The Storm

"So what're you going to do now?" Wyatt muttered.

He and Harry were supposed to be looking up information on Snape's latest potion. Harry had made the mistake of bringing up his adventure in Ireland and their books now lay forgotten on the table. Hermione looked up from a couple of tables away, looking annoyed.

"Shush," Harry mumbled picking up a book. "I don't know. Dumbledore was so exhausted when we got back and he hasn't been out of the hospital wing since."

"He really drank that potion?"

Harry somberlynodded, pretending to scribble down some notes. "Dumbledore is officially a Muggle."

"Squib," Wyatt corrected.

"Whatever." Harry rolled his eyes. "The point is that not only is he no longer the head of the Order, but he can't even protect himself…and we have a spy amongst us."

"Do you think…"

Harry shrugged and closed his book. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Where are you going?" Hermione questioned.

"I'm going to see if I can talk to Dumbledore." He sharply replied.

He still was annoyed with Hermione and Ron. Neither had outwardly admonished Harry for being a vampire yet but they were avoiding him. Harry made it a point to spend as much time with Wyatt and Kyle as possible. Hermione nodded and returned to her studies, although she pressed down that extra bit harder with her quill.

"Let's get out of here before she breaks the thing." Wyatt whispered in Harry's ear.

They got out of earshot and Harry sighed. "I wish they would hurry up and just come to grips with it."

"He only got back two days ago."

Harry smiled at Wyatt's worthless attempt to cheer him up. "Stop being so slow."

Wyatt shrugged, "Ginny likes it."

"Ginny is also madly in love with you," Harry stated, "I, on the other hand…"

Wyatt frowned. "You can really hurt a person like that, Harry."

"St…Professor!" Harry stared at a still weak looking Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled, "Harry. Just the boy I was looking for. Hello, Wyatt."

"Good afternoon, sir." Wyatt said and slowly backed out of the corridor.

Harry walked up to Dumbledore. "Did you sneak out?"

Dumbledore tried to chuckle but it came out more as a cough. "Madam Pomfrey has decided that the best thing for me is some exercise. But between you and me, I think she is forgetting I'm almost a hundred and eighty."

"Sir, shall we go sit somewhere?"

Dumbledore waved and frowned. "I will be fine. Let us walk to the Great Hall…just, take it slow."

Harry turned down a side corridor and slowly led the way. "Sir—"

"Harry, you must not worry about me." Dumbledore gripped the stair's railing tightly. "I just need some time to get used to not having my magic and my father has already commissioned the best specialists to look into my case." Dumbledore coughed, "Now we need to concentrate on the Horcruxes and the school."

"The school?" Harry frowned, bewildered.

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe that we need to close the castle down for Spring Break and do some repairs. Voldemort's followers left some nasty surprises behind and they need to be cleared out. As for the Horcruxes, I believe you should lock them away, perhaps in the Chamber…or wherever. I do not want to know and that way no one can torture the information out of me. The dwarves sent word with Uurande-tur that they are making progress."

"Any word from the Council?"

Dumbledore slowly shook his head. "The cave collapsed and the scouts have reported nothing of bodies from either side. The necromancers are powerful allies, Harry, and I wish there was a way to include them in the Phoenix Council, but old rivalries and beliefs will prevail over logic. If you hear from Xtoperus or any of the others tell them thank you, but their allegiance will be kept a secret."

"Sir!"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "This is for their best interests as well as ours. Once the war is done I will take this fight up but not until then."

Harry nodded in defeat. They reached the bottom of the stairs. Students walked around the two as they rushed to various classrooms.

"Prejudices are terrible things, Harry," Dumbledore sighed. "But it is best not to anger anyone while we are at war. We may gain the necromancers' support but we will lose others and there will be no hope of persuading the Elders to rejoin the war effort. We, unfortunately, have to play politics on this issue."

"Sir," Harry bit his lip, "What if they never change? What if this war only embeds these prejudices into the society to the point that there is no tolerance?"

Dumbledore feeblyshrugged, "I do not know. What I do know is that you will make the right choice."

"Like I have a choice," Harry muttered, "I'm one of them."

Dumbledore shook his head. "You are only a necromancer because you believe you need that transformation. You would not have been given so much power that you could not handle it. Your form is truly a unique and inspiring sight, but it is useless. You have the ability to control the Suxen right now without transforming…you just need to trust yourself."

Harry began to speak, stopped, and finally frowned.

"Do not worry about it right now," Dumbledore coughed. "Just finish your essay for Severus. He must be furious that you could make a potion he cannot."

Harry nodded in amusement; he started to climb back up the stairs. "Sir?"

"Harry?"

"Are you sure you're ok?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Harry, the war rests in your hands, not in mine. We will weather this storm as long as you remain true to yourself. Now off to the library."

Voldemort scratched the back of Nagini's head. His throne room was dark, save for the single tiny flame on the black candle. His red eyes scanned over his most powerful followers. They were dwindling in number, but that bothered him very little. They were winning this war and he could easily entice more powerful wizards to fill those positions. He sensed and smelled his followers' fear. They had a reason to be fearful and he hated them for being so cowardly.

"The attack in Ireland," he paused and pulled out his wand, "Who the hell decided to screw up?"

A few dared to move but no one pointed a finger, fearful of Voldemort if they chose the wrong answer. He walked down and amongst them.

