Chapter 44 - Pieces

Anne looked like hell. Although her steps were still firm and her posture relaxed, Harry saw a different story in her face. Her countenance by all means was the same, completely neutral, but her eyes spoke of untold exhaustion. Her eyes were weary and fatigued, yet eerily watchful, flickering at the slightest disturbance around her. From stepping into the Great Hall to sitting down for breakfast, the other Slytherins gave her curious glances. Wherever Anne had gone throughout the weekend, it strained her to the limit.

Harry saw that even Astoria was as stumped as he was, surprise etched in her eyes. The younger Greengrass seemed to be giving Anne some space, unsure of a course of action to take regarding her tired senior. Thankfully, Astoria did not press Anne about the details of the conversation he had with her.

"Cousin? No, eyes are too similar, both of you look similar too, now that I think about it. Potters never had green eyes. A twin? That's impossible but impossible is one way to describe Anya."

"Wait," Harry barked out.

"Alright, I'm waiting," Astoria raised her hands slightly in surrender, her eyes still wide as she processed the revelation.

Breathing through clenched teeth, Harry tried to think of a plan to salvage this growing mess. Finally, he asked. "Throw away all these games. How much do you know now?"

"You wait, Potter," Astoria replied. "I'll admit this is a bit too much for my brain to process."

Harry sighed, dragging his hand through his messy hair before asking tentatively. "Truce?"

"Heh… that's… one way of putting it," Astoria giggled slightly, still dazed. Nonetheless, she accepted the hand. "I'll take it. So… what now?"

"Not one word of it to anyone," Harry said bluntly.

"Alright, understandable," Astoria nodded. "I still have too many questions about all this. You're supposed to be the last Potter, in Britain at least, there was no mention of another Potter in the history books. And how did she wind up in Russia?"

"Don't ask me," Harry grimaced.

"Fine, I'll ask her," said Astoria.

Sighing, Harry decided it was only a matter of time before he felt Anne's backlash from revealing her identity. Granted, he technically revealed nothing, Greengrass just happened to piece everything together with such confidence he could not even muster a denial. Nonetheless, he had to check up on his sister, he might as well break out the bad news while he was at it. It was the upstanding thing to admit revealing her identity before Greengrass caught her by surprise.

He caught her when the Monday classes were finally over, blending into the stream of students making their way towards the Great Hall for dinner. Several nearby Slytherins jeered at him, a pre-Quidditch match tradition - the first game against Slytherin was next week - every Quidditch player experienced. Harry ignored them, set on his path.

Even with her energy sapped, Anya was still as perceptive as she had alway been, noticing him immediately. They were surrounded by students and they had long reached an unspoken agreement to never be blatantly familiar with one another in the open. Harry felt a slight sense of pride when they could meet eyes and simply exchange unspoken words the way he had seen Fred and George do effortlessly. Well, they were nowhere near the Weasley twins' ability but it was still something.

Anya acquiesced, signalling with a small nod as they passed each other. She diverted her path, walking straight past the Great Hall. Harry carried on his path, making his way to the kitchen. Anya was already there, turning down the house elves' desperate pleas to attend to her.

"Are we eating here? Or just grabbing the food?" Anya asked.

"Just grabbing the food," said Harry.

They left with a basket in Harry's hand, heading to one of their favoured classrooms. Harry took out the sandwiches the house elves had packed, passing one to Anya as they both took a seat.

"How are you?" Harry asked, taking a bite of his own sandwich.

"That bad, huh?" Anya murmured.

"What happened? You weren't in Hogwarts the entire weekend."

"What makes you think so?"

"Dad, Sirius and some of their friends made an enchanted map of Hogwarts," said Harry, knowing Anne would fill up the gaps. "I have that map."

"Equally impressive and annoying," Anya sighed. "And you were desperate enough to use the map to find me because…?"

"Well, I tried finding you physically, didn't work out so I thought I'd give the map a shot. I mean… you've closed yourself off recently, so I want to see if you're alright."

"Very much fine," Anya smiled ruefully. "Your concern is appreciated but unnecessary."

"No, as you said, it's that bad," Harry shook his head. "What happened? Where were you?"

"You don't need to know either of that," Anya replied flatly.

