THE NEW ORDER

By

Padfootjr23

Chapter Seventeen: Working for the Ministry?

Geoffrey Stevens stalked quickly through the halls of Hogwarts with one destination in mind, the office of Albus Dumbledore. While he respected the man greatly until now he didn't think the man was capable of doing what was needed to defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Now however he felt much differently. The Headmaster had been Harry Potter's most outspoken supporter since he was accused of murder and now that he knew the truth of what had happened that day Stevens had no doubt that Dumbledore was aiding Potter in some way. It was that reason that brought the old Unspeakable to Hogwarts that evening, well that and the fact that the man was the head of the Wizengamont and as such he must be told of the treachery and corruption that had spread through the Ministry.

When he reached the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office he had no desire to stand there and shout out silly passwords until he managed to guess correctly but as luck would have it he didn't need to. Almost as soon as he approached the cursed block of stone quickly jumped out of the way. Apparently Dumbledore already knew he was there and that it was a matter of some importance. As he ascended the stairs he didn't bother to knock and simply walked into the office to find the older man sitting behind his desk with a kindly smile on his face. If there was one thing that annoyed 'everyone' about Dumbledore it was the fact that he seemed to know everything, and the fact that he was right a large majority of the time did nothing to discourage such thoughts.

"Ah, Geoffrey, it is good to see you again. Would you care for a cup of tea?" He asked with a small smile and even at his age Stevens couldn't help but feel comforted by the man's ever present optimism. He nodded slightly and took the seat in front of the man's desk as he poured two cups from a rather flowery tea pot. "I will assume that your presence here will indicate that you have discovered something in the course of your resent investigation." It was more of a statement than a question and Stevens was left to wonder if the ancient Headmaster may have been involved with his kidnapping and subsequent questioning that had the direct result of making him suspicious of his own men.

"No my dear boy, I only recently learned of your unfortunate ordeal, though I was quite surprised that Ms. Tonks was able to subdue you." Seeing the surprised look on his former students face Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "I assure you that your Occlumency shields are in top form, I have just had a very long time to rely on other forms of reading someone. They're not as reliable as Legillimency but they can prove useful if the person has a specific thought on their mind." He explained before taking a small sip of tea. "Now, what was it you wished to discuss?"

"As you know my Unspeakables are being questioned at this very moment. Surprisingly we have already uncovered two of the Dark Lord's agents and they have incriminated several others. Due to their testimony I feel that a discussion with Mr. Potter is in order." He stated and watched Dumbledore carefully.

"In that case why did you come to me?"

"I'm no fool Albus!" Stevens exclaimed hotly. "He has obviously been receiving aid from someone in a position to cover his tracks when needed and you are the only candidate. It is no secret that Auror Shacklebolt is a member of your Order of the Phoenix and he led the only team that has confronted Potter thus far and he escaped while being severely out numbered. The way things are shaping up I would guess that Potter was allowed to escape. I now know that the boy is innocent, of murder. Madam Bones and I are prepared to ignore the crimes he has committed recently in exchange for a little cooperation." Dumbledore looked at the man for a long minute before replying. He knew that Stevens was a trustworthy man but he certainly wasn't going to volunteer any information regarding the 'Raiders', not after the mistake with Draco Malfoy. After thinking hard for a few minutes he took out a piece of parchment and scribbled a quick message before wordlessly handing it over to Fawkes who disappeared in a burst of flames.

"While Harry may have my support Geoffrey, he does not act upon my orders. Though they were active members of the Order before their capture they are only loosely affiliated with the organization now. We have shared certain information but we have kept our different short term goals separate for obvious reasons. Mr. Potter's tactics, while effective, would have negative consequences on the normal law-abiding members of the Order. In fact I rarely know what he is going to do until after the fact. And I can assure you that Kingsley did his best to capture him and his colleagues. Unfortunately, for his ego anyway, his best was just not good enough because he underestimated them. I am sure that Kingsley was most upset when he learned he was wrong about Harry." Dumbledore said with a knowing smile.

"Yes, he was. In fact he tried his hardest to convince Amelia to uphold the charges of assault against him and his Aurors regardless of whatever agreement we may come to with Mr. Potter." Stevens answered with a small smile of his own before returning to the original subject. "But I do find it hard to believe that he would act against your wishes or leave you in the dark. His respect and admiration for you is very well known." Stevens said with more than a little doubt.