"I'll tell you then," he hissed. "ALL OF YOU!"

He stopped in front of Crabbe and kicked the fat lump in the face. He hid his satisfaction at the sound of bone cracking. He walked back up to his throne and placed Nagini on the floor.

"I should feed you all to Nagini, as that is all you're worth to me."

He pulled out his wand and a black spell jumped out of the tip and hit the closest Death Eater in the small of his back. The pathetic fool twitched and convulsed before finally bursting into flames. Voldemort looked at the spot and turned around. He sat down.

"Rookwood, one of the first to join me . . . ." He let that hang in the air. "We are close to defeating the damned Phoenix Council and crushing this resistance and you are letting it all fall away."

He got up and walked down to Lucius Malfoy. "Lucius, tell me what I left in your possession eighteen years ago?"

Lucius kept his face to the floor. "A diary, master."

"Correct," Voldemort bent down and lifted Lucius's face up so he was staring into the scared Death Eater's eyes. "And what did I do when I heard you not only lost the diary, but that Harry Potter destroyed it?"

"You…tortured me and my family." Lucius spoke with a more forceful voice than Voldemort believed the man possible of.

"Again correct," Voldemort let go of the man's face. "And how many valuable magical items did you lose by being defeated by a bunch of old wretched vampires?"

"F-f-f-f-five."

Voldemort raised his wand. "Crucio."

Lucius howled in pain trying to beg for mercy. Voldemort let the spell last for minute. He looked at the surrounding Death Eaters.

"Lucius," he spoke slowly, "go back to that cave and find any shred of evidence of what exactly went on in there." When Lucius did not move, he snarled, "NOW!

"The rest of you get back to your duties and pray that you don't anger me anymore." He touched his Dark Mark and the wizards around him screamed out in agony.

He waited until they had all left. Once he was certain none of them had the foolish idea of coming back and groveling for forgiveness, he summoned Eyad. The young man walked right out of the shadows pulling some with him as he walked.

"Go report to Ash Goth that he must ready Malarauko for battle. They wanted a war and Dumbledore is going to get a war."

Eyad bowed and disappeared. Voldemort slumped back into his throne. Nagini wound her way back up to his lap. He stroked the snake trying to keep his powers in check. The thought of his precious Horcruxes in the hands of Potter was infuriating. The Dark Lord sighed and conjured up a flame. The flame turned black and he waited for the other person to respond.

"Master, I do not have much time."

Voldemort hissed in anger. "You will make time for me."

"Of course, milord." The voice was soft and distorted.

"We will be attacking earlier than scheduled. I need you to make sure that everything at Hogwarts is set for our arrival."

There was a pause. "When do you plan to attack?"

Voldemort smiled. "That is unimportant at the moment. All you need to know is that your job needs to be completed before I arrive."

Voldemort snuffed out the flame.

Harry gagged again and aimed for the toilet.

"Harry, why don't you go see Madam Pomfrey?" Ron asked.

Harry wiped his mouth. "Because I doubt I'll make it that far."

Ron waited until the bathroom was quiet again. He was feeling queasy himself. "Shall I go get her then?"

Harry poked his head out of the stall. "Whatever."

Ron nodded and headed out the bathroom. Harry sank back to the floor rubbing his scar. It had never hurt this bad before. He took a deep breath and slowly rose up and hobbled his way to the stool Ron had conjured. He was just glad that he had not woken anyone else up in the dorm. He had woken up screaming in pain. Voldemort was angry about the loss of his Horcruxes and he was not letting him forget it.

Ron returned ten minutes later with McGonagall.

"Potter, you alright?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Do you think Ron would have woken you up if I was?"

"Mr. Weasley mentioned that you had a nightmare, a vision."

Harry nodded and gulped down whatever was left in his stomach. "I would tell you, but as you can see I'm a little busy."

McGonagall pulled out her wand and muttered something in Latin. Harry felt a numbness grow around his scar and his throat clamp up. "We better go see Madam Pomfrey. Mr. Weasley, please go and inform the headmaster of Harry's condition."

They arrived at the brightly lit hospital wing just in time; McGonagall's spell wore off and Harry felt the pain stampede back. Madam Pomfrey conjured a bucket to catch the vomit and sat Harry down on a bed. She ran the usual medical check ups before turning her attention to Harry's scar. She touched it gently and pulled out her wand. She placed the magical tool on the scar and Harry pulled his head back as fast as he could.

"That hurt?"

Harry glared at the mediwitch, "Like hell."

She shook her head and disappeared into her office. McGonagall sat quietly in a chair keeping a very close eye on the annoyed and overly tired Gryffindor. Harry sat hunched over with his leg over the bed and the bucket in between them. Dumbledore arrived just as the nurse reappeared.

"Albus, you should be getting your rest!"

Dumbledore waved his hand wearily. "That can wait, my dear."

Harry looked at the still very pale Dumbledore. "Sir, I'm ok."

Dumbledore chuckled, seriously replying, "Like hell you are, Mr. Potter."

Madam Pomfrey pulled the top off a tiny potion. "I can only relieve the pain and suppress the gag reflex."

Harry downed the potion along with a tiny green tablet that stuck to the back of his throat. He coughed but that did little to help so he asked for a glass of water.

