AN

I have returned! The delay was caused by the fact that I was away skiing in Lake Tahoe. Perfect conditions, if anyone wants to know. Frankly, I was going so fast down those slopes you're all lucky I didn't take out a tree and die, orphaning my story ;)

Er, anyway, I used JC-S' laptop to type up chapter 19 at night while I was there. Unfortunately, I didn't know he didn't have a floppy drive, and not having any data cds, I had to retype all 41 pages of this when I got home. Hopefully, the length (around 4,000 words longer than my usual) will make up for the wait.

We are entering a part of the story where I'm pretty sure I'll lose a few of you, a fact I lament. However, I can't change it because the title would become incorrect. Can't have that. All I ask of all of you, is that you give the chapter a chance, and read the Author's Note at the bottom before you give up on me. I have my reasons, however idiotic they may be.

Huge thank you to Yavinbase and JC-S, whose help is, as always, completely invaluable.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Chapter 19

Fare Thee Well

Harry soon found himself in a holding cell in the Auror department of the Ministry of Magic. His arms and legs were bound with anti-magic manacles, and two Aurors stood guard outside his door.

He stayed that way, sitting on the small cot, for an hour or so, until Dumbledore finally came in to see him. As head of the Wizengamot, the headmaster was qualified and authorized to be the one to question him, and said as much when he entered.

Dumbledore gave him a very grave and disappointed look as he conjured a chair across from him. A year before, that look would've had Harry wallowing in shame. Now, however, it seemed to pass right through him.

"Harry," said the headmaster sadly, "I'm afraid I must ask you why you did this."

Harry's face was expressionless as he replied, "I warned him. I told him that if he attempted to harm Ginny, I would kill him. He attacked her, kidnapped her, put the Cruciatus on her, and attempted worse. So I killed him. I would do it again."

The aging headmaster shook his head. "Harry, you used an Unforgivable. Young Mr. Malfoy's crimes were no doubt heinous in nature, but there was no need to resort to the Dark Arts-"

"Yes there was," Harry insisted. "And there will be again in the future. If I had simply stunned him, he would've been sent to prison, if we were lucky. More likely, he would have gotten off somehow. Even if he did get sent to Azkaban, Voldemort would have soon freed him, just as he freed his father."

Dumbledore blinked. No one was supposed to know about the Azkaban breakout the week before. He hadn't even told most of the Order. "How did you know that?" he asked.

Harry chuckled and pointed towards his scar. "He can't get through to me any more, but that doesn't mean I haven't tried getting through to him. It hasn't worked often, but when he's especially happy or angry I can sometimes break through his barriers for a few minutes. I saw what happened at Azkaban one of those times."

He dropped his hand and shook his head. "This is just going to continue, Professor. He's going to keep gaining new recruits, and few or none of his men are going to be taken out of the equation. It's no wonder you people were losing last time."

Dumbledore's frown deepened. "Harry-"

But Harry wouldn't hear it. "No, Professor, I know what you will say. We're going to lose at this rate, and you know it. The time has come for change. Voldemort and his Death Eaters are not criminals to be punished with time in prison; they are soldiers on the opposing side of a war. You would do well to take a good long look at wars in the muggle world. When they fight a war, they understand that victory lies in defeating your opponent, not imprisoning him. Prisoners are taken, yes, but you cannot hope to capture and entire enemy force. It's an impossible task, and Voldemort's just going to keep gaining supporters because there's nothing to scare them off. All they see ahead of them if they get caught is a short term in prison."

"But, my dear boy," Dumbledore protested, "We cannot sink to their level. If we do, we are no better than them."

Harry slowly rose to his feet, chains clanking, and walked over to the magical window that was currently showing a dark, stormy night. Lighting flashed and rain pelted against the enchanted glass.

"We are a free people, Professor," he said. "But if we are not willing to fight, to die, and yes, even to kill to defend that freedom, then we have no right being free." He turned to face his headmaster. "You may not be willing to go that far, but I am, and I will continue to go that far, even using the Dark Arts if necessary. I believe Winston Churchill once said something to the effect of, 'Victory at all costs.' A little extreme, perhaps, but a fitting quote nonetheless."

Dumbledore stared at his young student for a moment, then rose and vanished his chair and stepped towards the door. He stopped just before touching the handle, and turned back. "Harry, I'm afraid Cornelius is attempting to get you sent straight to Azkaban without a trial, just as Sirius was."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What? How can he possibly justify that? Despite the fact that I used the Killing Curse, it shouldn't be enough to warrant that, since I only killed a Death Eater."

Dumbledore shook his head. "He's claiming there's no proof Mr. Malfoy was a Death Eater, or even that he kidnapped young Miss Weasley."

"What?" Harry nearly shouted. "What about all the men in cloaks and masks outside? Surely that's enough proof that even if he wasn't one, he was in league with them?"

"I'm afraid not. Before we were able to arrive, someone removed all the cloaks from the bodies and replaced them with ordinary robes. I'm not sure you know, but the Mark fades shortly after a person's death. Cornelius is under the impression that Mr. Malfoy was having a party of some sort, and you attacked them, perhaps to get back at him for something he did at school."

"That's insane!"

"Yes it is, but since young Mr. Malfoy and his mother both publicly renounced Lucius after his incarceration, Cornelius seems to believe they do not hold with the beliefs of Lord Voldemort, and do not support him." He didn't have to add that Draco had taken up his father's habits of lining the Minister's pockets.

"And what about the bodies? Weren't any of them known Death Eaters?"