Harry nodded solemnly, knowing her well enough that more prodding was pointless. This led to the second thing on his agenda. "By the way, Greengrass figured out who you were. It was partially my fault, sorry."

"Which Greengrass?"

"Astoria."

Anya stared thoughtfully at her half-eaten sandwich for seconds before she snorted in mild amusement.

"Sounds like her," Anya remarked. "She has an annoying knack for figuring things she shouldn't."

"She'll have questions for you."

"She always does," Anya tilted her head nonchalantly. "I'm used to it."

Silence fell between the two as they finished their sandwiches and soon the two of them were simply looking through an open window. Night had claimed the skies early in the Scottish November, leaving a field of stars for them to gaze at. A shuddering sigh caught Harry's attention and he turned to see Anya with her head tilted back, her eyes shut tight.

Anya dug into the pockets of her robes, taking out an empty vial. She cursed softly and set the vial aside, her hand entering her pockets once more. A vial of orange liquid came out gripped so tightly in her hand Harry was afraid Anya would accidentally shatter it. Pushing out the stopper with her thumb, she tipped the vial against her lips and swallowed the contents.

"What was that?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Just an Invigoration Draught," Anya muttered, releasing a breath as tension seemed to slip from her shoulders. "Didn't Professor Snape cover this recently?"

"Snape's a garbage teacher," Harry replied automatically, to which Anya gave a noncommittal shrug. He looked at the initial empty vial Anya had pulled out and could spot a tint of orange staining the bottom of the vial.

"Are you coming for the next DA meeting?"

"Depends, what are you covering?"

"Well, I've finished up the basic charms and jinxes I think would be important," said Harry. "So I thought I could move on to the more advanced stuff like the Stunning Spell, Reductor Curse and Shield Charm."

"Might as well," Anya shrugged. "You're holding it on Wednesday night, right? I suppose I've nothing better to do."

"Cheers," Harry grinned. "I'll see you then."

His grin faltered as Anya nodded mutedly, his concern grew when Anya hissed in pain in the midst of standing up, her hands clenched tightly.

"Shit, Anne, are you sure you don't need to visit Madam Pomfrey?"

She merely shook her head, giving him a pat on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

"If you need my help for… well, anything really, you can ask me," Harry called out as Anya paused in her steps. "We're siblings, and I'll be there for you."

Anya looked back and nodded with a slight smile before leaving the classroom.

XXXXX

Clack clack clack.

He walked with a purpose. Unyielding. Unrelenting. It was the first time he had graced the infamous place with his presence. Looking back, it was a slight wonder that he never set foot on this place during the first war. Then again, he had no reason to back then. And now, he could see the opening clearly, the DMLE had their focus turned on investigating Edinburgh. His red eyes swept through the entrance and a mirthless chuckle slipped through his lips.

He was not greeted by the famed khaki robes worn by Aurors. Just two wizards in simple robes who would fit snugly among the MLEP, not the hardened dark wizard hunters. Wizarding Britain had grown weak under the Fudge administration. A small serpent slithered up his leg to his neck, hissing intriguing snippets in his ear.

A wave of his wand and the two wizards jerked up before collapsing onto the floor, their necks bent at unnatural angles.

Thrill. The rush of blood. It felt great, his body felt great. There came a point during the first war where he was seldom at the front lines, burdened by the mantle of a commander. But here at the dawn of this second war, with fresh corpses before him and a still-thrumming wand, he felt young again.

Clack clack clack.

"My lord, the detail of wardens have just departed," two masked figures in black robes approached him. "The island should remain undisturbed for the next two hours."

"Good. Lucius, the Floo lines?" he asked.

"I had a ministry worker disrupt it as you requested and I've secured the Floo on this end. But, my lord, the wards-"

"Have already been dealt with," he said smoothly. "Mcnair, stay here. Warn us if we receive any unwanted guests."

The masked figure grunted in acknowledgement, breaking off to skulk in the corner of the lobby they were in. A Disillusionment Charm went up and the masked figure disappeared. He nodded in satisfaction, fourteen years of calm did not dull the senses of his subordinates. It would be vexing if he had to train them from scratch.

Clack clack clack.