"That won't help, Potter," the nurse gave him the glass anyway. "That is the feeling of the pill working. You'll just have to get used to it until this scar settles down."

"Are you strong enough to talk or should we wait until morning?" Asked Dumbledore.

Harry shook his head. "I'm ok." He lay back onto the bed with his back against the headboard. "Voldemort is angry at losing the battle in Ireland. He tortured his Death Eaters and is planning to attack Hogwarts. He also spoke to someone and told him or her to get their job done sooner."

"Did you see the person or recognize the person's voice?" McGonagall questioned.

Harry shook his head. "The voice was distorted and Voldemort communicated via a flame with no picture. But that person must be here at Hogwarts."

"No, impossible!" McGonagall stated almost immediately. "Everyone here is loyal to the Order."

Dumbledore remained quiet.

"Right, Albus?"

Harry looked at headmaster wondering if he had said too much.

Dumbledore sighed. "We cannot rule anything out, Minerva."

McGonagall blanched. "You think we have a spy?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe Voldemort's reach is far longer than I would like to believe. And there is no denying that some of the students' families are under his command."

McGonagall took a deep breath. "What should we do?"

"Nothing," Dumbledore answered simply. "Voldemort either wanted us to know this information to spook us into acting foolishly or he has no idea we have this information."

Harry forced his eyes back open.

"Minerva, let us continue this discussion in my office." Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Mr. Potter needs his sleep."

Harry gulped down the potion and swallowed the tablet coughing because of the effect. He took a gulp of orange juice and tuned back into the discussion.

"Are any of you going home for Spring Break?" Dean asked.

Everyone nodded their heads; Harry kept silent. He was the only one of the select group of students not being allowed out of Hogwarts for the repairs.

Seamus noticed Harry's lack of response. "And you, Harry?"

Harry looked at his dorm mate. "I'm staying here."

"I wasn't aware that was an actual option." Pavarti stated.

Harry sighed inwardly. "Yes, well, I'm a special case."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're playing the Boy-Who-Lived card after all these years."

Harry laughed. "Well in this case, it's true. Dumbledore doesn't want to let me out of his protection."

"Like that would be much help." Pavarti muttered.

"Excuse me?" Harry clenched his fists under the table.

"I'm just stating the obvious," Pavarti continued on, not catching Harry's anger. "The headmaster does not seem to be healthy lately. He's hardly ever at meals and when he is, he looks so pale and well…sickly."

Harry nodded pleasantly. "And you can keep those ideas to yourself. Dumbledore is a bit under the weather but he sure as hell would defeat Voldemort in a fight."

Pavarti held her hands up. "Sooorry! I was just commenting on the issue at hand."

Harry nodded and stood up. "I have a Potions essay to finish before the end of lunch." He left the table and strode out of the Great Hall.

Wyatt threw an energy ball at the plastic dummy and it exploded. He ducked under a poisoned dart and blew up another. He kicked the next dummy into the wall before being caught in the back with a sword blade. He turned around and cursed under his breath.

"You need to concentrate." Phoebe called over the intercom.

"He needs a break." Paige's voice echoed around the room. The illusion faded and the empty, enlarged Transfiguration room reappeared.

Phoebe came out onto the balcony. "You're almost there, Wyatt."

Wyatt nodded and gulped down a quart of water. "I think I'll take it up again tomorrow."

"But…"

Wyatt waved goodbye and shut the door behind him. "I thought Paige would never feel sorry for me."

Harry laughed. "Well at least you can practice."

"You want to switch?"

Harry thought it over. "I'd prefer not to."

They wandered up to Gryffindor tower making sure to not attract too much attention. It was the Saturday before the students left for Spring Break and neither teen felt like explaining their exception to the Headmaster's request. Harry took a seat next to Kyle but Wyatt carried on up the stairwell for a shower.

"Still not talking to Hermione and Ron?" Asked Kyle, not looking up from his Dan Brown novel.

Harry shrugged. "They're still coming to terms with everything."

Kyle shook his head and continued to read. He flipped the page before setting the book down. "You should go talk to them."

"Why?"

Kyle stared at his cousin dumbfounded. "Maybe, I don't know, because you need to figure everything out? If there's going to be an attack and we have to find a spy, it would be just grand if we were all getting along."

Harry motioned with his hand and a wind whipped the book off Kyle's lap. Kyle smiled and levitated the book back into his hand. He found the page and charmed it shut.

"We're fine, Kyle." Harry said standing up. "They just need some time to cool down."

"And what if we don't have that time?" Kyle questioned remaining still. His blue eyes bore down into Harry's emerald orbs.

Harry turned away. "Then we'll have to deal with it."

"You're such a stubborn…" Kyle shut up and took a deep breath. "Harry, you just better be careful. You don't need anymore enemies."

Chris walked up to Harry ending the discussion. "What's up with you two?"

"Nothing." The two Potters mumbled.

Chris pursed his lips in a knowing fashion. "Harry, have you seen Wyatt?"

Harry pointed up the stairs. "I believe he's showering."

"I don't blame him," Chris sat down, "Phoebe got hold of me earlier this morning."

Kyle and Chris started a conversation that Harry drowned out. He looked around the common room at the scattered students in various stages of wakefulness. The night before a couple of guys threw a massive party in honor of Fred and George. Harry had not bothered joining in and Ron had come upstairs long before Snape, angrily bursting through the Fat Lady's portrait, abruptly ended the party. Harry saw Brendin come down the stairs with his hair still wet. Harry got up and walked over to the younger teen.