"No, they were mostly very young Ministry employees with no prior criminal records. All appearances suggest they were Lord Voldemort's newest and most inexperienced recruits. Cornelius is attempting to tag on their murders, as well as your illegal animagus forms and underage magic to your charges, since the signs point to them just being at Malfoy manor for some sort of get-together among friends"

Realization dawned on Harry, and his eyes widened. "My gods, I've been set up. Voldemort planned this from the beginning." It all clicked together in his mind. "The fact that Voldemort wasn't there when he took her to the Manor, the inexperienced Death Eaters, changing their clothes so it looked like I killed innocent men."

His head slowly turned to look at the headmaster. "He wanted me to kill Malfoy. He wanted me to kill all of them. He knew it would get me sent here, and from here to Azkaban. He must've known I was approaching the point where I'd be willing to use Dark Magic, and he planned this whole thing." He sank heavily onto the mattress of the small cot and put his head in his hands.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, "I must know, do you still think using even Dark Magic is necessary for this war?"

Harry didn't even look up. "Yes," he said simply.

Dumbledore sighed and opened the door.

"Professor?" came Harry's voice, before he could leave. "What happens now? Is the Order going to attempt to get me off? Fudge may not know they were Death Eaters, but you do, don't you?"

Dumbledore let out another sigh. "I'm afraid there is little we can do, my boy. It appears you will be sent to Azkaban."

Harry rose slowly to his feet and stared at the aging professor. "You think I've turned Dark," he accused. "You're going to leave me here, because you think I've been corrupted, that I'll be the same as Voldemort."

"I've already let loose one Tom Riddle upon the world," Dumbledore said coldly, already standing out in the hallway beyond the cell. "I refuse to let another one, a stronger one take over. It is better to keep fighting the current Dark Lord than to let his successor defeat him and take over."

Harry let out a small cry and rushed towards the door, but the Aurors on the other side slammed it shut in his face. He was able to see the headmaster leaving down the hallway, and he called out after him. "You're a fool, Dumbledore! You hear me? You're a fool!"

But Dumbledore did not look back.

Harry was kept in the holding cell for two days; then brought before the assembled Wizengamot for sentencing. Just as Dumbledore had predicted, there was no trial.

Throughout the sentencing, Harry sat in the chair with the shackles, silent. He said not a word to anyone, and when they proclaimed his sentence to be life in Azkaban, he did not react.

Fudge wanted to make a public spectacle of him being sent to the island fortress, so his portkey was scheduled to leave from Diagon Alley. When the Aurors led him there to be transported, he was still silent and compliant.

There was a small platform set in the midst of the Alley, upon which he was placed as a Ministry worker read out his charges. As this was happening, Harry calmly surveyed the enormous crowd surrounding the platform, paying close attention to those who seemed to hold him in contempt and those who may sympathize with him.

The fickleness of the wizarding world astounded him. A few short months before, he had been the attention-seeking brat. Shortly afterwards, he was again the hero, Witch Weekly's most eligible teenage bachelor, etc. Now he was once again the person everybody despised.

There was very little sympathy on the faces of the people assembled around him. Not a single Weasley made their appearance (excluding Percy, who turned out to be the one reading his charges.), but a few people he knew were present. Most of the Order seemed to be regarding him exactly the way their leader did, with a few exceptions. Tonks was clutching Remus' arm as the both of them shot glares at the rest of the Order. Moody, on the other hand, was wearing an expressionless face (or as near as he could manage it at any rate). When Harry caught his eye, the old ex-Auror gave him a small wink with his good eye and the tiniest of approving nods.

Harry's eyes scanned the rest of the crowd, coming to rest on the face of his dormmate Neville Longbottom. Neville's grandmother was standing next to her grandson and shooting Harry a glare along with the rest of the people around her. Neville, on the other hand, had an uncharacteristically grim expression on his face. As their eyes met, the young man in the crowd gave a small nod, letting Harry know that he was behind him all the way. Harry nodded his thanks, touched at Neville's loyalty.

Last of all, he spotted Mr. and Mrs. Diggory among those gathered, and they both nodded to him as well, a gesture he returned with gratitude. It appeared he still had allies.

Percy finished with the parchment he was reading, and an Auror stepped up to the platform, holding Harry's wand. He snapped it in front of Harry's face, and a cheer went up from the people around them. Fudge himself stepped up to the platform at that point, and he taunted, "Any last words before you're sent of to Azkaban, Potter?"

Harry took a slow look around at the people of the wizarding world gathered in the Alley. The Light side, the supposed 'good guys.' He turned his face back to the Minister.

"Just this. One day, you will wish I was here to save you from your Dark Lord. The only question that remains is this; will I have mercy upon you? Or will I leave this land to its fate?"

A dull, angry roar came from the crowd, and Fudge's face showed shock at his words. The Minister angrily signaled a nearby Auror to bring the portkey forward, and the man complied, placing it (a quill) in Harry's hand.

A sharp tug behind his navel later, he found himself inside the unwarded arrivals room of the wizarding prison.

The dementors were long gone, but Azkaban was still a disheartening place. Built onto what was little more than a rock in the midst of the ocean, it had no ground outside the actual building. The walls were essentially extensions of the cliffs surrounding the island.

The new guards of the prison for the time being appeared to be just a few Aurors. Harry, already in prison clothes from his stay in the Ministry, was immediately led down several long hallways to a lone cell in the most secure part of the facility.

As the door to the tiny, windowless room slammed closed behind him, he sank onto the musty cot and put his head in his hands. The reality of the situation hit him like a brick wall. He had been betrayed, and was now considered a murderer by most of the only world he really knew any more.

:So what comes now, kiddo:

What else can I do, Siri? I have to get out of here right away. Ginny's still in danger, and I'm sure Voldemort's already searching for Katherine. I can't waste my life in here.-

:That's the spirit! So what's the plan:

We'll wait a week or so, give them time to relax a bit, then make our break.-

It was exactly seven days later when Harry decided it was time for him to leave.