Dread. Anxiety. Fear. Emotions pooled in the pit of his gut. He pushed them aside, for he was above such things. He looked up and saw the cloaked wraiths circling them, their faceless visage seemingly staring at them with curiosity.

He met their gaze one for one and the Dementors paused while he carried on walking. Assessing the Dementors, he sighed slightly, raising his wand. Not today, but there will come a time these creatures side with him. For now, silent neutrality would do. Nonetheless, he wanted them off his back. He brought up the sweet memory of acquiring Slytherin's locket, one of his many birthrights.

"Expecto Patronum."

A large silvery serpent burst from the tip of his wand, slithering around his and his subordinate protectively. The Dementors backed away, hissing in annoyance.

Those who actually mattered, the ones whose skill and loyalty were highest, had been locked up in the highest security cells. That meant the upper levels of prison. He moved up the stairs, higher and higher, guided by the whispers of his serpentine spy. Dementors parted ways for him, insanity had driven the prisoners to ignore him. A lone warden stood at the end of a corridor, a wand in his hand and silvery mist protecting him from the effects of the Dementors.

Clack clack clack.

"Who's there?" the warden asked, turning on the spot. The warden's eyes widened in unfathomable disbelief.

He flicked his wand and the warden flew back, colliding head-first into the wall. A sickening crunch filled the air and the body slumped onto the floor, painting the wall with blood.

Finally, he reached the highest floor of the prison. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, spreading his magic across the floor and building it up. It reached a crescendo and he jabbed his wand. The wards bent and distorted, sequences of magic wrung out of place. The laws of magic would restore the disfigurement to its equilibrium, but time and space always held sway over magic. He would be gone by the time the wards right themselves and for now, the wards were just meaningless husks of magic.

He stood there, and waited. His masked companion looked at him in confusion but held his tongue. He would wait and see, which of his most devoted could still sense the raw power he released. A gasp, echoing from a cell. A scramble of feet and hands which soon rattled against the cell door. The door was flung open and a woman staggered out, a crazed look in her.

Bellatrix, he should have known, she had been the most fervent follower.

"My lord, you've returned," Bellatrix gasped. "I felt it, your power."

She laughed wildly, the voice echoing through the floor.

"Raise you fools, why are all of you lying around!?" Bellatrix declared, glaring at the occupants of other cells. "Our lord has returned!"

A gaunt man peeked through the bars of his cells, cursing loudly.

"Lestrange, if you don't shut your- My lord!"

His cry caught the attention of the other prisoners and one by one, they left their cells. They knelt before him, looks of awe etched on their faces. He was proud of their loyalty, their devotion to endure the Dementors for his sake. However, he was disappointed, only Bellatrix felt his presence, the Dementors had worn them all down to shells of their former glory.

He would have to train them back to his standards. His pieces were scattered and incohesive, he would have to consolidate them all. There had already been progress, the giants had pledged allegiance, Fenrir Greyback had returned to the fold. His followers who turned their back had not been completely idle during the years of peace. Though their skill with their wands dulled, they had firmly embedded themselves in the Ministry with roots reaching far and deep. Already, droves of Ministry personnel had fallen under the Imperius Curse.

Just a few more pieces and he would have everything he needed, and so much more.

But for now, he could feel the satisfaction of consolidating another piece, an important piece, his old guard.

XXXXX

Amelia Bones rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing in frustration. Reports were stacked high on her desk, with an Auror bringing in more with each passing hour. Edinburgh had looked like a warzone when she had apparated over, buildings were on fire, there had been places where Fiendfyre was still raging on, which had to be cordoned off for Senior Aurors to perform the countercurse. Roads were blocked with the wreckages of cars and there had been dead Muggles. She supposed it was a twisted breath of relief when the Muggle casualties were only single digit.

None of her Aurors could find any of the people responsible for this mess, living or dead. Her thoughts went to Sergei, the Russians cleaned up their own mess very well. The Obliviators had been spared a torturous ordeal when it was discovered that the Muggle witnesses had been left with a lasting impression that a 'shootout' involving those metal Muggle wands was all that had happened. It made matters of the Statute of Secrecy simple when they could twist the Muggle reports into a terrorist attack, Ministry personnel within Muggle sectors had been working overtime to fit the story.

