Author's Notes –

I'm currently enjoying my annual Harry Potter Marathon because it doesn't feel like the holidays unless I'm watching some Harry Potter. I am currently watching Order of the Phoenix which is my second favorite movie but my favorite book.

*Chinese* - +Japanese+

Try as he might, Harry's head tingled as he tried to process all the information that Neville had shared with him and the other boys in their dorm. If everything that the Greengrass sisters had said was true then things were incredibly complicated.

"I had no idea that the goblins could do that," Hermione remarked.

"It was one of the concessions that the Ministry gave the goblins in 1762 as a show of faith that to punish any witches or wizards who might discriminate against goblins in the future. Not that You-Know-Who and his bunch are likely to recruit the goblins."

"No, but doing something like this might get others who favor the magical community over other communities might be willing to support them," interjected Dean. "Didn't Greengrass say that even though the raids have shaken up Slytherin there are still those who are willing to support the Death Eaters' families because things still favor those who aren't completely behind the Death Eaters?"

"Shirt off," Ginny ordered, drawing a curious look from Hermione as Harry sat up so that his head was no longer in Ginny's lap and took his shirt off. With a sigh he lay on his bed face down allowing Ginny to straddle his lower back before striking several pressure points on his bare back.

"Sensei says that Harry's needs this treatment and that Ginny needs more training on her pressure points," Neville explained. "Here, you forgot this."

Ginny nodded, gracefully swiping the bottle that Neville threw to her as deftly as a Chaser snatching the quaffle out of the air. "What's this?"

"Massage lotion – Shampoo suggested it."

"They don't make girls like Shampoo here," Seamus said with a sigh. "She's too much woman for me though."

The smell of lavender greeted the group as Ginny squirted some lotion onto Harry's back. "You're so tense Harry."

Despite Ginny's best efforts Harry couldn't relax as he drifted off to sleep.

The dying embers of the fireplace behind him filled the room with deep shadows. Despite the low light it was clear to him that there were over a score of figures, some were kneeling while others stood. "I am disappointed. Not only has Fudge stepped down, but his successor has closed ranks and apprehended all of our agents as well as anyone even suspected of supporting me.

"Goyle, it was your plan to try and use Umbridge to get to Fudge – what do you have to say for ourself?"

"M-My Lord, the plan was…. We… I had not anticipated that the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor would be so astute. How he realized that it was Alecto and not Umbridge, I do not know."

A figure to the side trembled, a glint of silver flashed in the shadows.

"Wormtail," Voldemort hissed, "there is something that you have not shared with us."

"M-Master," the traitorous spy forced himself to look up at his master. "In, in my youth James, Sirius, Lupin and I created a map that allowed us to see everyone Hogwarts."

Anger welled up in him. Couch had mentioned that map last year when he had reported of how he had used the map to discover his father was sneaking into Hogwarts. "Crucio!"

Wormtail writhed in pain on the floor even as the curse was ended. "It seems that our plans failed due to insufficient information. I need to know everything that you know so that I can devise the perfect plan."

"Master," one of the Death Eaters dared to stand, "we were able to glean a bit of information from one of the Aurors that was captured during the Ministry's failed raid on the Carrow estate. It appears that the Scrimgeour's group was able to call an emergency meeting which allowed them to formulate a plan of attack. They used the same anti-apparation charms on our homes and revoked the protections and alarms on the Floo network so that they could send Aurors loyal to Scrimgeour to raid our homes."

"Well done Yaxley," the forced a smile. "Find out everything you can from those that were captured. We will need every ounce of information so as to not repeat the same mistakes."

With a pleased bow, Yaxley strode off.

"Wormtail," the animagus cowered at the sound of his name "it seems there is much you have to share with me – Crucio!"

"Harry!" Rough hands slapped as his torso, rousing him from his unpleasant slumber. "Wake up Harry, wake up!"

He scrambled for his glasses even as someone illuminated the dorm room.