The Ministry had pulled out all the stops for keeping him held there in the prison, and Harry finally concluded they weren't going to let up any time soon, so he'd have to leave immediately. Besides the anti-magic manacles on his arms and legs that kept him from casting spells Wandlessly, there were three Aurors on duty outside his door at all times, and anti-magic wards cast by some of the most powerful and experienced wizards in the world (including Dumbledore himself) all around his cell. They prevented him from using his magic in any way, including his animagus forms.

His cell had 'facilities' in it already, and food was pushed through a cat-flap on the door, so he wasn't even allowed to leave the room.

But there was one thing that everyone trying to keep him there did not know.

Harry Potter was the most powerful wizard in the world.

He stood from his cot and raised his arms, focusing on using his magic. His Wandless Magic training and the Ritual had made him more attuned to the magic residing within him, and it was easy to focus on that feeling of power and call it to him. The wards and manacles repressed the magic, but he simply pushed harder. And harder. And harder.

The magic and the wards and manacles strained against each other, battling for dominance. It was fully an hour before Harry's magic managed to simply overwhelm the defenses, shattering the chains into a thousand pieces and reducing the wards to nothing.

The sound finally alerted the Aurors, and they rushed into the cell to find a terrible sight.

Harry turned to face them, and all three of their mouths dropped in horror. His face was glowing with an otherworldly light, and twin pillars of flame burned in his eyes, until not a trace of green remained to be seen. His hair blew about in an invisible wind, and sparks leapt from his fingertips and flowed up his arms and down the rest of his body.

:You know, you could just turn into a phoenix and escape now.: Sirius suggested half-heartedly.

And where would the fun be in that?-

:Point taken.:

Before the Aurors could even react, Harry had waved his hand and sent them crashing through the open door and into the wall across the hall. Another wave of his hand and the now-unconscious men were bound and gagged.

More Aurors from all over the prison came running, but Harry had faced far more numerous and dangerous foes before. The most any of the guards attempted on him were a few minor hexes and Stunners, all of which were easily blocked by his powerful shields. His returning curses, while not deadly, were nonetheless enough to incapacitate a man for quite some time.

Soon, he was standing in the arrival room, waiting for the reinforcements from the Ministry to arrive. Little more than four grey walls and a strong door, the arrival room was the only area in the entire prison not protected by wards preventing apparition and portkey travel. This was the point where everyone had to come if they wanted to enter or leave the fortress.

Just as Harry had anticipated, Dumbledore was the first to appear, and the headmaster immediately leveled his wand at the young man.

"Hello, Professor," Harry said unconcernedly. "I've been expecting you."

:Um, why exactly were you expecting him:

He and the Ministry have to hear what I have to say before I escape. I'll explain more later.-

"Harry," Dumbledore warned, "Don't be foolish."

Harry shook his head, as a fresh group of Aurors and Hitwizards arrived, all with their wands pointed towards him. "I'm afraid it is you who have been foolish. This is the end of it. Fight your own Dark Lord, since that seems to be what you want. I want no further part of this war."

And before any of them could react, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

As he reappeared in the small cave outside of Hogsmeade where Sirius had once hidden, Sirius let out a grunt of approval.

:Nice touch, the smoke. Makes it seem like you left some other way besides apparition. How'd you come up with that:

Muggle magician thing.-

:Ah, excellent. So, what's the next step:

My trunk. We need to find it. I'm hoping Dumbledore took it himself, because I don't fancy looking for it at the Ministry.-

:Do you really think he'd be able to do that:

I have no idea, but the normal laws and procedures of the rest of Western Civilization don't seem to apply to the wizarding world. Just look at us! We were both sent to prison without a trial!-

:True. I suppose that's why you wanted to create all that mess at Azkaban? So he'd leave the castle:

Got it in one. I had other reasons, but that was the main one.-

At that point, Harry transformed into his phoenix form and vanished in a ball of flames, only to reappear inside the very office of the headmaster himself.

Fawkes, to Harry's relief, was not present, nor was Dumbledore. Harry guessed that the professor was still out trying to find him right then.

"Right," he muttered to himself, glancing hurriedly around, "If I was the professor, where would I keep the trunk of a convicted criminal?"

He noticed, vaguely, that everything seemed to have been repaired since his last visit, as he headed for the desk. A few of the portraits were starting to wake up by this point, and were clamoring to know why he was there.

He ignored them as he spotted his trunk sitting behind the desk, seemingly undisturbed. Fortunately, it seemed the headmaster hadn't had time to take it apart yet. Probably because of all the advanced protection wards and charms from his mother's books that allowed only Harry and Ginny to enter it.

Just to be certain, Harry opened it and peeked down the ladder. Sure enough, his other trunk and all his possessions were down in the room in the exact place he'd left them.

:Good, now let's get out of here.:

Harry grunted in reply; then shrunk the trunk small enough to fit in his pocket and vanished in another ball of flames.

This time, he reappeared in the attic of his godfather's house.

:What are you doing:

Visiting an old friend of ours.-

He retrieved his Invisibility Cloak from within his trunk, and snuck down the stairs to Remus' room. He paused just before knocking, hearing some strange sounds coming from within.

Uh-oh, he isn't . . .-

Sirius let out a whoop. :Way to go, Moony:

Harry grimaced and knocked on the door. "Moony! He called as quietly as he could, so as not to be heard downstairs. "You and Tonks better not be doing what I think you're doing in there!"

Within seconds, the door opened to reveal one very shocked Remus Lupin. He was fully clothed, thankfully, but those same clothes were oddly . . . askew.

