."

No one said anything. Those who quietly sided with Harry before had a look of determination about them. Snape looked like he lost a fight with his wife, if he had ever had one. Albus seemed resigned to the path that had been chosen.

"Alastor will coordinate the operations," Albus said retaking the reigns. "Tonks and Alastor will survey the target prior to any mission. We will begin immediately with those on the list who are the least likely to be a threat. We will remove the support personnel, the bodies, before going after the command structure. Full location details will be gathered prior to any attacks so we know where they will most likely retreat to.

"Thank you, everyone. Won't you have a good evening and be safe. This meeting is adjourned."

Harry left the office feeling like he both achieved and lost something. The next few weeks were going to be the quiet before the storm. He knew that Mad-Eye and Tonks were anxious to get this going. Harry decided that he would spend as much time with Samantha as he could leading up to the attack phase of the plan. Then he would have to play it by ear.

"I will not fail you, my dear, not again, never again." Harry walked back to his room and went to bed. Tomorrow was a new day and he would make the best of it.

Over the next two weeks, Tonks gave tactical reports to the Order. Locations, times, wards, and everything else that Moody demanded knowing. The first attack was planned for the next Saturday. They were going to hit the Bulstrode's first. Millicent was a friend but not a confidant to Draco. She and what remained of her family supported the Malfoys.

Samantha loved the added attention and affection from her father. She knew something was going to happen soon, but asked Harry to tell her before it happened. She spent any free time she had with Harry when he wasn't teaching. Her friends understood and had their own indicators of impending trouble. Sirius could tell Hermione was worried about something. Mira had received overly affectionate letters from her mother during the last week.

The night before the Order was set to begin its first offensive maneuvers of its existence; Harry brought Samantha to his room for dinner. She entered to find a homey setting and a nice meal waiting for them. Dobby was bouncing in the corner eager to serve any needs.

"A family meal together sounded nice to me earlier this week. So, here you go, Honey."

"Thank you, Dad. It looks great. Thank you, Dobby."

"Miss is most welcome. Dobby is being a good elf for Harry Potter, Sir, and his Samantha Potter."

"We appreciate it, Dobby," thanked Harry.

The two sat down and ate leisurely. Small talk about classes and friends filled the time between bites. Samantha knew tonight was when she was going to learn more about the happenings of the last few weeks. Dinner carried on until the dessert arrived. Once she had finished her pudding, Harry spoke in a serious tone.

"Samantha, over the next few weeks maybe even months, the Order will be conducting raids on the Death Eaters we know about and the Ministry can't touch. Things could go smoothly or they could fall apart like last time. Only time will tell, but I am not going to be doing anything more than planning until the end. If you would like, I can keep you updated on our progress."

Samantha thought about the idea of knowing what was going on. "I want to know, but I am not sure I should know. Do you understand, Dad?"

"Yes, I understand. I had the same problems once. After awhile, not knowing was better than knowing. It is your choice to make, Honey. Let me know whenever you decide."

"Right now, I want to know."

"Alright," Harry began. "The first attack will be tomorrow night on the Bulstrode's. We are trying to erode the support base of their current leader, Draco Malfoy."

"Hmm, now why doesn't that surprise me, Father?" Asked Samantha. "Dominic is such a little snot stain I find it hard to believe that his father is running the show."

Harry laughed at his daughter's choice of words. "I see you were in America too long, Honey. I would call him a tosser or maybe a wanker, but a snot stain, honestly."

"I like having my own insults thank you very much. My friends find them entertaining."

"At least you have fun with them, I never really got into them much. But speaking of Dominic, I would like you to be more wary of him until this is all over. He may not take kindly to his father being threatened or his way of life put at risk. He doesn't know any different, but that won't excuse his behavior. Just be careful, Honey."

"I know, father. I will be safe and the others will keep an eye on me." Samantha smirked some and asked, "are you sure you aren't my mother, too? You seem all hen-ish right now."

"Cheeky little brat you are," Harry retorted but couldn't help himself from smiling at her wit. "I'll have you know you are lucky to have someone who cares so much. I am sure my aunt would just 'love' to meet you. Shall I ring her and arrange a meet?"

"Now who is the cheeky git?"