"You would be surprised at how quickly many things can change over a short period of time." Dumbledore responded in a quiet voice as he remembered the strained relationship he now shared with Harry due to the disastrous events of Harry's fifth year. "Do you really think that I would allow anyone, even Harry, to compromise the security of Hogwarts and rob it blind?" Albus chuckled at the memory, specifically using that single 'raid' to stress how skilled the Raiders were. Stevens' eyes went wide as he remembered that particular detail. To get inside of Hogwarts without Dumbledore knowing was almost unthinkable.

"How was he able to pass through the wards without being detected?"

"I don't know. If I did I would certainly take steps to prevent it from happening in the future. My only theory, well the only one that makes any sense, is that Hogwarts was protecting him." Stevens looked at the older man in confusion but didn't have time to answer as Fawkes returned just seconds before a house elf appeared before him. The elf looked at the man intently for a moment before turning to the Headmaster.

"My Master has consented to allow me to bring you and your friend."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together happily. "When will we be expected to arrive?"

"Right now!" Twinkle stated simply as she snapped her fingers together and the three disappeared from the office with a quiet pop.

XXX

"That was unnerving!" Stevens said quietly as he gained his bearings after suddenly appearing in the middle of a finely furnished sitting room. His entire body was tingling and his skin felt as if it were crawling. Dumbledore was standing right beside him but didn't look the least bit uncomfortable.

"Yes, traveling by house elf is quite a different experience from apperating or using a portkey but the added discomfort of magically traveling through the Fedelius Charm is not a welcomed sensation." He explained as if he were lecturing to raptly listening students. Stevens glared at the man in annoyance but he didn't seem to notice, his attention was on the figures standing just inside the doorway. Stevens turned to see what was so interesting and nearly groaned at the situation he had apparently gotten himself into. Of the seven people that stood in front of them only Harry Potter and Nymphadora Tonks did not have their hoods up and all had their wands drawn.

"Harry is that really necessary?" Dumbledore asked as he nodded to the wands that were now trained on them.

"That depends entirely on you. In your note you made no mention of why Mr. Stevens wanted to see us. And we all remember what happened last time you were here."

"Yes, well, I'll admit that that was a mistake." Albus responded a bit uncomfortably.

"A MISTAKE!" Harry snapped. It was quite clear that he had not yet forgiven the old man for his lack of judgment. "You brought a known Death Eater here and expected us to just accept one of the people that tortured us with great enthusiasm. While we know that Mr. Stevens here is not a Death Eater we have no way of knowing what his intentions towards us are."

"Considering what has happened today I would assume that my intentions would be obvious." Stevens spoke up, believing that Harry knew about the investigation that he had actually started when he had captured and questioned the man.

"We are not going to make the mistake of assuming anything. While I'm pretty sure an imbecile could have proven that Harry didn't murder anyone with a liberal use of Veritaserum, we are still guilty of the many other crimes we have committed over the last couple of weeks. So are you here to try to arrest us or to talk us into turning ourselves in?" Steven asked from under his hood while his brother Juan nodded in agreement.

"Actually I'm here to inform you all that Mr. Potter, Ms. Tonks, Mr. Snape and Ms. Zabini will officially be pardoned for the deaths of the twelve Unspeakables since they were acting on the orders of the Dark Lord. I have also come to offer you a deal."

"Right." Harry responded slowly as everyone else looked at the man in confusion. "And what sort of deal are you offering?"

"Full immunity for all past crimes in exchange for a certain level of cooperation."

"And what about future crimes? Despite the fact that we will be pardoned we have no intention of changing the way we do things." Tonks asked after a moments thought.

"That brings me to the final part of my proposal. If you would agree, your team will be supported by the Department of Mysteries as well as Madam Bones and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to a lesser extent. You will all technically be working for the Ministry so that will solve many problems you would normally face, such as charges of vigilantism. You will all be registered as recruits and be paid as such unless you choose to join the department on a more permanent basis later on."

"Just a moment!" Harry said as he led his group out of the room to talk the idea over. When the door closed behind them Albus quietly took a seat and removed a lemon drop from the pocket of his lime green colored robes. After flicking the bit of pocket lint off of it he popped it in to his mouth and began humming an up beat tune. Geoffrey looked at the man oddly for a moment before sitting down himself and asking the question that had been on his mind since they arrived.

