Thanks again to Spacegal19 for her beta help, beta prowess, and beta support!
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Chapter 33
Before the Battle
Winky and Dobby were serving dinner in Godric's Suitcase. All of Harry's favorite foods were making an appearance ever since he chose the date for the final battle. "Really guys – we will be fine" Harry grinned at them. Poor Winky was on the verge of tears all the time.
Neville looked at his best friends. "So Harry," he began, "how are you going to take out Riddle?"
"I'm not really sure" Harry shrugged. "Play it by ear, I suppose. I know I can do it. These swords and shield are amazingly powerful, I can enter his brain at will, and found out this morning I can crucio from the inside. I'm not proud of using a dark spell, but I don't think anyone will argue when it's used against Tom."
"You crucio'd Riddle?" Hermione asked with admiration and fear. Visions of her fiancé in a striped suit with a boyfriend named Bubba came to mind, unbidden. "Why didn't you just kill him right there and then?"
"Yep" he laughed. "Really made his morning, too. I also gave him a scar to match mine. Gave him just a taste of what he's put me through for the past six years. As for killing him, we don't want to kill his body until we can take care of his soul too." Harry shook his head. "Anyway – with all his dark rituals he's performed over the years and being resurrected with my blood, he can't be killed with dark magic or just my magic alone. He's sort of immune to it, if that makes sense. I was able to hurt him because I caught him unaware, but even now he's blocking that ability. I can still hear him and talk with him through our link, but injuring him isn't possible now. Believe me – I tried."
"I don't think you will have much of a problem with Riddle" Luna pondered. "The fairies will tackle the dementors, and fairy magic can contain his soul. The biggest challenge will be the clean-up. He's got quite a few nasties working for him, and we don't want to kill anything or anyone that could be reformed."
Neville nodded in agreement, but Hermione observed "well, there comes a point where you have to pick a side and stick with it, and be willing to deal with the consequences."
Fawkes trilled a song which put a smile back onto Winkys' worried face. "Thank you, Mr. Fawkes" she whispered.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Dumbledore was pacing again. His life was a deep well of anger from sun up to sun down. Fawkes was always able to calm him, and Fawkes was gone who knows where. The aurors barely gave him the time of day, the other teachers were avoiding him, the Order was questioning his authority more and more, and frankly, he had simply lost control somewhere, at some time. He couldn't even find Godric's sword anymore.
The Daily Prophet was open on his desk. Harry Potter publicly challenged Voldemort to battle, and at his school grounds! Without even asking him!
He sat heavily in his chair, and gazed dumbly at the stacks of parchment. He still received too many owls on a daily basis with complaints about how he handled Voldemort's identity, or the safety of the students. Many students withdrew this summer.
Albus Dumbledore heard a faint noise and looked up. There, standing before him, was Harry Potter, Fawkes sitting on his shoulder, flanked by Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss Lovegood. The expressions on their faces were less than friendly. They looked menacing, powerful, and very much in control of themselves. All were dressed in dragonhide armor, and were wearing the swords of the founders, Luna carrying a shield.
"What, where, hey – what are you doing with my sword and bird!" the ancient sputtered with fury.
Harry eyed him coldly. "The sword belongs to Godric Gryffindor. He chose for me to carry it for a time. The Founders have trained us and given us their weapons to carry into battle. As for Fawkes, he chose to come to me."
"How dare you" the headmaster hissed. "How dare you barge into my office, steal my belongings, and bring danger to my school."
"And how dare you" Harry answered with tightly contained hostility, "go against my parent's will, steal my money, pay off my friends to spy on me, and keep me weak and imprisoned all these years?"
Dumbledore sat back abruptly and tried a new tactic. "Can't we sit and discuss this like adults?" he asked sweetly, conjuring four chairs and tea. He pushed the bowl of tainted lemon drops over to them, and attempted to enter their minds, starting with Neville.
"Nice try, Sir" Neville's voice rang clearly in his head. He turned to Luna. "I wouldn't bother, headmaster" she told him. Hermione next, "Oh come on, sir. If it failed with them, what makes you think it will work with me?" Lastly, he looked weakly at Harry. "If you want to know what I'm thinking, either ask me or look again at that penseive you gave me" he was told sharply before being forcefully ejected from Harry's mind.
"Fine" the headmaster glared at the four, who remained standing. "What do you want?"
"Once I defeat Riddle, I want you to step down and hand the headmaster position to Professor McGonagall" Harry told him in a no-nonsense tone. "The Founders have removed you, and Hogwarts no longer responds to you. Professor McGonagall will hold the position until we have graduated."
"Do you really think you children" he spat the word with venom, "can handle my job? This is MY position, and I'm not leaving for any brats with their egos pumped with pride to take over. I really think your fame has gone to your head, boy."
"The Founders have named us their heirs and trained us themselves, professor" Harry replied calmly. "Pride and ego have nothing to do with it. We request you step down and retire to someplace quiet, or I will get the authorities involved. I have enough proof with my parents will, Gringott's records, and school records to have you put away, if you prefer."
Dumbledore flew into a rage. "I will NOT step down! This is MY office, MY school! Get out! GET OUT! And give me my bird and sword back!" He screamed, throwing books at them. "And you will NOT play soldier on my school property!"