She had been bracing for the immense backlash she would face for putting a tight leash on her DMLE personnel. Edinburgh was in chaos. The Auror sortie Scrimgeour had dispatched without asking her returned with a dead Auror and reports of unidentifiable hostiles. The memories from Auror Tonks made it seem like the unidentifiable hostels were affiliated with the Russian Aurors but every Auror knew words from a suspect should be taken with more than a grain of salt.

Thankfully, she was spared from the backlash when the Russians stepped in. Their official statement to the British was that there was a large Black Mark operation which involved sensitive information vital to the Russian Department of Mysteries, hence their request for the British to stay out. It made some sense as it was common courtesy to respect the privacy of another country's Department of Mysteries. Added on with the fact Russian Aurors had managed to corner several high-ranking Black Mark members in Edinburgh appeased the British somewhat. The captured high-ranking Black Mark members had been handed over to British custody as a sign of goodwill.

Fudge could not pin any blame on her because she was doing a favour to the Russians, the people whose arse Fudge had spent half a year kissing. There was resentment in the DMLE against her but with the Russian's statement, they assumed her to be in circumstances where she could not act.

A breath of relief, but it had Sergei written all over it. She supposed this was his way of returning a favour. The Russian official statement was probably false, her meeting with Sergei told her the fiasco in Edinburgh had nothing to do with the Black Mark.

However, there was something she found strange, years as an Auror made her notice the smallest anomaly. What were the Aurors stationed in Edinburgh Castle doing?

There were two Aurors stationed to guard the runestone of the National Ward Grid in the dungeons of Edinburgh Castle. Given the highly sensitive nature of the National Ward Grid, they were supposed to report once every hour via a Protean Charm relay. Not once during the entire chaos did they report anything suspicious. Granted, they were underground but there was more than enough sensory equipment there to detect something wrong.

When asked, they said nothing had happened, as though the world above them was not embroiled in Merlin knows what. Amelia sighed, continuing to read through the various reports. She paused, staring at the report she requested regarding the Aurors in Edinburgh Castle. There was a switch in guard duty on that day, the Aurors who were supposed to be on duty at Edinburgh Castle had both fallen ill and replacements were called.

One coincidence.

She looked back at records of the replacements, they had been in Bicorn Wing for years but had been stationed in southern England runestones. It was only recently that they had been moved to guard Scottish runestones. The person who transferred them: Captain Andrew Rowlan, late second-in-charge of Bicorn Wing, murdered in Diagon Alley just two months ago within months of being given his appointment in Bicorn Wing.

Two coincidences. One too many.

His appointment in Bicorn Wing: given despite her own protests and given because he and another Auror seized a Black Mark shipment without backup. She paused, Aurors should know better than to break protocol. Amelia stood up and left her office, heading to the archives.

She found the report of the seizure and began reading. There were times when she could agree an Auror should break protocol, but the seizure was not one of them. No circumstances pointed to the situation being urgent enough to demand the two Aurors rushing in without reporting. However, the Daily Prophet had lapped up the story and the popularity got the two of them promoted. Breaking protocol to get promoted. A promotion to immediately reassign Aurors. Reassigned Aurors switching duties at the last minute.

Three coincidences. Now it was three too many.

Something was up in some of her Aurors. It was a big problem in the war against Voldemort when she was a Junior Auror and it will be a big problem now if she left it unattended. Memories of past conversations surfaced in her head.

Leo, Bagrationi.

Sergei was hinting something, Amelia had slowly pieced together the state of Russian internal affairs and she gathered that it was as cohesive as the British. Wizarding Britain was split along the lines of Blood Purist and pro-Muggles, Wizarding Russia must have some split of their own. She had come to realise how precarious the situation was with the Russians, it was time to piece all the clues together. She had stopped investigating the names Sergei provided her once she reached too many dead ends. However, there was a strong cause to dig harder and this time, she had a lead.

Andrew Rowlan had not acted alone, the other Auror was where she would start. Issac Stanning.

XXXXX

"Wow, that's brutal," Astoria remarked, watching from the stands as Harry tackled Malfoy onto the grass of the Quidditch pitch, repeatedly punching the Slytherin seeker.