"What did Potter mean when he said you brought a Death Eater here?" Albus' humming stopped immediately and he looked into the fire crackling in front of him and sighed.

"I'm sure you know the details behind Severus' turn from Voldemort many years ago?"

"Yes I do. In fact there is still a very strong opinion within the Ministry that he be held responsible for his crimes no matter what he has done to atone for them."

"Yes, well, I made the mistake of trying to help young Draco Malfoy as I once did for Severus. I brought him here to hide him from his father and the Dark Lord. No, certainly not my brightest moment." He added when he saw the incredulous look that was being directed at him. "Draco is still a young man and has been raised with his father's ideals. If he continues along his current path I believe he will be dead before to long. Then again, even if he rejects Voldemort and his beliefs in the future I am just as positive that Harry or Severus will kill him themselves if given the opportunity, and I can't really hold that against. Even a man as good as Harry can only be pushed so far, and young Draco went well beyond that line while they were held captive. Watching your friends repeatedly being put under the effects of the Cruciatus curse will put hatred in to even the purest of hearts." Silence reigned through the room for some time until the Raiders returned and both Dumbledore and Stevens were relieved for the end of their uncomfortable silence.

"Before we agree on anything, we a few demands." Harry spoke up, directing the statement to both of the old men in front of him. "First, we run this group, not you, or Madam Bones. We will continue to go after targets that we feel hold priority but like with Dumbledore, you are of course welcome to recommend others. Second, if you need our assistance in any capacity we will certainly help in any way that we can, unless, of course, such help would force our attention away from a task that has a greater priority. And finally, as everyone knows that majority of the Raiders identities are unknown and they will remain that way to protect their families from retribution from Voldemort. Not even you will know their names." Harry finished with a note of finality. Stevens was greatly surprised to say the least. He had never had anyone simply tell him what they would or would not be doing because to be frank most people would wet their pants in joy at being hired by the Department of Mysteries and would do almost anything that was asked of them to make sure their job was secure.

"Well if they are going to be working for me I must know their names. If it is security you are concerned about then I can assure you that never once has the identity of our top agents been discovered." The department head argued but Tonks shook her head almost as soon as he began speaking.

"A secret is only kept if it is never spoken of. The fewer the people who know the better. And they will not be working for you, as you said our association with the Ministry will only be a technicality to open certain doors to us. And I'm willing to bet that the reason your top agents have never been found out is because they have other ties with the Ministry and they don't exactly leave a big paper trail behind them that would connect them to you. The only possible way that would work effectively is if every one of your 'unknown' agents is already employed by the Ministry in another department. It's easy to cover up a money trail from within the Ministry but on the outside it is very different indeed. The Ministry must account for every galleon they spend and that includes a worker's salary. If someone were to look through the records and discover that the Ministry was paying the salary of 'Jimmy Johnson' they might not think that much about it, unless they knew that Jimmy did not work for the Ministry but instead worked for Quality Quiditch Supplies, it would certainly raise some rather interesting questions. While you guard your men's identities very carefully there are still many different ways to get the information. So no, we will not be revealing their names, at least not until after Voldemort is defeated."

"Very well." Stevens said grumpily, he didn't like secrets to much, well at least not when they were being kept form him at any rate. After getting that out of the way they all got comfortable and listened to what Sevens had to tell them about the questioning that had taken place that day. Surprisingly they had caught five Commanders and thirty to forty junior agents. When the Aurors were preparing to escort the first group of younger Unspeakables back to the interrogation rooms a series of sudden pops echoes through the room and five of the incriminated Death Eaters vanished with the help of portkeys. But it was not just Unspeakables that were found out but other officials as well, including the likes of Cornelius Fudge and Deloris Umbridge as well as many of the younger and more impressionable Ministry workers. Harry was just glad that Percy's name had apparently not been mentioned. As soon as he was told that Fudge had apparently made a deal with the Dark Lord he was afraid that he might have joined them. He certainly held no love for the self centered and arrogant bureaucrat but it would have killed Mrs. Weasley to see her son become a Death Eater. Harry was annoyed that Fudge had managed to escape but he took comfort in the fact that he was probably going to be dead before the end of the night. Aurors were dispatched almost immediately to keep surveillance on numerous suspected Death Eaters and it was decided that after all the interrogations had taken place the Aurors and Unspeakables would move out in force to apprehend everyone that was named. Because of the sheer size of the operation Stevens knew that despite the manpower he had at his disposal he was going to need the help of Dumbledore and the Order so he was going to meet with them at Hogwarts later that evening.

