Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter, though i wish i did! harry potter is all JK Rowlings, though Namiko is mine! Enjoy the chapter!

Preparations

Dumbledore looked grave. "Tell me again what you read," he commanded. Namiko nodded and started to explain all that she had gathered.

"The Death Eaters are planning to attack on Wednesday night, which would be tomorrow. They apparently have many remaining forces ready for battle. My guess would be that they used all of their weaker forces, but in greater numbers, at the battle a few days ago." Dumbledore nodded.

They were all gathered in the Headmaster's office. Draco, Harry, and Namiko had just arrived back at Hogwarts and they had immediately rushed to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore seemed deep in thought. When the silence had stretched to about three minutes, Harry said, "Sir… I thought that you may want to know something else." When Dumbledore did not respond, he took a deep breath and said, "Voldemort has started to make incarnations of himself." That got Dumbledore's attention.

"What?" he asked sharply, looking sternly at Harry. "How is that possible?" Draco interjected.

"It is true, sir. Voldemort has been taking all the members of his Inner Circle and infusing them with his own power. We met one last night..." Draco faltered for a moment, then continued on strongly, "Lucius Malfoy."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. He looked suddenly quite old. "Do any of you know anything about their powers?" There was a long silence. Finally Namiko decided to speak up.

"Well… Otou-san (father) did say something about a spell… sort of like a soul transfer spell, but instead it transfers power." When Namiko saw that everyone was listening intently, she sighed, then continued, "This spell is ancient magic, and very powerful. What happens is that you pick any container for this power. It can be a living thing or an inanimate thing. What happens is that you transfer a section of your power into this container. What most do is they create one and recuperate, then they create another." Dumbledore nodded. It made sense.

"The incarnation of the creator has the power of the creator inside of them, how much depends on how much the creator put in. A living being can use this power at will, but they are bound to their creator, and can only follow him. If he dies, they die.

The actual ritual is quite simple. The creator created a cut anywhere on the incarnation-to-be's body. Then he puts a cut on his own body. Put these two cuts together and say the spell." Dumbledore looked thoughtful. Draco and Harry however looked merely intrigued by it.

"What's the spell?" Harry asked. Namiko chanted it as if she had memorized it by heart. "Spirits of Heaven, Spirits of Hell, pay heed to my call; my wish is clear, make it true; bind this one to me, body and all." Once again silence swallowed the room.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and asked, "How many are their?" Draco answered this time.

"Lucius said that there were 14 of them, two of each element: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Darkness, Light. They are also powered by their master's power, meaning that their magical knowledge and capacity are much higher. Also, they seem to have healing abilities." Dumbledore paled a bit, then sighed and shook his head.

Then he said, "We need to gather the Order of Phoenix and speak with them. Phineas!" The Portrait of Sirius's ancestor woke up. "Go to your painting in the Headquarter's and call for anyone that could be there. Tell them to come to gather in the meeting room immediately. I will be there as soon as possible." Phineas nodded and disappeared from his painting. Then Dumbledore turned to the three before him. "Now for a way to contact the Order members that are still in the Ministry…" he trailed off.

Harry thought for a while. "I can make messengers," he spoke quietly. Dumbledore looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Messengers," he explained, "are what I used to communicate with Namiko and Kenshin-sensei. Mine are usually made of fire, and when they reach the person it is sent to, it turns into a letter with whatever I wanted to tell them." He snapped his fingers. A mini phoenix made of fire appeared. "Now, how many Order members are in the Ministry?"

Dumbledore seemed to think for a while. "There are about 35." Harry raised his eyebrow. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "After your show at the Ministry when you were 15, Ministry workers seemed much more eager to join." Harry gave a snort of derisive laughter before turning serious again.

Harry started creating the messengers. Namiko decided to help by creating icy fox messengers. The other two watched this with interest, and within the span of thirty seconds they were done. Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Now, we must go to Headquarters." The next words were spoken to Harry and Namiko. "It will let only me and Draco in, but you have different means of getting in, don't you? If you will…" He Apparated silently. After a while Draco followed with a small pop. Harry and Namiko sighed and disappeared with their separate teleportation abilities.

When the four appeared in the meeting room in Headquarters, they were instantly assaulted with a barrage of questions from various order members. Harry was getting increasingly frustrated, as was Draco, and Namiko. Dumbledore was looking calmly at the crowd. Harry had finally had enough.