"How was the party?"

Brendin jumped. "Don't talk so cheerily so early."

Harry checked his watch. "It's past lunchtime."

"Your point being?"

"You don't drink much do you?" Harry stated blandly.

Brendin's eyes grew wide. "That stuff was actually alcoholic!"

Harry nodded. "Butterbeer is usually not strong enough to intoxicate a human but I'm sure someone spiked a couple with firewhiskey."

Brendin paled. "I'm so dead."

Harry laughed. "Nope, you've just got a major hangover."

"And what do you know about hangovers?" Ginny asked.

Harry turned around and smiled at the perky young witch. "You should know. We got drunk together once."

Ginny laughed. "In your dreams, Potter. I can't stand the taste of alcohol; Butterbeer watered down with water is as much as I can stand."

"Yeah, but that didn't stop you from spiking a couple of drinks during our Quidditch parties." Harry retorted.

"Only for the older teens and as pranks." Ginny smiled at Brendin. "Relax, Fred and George taught me this wicked potion that takes the bite out of hangovers." She disappeared up the girl's stairway.

Harry smiled at the blond teen.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Harry removed his gaze from Brendin.

Ginny returned and handed Brendin a potion. "Have you figured out who messed with the drinks?"

"My guess would be Seamus." Harry mused. "He always has had a fascination with alcohol."

Ginny shook her head. "He is a decent drinker, but he can't mix drinks to save his life. I'm betting it was one of the Hufflepuffs that second year invited."

Brendin closed his eyes. "Let's change the subject."

"Ok," Ginny turned to face Harry. "How's your scar?"

"I'm still taking the pills." Harry pulled out the canister of tiny white pills Madam Pomfrey gave him. "Voldemort isn't letting up."

Ginny inclined her head. "Any news on who the spy is?"

"Dumbledore has the staff believing that the spy is a student but I'm still convinced he believes it is a professor or an Order member."

Brendin spoke up. "Why doesn't he just get rid of the most obvious person?"

"Because Dumbledore believes Snape is loyal…" Hermione butted in, "and he has good reasons to believe that. Professor Snape has done nothing but protect the school and defend Dumbledore. He informed the Order of Voldemort's plans to murder the Potters and Dumbledore sent Harry's parents into hiding."

Harry ignored the memories of his dream. "So if it is not Snape, then who else could it be? None of the other professors seem to be likely candidates."

"Did Quirrell? Hermione shot back.

Harry shrugged. "We were naïve, this time we know our professors better and only one brings up any red flags."

Hermione shook her head. "What about Professor McGonagall? We said she was attacking weird."

"Are you insane, Hermione?" Harry quieted his voice. "The Head of Gryffindor House supporting Voldemort? She can't stand anyone disobeying school rules; I can't imagine what she must feel like when a law is broken." Harry shook his head. "McGonagall is head of the Order. If she was supporting Voldemort, she could simply reveal headquarters to him. The loss of Phoenix Hall would be a much bigger hit than the destruction of Hogwarts Castle."

Harry had forgotten just how quiet Hogwarts could get when it was void of its usual students. He had wandered up to the Astronomy Tower for a quiet meditation. He realized half way to the tower that it was completely unnecessary to travel that far. He found an empty classroom and moved all the furnishings to one side. He pulled out the potion and pill and swallowed the two before settling down on the floor. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

Scenes of the previous few months flashed before his eyes as he relaxed his mind. He had found that weekly meditation had helped alleviate some of his pent up emotions and allowed him to control his anger better. Wyatt had suggested the technique to him a while back but he had ignored the advice. He opened his eyes and summoned two desks from the pile in the corner. He raised one hand and the two chairs rose off the floor. He waved one finger and one of the objects orbited the other. He conjured two energy balls and mentally threw them at the desks. He froze the dust and collected it into a ball before setting the ball on fire.

Harry stood up and brushed off the pieces of ash. With a wave of his hand the two desks reappeared in the corner. With his excess energy spent he was able to sense just how much hatred Voldemort was pouring through their special connection. Harry closed his eyes fighting back against the flow. He felt his magic get blasted back and he cringed. The pain started to grow despite the potion. Harry tightened his fists and fought back.

A new powerful presence fought with Harry against the flow. Harry felt the familiar strength and raw power that belonged to the Suxen. He knew that his eyes had shifted to a violet shade and that his vampiric form would start fighting against its chains. Harry tried to quiet the Suxen; he would not be able to fight Voldemort and the vampire.

Trust yourself, Harry.

Harry jumped back to Dumbledore talk. He knew Dumbledore was right but it felt so wrong. Just letting go and letting his magic fight back uncontrolled…it was irresponsible and painful and dangerous. Voldemort threw another wave of pain at Harry and the Suxen blocked the attack. Harry felt the pain and connection to Voldemort disappear for a split second. He opened his eyes and saw a giant purple kingfisher battling a black snake with red eyes.

"You can trust us." The bird sang.

Harry felt his heart grow warm so like when Fawkes or Osiris sang. He pulled out his ring and held it in his palm. The ring floated off his hand and started to spin. It became a blurry ball of silver. Harry reached out for it but it moved out of his reach.