"I don't know," Anya shrugged, watching as one of the Weasley twins joined in. "I'd say this is the highlight of the entire match."

"The first Quidditch match in Britain you've seen and this is what you say," Zabini rolled his eyes.

"What else do I say? We rolled over the Gryffindors, half of us sang a cheesy song, Potter rolled over Malfoy and the match was over."

"Potter is still rolling over Malfoy as a matter of fact," said Astoria. "Nevermind, here comes Madam Hooch."

"That's a nasty Impediment Jinx," Zabini whistled. "Well, there goes that, I would say the match is finally over, aftershow and all."

"And some afterparty it's going to be," Astoria said sardonically, standing up from her. "We lost the match."

Professor Umbridge had invited the members of her so-called Bridge Club to a small party of sorts, likely in anticipation of a Slytherin victory. Seeing the results of the match, Anya was tempted to skip it to avoid the sheer awkwardness of it all. However, given Umbridge's penchant to take offence at the smallest slight, Anya knew she had to attend.

"You're invited?" Anya asked. "I seem to recall you laughing when I was first invited."

"I had some friends tag me along," Astoria replied. "With Professor Umbridge being High Inquisitor, it's best to get on her good side."

They began leaving the Quidditch pitch, back towards the castle and in the direction of Umbridge's office. With almost everyone in Hogwarts leaving from the Quidditch pitch, the invited Slytherins all moved in a large group, chatting with one another. The Slytherin Quidditch team joined them halfway and the news began trickling in.

Harry managed to get himself permanently banned from playing Quidditch for assaulting Malfoy, along with the Weasley twins. Crabbe, who hit a Bludger at Harry after the whistle had been blown, had only received lines as punishment. Despite the loss in the match, Montague still took it as victory, laughing about Harry and the Weasley twins.

As they reached Umbridge's office, the squat witch welcomed them with a saccharine smile. Anya immediately went for the corner most seat in the room, furthest from the crowd. Astoria, on the other hand, chose to sit in the middle of the crowd, near Umbridge herself. She looked around and saw some unfamiliar adults, Umbridge had invited some guests. Giving a murmur of thanks as a Hogwarts house elf passed her a cup of tea and some cakes, Anya watched in silence and Umbridge began talking, her smile clearly strained as she spoke about the Quidditch match.

"Well, at least Potter and the Weasleys got what they deserved," Umbridge gave a vicious grin. "It's only a matter of time before they are banned from Hogwarts as well."

"Aye, that boy has been a filthy liar, spreading false information around the public," one of the guests snickered. "Dolores, I'd say it's high time someone sent the boys to St Mungo's."

Laughter echoed around the room and Anya watched on silently, opting to quietly eat the offered cakes.

"Not going to defend your boyfriend?" a snide voice came from beside her.

She gave the newcomer a sidelong glance before returning to her cake.

"Didn't think you'd believe rumours that easily, Malfoy," Anya replied indifferently. "Nice eye by the way."

Malfoy grimaced, gingerly touching the bluish bruise just beneath his eye. With the party already ongoing and Umbridge's insistence on sitting down, it left Malfoy with the remaining available seat in the corner of the room.

"Potter's such a Muggle," Malfoy muttered bitterly, sitting and accepting the refreshments from a house elf with a sneer. "Proper wizards use their wand."

Anya hummed noncommittally, tuning out the words as she ignored Malfoy's venting, he clearly had the spiel bottled up during his stint in the Hospital Wing. Focusing instead on the guests Umbridge had invited, Anya tried to pin names on their faces. Many of them looked familiar, given that they were on a first name basis with Umbridge, Anya could only guess that they were from the Ministry.

"Hello, Seryy? Were you even listening?" Malfoy exclaimed, slightly outraged.

"What do you think?"

"Merlin's sake," Malfoy groaned. "Of course the only remaining seat would be next to you, even Vince and Greg would give better reactions."

"Make yourself useful and humour me," Anya pointed at Umbridge's guests. "Who are those?"