Dumbledore and Stevens were preparing to leave when Harry suddenly remembered the lone Ravenclaw that was currently held up in her room as if Death himself were after her. He had very little experience with overly emotional girls and they made him very uncomfortable so he was more than ready for Dumbledore to take her and go.

"Albus, during the attack this morning I came across a teenage girl that needed immediate medical attention so I sent her here where one of the house elves, Beckle, fixed her up pretty good. Now that she is well enough I would greatly appreciate it if you got her out of here. I can only listen to someone ask when I'm going to kill them so many times in one day." Harry sniffed in agitation. Dumbledore just looked at him with those damned twinkling eyes as a grin pulled at the corners of his lips. Harry led Albus up to the second floor while Stevens was sent back to Hogwarts where he and Albus would address the Order.

"So have you been able to get any useful information out of the Death Eaters you brought back from Diagon Ally?"

"I'm not sure yet. Snape began questioning them just before you showed up. All I know right now is that none of Voldemort's strongest followers were involved. It appears that this was a test for new recruits and less experienced fighters who aren't permitted to sit in on important meetings. I figure the only valuable information we will get out of them are the names of other Death Eaters."

"Yes, they feel the same about the prisoners that you left behind to be taken into custody by the Ministry." Dumbledore responded with a nod before they stopped outside of the room Marietta was currently using. This time, just to be polite Harry knocked but when he received no answer he rolled his eyes and just walked in. The Ravenclaw was sitting in a chair on the farthest side of the room with her knees pulled up to her chest as her wide eyes were locked on the door. Seeing the look on her face annoyed Harry to no end.

"For the last time, I am not going to hurt you." Harry said while stressing every word. He shook his head and waved Dumbledore in before pointing in her direction. "There she is, please just take her and go."

"I'm not going anywhere." Marietta spoke up before Dumbledore could as she stood up from her chair. Harry turned back to her slowly and looked at her through narrowed eyes. The fact that she didn't seem the least bit surprised to see Dumbledore there made him more than a little bit suspicious.

"Excuse me."

"You heard me, I'm not leaving." She said in a louder more confident voice. Harry was now looking at her as if she were insane.

"Not long ago you were just sitting up here waiting for me to come and kill you and now you don't want to leave?" He asked in irritation and not to mention confusion at her sudden change. For the life of him he couldn't think of why she would want to stay in house full of criminals… unless. "How much did you hear?" He asked her harshly as he cursed himself for not taking precautions to prevent any ease dropping. Granted he was in his house that was protected by the Fedelius Charm and everyone inside he could trust but he was still caught with his pants down, figuratively speaking of course.

"I heard enough to know what you are doing here as well as the fact that you are now getting support from the Unspeakables and Aurors."

"Well that we can change easily enough." Harry said as he drew his wand but suddenly stopped when Dumbledore grabbed his wrist. He suddenly spun around and turned his frustration on to the older man. "What? A quick charm, she forgets everything and we send her home, what's wrong with that?"

"You can't solve every argument with a memory charm Harry." Albus smiled and said in that annoying grandfatherly tone that he uses when he has the good grace to hide his amusement at the situation. "Why don't you simply ask why she wishes to stay?"

"Why bother, she's not staying. You can ask her questions to your heart's content, just as long as you're asking them while the two of you are walking out the door." Dumbledore's expression turned stern but Harry couldn't care less. He glanced over at Marietta and was surprised to see that she was about to burst into tears. Not wanting to see another burst of emotion at this point he quickly gave in.

"Fine, why do you want to stay? Ten words or less." He asked as he leaned against the wall all the while Dumbledore was looking on in disapproval.

"My fathers dead and my mother might as well be." She answered quickly as tears began to run down her cheeks, but she didn't break down.

"Shit." Harry mumbled as he lowered his gaze. He had forgotten about the bodies that here scattered about around her when he first found her. At the time he had hoped that they weren't her parents but it seemed god wasn't listening. Here father being dead is easy to understand but when she said that her mother might as well be, well that could be taken several different ways but Harry had a feeling he already knew.