"You no longer need this." Merlin's voice echoed.

The ring burst into purple orbs and the kingfisher absorbed the orbs. The bird dodged the snake's strike and it drove its beak into the back of the serpent's head. The snake writhed in pain but to no avail. The avian creature waited until the reptile was dead before pulling its beak out and disappearing into Harry. The snake lay dead on the floor. Harry raised his hand and touched the serpent. The cold body dissolved and the classroom returned.

Harry looked up and a worried Wyatt met his gaze. "I'm fine."

Wyatt inched into the room and shut the door. "What the hell did you just do?"

"I," he faltered, "no idea."

"Your scar is pale."

"What?" Harry had never heard anyone describe his scar that way.

Wyatt took a step closer. "It's not red anymore; it's just a pale scar."

Harry conjured a mirror. "You're right."

"Is it still sore?"

Harry shrugged. "I took the potion..."

"We need to go see Dumbledore." Wyatt said more urgently.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, Wyatt."

"Not about you." Wyatt pointed out the window.

Harry stared at the pillar of smoke. Hogsmeade was ablaze and whatever had started those fires was now attacking the Castle's wards. Harry looked at Wyatt and the younger teen nodded.

"Forget Dumbledore!" Harry yelled as they ran down the corridor. "He's not going to be able to do much. You go get the potions; I'll warn the others!"

Harry burst into the Gryffindor common to find it completely empty. He cursed loudly and pulled out the Marauder's Map. After a tap of his wand the parchment showed that his friends were spread all over the castle. He saw the closest group was in the library. He pocketed the map and ran out of the portrait not bothering to close it. He reached the library short of breath.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as she walked out the library doors.

Harry stood up straight. "Any of you look out the windows?"

Hermione shook her head and went back into the library. Harry waited outside and after a few seconds heard a muffled scream. Hermione, Ron, and Draco appeared in the corridor seconds later.

"Does Dumbledore know yet?" Hermione questioned.

Harry shook his head. "We need to gather the others." His tone showed that there was no arguing the case.

Brendin, Casey, and Ethan were hanging out in the Charms corridor. Harry sent Ron and Hermione to go get them and meet him in the Great Hall. Osric, Uur, Chris and Ginny were in the dungeons with Wyatt so Harry ignored them and searched the map for Kyle, Daelan, and Caleb. Draco spotted the group running back to the castle from the Quidditch pitch. Harry waved his hand and the doors opened up revealing the cloud of smoke now covering half the grounds.

"What is going on?" Caleb asked.

Harry shut the door. "Voldemort's decided to fight back. Caleb I need you to go and inform the Headmaster of the attack on Hogsmeade. The password is 'Blood Suckers.'"

Caleb hesitated for a moment but the sight of Brendin coming down the stairs told him it was no use arguing. Once Harry was sure Caleb was heading to warn Dumbledore, he turned to the rest of the group.

"Those wards aren't going to hold for every long."

Wyatt interrupted him. "We have a bigger problem…"

"What could be bigger than balrogs marching toward the castle?" Hermione questioned impatiently.

"We don't have any Vanquishing Potions…the stock was tampered with." Wyatt looked at Harry. "Even the secret set at Phoenix Hall."

"Who could break through those wards?" Harry asked forgetting about the demons.

Wyatt shrugged. "Someone Dumbledore trusts enough to let down there."

Ron brought their attention to the issue at hand. "So what are we going to do about the balrogs?"

"Err…" Harry froze. Those potions were their only hope. "We'll just have to hold them off until the Elves arrive." He looked pointedlyat Uur.

Uur nodded. "I'll go warn my father." His eyes glowed as his body disappeared and finally the glow faded and Uur was no longer in the Great Hall.

"How do we hold them off?" Hermione asked. "Not all of us can fight those things."

Dumbledore appeared, can in hand and with Snape and McGonagall in tow. "Ron, Hermione, Draco and Caleb, please follow me. The rest of you try to keep those creatures off the wards as much as possible. Minerva, call the Order immediately."

Harry and Wyatt opened the front doors to the blackened grounds. The heat and smell of the fires was prevalent even at this distance. The group of young adults made their way across the grounds and to an area of the wall void of demons and dark wizards. Harry lifted his hand above his head and the section of the wall rose out of the ground just high enough for them to walk under. When the last person passed under the wall Harry let the stones drop back into place.

"Brendin, Casey, Ethan, Daelan and Kyle stay together and try to not be separated from Harry or myself." Wyatt instructed. "Ginny, stay by me and Osric, you watch Chris's back."

"And Harry?" Ginny asked worried.

Wyatt remained silent. Harry sighed. "I'll be fine. We must all stick close together anyhow. Without potions, we're not going to be doing much more than slowing down the inevitable and that is best done by not spreading out."

"I sure hope you're ok." Wyatt mentally said.

Harry's face remained grave. "And I hope help arrives soon."

The groups moved quietly, close to the wall until they reached the first cluster of Death Eaters and demons. Harry and Wyatt walked right up to the group while the others remained further back. They grasped hands and a bright light lit up the group. When everyone could see again the demons were piles of ash and half the Death Eaters were stunned. Wyatt was battling a fat man and Harry was taking on triplets.

"Avada Kedavra!" screamed the triplets.