"Harry?" Remus asked incredulously.

Tonks, also looking slightly ruffled, appeared behind Remus and glared at Harry. "As if I could get him to do that," she said grumpily. "He's done nothing but mope around since you got yourself thrown in Azkaban."

Remus finally managed to recover enough to dash forward and envelope Harry in a bear hug.

Harry grinned over the shoulder of the man he considered a surrogate uncle. "Nice to see you too, Tonks."

Tonks grinned, but had to pry Remus off him after that so she could pull Harry into a sisterly hug of her own.

"So," said Harry mischievously, as Remus ushered them all into his room, casting a wary eye down both ends of the hallway. "What were you doing in here?"

They blushed and glanced at each other, before Tonks said, "I was teaching him Judo, if you must know. I guess it sounded a little odd through that shoddy Silencing Charm on the door." She threw a pointed glance at a suddenly sheepish Remus. "Anyway, he needed something to work off his frustration at not being able to help you."

:I didn't know Tonks knew Judo.:

Me neither. Auror thing, maybe?-

"Speaking of that," Remus picked up after Tonks, "How the hell did you get out of there, and what are you doing here, of all places? You're going to get yourself caught."

Harry waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not going to get caught. I could be out of here in a second if I really needed to. As for how I got out," he trailed off and pointed to his head. "You forget that the spirit of the only other person to escape from Azkaban unaided resides within my mind.

"To answer your second question, I am here to see the two of you. And Moody, I think."

Tonks, to his surprise, did not react to the mention of Sirius, instead asking simply, "Why?"

Assuming Remus had already told her, Harry replied, "That's a question for a later date. For now, just know that I'll send you a portkey sometime in the next few months." He glanced at Remus. "I believe you, Remus, know what the password to activate it will inevitably be; since I am also a Marauder now."

Remus' face lit up with a broad grin. "Now that I do know."

Harry chuckled. "Be sure to let Moody know he'll get one as well. Oh, and can you get a hold of the Diggorys? I'll need to talk to them as well, and I don't think they'll tell anyone about me. Moody's password will be 'Constant Vigilance,' and the Diggorys' will be simply 'Diggory.'

They nodded, and he rose to his feet. "I must go now."

"But where will you go?" Remus asked in alarm.

"To my training in America, of course."

Remus nodded in acceptance, if a little sadly. Harry was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. "Remus," he said slowly, "Do you know what happened to Hedwig?"

Remus thought about it for a moment. "I think she's with Ginny right now."

Harry nodded, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"What is it?" asked Remus and Tonks at the same time.

Harry touched a finger to his temple. "Sirius says to tell you two lovebirds not to do anything he wouldn't, and that that's very little."

The last thing he saw as he vanished in a ball of flames was their bright red faces.

He soon reappeared at his next destination: the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts.

It was now approaching dusk, so Neville would be finishing up dinner. He wouldn't have been able to talk to him earlier, but now was the perfect time.

Shortly thereafter, he was peering out the half-open door of an empty classroom, wrapped in his father's cloak and watching the Gryffindors walk past on their way from the evening meal.

He did not see Ron, Hermione, or Ginny, but Neville was one of the first up.

"Psst. Neville," he whispered.

Neville swung around at the sound of his voice, and looked for the source. When he found he couldn't see anything, he pulled out his wand. "Who is it?" he asked a little shakily.

"It's me, Harry."

"Harry!" he exclaimed, a little too loudly. Luckily, no one paid much attention to him.

"Shut up!" Harry hissed. "Get in here, quick."

He did so immediately, shutting the door behind him. "Harry!" he exclaimed again, as Harry's body materialized out of thin air. "Great to see you, mate, but what're you doing here?"

He reached forward and shook Harry's hand, surprising the Boy-Who-Lived with both his straightforwardness and the strength of his grip. Taking in Neville's overall appearance, including a more muscled frame and a brand new wand, Harry had the sudden thought that someone else beside him had undergone some changes over the summer.

"I'm here to see you, Nev," Harry said. "I can't talk now, but I wanted to say I'm glad you trust me enough to not go running to Dumbledore the minute you see me."

Neville blushed a little bit, reminding Harry that despite a new outward confidence, he was still a bit shy on the inside.

"I didn't think it could be possible for you to do that stuff, Harry," said Neville earnestly. "I've known you for five years. If you really did kill all those men, it was for a good reason."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, they attacked and kidnapped my girlfriend, then tortured her to get to me. And they were Death Eaters."

Neville nodded as though he had expected this. "Ginny came and told me a bit about that. She didn't know everything that happened, only what happened to her, but she's pretty upset. The last week has been really hard on her, and I'm the only one who's still on her side about you."

He paused for a second; then went on. "She didn't tell me a lot about what happened at Malfoy Manor, but whatever it was, it shook her up pretty bad, and I think she needs you for that. She hasn't done so well without you here. Nobody's stuck by her through all this; they all think she's crazy for standing up for you." He shook his head. "She's a strong girl, Harry, exceptionally so, but there's only so much she can take all on her own."

Harry stared at him, ashamed that he had caused all this for Ginny. Briefly, he explained what had happened the night of the kidnapping. "What about Ron and Hermione?" he finally asked when he was finished.

Neville's face became even sadder. "They haven't stuck with her either." Seeing Harry's face, he quickly added, "They don't think the same about you as the headmaster, but they still think you've turned Dark. I was talking to Ron the other night, and he seems to think you've been influenced in some way, to make you turn Dark. He and Hermione both thought that if you were released or something they could 'bring you back.' "

"So they've abandoned Ginny?"