"Cruciatus?" He asked quietly without looking but it seemed just hearing the word broke down all of the girl's defenses and she nearly fell out of her chair if grief. Dumbledore was quick to rush to her side and offer any support he could but Harry found himself just needing some fresh air. He stood up to leave the room but glanced back at Dumbledore who was holding the distraught girl in his arms. He just nodded his consent silently before walking through the door all the while berating himself for acting so heartless towards her.

"Beckle." Harry called softly after he closed the door behind him. He decided that he needed to get to know the other house elves working for him so he decided call for her instead of Twinkle.

"Yes Master Harry." He jumped slightly when the reply came from right behind him and he turned to see the elf he had met very briefly earlier that day.

"Yes could you please bring some Dreamless Sleep potion to Professor Dumbledore? I think she is going to need it. And just in case, can you keep an eye on her tonight?" He explained as he nodded towards the room he just left. The elf looked at the door with sad eyes before she nodded and vanished once more. Harry sighed and headed back down stairs and walked out the back door and into the small courtyard, the only piece of the surrounding land that was also covered by the Fedelius Charm. Taking a few deep breaths of the cool evening air as the he looked up at the darkening sky and sighed deeply while he thought about everything that had taken place over the last thirty six hours. "Thing are getting way too complicated." He muttered quietly to himself.

"She's staying, isn't she?" Harry spun around swiftly and drew both his wands more out of habit than anything else. Seeing that it was only Bill he grimaced slightly at his slightly frayed nerves and re-holstered his wands. He merely grunted his reply before he noticed what the oldest Weasley child was currently working on.

"Where the hell did that come from?" He asked dumbfounded as he looked with wide eyes at the old sleek black Indian Chief that Bill seemed to be tuning up. Harry looked at it longingly but there was something distinctly familiar about it. What it was he wasn't sure but it was just at the back of his mind and he couldn't figure it out. Bill chuckled as he saw the look on Harry's face as he looked at the bike. It was the same look that was undoubtedly on his own face the first time the Gringotts Goblins showed him how to recognize all of the spells and curses that protected their many vaults.

"We stole it last night along with everything else we took from Order headquarters. It was locked up in the shed behind the house. Dung had always wondered what was in there so we took the opportunity to find out. We figured that it would serve as a very nice birthday gift since yours is coming up in just a couple of days." Bill's smile turned into an outright laugh as Harry's eyes became the size of dinner plates and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"Wh.. what?" He finally managed to stutter out after a few minutes of failed attempts.

"Your birthday. You know, the day you were born and each following year on that date is known as your birthday. In most cultures this is a celebrated occasion and the giving of gifts is a common practice." Harry stared at the man in front of him for a few silent moments before groaning. He had thought that for a time he had gotten away from the twins and their peculiar brand of humor but it seems that Bill was also capable of causing just as much annoyance if he were so inclined. Not that he didn't like the twins or their pranks but it just seemed that if they could get a laugh at his expense then they sure as hell would not let that opportunity pass.

"As I told you, we brought this here for your birthday. It used to belong to Sirius so I'm sure that he would have wanted you to have it. Besides, no one else in the Order has any interest in riding so it wouldn't get any use except attracting dust and that's a shameful way for a bike like this to go." Harry walked over and was rubbing his hand gently over the gas tank but froze at the mention of Sirius' name. while he may have accepted the fact that the man was dead and that he was not coming back it still hurt a great deal and the fact that he would be attending the reading of his Will in just three days certainly didn't make him feel any better. Knowing that the bike once belonged to Sirius made him realize why it had seemed so familiar. It was the bike that Hagrid has used to bring him to the Dursley's when he was just a child. He had had dreams about that bike off and on for many years.

"Mr. Harry Potter sir." Harry jumped just slightly at the sudden intrusion into his thoughts but calmed quickly when he saw that it was only Twinkle. "Mr. Dungus needs to speak with you Sir." Harry nodded in confusion and walked back into the house with Bill right behind him. The two of them found Dung standing in the sitting room with his smoking pipe hanging out of his mouth. When he noticed the two he immediately approached them.

"Where the hell have you been and why couldn't you simply find me yourself?" Harry asked quickly.