Daelan waved his hand and the curses veered off course hitting a couple of newly arrived demons. The demons exploded screaming in pain and the sound attracted the attention of a balrog. Harry shoved with his hand sending a gust of wind at the triplets. The powerless witches tumbled in the air before landing unconscious ten meters away.

The balrog brought its whip down were Harry was standing but the Gryffindor sidestepped the attack. The whip caught an unsuspecting Death Eater, breaking his back and instantly killing him.

"You're supposed to be killing me, not your allies!" Harry yelled.

The balrog growled and the air around it shimmered as the heat from its body superheated it. Harry scooped his hand in the air and a pile of dirt shot out of the ground and hit the demon's face. Harry motioned with his hand again and a jet of water burst out from under his feet and went straight through the balrog. The balrog stiffened in pain and toppled over. Harry conjured iron cuffs and locked the demon to the ground. He turned around and almost cursed Ginny.

"Harry…your eyes." Ginny stared at her brother's best friend.

Harry frowned, "What about them?"

Ginny took a step closer. "They're purple."

"What?" Harry did not think he had tapped that deeply into his power.

Ginny nodded. "They're definitely purple and they're glowing kind of like Uur's eyes do."

"I guess I was getting too excited." Harry fumbled.

"Excited?"

Harry smiled, "Never mind."

Wyatt was fighting another balrog and was not fairing as well as Harry had. The balrog struck down again with its sword and Wyatt blocked it with Excalibur, but his knees gave way from the force of the impact. He collapsed to the ground and the balrog threw a fireball at the disoriented teen. Harry got ready to knock the attack away but Brendin beat him to it. The fireball blew apart and the balrog stumbled backwards from the shockwave. The other members of the Power of Five appeared around the balrog to form a perfect pentagram. They started a chant in Elven and the balrog quivered before violently blowing up, sending everyone skidding across the floor.

Harry got up and pulled Ginny up onto her feet. Once he made sure she was ok he ran toward the pit that the explosion left. He tried to sense for Wyatt; Wyatt was practically at the epicenter of the blast. His breathing quickened when he could not sense the whitelighter. He ran around the crater and found Brendin leaning against a tree, blinking very rapidly.

"You alright?" Harry yelled.

Brendin nodded. "Just seeing spots…I guess I hit my head harder than I thought."

Harry nodded and carried on; he found Kyle and helped his cousin back to his feet.

"Do you sense Wyatt?"

Kyle shook his head. "But then again I never really could…"
Harry was already searching for the next member of the Power of Five. Ginny had already reached Casey and Ethan.

"Did you find Daelan?" Harry asked urgently.

Ginny shook her head. "He should have been between Casey and Ethan but I didn't find him."

"And Wyatt?"

Ginny paled, "I…I haven't seen him either."

Brendin and Kyle joined the group. "Well, that worked a little too well."

"What the hell did you do?" Harry questioned.

Kyle shrugged. "We just took the Vanquishing Spell in the Book of Shadows for a Shadow demon and rewrote it into Elven. Worked out great, except for the explosion and the major headache."

Harry had to smile at the simple genius of it despite the circumstances. "Can you do it again?"

"Doubt it," Brendin said, "We met up with a chameleon demon about half way here and I couldn't blow the thing up. Kyle had to use a potion."

"Great," Ginny muttered, "We're down five maybe six people and we've not even reached the front gates."

Harry turned to look back at the castle. He saw the wards shimmering against the cloud of smoke and ash. He knew that the battle was useless. Uur needed to get back here with the potions and fast.

"Well let's find Osric, Wyatt and Daelan." Harry finally spoke up. "Then we can decide whether to abandon the village or not."

"Do you know if anyone is even alive in the village?" Ginny asked.

Wyatt appeared out of the shadows with a limping Daelan. "I can't sense any good magic in the village. But there's such a powerful dark force here that maybe cloaking their magic."

Wyatt set Daelan on a stump and kneeled down. He picked up the leg Daelan had been careful not to step on and started to heal it. "We were attacked before I could finish healing him."
"Are you ok?" Ginny inquired timidly.

Wyatt nodded. "My knees are still a bit shaky from that last blow but I can still go another round or two."

"Unfortunately," Harry stopped when Osric appeared behind him. "Unfortunately the Power of Five cannot. That spell took a lot out of them."

Wyatt frowned. "Then send them back with Ginny and Osric as guards. We can hold the balrogs off for a half an hour or so. By that time Uur should be back with potions."

Ginny shook her head. "We can't split up. Either we all stay out here or we all go back."

"But having the Power of Five out here will only hinder us even more." Wyatt argued.

Kyle spoke up indignantly. "We're right here, you know."

Wyatt started to talk but Harry interrupted him. "Brendin, this is your decision."

Kyle stared at Harry in disbelief while Brendin paled.

"Harry…"

"Shut it, Kyle." Harry snapped. "Brendin is Gryffindor's heir and the head of the Power of Five. What he says, you will follow…understand?"

Kyle gulped, "Yes."

Harry nodded and rounded on Brendin. "Your decision."

"We go back to the castle." He turned to face his best friends. "We'll just be hindrances if we stay here."

Harry nodded. "Ok, Ginny and Osric please escort them back to Hogwarts…we'll meet you back at the castle in half an hour."