"No, not really. They're still talking to her and everything, but they refuse to believe you did the right thing. Most everyone else avoids her altogether because they think you've betrayed us all." He sighed. "I think Hermione would come around if she was around you and you explained everything to her. She's smart enough to realize that you did what was necessary, but as it is she's only around people who think you're almost as bad as You-Know-Who."

Harry let out the air in his lungs in one long, slow breath. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This idea of killing Death Eaters is a rather new one for me, and they weren't around for the change so I could talk to them about it." He sighed. "Trouble is, I don't know if I can trust them not to try to capture me or run to the headmaster if they see me, since they think I'm an entirely different person. I just hope someday I have the chance to fix this. Frankly, I'm just surprised that you're with me on it."

Neville shrugged. "I know better than most what happens to people who cross Death Eaters. Personally, I don't appreciate the fact that the people who tortured my parents were able to escape from prison. They should've been executed, not imprisoned."

Harry sighed again and picked up his cloak from where he'd dropped it on the floor. "You're right about that. Well, I'm going to go see Ginny now. Listen, I need your help with something, but I can't tell you about it right now. I'll send you a portkey sometime in the next few months. The password to activate it will be 'Mimbulus Mimbletonia.' Oh yeah," he paused for a second as a thought occurred to him. "How'd you get out of Hogwarts for my little 'send-off?' "

Neville shrugged again. "I asked. Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to leave school for the day. Ginny wanted to go to, but Ron wouldn't let her, and their mum agreed with him or she'd have gone anyway."

"Alright, thanks. I'll see you again as soon as I can."

Neville nodded, and Harry swept himself under the cloak and took off towards Gryffindor Tower.

Once there, he had only to wait for someone with the password to enter, and then he was in the Common Room. Glancing around, he noted that Ginny was not downstairs. He was just beginning to wonder how he was going t oget up the stairs to the girls' dorms when he heard a voice coming from one of the nearby couches.

"Where's Ginny?"

He whirled to find his two best friends sitting down in front of a pile of homework. Ron was apparently the one to have spoken, and he was peering around the room suspiciously.

"Honestly, Ron," said Hermione, "Don't you ever pay attention? Professor Dumbledore called her up to his office. You need to leave her alone. The way you're watching her every move like you expect her to run away any second is not helping things."

Ron looked surly as he opened his mouth to reply, and an argument typical of the two began in earnest.

Harry paid no attention to this, for he was already halfway to the Portrait Hole and on his way to the headmaster's office.

:That meddling old fool! He knew you'd come to see Ginny, so he's keeping her in his office.:

Harry nearly sprinted through the castle, only stopping once he was just down the hall from the stone gargoyle that marked the entrance to his destination. He peeked around the corner just in time to see the statue leap aside, revealing a very confused-yet-angry-looking young redheaded witch, and Dumbledore himself.

"Goodnight, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore was saying.

Ginny shot a glare at him and started walking slowly down the hall towards Harry.

Harry immediately noticed several odd shadows moving along a few feet behind her, and felt an extraordinary anger bubble up within him. Aurors. The best the Ministry had to offer, no doubt. They were hoping to catch him off-guard, and she was the bait.

This calls for a new plan. Any ideas?-

:You know, this reminds me of this one time we wanted to get revenge on Snivellus, and he was traveling with an escort . . . :

Another minute, and they had a plan with which to work.

Harry dashed ahead of his girlfriend a short ways, positioning his still-invisible self at a four-way crossroads in the corridor. As Ginny approached, he took the opportunity to observe her candidly.

She looked like she'd been through a lot. Her hair was all mussed up and sticking out every which way, as though she hadn't bothered to take care of it for some time. There were dark circles under her eyes and it looked as though she'd done a bit of crying recently. She walked slowly, as if she didn't really want to get where she was going, and her face remained set in a scowl as she muttered to herself about the headmaster.

And yet, despite all this, all Harry could think was that she was still the most beautiful girl in all of Hogwarts. He felt a powerful tug on his heartstrings watching her, and a stab of guilt, knowing it was him that caused her so much grief.

He shook off the thought as she passed him. There would be time for that later.

He crept silently up behind her, and pulled open the front of his cloak to grab her from behind, placing one hand over her mouth and the other around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. He made sure to cover them both with the cloak

To the Aurors trailing her, it would look as if she just vanished into thin air.

Harry pulled her off to the side, down the corridor that went to the left, at the same time casting several spells down the other corridor. Ginny fought him hard, trying to scream and managing to land several strikes to his ribs with her elbow, something he knew would hurt in the morning.

As shouts of 'Where'd she go?' rang down the stone halls, he hissed into her ear, "Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?"

Ginny was so shocked by this that she abruptly stopped struggling altogether. Harry whirled her around to face him and pulled her closer. Without removing his hand from her mouth, he motioned across the corridor to the one that went the other way. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw what appeared to be an image of herself standing a great distance down the opposite hall, and image of Harry alongside her.

Just then, three Aurors came barreling into view. They looked both ways, and when they spotted the images of Harry and Ginny, they took off after them. However, after they took only one step each into the corridor with the images, they gave a cry and seemingly fell right through the floor.

Harry grinned at Ginny, and a wave of his hand dispelled the illusion. Where once there had been a long stone hallway, there was now a set of stairs, down which the three Aurors had fallen.

It had taken the Marauders a month to learn that spell well enough to use it, and since Sirius knew it, Harry knew it, but this was the first time he'd been able to use it. He was exceptionally glad it had gone off so well.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a pair of slender arms around his neck, and a pair of soft lips upon his own. Ginny kissed him hard, with all the passion of someone who had not seen the man she loved in many years.