He raised his hands to the ceiling and there were three large booms as small streams of fire shot up and exploded. That got everyone's attention fast. Harry raised his voice and yelled, "All of your questions will be answered in the meeting! We have decided to wait until the members from the Ministry arrive!"

As if on cue, there were multiple cracks, and said people appeared. They were surrounded by the messengers, though to the rest of the Order, they looked like they were surrounded by blue and red spirits. Harry and Namiko snapped their fingers and the messengers vanished. The Order members quickly seated themselves and waited for the announcement.

Dumbledore stood up gravely. He spoke in a clear, serious voice. "As you all know, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy" Draco cringed "and Ms. Namiko all went to Malfoy Manor yesterday night." Someone called out, "More like a few hours ago!" The rest of the Order agreed; though it was an over statement, it was still only about 6 in the morning.

A quick look from Dumbledore silenced the man. Dumbledore continued, "While they were in the Manor, they discovered some rather disturbing news." He gazed at them all gravely, before announcing in a serious tone, "Voldemort plans to attack Hogwarts tomorrow night."

Instant pandemonium broke out as the cursed words left his mouth. The Order members all started talking at once, and the noise level rose to almost insufferable heights.

Namiko twitched in agitation. Here they were, trying to tell them important news, and the fools had the guile to blabber on in front of them! She started to get increasingly impatient, until finally she raised her voice and shouted in a magnificent crescendo, "SHUT THE HELL UP YOU MORONS!"

Everyone shut up and stared at Namiko in awe. She was seething, breathing heavily and glaring at everyone. She kept her voice loud, though a tad bit lower than before, "You all need to just shut up and listen to what we have to say!" Harry shook his head. He was glad he hadn't done anything to invoke Namiko's wrath. Yet.

Namiko continued. "If you could all find the authenticity to actually listen to the whole announcement, you might learn something new! Now LISTEN!" She casually turned to Dumbledore. "I do believe they are all yours now, Dumbledore-san." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. Then he turned to address the waiting crowd.

"Thank you for your time. I would like all of you, for the time being to move to Hogwarts for safety and preparation. Also, take all of the wounded with you." Surprise ran through the group at that. "We have a means to heal them in the time span we have before the war starts. I have decided that we will talk about a proper strategy at Hogwarts. Hurry!"

The Order, though still in shock, hurried to obey. They all started rushing toward the Apparation point, which was the attic. As the flurry of activity continued, McGonagall hurried up to the old Headmaster and the six teens that had stayed behind. She opened her mouth as she neared, but Dumbledore shook his head slightly, and said, "Wait until we are back at Hogwarts."

He nodded to Harry and Namiko, and they held out their hands. When the two professors and the other four teens hesitated, Harry sighed in exasperation. "We're taking you back! The Apparation point must be overrun by now, and we need to get back quickly." They all immediately understood and grabbed onto them without a moments hesitation. There was a great uproarious fire and a mighty gust of wind, and they all vanished.

They all appeared in Dumbledore's office a few seconds later. Dumbledore calmly strode to his desk and sat, looking expectantly at the ruffled Transfiguration teacher. McGonagall sat down in a chair, and Harry and Namiko were forced to summon two more chairs, as there were only two chairs in the room.

McGonagall kicked off the questioning right off the bat by asking, "Why did you want to bring the wounded here? Poppy wont be able to heal all of those people! It would be impossible, and we need her for healing people during the war, too!"

Dumbledore chuckled slightly at that. "You forget, Minerva, that we have Namiko and Harry here now. Namiko can heal the people very quickly, as Blood is one of the spirits that she earned favor with. And Harry can also help." Harry looked surprised. "You can help, Harry. Namiko will need all the strength she can get, but so will you. I have decided that you should split the burden of healing all of the wounded equally. Harry will supply half the power needed, while Namiko will supply the other half."

The small group in front of him was satisfied with the plan. However, Draco spoke up. "Sir, should Ron and Hermione start thinking of a strategy of defense?" Dumbledore considered Draco briefly.

"I think that you should all help in healing right now. We have Rejuvenation potions if need be. I know that you all know at least a few minor healing spells, and I believe Miss Weasley knows a few of the more powerful ones as well." Draco nodded and left to go get the other three.