Malfoy gave an affronted look but complied nonetheless. Due to some of the Muggle leanings Anya had, she was initially deemed a social pariah in Slytherin. But her ending up as the Junior Champion of the Triwizard Tournament, combined with the fact that she simply did not care how the other Slytherins viewed her and could easily stand her ground when faced with attempts at intimidation, led the Slytherins to grudgingly respect her.

On top of that, she was willing to help others in Transfiguration and Runes on the rare chance she could be bothered to, usually when Davis or Zabini begged her for long enough.

"Those are just Ministry people Umbridge brought to show off," Malfoy answered.

"You aren't impressed," Anya noted.

"As if a Malfoy needs… them," Malfoy gestured arrogantly. "Umbridge is a swine, but currently a useful one."

"Names," Anya prompted, she had nothing else to do in this party and getting an insight to the Ministry was always a plus.

"What makes you think I know any of them," Malfoy retorted.

"So much for being in a family neck-deep in Ministry waters," Anya replied lazily, taking another bite of her cake.

"That's Derrick Boyle," Malfoy shot her a glare before pointing. "In the… Broom Regulatory Control. That's… last name Moon, Goblin Liaison Office… or Centaur Liaison Office. Fuck it, one of the two, both are peasant offices. And there's Alois Snyde, he's in the Department of Magical Trade and Industry."

Magical Trade and Industry, that caught her attention. Snyde, the name was familiar and Anya dug through her memories to figure out why. The sound of Astoria's distant laughter at some joke from Umbridge hit her ears and she finally pinpointed it. It was a name on the list of magical businesses Astoria had given her, trying to track down who was funneling galleons via Black Mark shipments.

"Isn't Snyde the name of some magical business?"

"Side business," Malfoy answered. "Deals in dragonhide armour. My father has talked with him before. Naturally, Malfoys are highly involved in all important manners of wizarding society."

"Everyone seems to be connected, one way or the other," Anya commented.

"Of course, social circles are a thing here in Britain."

Dragonhide gear, a commodity with a tight enough supply to be internationally traced, following in line with Astoria's theory of using the galleons to buy them locally to avoid being traced.

Ignoring the pompous smile, Anya tuned out the rest of Malfoy's monologue, staring instead at Astoria. It took a long while for her junior to notice her gaze, Anya mentally sighed, reminding herself that for all her brightness, Astoria was still far from being in the same frequency Jen, Dimitri and herself had.

Eventually the girl caught her gaze and followed the flicker of eyes to Umbridge's guest. Astoria showed the slightest frown of confusion, Anya watched as Astoria asked Umbridge a question, finger pointed at Snyde. A saccharine smile from Umbridge, a reply and Astoria's eyes lit up in recognition. Astoria gave her a nod and Anya leaned back at her seat, watching the girl open a conversation with the guest, smiles on her face.

Making sure Malfoy was in his own world, Anya drew her wand, twirling it in her fingers as she made sure Astoria saw her wand. She flicked her wand, muttering the Summoning Charm. Snyde yelped audibly, his hand reaching to the back of his head, Astoria immediately launched another question, drawing his attention.

Strands of hair flew into Anya's hand, whether or not it would come in handy had yet to be decided. However, the tracking spell she cast next would most definitely be useful.

XXXXX

"Incendio."

Harry watched for the umpteenth time as the lances of fire danced in the air, all of them descending on the target dummy into an intense conflagration. Wincing slightly from the wave of heat, Harry wiped the sweat from his forehead, formed due to both the physical manifestation and the magical exertion of the spell.

Twisting his wand, the fire moved, still very much under his control. The dummy had disappeared, only scorch marks remaining. A swipe of the wand and the flames fanned out, turning almost liquid-like as the wave of fire swept against the mass of target dummies scattered around the Room of Requirement.

He imagined them to be Death Eaters, firing curses in retaliation. He moved, ensuring he was not a stationary target as he cast a Shield Charm. He dropped the spell and his wand hand darted around, firing off Stunning Spells. One by one the dummies dropped and finally he was done. He squatted down, catching his breath.

Looking at the carnage he wrought, Harry released a loud chuckle. Whispering an Incendio, he made the wisp of fire twirl in the air, he had come a long way from when the spell was just a jet of fire. However, he knew there was much more room for improvement, making a mental note to ask Sirius more about duelling. His godfather had been a Hit Wizard and likely had good pointers to give.