Harry dropped the cloak in his surprise, but after only a moment kissed her back with equal passion. Soon, he had to push her back.

"You're distracting me," he chided lightly, bending to retrieve the cloak. "We can't be lingering here very long."

Just then, a voice behind him called out, "Distineo Transformo!"

Harry whirled, but it was too late, the spell struck him in the chest. It did not hurl him back, but Harry knew at once he would be unable to change into his phoenix form, for it was the anti-animagus jinx.

Dumbledore appeared, from thin air it seemed, with his wand leveled at Harry. Hidden Aurors emerged on all sides, some stepping out of the shadows, some coming out from under Invisibility Cloaks, and a few running down the various corridors. Tonks was not among them, but Kingsley seemed to be their leader. They drew their wands and pointed them towards him from all sides.

He was surrounded.

:Well, well, well. He's smarter than we gave him credit for.:

"Harry," Dumbledore said warningly, "Step away from Miss Weasley and come quietly."

Harry just stood there for a moment, a bemused smile on his face, before he and Ginny vanished with a puff of smoke and an enormous BOOM!

Another 'BOOM,' as of a cannon shot, signaled their arrival on a deserted and sunny beach, somewhere far from England that Sirius had stayed for a short time while hiding out from the Ministry.

The moment they appeared, Harry fell to the soft sand, curling into a fetal position and giving a small cry of pure agony. His body felt as though it were literally being burned alive.

Ginny knelt beside him in alarm and put her cool hands on his face. "Harry, what's wrong?"

His eyes, shut tight against the pain, squinted up at her. "The wards," he gritted out through his teeth.

Apparating through the wards of Hogwarts was a tricky and painful business, and Harry hoped he would never be forced to do it again. He was quite surprised he had even managed it at all, having expected them to simply stop him like they stopped everyone else.

:Told ya you could make it:

Ginny was looking at him worriedly, not understanding what was wrong. "Wards?"

The pain was fading slightly now, so he explained, "The wards of Hogwarts. I apparated us right through them." He gave another groan of agony. "They put up one hell of a fight."

He hoped she would be too concerned for him to realize that she should've been in pain as well. He didn't think her fiercely independent side would appreciate the fact that he had shielded her from the wards, making it more painful for him but preventing her from feeling anything at all.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked.

"I'll be alright." The pain was already fading, and he got shakily to his feet. "I'm fine, Gin," he said defensively, when she gave him a skeptical look.

Ginny seemed to finally accept that, for she threw herself into his arms and seemingly tried to squeeze the life out of him with her embrace.

"I was so afraid I'd never see you again," she said, trying to fight back tears. "You promised you'd be just fine, but when they told me you were being sent to that . . . place, I thought I'd lost you."

She felt safe and happy for the first time in a week, as he put his strong arms around her and hugged her back. "I thought you knew me better than that," he joked.

She giggled and lifted her head up to look at him, as he reached one hand over and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "Don't you worry about me," he said. "I'm here now."

"I'm being silly," she said, half scolding herself. "You must think I'm acting like a little girl, crying all over the place."

He smiled a little and softly pushed her head back down onto his chest. "To tell you the truth, I'm close to tears myself, knowing I caused you so much pain."

"Typical Harry," she muttered ruefully, "Always taking the blame for everything. Don't you worry about me either, Mr. Potter. It's not your fault, and I'm alright."

He chuckled. "Alright, Miss Weasley, I know better than to argue with you."

"Damn right."

He chuckled again and conjured up a blanket on the sand, guiding her to it and settling the two of them down, she on his lap.

"I'm afraid we need to talk," he said with a sigh. "Neville filled me in on the goings-on at Hogwarts, but I need to know how things are with your family about me."

"Well Ron and Hermione-" she started, but he interrupted her quickly.

"Neville told me about them already. What about everyone else?"

Ginny growled to herself. Ron was such a git. She'd already hexed him three times since Harry's imprisonment.

"Ron, Bill, Charlie, and the twins came to the hospital wing after you left, and everyone stayed with me for some time. After a while, everyone but Ron and I got called to an Order meeting. When they all came back, Dad told us everything. Mum wanted to keep it from us, but Dad insisted we deserved to know, since it was about you.

She scowled darkly. "They started telling us all sorts of rubbish about how you'd 'gone Dark,' and were probably going to Azkaban pretty soon. I couldn't believe they'd all turn their backs on you so fast, but they all trust Dumbledore too much. He told them you were on the road to becoming like Tom himself, and you'd be much worse if given the chance. Naturally, I got pretty angry, and I . . ." She trailed off uncomfortably.

"You what?" Harry prompted.

"I yelled at them," she said in a very small voice.

Harry stared at her incredulously for s minute, then laughed a deep, belly laugh that she could feel rumbling in his chest. "You yelled at them? All of them? That's my fiery-tempered girlfriend alright."

She turned a light shade of pink. "Not all of them. Fred and George said they agreed with me, so I spared them."

"Fred and George agree with you?"

"They sure do. They have so much respect for you, Harry, I don't think anything can shake their trust. You know them, they've always been the ones against authority, so they weren't so quick to trust Dumbledore."

"But you yelled at the rest of them?"

"Yep. Everyone else got a good thrashing until mum started shouting back." Her face took on a surly look. "She's assigned Ron to be my minder since then. I'm not allowed to do anything without him around to keep an eye on me. I think she was afraid I'd go and try to break you out."

'She probably would've, too,' Harry thought to himself.

"So how'd you get out anyway?" Ginny suddenly asked.

Harry took a deep breath, and told her everything that had happened since he was arrested, including his meetings that had taken place during the rest of the day.

"So what happens now?" she asked, when he was finished.