Harry and his friends looked at him calmly and sadly. "The battle is on the Quiddich field, next Monday, like it or not."
The headmaster glared at him. "I'm not removing any wards, and neither are MY teachers!"
"I am" Harry replied. "Hogwarts answers to us now."
Dumbledore screamed with fury and reached for his wand. Harry smirked and with a flick of his finger, tore it out of the headmaster's grip and out the window. With a strangled cry the old man jumped up and leaned out to watch it fall. He turned and looked at Harry darkly. "At least give me Fawkes back" he spat.
Fawkes looked at Dumbledore sadly, and sent him a look of pity, love lost, and refusal. Then the magical bird turned his back on Albus, facing away.
"Remember" Harry said, "you can retire, or be arrested. Your choice."
The four apparated back to Godric's Suitcase, leaving the ancient mugwump speechless, slumped in his chair.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The day went downhill from there for the headmaster. Harry and his friends sat on the sofa, munching Winky's excellent popcorn and watching the 'telly'. Not soon after they left the office Filch came storming in, demanding to talk to Dumbledore.
"Not now, Argus. I'm busy trying to stop this fiasco on Monday" Dumbledore growled at the old caretaker.
"You WILL talk to me!" Filch growled. "For years now you've patted my head and told me to 'clean like a good little squib'. I've let myself grow madder and madder, and take it out on the students, and you encouraged it! Why? Did it amuse you? Did it amuse you to NOT TELL ME I WAS A WIZARD?" The caretaker sobbed the last word with a voice cracked with grief and anger.
"Now Argus, calm yourself. Whoever gave you the impression you can do magic? You shouldn't get your hopes up like that…" Dumbledore started to wave his wand under the desk toward the old man.
"Whoops" Harry said "Clean up in aisle eight." He got ready to pop in and protect Filch.
"Wait Harry" Hermione broke in, "something is happening."
"Wait right there, Headmaster." Tiny Professor Flitwick walked into the room. "I've been teaching him myself. You will NOT obliviate him or myself."
"Whoooo hoo!" Neville yelled, throwing popcorn in the air like confetti.
Flitwick glared at Albus. "I will be bringing this up to the board of directors –a shameful way to treat a wizard all these years. And don't bother with stopping Harry – all the teachers and I agree with him, and will be on the field with him Monday."
Flitwick reached up and took Filch gently by the elbow. "Come, Argus, let us leave."
O0o0o0o0o0o0o
Tom Riddle paced his own floors, not unlike Dumbledore miles away. But instead of seething with anger and wounded pride, the dark wizard was trembling with fear. He spun on his heel and faced Bella, who was studying frantically at a table set near this throne. "Any ideas yet?" He hissed at her. "How do I completely block Potter? How can I sever this cursed connection?"
"I'm working on it, my Lord" she answered in her usual insipid tone of worship and idolization.
What could he do about Harry Potter? How had he gained so much power so quickly? He kept trying to break into Potter's head, but couldn't even sense him any more. It took a whole day for his new scar to stop bleeding, and he was scared. Terrified, if he was to be honest with himself.
Potter, for a year now, was able to trace him, track him, and now evidently kill him long distance. Where were all his Death Eaters? Lucius, Severus, Wormtail, Rodolphus, Nott… all the good ones were gone, except for Bella. He eyed her with suspicion. Were they dead, or were they now working for Potter?
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, stood at the podium in front of the rather small crowd in the magically expanded parlor at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. There use to be a couple hundred good witches and wizards in the Order of the Phoenix. Now there was a scant 50 or so – the remainder disappearing as they got the impression that the Order was no more than an ego boost to Dumbledore, and not doing enough to stop Riddle.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts put on his best hero/protector smile and twinkles, and cleared his throat to address the loyal remainder. That was when he noticed a shimmering blue bubble appearing, surrounding him. "What is this?" he sputtered in anger.
Remus Lupin stood up and answered him calmly. "We want to hear what you have to say, Albus, but none of us wish to be obliviated or have our minds tampered with."
Dumbledore turned red with rage. How DARE they? He looked at the faces in the crowd – Tonks, Kingsley, multiple Weasleys, Jones, and McGonagall… all of them looking unfriendly and hostile. They all knew – all of them. They knew he had been prompting their choices, choosing their loyalties, taking their memories when it suited him. The ancient rubbed his arm in frustration.
"We will NOT be joining in on that doomed battle on Monday" he shouted at the Order. "It's a fool's errand – if we go, we die, and there will be no one left to fight for the light! Remember I founded this group. Remember I am your leader."
Remus stood again, and seemed to be speaking for the crowd. "I feel Harry will succeed. We have kept him in the dark – actually imprisoned - all these years. I wonder whose side you are really on, Albus." The crowd murmured in agreement, shooting hostile looks at the headmaster.
"Lupin – whose side are YOU on? Who gave you a job when nobody else would? Who saved this world from Grindelwald? You OWE me your allegiance!" Dumbledore was practically frothing at the mouth. "I DEMAND you leave this house – you are out of the Order!"
Remus laughed sadly. "Albus, this is my house, or have you forgotten? He walked to the front and spoke in a confident voice "I will be at Hogwarts, fighting by Harry on Monday. Who will join me?"
The crowd stood as one, cheering and pumping their fists. Dumbledore stared at the crowd – his Order – spun on his heel and left the house for the last time.