"Impressive."

The familiar voice of his sister reached his ears, he looked around and gave a smile.

"Nice to see you," Harry nodded in greeting. "Not complaining but why are you here? The DA session is not for another ten minutes."

"As I've said, I have nothing better to do tonight," Anya shrugged. "If I had, I wouldn't be here."

She made her way beside Harry, sitting down next to him.

"I've been thinking about writing to Sirius for tips," said Harry.

"Good luck with that," Anya snorted. "Professor Umbridge is checking the mails, you'll have to sneak out and use the Hogsmeade Post Office."

"You'd know all about that, eh?" said Harry jokingly. "What about you? I'd appreciate hearing any pointers you might have, Merlin knows the DA could use them."

She paused for several second, thinking through his question.

"Your aim needs work," Anya stated flatly. "It's not just knowing spells, you actually have to make sure they connect or else you're wasting time and energy."

"I hit most of my spells," Harry replied defensively.

"You missed a few from, give or take… thirty feet," said Anya. "You shouldn't. It means your aim will be worse even further, and if you happen to meet an enemy from… say the end of a corridor, what are the chances both of you will hold your spells until both of you are nice and close."

Two target dummies appeared at the ends of the room, and Anya drew her wand. In half a second, two Severing Charms were cast and the heads of the dummies were rolling on the floor.

"If I had missed one, they would have retaliated and I might be dead."

Grimacing at his sister's choice of spells, Harry nodded his head, understanding the point Anne was driving. It would not be an organised duel against Death Eaters with the unnecessary pomp and courtesies, it was spells flying the moment a target presented itself. With that said, many members of the DA had an atrocious aim, there had been countless instances of stray spells forcing people to duck. He should have worked on that as well, no point learning an arsenal of spells when none of them can hit an opponent, it was a fundamental he overlooked and was now thinking of repairing.

"Don't tell me you're turning this session into an accuracy drill," Anya raised an eyebrow.

"Not completely," Harry laughed. "I still have spells I actually have to teach, but I think a portion of it can be dedicated to that."

"That'll be more enjoyable than learning spells I already know."

The two of them waited out the next minutes before the other members of DA began filtering into the Room of Requirement. Waiting for the latecomers to arrive, which in this case happened to be the Hufflepuff Quidditch team members, Harry could begin his 'lesson' proper. Ignoring the furtive glances members of the DA threw at Anya, he launched into a demonstration and explanation of the Stunning Spell and the familiar feeling of teaching settled in.

"Alright, that was a good one," Harry nodded in approval as the Stunning Spell from Ernie Macmillan floored Terry Boot. "Now use the Reviving Spell to bring him back up please. The rest of you listen up."

They had just covered the Stunning Spell and Shield Charm, Harry decided the Reductor Curse could be saved for another session. A quick look at his watch told him there was about twenty minutes left before he had to call it a night. The rest of the DA were silent, waiting for his next words.

"I think it's about time we start this practice," Harry explained. "We've covered most of the essential jinxes and spells and also the Stunning Spell and Shield Charm which will be the bread and butter if you ever end up in a duel. That said, I think we should start working on our accuracy in casting these spells, no point being able to cast them if none of them hit."

"Well said," Fred hollered. "I think it's safe to say we all had to dodge a stray spell at least once so far, yeah?"

Harry grinned, waiting for the laughter to subside before continuing.

"So the idea is for the last fifteen or so minutes, we simply practice accurately hitting our spells at those target dummies. There's no pressure on how well you have to do, just make the effort to improve."

"Oh, so like a casting range?" Susan Bones piped up.

"I beg your pardon?" Harry asked.

"It's a place where Aurors and Hit Wizards practice… well, basically what you just said," Susan replied sheepishly. "Auntie brought me to one of those Auror training places, they had lanes set up and everything."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Harry nodded, lifting his wand and thinking about how much his unwilling sister would be better suited for teaching this. "So let's get started with the fundamentals of good aim. Firstly, your grip needs to…"

XXXXX

"Many layers of dumb," Dimitri commented, shoving the drooling man back onto the floor. "Are you sure about this?"