"Me apparently, but don't ever lose your sense of humor, Honey. It can save you when all else fails. Your mother taught me that."

"I miss her, Dad. Don't you leave me, too. I need at least one parent to torment me as I grow up."

A tight hug and a few light-hearted minutes of talk and the night was over. Samantha was walked back to her common room and kissed good night. The next evening was not as pleasant.

Harry paced nervously in Dumbledore's office waiting for news of the raid. Fifteen members were active in tonight's operation. Millicent, her mother, and her brother were all expected to be at the house tonight. No other people were likely to be there. The plan was to hit the house from the front and back simultaneously. Twelve members were supposed to storm the house and stun everyone inside. Then, they were supposed to portkey the captives to the Department of Mysteries for interviewing. Once the truth was discovered, they would be handed over to the aurors for criminal charges.

Harry was impatient, because the members were ten minutes late returning to Hogwarts for their debriefing. "Harry, please sit down. They will be here when they arrive and not a moment earlier."

Harry didn't like Dumbledore's logic. There was too much waiting and sitting involved. He wanted to be doing not avoiding a lemon drop. A few more minutes ticked by, before the first team arrived in the office via portkey. Harry saw two members sporting bandages and a sling. The second group arrived right before the third. Both were in about the same shape.

"What the hell happened?" Yelled Harry. "How many injured?"

"Harry, calm down," soothed Tonks. "There were only five injured. All were minor injuries. We caught the targeted three and two others who were in the upper floor. They never came out during the surveillance so we didn't know they were there until they attacked. That Millicent isn't very skilled with a wand, but she can scrum with the best of them. Peters can attest to that, can't you Marcus."

"Shut up, Tonks," snapped Peters. "See if you do any better against a man-of-a-woman like that. She surprised me, that is all."

"Hermione learned that in second year, Peters," said Harry. "Who were the other two?"

"No one important," answered Tonks. "Additional family from somewhere, they might have been on the run from the looks of it. They will be sent wherever they need to be sent. Only one killing curse was thrown and that missed by a mile. Well, the china cabinet might disagree, but I am not complaining any."

"So the delay was due to the extra people and the injuries?" Queried Harry.

"Yes and no," admitted Tonks. "Some aurors were doing a patrol in the town. Since they at least know the names of those we are going after, they must be doing what they can unofficially. Kingsley had to clear everything with them before they would let us go. The dark marks on our 'friends' made things move along nicely."

"Can we expect further interruptions from the aurors, Kingsley?" Asked Dumbledore.

"I am not sure, but it be might be more of the same. At least we might have some help in the future should things go badly sometime. Either way, we should proceed as fast as possible with our plans. They will know what happened soon."

"We will do just that," Albus spoke. "I would like to plan for at least one raid a night until resistance becomes too dangerous. Perhaps we can learn from this attack and improve our future plans."

"Yeah, duck when the large Amazon woman runs at you," quipped Peters.

The meeting broke up after adjustments were made to tomorrow's plan. Everyone felt good about the night except for Harry. He was worried that they came too close to losing someone tonight. He wanted to be involved, but knew that Samantha deserved better until it was unavoidable.

The next five raids were perfect and no casualties were suffered. Two more students unknowingly lost their parents to the legal system. It was only on the seventh raid that things went awry. The expected two, became eight when the Order crashed a meeting of Death Eaters. One Death Eater was killed and two others were seriously injured. Moody would claim later that he lived for nights like that, but no one else would agree. Four Order members were sent to St. Mungo's that night. Only one left the next day. Two were touch and go for awhile but pulled through in the end. Peters failed to learn the lesson of ducking and suffered severe wounds. He didn't leave St. Mungo's until his funeral.

Harry was upset about the injuries and death, but no one would agree that he should be a team member on the raids. He could never convince anyone to support him in that plan.

As a result, Defense class was more intense every session. The first thing he taught every year was dodging curses. He didn't want another Marcus Peters on his hands. No student would die because they failed to duck.

Samantha noticed the change in attitude of her father. After the second class that week, she asked him for a reason. Samantha was saddened by the lost of an Order member, but she was secretly happy that her father wasn't involved in the raids. She needed him in her life.