"After the attack this morning I decided to see what kind of information I could scrounge up so I went out for a bit. And I didn't look for you myself because I didn't have the time to search every room for you, to take advantage of this we have to move fast." The old thief answered in a serious voice that just seemed so out of place on the man.

"Take advantage of what?" Bill asked while he and Harry looked at each other in confusion.

"For some reason a lot of the high ranking Voldemort supporters and sympathizers are doing all they can to go unnoticed for the time being. In just the last hour Malfoy, Warrington, Montague, Flint and Bullstrode all had their homes placed under the Fedelius Charm and vanished. There are several others that have disappeared as well but not as effectively. Most are using your standard wards like unplotable charms and such. For the most part though the majority have no idea what is going on. Those in Voldemort's inner circle obviously aren't saying anything to those under them because they seem to be just as clueless about what's happening as we are."

"Actually we know exactly what's going on." And so Harry and Bill explained everything that had happened at the Ministry that day as well as the offer Stevens had given them. Dung was a bit surprised that the man had moved that quickly but was pleased by it nonetheless. The idea that he was now 'indirectly' working for the Ministry was a bit unsettling to him but other than that he thought that it was a good move.

"Now what happened that had you…?"

"Draco Malfoy!" Dung answered before Bill could even finish the question. Bill looked confused about what could have possibly have happened to make the man rush about as if Malfoy was a major threat. Harry on the other hand went beat red at the very mention of the spoiled brat's name.

"What about him?" He growled out and Dung was beginning to think that it may not have been a very good idea to mention it. "Well?"

"This afternoon when Lucius cast the Fedelius Charm over Malfoy Manor Draco was not home and from what I hear Lucius has made no attempt to contact him. As a result Draco is prevented from returning so he has sought protection from Lionel Parkinson who only has his home protected by the unplotable charm." He finished with a small grin.

"We appreciate your enthusiasm Dung but even if we knew the area by every square inch it would take even the best curse breaker weeks to bring down those shields." Bill explained as he began rubbing his eyes. This only seemed to excite the man further.

"That is true, but since the Malfoy brat is there we have access to something, or rather someone, that could take us right through the wards." Dung looked back and forth between the two wizards with a wide grin that only grew even further as he saw realization appear in Harry's eyes.

"Dobby." He whispered to himself quietly. Bill heard the softly spoken word and the same light seemed to appear in his eyes as well. "That could work. Dobby worked for the Malfoys since before Draco was born so if any house elf could pin point his location it would be him. Beckle!"

"Yes Master Harry, how may Beckle serve you?" The elf asked immediately after appearing at his side. Harry had to fight to prevent from rolling his eyes.

"First of all, don't call me master, just Harry. Is Albus still here?"

"No sir, Headmaster left a few minutes ago."

"Oh well, we have to go to Hogwarts first anyway." Harry sighed.

"Why do we have to go back there? There really isn't any point in it." Dung grunted from his position beside Harry, but it was Bill that answered.

"Although the Aurors won't be able to get through the wards without working on them for weeks they will more then likely send a few to survey the area for the time being until they can devote the manpower necessary for the job. Stevens will be able to keep them on a tight leash for now if we happen to run into them. We don't really need to get into a fight with Aurors either before or after we raid a house with an unknown number of Death Eaters inside." Bill explained.

"Bill, if you were working from the inside, how long would it take you to break through the shields hiding that house?"

"Well that depends. By myself I could probably dismantle the unplotable charms in about fifteen to twenty minutes but there are sure to be other protections surrounding the area as well. Without knowing what they are I couldn't give you a definite answer until we're inside." The curse breaker answered before the three men split up to gather everyone together but it was surprisingly difficult to find many of their comrades. In the end they had to resort to Dung's method and send the house elves after everyone.

Snape, of course was the easiest to find since he was still in the basement questioning the Death Eaters they had captured that morning. Unfortunately their suspicions were proven correct and they got very little in the way of important information from them. Everyone else was surprisingly difficult to locate. In the end Harry had to send the house elves after them but soon they were all gathered and ready to leave. They all seemed to be very eager to raid a Death Eater's home where the Death Eaters themselves were the targets. Understandably Snape, Tonks and Blaise were the most enthusiastic of the bunch.