The drooling man was Alois Snyde, who was now lying in a slump on the floor of his bedroom. His wife remained undisturbed, a heavy charm ensuring she would not rouse from her sleep. A tracking spell had been a bright beacon for the trespassers.

"Call it a hunch," Anya shrugged. "I would wager that Grey and Nathaniel are thinking along the same lines as me."

"Well, at least we have a location to case," Dimitri grunted, giving a firm stomp on the man's hand.

"You know you'll have to heal that back to avoid suspicion," Jen pointed at the stomped hand.

Swearing under his breath, Dimitri knelt down to remove any trace of the injury he had just inflicted before proceeding to cast a Memory Charm. Anya proceeded to lift the spell she had over Snyde's wife and the three of them left the bedroom, making sure to clean up any possible evidence of their intrusion as they left the house.

Standing outside the house in one of the more affluent magical communities, Dimitri pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling on the paper. Anya leaned over and looked at its contents before snorting.

"Real precise."

Over the hill east of Gibbard's Fen.

"Shut up," Dimitri retorted. "The place is made Unplottable, that's the best I could give you. Giving a coordinate for GPS or anything more precise causes Balthasar's Spatial-Cognitive Effect and I am not keen on both a fried GPS and a gaping hole in my thoughts."

"Surely the place is rigged up to the Floo network or maybe we could try owl tracking," Jen suggested.

"No," Dimitri shook his head. "I dug Snyde's mind clean, he made that place isolated physically and logistically."

"That's a good sign," Anya commented. "A warehouse someone had gone that far to conceal is something worth looking into."

"Just grab my hand," Dimitri rolled his eyes. "I'm Apparating."

The two followed his instructions and soon they were scouting the empty wetlands, searching for landmarks to pinpoint their position in order to circumvent an Unplottable location the best they could. In the end, it only took Anya seeing the magical threads signifying wards to find their target.

Crossing an invisible line, a plot of rough land in the distance suddenly gave way to a compound of brick buildings. The three of them made no move to trespass any further, content to simply observe the situation from afar. Assessing the place, Anya slowly noticed all the inconsistencies which fit snugly in the suspicion that this place held information regarding just who was shifting galleons around.

Firstly, the wards in place were specially made to repel magically altered humans. Anya knew that ward type. First developed by the precursor of the Bulgarian Department of Mysteries in 1725, it was invented to keep out what the wizarding community had deemed dangerous half-breeds, from werewolves to half-vampires and sometimes half-veela.

One facet of all Spooks, they all had enough runic tattoos to alter their magical presence - by sheer coincidence - to fit the arithmetic conditions for the wards to repel them. Not that a ward could truly stop a determined Spooks, but it was still a hindrance specially built against them. In most of the wizarding world, that particular ward was an obscure form of magic now seldom used. In the murkier parts of the wizarding world, it was a specialised defence utilised by those who were not Spook but knew of them. At least it narrowed down the list of suspects, only certain groups knew that ward.

Second, Anya could spot people from the British MLEP patrolling the compound. Sure, Snyde was in the Ministry, but to have people from the DMLE guard a private enterprise, too much.

"Wards are going to be a problem," Anya stated in annoyance. "We aren't prying a hole open in that kind of ward to sneak in, it's going to be all or nothing. We'll need to bring this up to Nathaniel or Aleks for a full section along with auxiliary teams."

"After what happened in Edinburgh? Good luck," Dimitri grumbled. "You're stuck in school so you aren't going to realise that we're understaffed here in Britain. Aleks will make us do this on our own."

"We could set up our own wards to isolate everyone in the compound," said Jen, snapping pictures with a camera for reference when they leave. "Beg Aleks or go straight to Nathaniel for some explosives, modify them with ward breaking runes and blow the wards up."

"A man after my own heart," Dimitri deadpanned. "But that kind of throws stealth out the window."

"Then we neutralise everyone in the compound," said Anya, catching on to Jen's plan. "Which is why we isolate the place via our own wards, they've done half the isolation work to be honest."

"It's going to take a while to plan and prepare this one. We'll let you know which night we're going."

AN: As always, many thanks for the motivating reviews, glad the actions scenes in the previous chapter was liked.