Dumbledore turned to Namiko and Harry. "If there are no more inquiries, why don't you two go to the Hospital Wing. I am sure that at least a few wounded have arrived." Namiko nodded and prepared to leave, but stopped short when she heard Harry ask,

"Sir, where is Amaya-sensei?" Namiko's eyes widened. How could she have forgotten about Amaya? Dumbledore smiled as if he had been expecting the question.

"Amaya is currently in Japan, but I have sent her a message of our attack, and she says that she will be with us once her treaty talks with the Japanese Ministry are finished." They both nodded their satisfaction and disappeared. Dumbledore turned to McGonagall. "I need you, Minerva, to help get all of the women and children situated in safe places. I suggest that you use the Chamber of Secrets to your advantage." McGonagall nodded and also left. Dumbledore sighed and got up. He would also assist the healing effort.

Namiko wiped some sweat off her brow. She had been there for at least two hours, healing all of the wounded who came there way. Madame Pomfrey also helped, along with Harry. Dumbledore was also there, helping with the healing. But simply put, mending bone and magically sewing skin back together took time.

She was sitting in a chair while healing a Ministry Auror. She thought that after the battle she had healed most of them, but apparently she was wrong. She stood up as she finished and slowly walked up to Madame Pomfrey, who was conversing in low tones with Dumbledore.

When she reached the Medi-witch, she asked, "Are there any others that need healing now, Pomfrey-san?" Madame Pomfrey looked at her and smiled slightly. "No, thank you, child," she replied, with a grateful tone. "You have done more than your share of work today." Namiko thanked her and bowed to them both before leaving for the Draco's office (he's DADA teacher). When she reached the closed door of the office, she heard voices conversing from the opposite side. She smiled slightly and pushed open the door.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco were all sitting around a low circular desk poring over detailed map of Hogwarts grounds. Red, blue, green, and yellow stars and dots were spread out on the map. Ron noticed Namiko first and beckoned her over.

She complied with his gesture and gracefully sat down on the floor like everyone else. She looked at the map and dots quizzically. "Anyone care to explain?" she asked wryly.

Hermione smiled slightly and explained, "This is a map of Hogwarts grounds. These colored dots and stars represent different offensive and defensive groups. The Red are the 'Berserkers'. They will form the front line of the attack and they will be the ones with the most brute strength and weapons knowledge. Then the Green are the 'Mages'. They will be the most magically strong for offense. Those two are the main force. Yellow are the 'Defenders'. Blue are the 'Healers'."

Namiko studied the dots and stars. Red was mostly consisting of a few stars. As was yellow. Blue and green, however, were just a handful of dots. Hermione continued, "The stars are groups of as many people as you wish. Say the number and it will appear. Dots are individual people. Choose the amount of people you want."

Namiko nodded and started studying the map intently, just like everyone else. After a few moments of complete silence, she asked, "How many people are available?" Ginny was quick to answer. "We have about 200 people including Ministry officials." Namiko raised her eyes as Harry asked,

"Only that many? Surely we have more? Voldemort will be using three battalions, and I am sure that one has at least 150 people? We will be outnumbered 2 to 1!" Ginny shrugged. "It can't be helped," she said coolly.

Harry shook his head. Then he went to looking at the map. After a while, Ron spoke, "We have thought of at least a small outline of the plan. There will be the Berserkers in the front, though we are not sure of who the people will be. The Mages will be behind them. They are the ones that will meet the army head on. They are the offense, aiming to maim as many of those Death bastards as they can.

The yellow, or Defenders, will be directly protecting Hogwarts. They will be the ones aiming not to kill, but to keep the castle from being overrun. Hogwarts has great magical resources, and if Voldemort gets his hands on them, we will be doomed.

The Healers will be in the Entrace Hall, where there is a Medic center being set up. Wards will be placed around the area so that nobody with an evil intent will be able to get through. We were actually hoping you, Harry, and Namiko could help with that."

Harry nodded at this. "That is a good plan so far. However, if I may make a few changes. We should converge the Mages and Berserkers together into groups. Two Mages and two Berserkers. Have the two Berserkers in the front and back, and the two Mages on the sides. That way, we will have good physical combat to break Death Eaters should they be two close for spells, and good long range as well." They all nodded, seeing the wisdom of this choice.

Namiko spoke up. "Also, if someone is hurt in the offensive, and they cannot Apparate themselves, the opposite wizard must Apparate them. For example, if the Berserker is hurt, have the Mage Apparate them, so that there is still one of each force present. If one of them Apparates, and there are three left, have the two of the same force stay in the same position, while the one moves to go in between the two."