"If the wards last that long." Osric grumbled.

Wyatt and Harry carried on toward the village leaving the others to reach the castle.

"You certainly took control back there," Wyatt commented.

Harry nodded his head, "We needed an answer quickly—"

"And Brendin was the one you trusted the most?"

"No," Harry retorted, "Just the one I knew would choose to go back. Kyle would have chosen to keep us together…noble, but foolish."

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "This, from Harry Potter."

Harry turned around. "We can discuss this later, Wy."

Their next encounter with an enemy was quick and painless. The group of Death Eaters was obviously new at dueling certainly not old enough to be out of school. Harry bound them with vines and Wyatt orbed them to the Order's prisons in Portland. The blue orbs flying into space caught the attention of two nearby Anzu demons. They looked like male harpies, except their feathers were black instead of pale blue. The closest one threw a ball of air at Wyatt. Wyatt froze the attack and threw an energy ball of his own. The demon screamed causing the energy ball to self-destruct.

Harry conjured a fiery phoenix similar to the one Dumbledore had conjured back at the cave. The firebird attacked the Anzu distracting it long enough for Harry to get close to stab the demon through the heart. Fire engulfed the bird-like demon leaving a pile of ash behind. Harry turned to send his phoenix to help Wyatt when he felt a clawed foot connect with his lower back.

"They can rejuvenate!"

Wyatt nodded. "I guess I forgot to mention that."

"How the hell do you vanquish it then?" Harry cut the wing off his demon.

Wyatt knocked his demon to the ground with a telekinetic shove. "Same way as a Lazarus demon."

"The graveyard is on the other side of the castle!" Harry yelled in frustration.

Wyatt crushed the Anzu demon he was fighting under a rock and orbed the ashes away. He did the same when Harry chopped the head off his demon.

"And you didn't do that in the first place because?"

Wyatt shrugged. "Only just entered my mind."

"We need to get back to the castle, Harry." Wyatt whispered.

They were hiding in the remains of the Hog's Head. Outside were patrols of demons looking for them. Wyatt had made the mistake of running right into Lucius Malfoy.

Harry nodded. "Do you think that the Elves have arrived yet?"

"If they had, then why are we the big concern of every damn demon here?" Wyatt nearly yelled.

Harry clapped his hand on Wyatt's mouth. "Next time, just blow the freakinghouse up why don't you?"

A group of dementors glided through the burnt door. Harry pulled out his wand and conjured his Patronus. The dementors retreated but did not exit the door. Harry's Patronus charged again, but the dementors stood their ground. The silver stag crashed into the lead dementor and shattered.

"Um…let's get out of here." Wyatt grabbed Harry's hand and orbed out.

They arrived in the forest just outside the wards.

"What happened?" Wyatt asked.

Harry's eyes refocused. "I just ran out of energy…"

Wyatt nodded and they walked through the wards before orbing back up to the castle. Wyatt orbed directly into the Great Hall. He summoned a house elf and instructed her to bring a fruit platter and some chocolate.

"Wyatt, I'll be fine." Harry tried to reassure the freaked out whitelighter.

"Harry, this morning I saw you have a seizure and now you can't even battle a few dementors. Something's up with your powers." Wyatt whispered.

"There you are!" Ginny rushed up to Wyatt and hugged him. "We were getting ready to send out a search party."

Harry took the fruit and chocolate from the house elf and thanked her. "Has Uur returned?"

Brendin nodded. "Yeah, but not with good news. The Elves only had ten more potions left. The alchemists are trying to make more but they're running out of halcyon eggs. We're only going to get another batch until the halcyons mate again."

"So we've got to make these ten potions last until the war is done, in other words." Harry sighed.

"We've got another problem," Hermione spoke up. "The wards are just about to collapse and Uurande-tur is telling us to give up the castle. He believes that Malarauko is leading this fight."

Wyatt shook his head. "Lucius is the commander out there."

"But it would explain the black magic you're sensing." Said Harry, ever the realist.

"So now what?" Caleb asked.

Wyatt shrugged. "We wait for the Order to tell us to do something."

Harry got up suddenly making everyone jump. "I need to get something out of my bedroom."

"Need any help?" Chris asked.

Harry bit his lip. "Just Kyle…"

"You kept them here all this time?"

Harry shrugged. "It's not like too many people know about this room."

"No," Kyle stared at Harry, "Only every former member of Dumbledore's Army, all of Draco's ex-friends, and a couple of staff members."

"Ok, ok," Harry hissed. "It was only supposed to be temporary but I never got a chance to take them back to Phoenix Hall."

"And you want to do that now?" Kyle threw up his hands. "In the middle of a battle?"

Harry nodded. "The last thing we need is us losing the castle and the Horcruxes."

Kyle sighed eventually. "Let's do this quickly."

"Where the hell are they?" Snape hissed.

Wyatt shrugged coolly. "No idea."

"Severus," Dumbledore called from the staff table, "Leave them alone. We can start without them."

The potions master stormed up to the staff table. Wyatt shook his head and returned his attention to the headmaster.

"The wards will fail in less than ten minutes. At that time everything of value and importance needs to be down in the Entrance Hall. Leo has been able to gather enough whitelighters to transport our belongings to Phoenix Hall should we lose the castle. All staff members not willing to fight must accompany Tonks to the Resistance's headquarters in Portland. Once the wards fail we will meet the enemy head on. Do not give up and do not retreat unless Minerva or Uurande-tur gives the signal."