Before leaving Harry gave Susan one of the last remaining sets of Basilisk skin battle robes and his own invisibility cloak since this would be the first time she would be in a genuinely hostile environment. He took the time to once again make it perfectly clear that she was under no circumstances to leave Bill's side and if told to she damn well better activate her portkey and leave. She was also to remain under the invisibility cloak for as long as possible. With a small huff of annoyance she agreed before they all charmed their clothing to look like ordinary robes and vanishing with a soft crack.

XXX

After arriving in Hogsmeade they spit up into two groups. Harry, Snape, Blaise, Tonks and Bill headed for the passage in the cellar of Hunnydukes while everyone else wandered around the nearby shops in groups of two or three to avoid attracting attention. Despite the fact that they had been pardoned Blaise and Tonks had no desire to test their luck and had therefore decided to remain hidden within the tunnel while the others asked Dobby for help and spoke to Albus.

Though he was no longer a servant to the Malfoy family, Dobby was still extremely reluctant 'betray' one of his former masters. It was clear that if it had been anyone else other than Harry that had asked he probably would have refused outright. As it was it took nearly thirty minutes to convince him to help. After leaving the kitchen the three wizards and one house elf navigated the corridors and secret passages carefully to avoid being seen on their way towards the Headmaster's office. As luck would have it however they were spared from making the complete trip.

Preparing to exit a dim passage that came out from behind a tapestry on the third floor Snape suddenly stopped in his tracks as he heard low voices steadily growing louder and the telltale clicking of boots on the ancient stone floor. "Potter, get up here and have a look." The potions master hissed quietly. Harry moved up past Bill and Dobby and pressed himself against the wall to give himself a good angle to see down the corridor. Focusing his magical eye, the tapestry that concealed their location seemed to shimmer for a moment before becoming semi transparent. Walking casually down the hall was none other than Albus Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick but it was the two cloaked and hooded figures that Flitwick was glancing at curiously that caught his immediate attention as he clenched his teeth in anger. He didn't have to use his eye to see through their hoods to be able to figure out who they were. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a few deep breaths as he tried to focus on the reason they were here. Motioning for Bill to raise his hood, Harry pushed the tapestry aside and stepped out into the corridor with the others right behind him.

The unexpected movement ahead of them caused the small group to come to a sudden stop not ten feet away from them. Dumbledore looked only mildly surprises to see them but you could tell he was thinking rather hard. Professor Flitwick let out a quiet squeak but quickly composed himself but it was the other two that Harry's attention was on. After a few moments of tense silence Harry began to feel a very subtle pressure towards the front of his head. His eyes immediately hardened as he focused on all his memories of the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Dursley's and pushed them forward. The smaller of the two hooded figures stumbled back with a sharp feminine gasp.

"My thoughts are my own. I would suggest that you never try that again, the results could be, unpleasant." Harry said coldly before turning his attention to the Headmaster. "We don't have much time so I need a straight answer, do you or the Ministry have anyone watching the area around the Parkinson home?" He asked quickly.

"At the moment I don't think so, at least I am not aware of any." Albus answered in confusion, both at the question and the sudden interest in the Parkinsons.

"Good, that's one less complication. Good night." Harry had turned back around and was preparing to leave when Bill suddenly stepped forward.

"Professor Flitwick, would you care to lend us your expertise for a couple hours?" Both Flitwick and Dumbledore looked at the hooded man with puzzled expressions.

"And just what would I be doing?" The tiny professor asked with a bit of suspicion.

"Assisting me in bring down the shields surrounding the Parkinson's home." Bill answered simply.

"But that could take weeks, not hours." Flitwick exclaimed. It was only now that Dumbledore seemed to notice Dobby standing behind the three wizards, trying his best to remain out of sight. With a few moments thought comprehension seemed to dawn in his eyes and he realized who must be with the Parkinsons to merit their attention. Draco Malfoy.

"Normally, yes, it would take that long. But we are going to be working from the inside while the others are rounding up any Death Eaters that happen to be inside. With your help we could cut the work time by at least thirty percent." After this simple explanation it took very little to convince the excitable little man to help. He greatly loved challenges. With nothing more said the group headed back down the corridor towards the statue of the humpbacked witch that would led them back to Hunnydukes. With a few hasty words to Dumbledore Lily and James Potter quickly made their way out of the school, fully intending to at least see what Harry had planned.

TBC

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, I have greatly appreciated it.

Ok, for all of you who have asked, serious relationships will start to form in the next chapter and after that the story will begin to move along at a greater speed.