The others once again all nodded, knowing that it was a good idea. They spent the rest of the hour doing some fine tuning. They were at a loss for who should do what, but then they decided to just ask the Order members where they thought that would best serve. By 10 that morning, they had the plan ready.

Ron looked at the crowd gathered before him and his friends. He raised his voice so that all in the Great Hall could her him say, "We have decided for a plan of defense, also, a plan of attack." He waved his wand and summoned an enlarged projection of their map. It was large enough that everyone in the Hall could clearly see.

Ron started to explain the plan. Hermione and Ginny occasionally popped in to elaborate more on certain subjects. When he was finished, the Order members were just staring at him with what seemed like awe. He uneasily coughed a bit, then stepped back, allowing Draco to take over.

"We have decided that we will let you choose which group you will join, as you undoubtedly know more about yourselves than we do. So I will now give you a few minutes to decide which group you would be most effective in. It might not be the group you like the most, but please play to your strengths. If any of us think that you are being placed in a group where you do not belong, we will have to come to a mutual agreement." He stepped down and as promised, there were a few minutes for the members to decide where they want to be in.

When three minutes had passed, Namiko stood up and addressed the crowd. "I will start with the Berserkers. Who believes they should be a Berserker?" About 1/6 of the people gathered raised their hands, including Remus and Hagrid. She nodded, and ordered, "All Berserkers will move to behind the Staff table now." They hastened to obey.

"Who believes they should be a Mage?" About 3/12 of the people raised their hands, including Dumbledore, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Draco, and most of the staff at Hogwarts (other than Hagrid.). Most of the Ministry Aurors also raised their hands. She looked over the people and nodded her approval, then turned to her friends behind her. Hermione was frowning.

Hermione stared at a rather strapping young man that stood with a calm air. She said, "Aidrian, perhaps you would be better off as a Berserker?" The young man raised an eyebrow as Hermione continued, "I know for a fact that you have trained in hand-to-hand combat and you are above decent with swords. Your magic is also very good, but I think it will be better if you are with the Berserkers." Aidrian seemed to contemplate that for a bit, before smoothly walking toward the Berserker group. "I agree with you," he said easily.

Namiko nodded to Hermione, before turning to address the Mages. "Please stay in the middle of the Great Hall." They complied. Then Namiko spoke, "Would all those that would like to be Healers raise their hands."

About 1/12 of the people their raised their hands, including Madame Pomfrey. She nodded, and sent them away. Then she said, "The rest of you believe that you are Defenders, do you not?" They all nodded. Harry spoke up. I think that some of the Mages should go to the Defenders. For example, I know for a fact that Hermione has very powerful defensive spells, and I know that Professor Flitwik also is very skilled with defense. Perhaps you should choose a few people to migrate to the Defenders?" There were a few moments of conversing among the Mages, then a group of about 10 people went to the Defenders, Hermione included.

Harry nodded his satisfaction. Then he heard Ginny ask, "Which group will you be in?" They looked a bit surprised, then Namiko said, "Oh, yea, I forgot about us. Harry?" Harry grinned wolfishly. "I think we should be part of the Berserkers." Namiko nodded. "Couldn't agree with you more, Harry."

With that done, they went over the plan one more time. When they were sure that everyone knew where they were supposed to go, and what they were supposed to do, everyone was dismissed to have a bite to eat, and to get ready for the battle in whatever way they needed to.

By 5:20 PM they were all ready at their posts. Harry and Namiko were at the front of the Berserkers. The Defenders were spread out across the outer walls of Hogwarts. They had decided to split the Defenders into two groups. One was on the field with the rest of the army, standing with the lake behind them, and the other was directly protecting Hogwarts, and the lake was in front of them. The Healers were inside the castle, and the Mages and Berserkers were in front, ready to go.

They waited for what seemed like hours, though in reality it was only about half an hour. Around 6:15, they was a loud pop, followed by a dark figure appearing on the field. The loner was quickly followed by a huge wave of Death Eaters. The Light shifted into ready position. It had begun.

hey1 thanks for waiting for this chapter! i hope that you enjoyed it! i believe that i have already replied to all reviews via the link on the review, so no need to do that!

also, i just want to announce that iwill be gone for five days starting saturday, so i probably won't get another chapter squeezed in by then! i'm going to Yosemite!

kisses,

korihime