"Where will you be, Albus?" Flitwick squeaked.

"I, unfortunately, will not be a part of this mission. I will return to Phoenix Hall and contact those allies we have yet to contact and inform them of our dire situation." Dumbledore spoke with pride, but his disappointment was evident.

"Where are they?" Ginny asked. They were all lined up just behind the ward staring at the multitude of villains ready to murder them.

Wyatt gripped her shoulder. "He'll be here."

The wards grew red and collapsed, letting in a wave of demons and Death Eaters. The Elven archers fired into the wave, about half of the Dark followers dropping dead. Wyatt, Chris and Osric joined hands and a blast of white knocked the rest of the wave flat on their backs in various stages of being burnt alive. Minerva gave the signal and the small army on Hogwarts' grounds charged.

Harry appeared in front of the charge with Kyle at his side. Harry pulled out his wand and purple tentacles erupted forth, blasting away hordes of demons and Death Eaters. He concentrated his attack on a balrog. The balrog brought up a shadowy shield but the attack blasted through the shield and the balrog turned to stone. Harry fell back behind the line of anonymous witches and wizards charging to their doom. Harry and Kyle found their friends.

"Where were you?" Wyatt asked.

Harry nodded at the balrog. "Finding out what was wrong with my powers."

They crashed into the line of demons and Death Eaters and split up. Harry found himself far away from the group in a matter of minutes. He ignored that fact and faced his adversary, another balrog. He flicked his wrists and a chunk of molten rock poured down around him. The balrog stumbled backwards, lacking one arm. The demon unfurled its wings and growled. Harry smiled and conjured a ball of water. The attack hit the balrog's other arm turning it into stone. The demon attacked with its last weapon, its breath. The superheated air rushed toward the wizard. Harry raised his hand and the air bent around him turning the ground behind him into an inferno.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Harry yelled.

His eyes turned red and the balrog froze with a frown in its face. Flames started to lick across its body and slowly parts of its usually flowing skin turned black and solid. It realized too late what the wizard was doing to it. Harry threw the balrog's own fire back at its solidified body, blowing it up.

"Impressive, Harry." A familiar voice said from his right. Harry turned around to see Voldemort clapping. "I had no idea that you had so much power. I feel like I should be trembling in my boots."

Harry glared at the Dark Lord. "Who do you think you're fooling?" Harry threw a fireball at Voldemort. It hit the Dark wizard and Voldemort disappeared. "Terrible illusion."

Harry walked off to find another battle when he felt an evil presence approach him from behind. He turned around and had to look up. Twenty feet tall with his wings completely blocking out the smoky cloud stood Malarauko. Harry conjured up a shield as the air around him superheated by the demons simple presence.

"So this is the controller of the Suxen?" Malarauko spoke in a completely normal human voice. "The last one at least knew how to control it."

Harry remained silent. Malarauko stood still for a moment more before raising his mammoth arm above his head. A fork of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Harry. Harry closed his eyes forcing his shield to remain stable. The lightning strike ended with Harry's hair smoking. Malarauko brought his arm down and brought his tail from behind him in a second. Harry felt himself flying through the air and landed hard on the ground. He rolled around coughing up dust and blood.

"You're not even worth my time." Snarled Malarauko, still standing in the same spot he had appeared.

Harry pushed himself to his feet and pulled his arms back before pushing both of them out in front of him very quickly. The wind ripped up tree stumps and the ground as it traveled toward Malarauko. The leader of the balrogs stood still and weathered the wind. Harry flicked his wrists continuously trying to injure the demon in any possible way. The attacks disappeared in puffs of shadow. Finally Harry stopped moving and closed his eyes.

He levitated up to Malarauko's face remaining some distance away from the demon. He started to twirl around creating a tornado that took on a purplish hue. The top of the tornado closed and formed into a giant kingfisher's head.

"We want to play, Malarauko…let's play!" Harry's voice echoed over the battlefield.

Malarauko laughed and pulled out his sword. Harry attacked before the demon was ready. His beak knocked a chunk out of Malarauko's arm. Molten rock gushed out of the wound until the hole was filled. The balrog struck with his sword slicing right through the tornado. The tornado sputtered to a stop and Harry tumbled toward the ground.

"Harry!" Wyatt yelled.

The unconscious teen appeared in Wyatt's arm shoving both of them to the floor.

Uurande-tur's voice reverberated in everyone's head. "RETREAT!"

The Light rushed back into the castle and Voldemort's forces followed them. The teens fought their way into the Entrance Hall. Wyatt's family met up with them seconds later. Wyatt did not wait for instructions and with a wave of his arm they all turned into orbs and disappeared from the castle.

Malarauko walked up to the castle and started an ancient chant in a language foreign to even him. He had his orders and even Lucius's annoying curses were not going to stop him.

AN: Well I must say I was surprised no one has emailed me and told me that I stole Joe's idea. Then again maybe no one actually reads the chapters. I don't mind not having reviews as is kind of obvious but it would be the sugar on top if I got some feedback. Thanks to those who are reading the story.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY BETA READER DANA

Next Chapter

The stage is set for the final battle and we hear more about the mysterious black veil