Harry replied, "I'm going to go ahead and go to the States for my training. I've still got to keep searching for Katherine, and I've got to gather allies."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how much good it'll do, but I said a few things to Dumbledore and to the Minister at the Alley that may make Voldemort think I'm abandoning the war here, assuming he hears about them."

"And you're not?"

"Of course not. No, that's just to buy me some time. He'll probably leave me alone for a while if he doesn't consider me an immediate threat. Eventually, he'll come after me, since I'd inevitably be an obstacle on his path to world domination, but he'll want time to gather strength and figure out a way to kill me before he tries anything. While he's busy with the Order here, I'm going to gather allies and form an army of my own."

"What kind of allies?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Wizards that agree with me, maybe a few magical governments if I can convince them, but mostly some of the groups magical creatures and persecuted wizards. Voldemort's got all the remaining Giants on his side, but that still leaves multitudes of Vampires, Werewolves, and Goblins. While none of them have chosen sides, we have to offer them better than they'll get under Voldemort or they'll join him to escape the prejudice and persecution they experience under the magical world."

He shifted her off his lap and stood to start pacing. "I understand now what I'm supposed to do, Gin. I'm not just supposed to defeat Voldemort, though he is the more pressing and immediate danger. I'm not a part of the Light side or the Dark side. I am an enemy of both.

"The time has come for change. I'm going to defeat Voldemort, but it won't end there. The current Ministry has to be replaced with one that isn't prejudiced and corrupt. The world cannot go on like this. Goblin revolts will continue to occur, Dark Lords will keep rising from the ranks of pureblooded maniacs bent on 'purity of blood,' and people like Remus will continue to be denied basic rights due them. I'm not on anyone's side any more. I'm not Light, I'm not Dark, I'm some sort of combination. Grey, perhaps." An odd memory, from a book he'd read many years before, came to his mind. 'The Grey Wizard,' he thought to himself with a chuckle. 'I wonder if I could possibly do old Gandalf justice?'

"Harry?" Ginny's voice brought him back to reality. "Take me with you."

He froze, then slowly turned around and knelt in front of her. Taking both of her hands in his, he looked straight into her eyes, willing her to accept what he was about to tell her. "I can't, it's too dangerous." Her face reddened considerably and to avoid an explosion of the Weasley temper, he hastily added, "I know you don't need me to protect you, really I do. I promise I'm not trying to shelter you. It's just . . ." He paused and considered his words carefully. "You're a brilliant with, and you can stand up with the best of them for courage, but you've still only completed four years of your Hogwarts education. I may be going into situations where it'll be necessary to leave in a hurry, and you can't even apparate yet."

He paused again to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I know you aren't happy with them right now, but I need you to stay here with your family. Get as much of your education finished as possible – I'll be back for you as soon as I can." He smiled "Maybe I can even finish teaching you myself once I get a place where we can stay."

She continued glaring at him for several long seconds, but finally nodded reluctantly, acknowledging that while she didn't like what he was saying, it made sense.

"I don't want to stay here without you," she said. Old feelings of self-doubt were resurfacing. What if, out there, he found someone better? It was silly, she knew this. Harry would never betray her. Yet she couldn't help feeling that she wasn't good enough for him, and if he ever realized this, he'd only stay with her out of obligation, and she didn't want that.

"It's more than that isn't it?" Harry asked shrewdly, watching her face. "There's something else, isn't there?" She turned away from him, but he reached a hand up and placed it under her chin, pulling her face back to face him. "Tell me," he pleaded gently.

"I just," she trailed off, embarrassed, then finally blurted, "I'm just afraid you'll find someone better than me." Her face turned red and she looked down.

Harry's mouth hung open in shock for a minute, until he gave a quiet chuckle. She honestly thought she wasn't good enough for him? He supposed that was his own fault. She'd spent so much time being completely ignored by him that she didn't really think it was real now.

"How could I possibly find anyone better?" he asked her. "I've already got the cleverest, funniest, most beautiful girl in the world right here in front of me. Who could be better?"

Her face turned even redder at his words, but she muttered, "That's not true. There're loads of girls better than me."

He shook his head and stood up, raising her to her feet and pulling her close for a long kiss. When they separated, he whispered, "There is no one else for me. I love you, Ginny Weasley, and I always will. I don't ever want to feel this way about anyone else, and I want us to be together for the rest of our lives. I hope you're willing to wait for a foolish prat like me."

Ginny stared at him, hardly even able to believe what he had just said. Never before had he told her he loved her. Sure, he'd said he cared for her, and said he thought he was falling for her, but he'd never said those three simple words before. Michael had told her that, but she knew now that he had never really loved her. Not like Harry did.

"I love you too, Harry. And of course I'll wait for you. I've been waiting for you my whole life; what's a little bit longer?" She sighed. "I'm sorry for being so silly."

Harry pulled her close again and waved his hand. Music seemed to come from nowhere, and the two of them started swaying slightly in each other's arms. Neither of them really knew how to dance, but it didn't matter. They were just happy to be together for a while.

"Do you really have to leave?" Ginny asked, though she knew the answer. She lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent.

"Good-bye doesn't mean forever, Gin," he whispered back.

By the time the music faded, they were both near tears, knowing that it was time to go.

"I have to go now, Gin," Harry whispered. "Don't worry about the Ministry; they have nothing they can pin on you. For all they know I kidnapped you. In fact, you can tell them I tried to get you to run away with me but you wouldn't do it. That'll keep you safe from them."

He tapped the locket that was placed around her lovely neck, muttering a few spells. "There. It's a two-way portkey between here and your dorm at Hogwarts. Just say how you feel about me and it activates. Any time you're in danger, use it to escape here, and it'll alert me that you've done it. I can be here in only moments."

He wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her one last kiss. "I'll send you another portkey in the next few months. I'll need your help with the meeting with everyone. The password will be the same as this one. Hedwig will know where to find me. Take care of her for me. I love you."

"I love you, Harry," she whispered, and with that, a sharp tug behind her navel announced portkey travel.

AN

We have finally found out the reason for the title of this fic. The meaing is two-fold. One on hand, we have Harry's supposed 'Betrayal of the Light,' (ie, he had betrayed the Light.). On the other hand, we have the 'Betrayal of the Light,' (ie, the Light has betrayed Harry.)

I know that a great many of you will be quite angry about Dumbledore, the Weasleys, and Hermione's reactions. I ask only that you allow me to explain my reasoning. Dumbledore is a very strong Light wizard, I believe, and I don't think he'd resort to Dark Magic under any circumstances. As such, when he sees the path Harry's taking, it immediately reminds him of Tom Riddle and the path that young man took many years before. He knows Harry has the potential to be stronger than Voldemort (though exactly how much stronger, Harry has kept hidden), so he believes it's better to keep fighting Voldemort for the present until he can think of some other solution, rather than let Harry win and take over as the new Dark Lord. I find this to be a reasonable explanation, but I'm quite certain many of my readers won't. I respect this.

As for Ron and Hermione, as I said, THEY HAVE NOT ABANDONED HIM. They trust the headmaster enough to believe that Harry really has turned 'Dark,' but they don't think that's an irreversible situation. They hope they can bring him back, but they're not quite sure how.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have spent their entire lives trusting Dumbledore, so they believe him, but they have their doubts, and like Ron and Hermione, they privatelyhope that perhaps one day the situation can be remedied. For now, they're saddened at the 'loss,' of a young man they consider their 7th son, just as they were saddened by Percy's betrayal.

Bill and Charlie, since they've only really met Harry a couple times, are more inclined to just follow the headmaster on this, in the absence of a better explanation.

Fred and George, who are my favorite characaters EVER, speak for themselves with their tendency to go against the norm.

I hope that clears up a few things. All that said, REVIEW! No flames please, but if you're not happy with the story, feel free to tell me so. Tell me everything. In fact, just review to say 'I read it,' if you can't think of anything else.

Author's Edit: I had to edit this chapter and several others to remove the song lyrics, which I think is totally BOGUS, since I clearly stated that they weren't my lyrics, they just fit. But what can I do? Anyway, if you want to read the REAL version of any of my stories, you'll have to go to Sink Into Your Eyes, a fan fiction archive which is part of the hgnetwork, since things are different than I originally wrote them.

Review Responses:

Si-FiAdict246: Me too, which is why I put it in here this way. It makes things a little more unique.

shootingstar86: Well, I can't guarantee anything since I seem to be getting busier every day, but if you want to drop me an email (the link is in my profile) we'll talk and see what happens. I'm interested in helping you out in any case, thanks for asking me.

PGHammer: Personally, I don't think pensieves are really used for evidence. Remember, JKR said that pensieve memories tend to be biased towards the person they belong to, so they'd be 'tainted' evidence. Even if they could be used, there'd have to actually be a trial. Valid point though, if he'd had a trial, that may have been a good thing to use.

bree: Ah, perhaps so, but remember he's not really a Light wizard any more. Not Dark, but not Light either. There's also the fact that the mind when in animal form changes. He was part-Dragon when he attacked the Death Eaters. Unless you're talking about Malfoy, in which case...well he warned him.

Fan of Great Works: Should I have had him call up the Sword of Gryffindor and slice him into pieces? Now that I would've actually enjoyed quite a bit (ferret steaks anyone?), but then we wouldn't have our philosophical debate over the Dark Arts.

john: oooh, you were the only one to spot that I think. I wasn't going to say anything, but Narcissa saw the whole thing and told the Aurors when theyarrived. They reported to Fudge. Of course, she was too scared of Harry to try and kill him for revenge (openly, that is) maybe I'll make her and Lucius half-mad with rage against Harry over this in the future.

Briea: Yep, it's on their new album. JC-S bought it.

The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.

B-A-HPlova22: A little out of character perhaps, but keep in mind his whole mindset on magic and killing in general is changing over the course of this fic. I do think you're right, he's a lot different in my fic now than he is in JKR's books. It's kinda what I'm going for, but I just hope I don't go so far that it becomes too ridiculous.

SeleneA: I doubt there'll be a sequel, but we're at about the halfway point as far as the number of chapters goes now.

athenakitty: Yes. A couple months. No. No.

Netap: Looks like you got it right with the second one. Excellent guess.

Dragonic: Yep, good guess.

wvchemteach: Lol, true...although I see the Reductor Curse as more of a hand-grenade spell. Use it on groups of Death Eaters...

You bring up some valid points about Malfoy. He did do it rather well when we consider his past encounters with Harry, but keep in mind he didn't just go in there and do it all alone. There were others that took out the Order guard (I didn't mention it in the chapter, but Hestia Jones was watching Harry and Ginny and she was killed by the other Death Eaters) etc. Someone else also gave him the portkey. All he had to do was grab her from behind and hold on long enough to touch the portkey to her.

Killing him off was a hard decision, since I had even a few more encounters with him planned, but it proved ultimately necessary for the plot. We still have Snape hanging around though, even if he's not near as fun.

And I also disagree with some of the choices Harry's making. The views he expresses in this fic are a bit more extreme than strictly necessary, something he'll need to discover. I haven't even begun to cover the emotional aspects that will be taking their toll on him after killing Draco, and this will undoubtedly be an important part of his road to self-discovery.