Despite the growing bond between him and the other boys in his dorm he was hesitant to speak about the dream and only because in part he didn't know what to make of the dream himself. Was it just a dream or had he been able to see what Voldemort was actually up to? "I need to speak with Sensei and Dumbledore."

"I'll get Hermione and we'll get Sensei," Neville volunteered.

Ron nodded, "Right."

In the time that she had spent with her now husband/pack alpha Shampoo had come to understand that Ranma was at his best when he was fighting. She had never seen or even heard of anyone who could breakdown a martial arts technique with the speed and understanding that he displayed in fights and sparring. She knew that he thought best when fighting as he could let his body simply react so that his mind could process things.

With no classes to teach Ranma had plenty of free time to spar with his apprentices which in turn allowed him to process all that he had been told the previous days. The information Harry had provided him regarding the vision/dream that he had of his rival/mortal enemy and his supporters confirmed what they knew of the changes in this country's government as well as what steps they had taken to deal with the dark witches and wizards. That Harry could see what Voldemort was up to at times also confirmed what Dumbledore had shared of the bond between the two. It was also why she had instructed Ginny on the pressure points and specifically which pressure points to use on Harry before he went to bed so as to use Harry's body to defend his mind and thus keep Voldemort from influencing Harry. Sure, Harry would likely experience wet dreams every night that Voldemort sought to access Harry's mind but the minor sleep disruption and embarrassment was better than spilling any secrets.

For now the dark wizard and his followers were off balance and perhaps even on the run. It would likely take a few days for them to gather their forces after being attacked relentlessly and scattered but it was clear that the new Minster of Magic had not been able to end things as he had hoped. With the measures that he had taken the Ministry could not hope to do anything else for now. There were only so many ministry officials who the new minister could trust and in a few weeks they would be stretched to their limits. Eventually the rest of the ministry would be back up and running and who knew how many of them were secretly working for the dark witches or wizards, or at least being compelled by them.

Dumbledore understood that and while he had been pushed to make Hogwarts (and by extension Hogsmead) more secure he knew that he could not rely on the Ministry without either bringing in people who were compromised or further stretching out the new Minister's forces even thinner.

Shampoo's initial suggestion had been to arm the house elves – and idea that the western magical community would not tolerate. Dumbledore put it off as not wanting to endanger the lives of the elves but Shampoo saw it as more of a savior/superiority complex. Elves were seen as subservient by many in the west and giving them more weapons endangered the status quo for the witches and wizards who placed themselves on top. Though she agreed that the elves would be useful, too many of them would do it because they were told to do it, not because they understood and accepted the consequences of any actions they might take. The elves did not deserve to be treated like weapons.

They needed more people. Dumbledore knew that. Ranma knew that. But who could they trust? There were too many in the Ministry who were compromised and there were too many double agents in the Order of the Phoenix and even in her pack. They needed more people who they could trust.

*Granddaughter, what is on your mind?*

*Grandmother, while I trust your skills, do you believe that what we have done is enough?" The laugh that her honored grandmother gave was answer enough.

"Granddaughter, you are too much like your husband – you were raised to be the best but not raised to make friends. While the two of you may have looked back on your adventures with others as enjoyable I doubt that the others see those same memories the say way. The other elders respect me but I would never call them friends. I can only trust them so much as I know that my goals are the same as theirs but when our goals differ…" The ancient amazon sighed.

"And that's why the Headmaster sought out the son-in-law. I did caution him that bringing Ranma might just lead to the school being leveled and he assured me that as long as Ranma saved any of his students it would be worth it."

Again her grandmother sighed. "What son-in-law fails to consider is that Voldemort has killed thousands and isn't afraid to kill more if necessary. Of Ranma's past opponents only a few of them were killers though many of them were willing to become killers. This Voldemort is no mere killer, he is a murderer. He kills for fun and does not value life other than his own. I hope that this encounter does not break Ranma."

The rest of the week flew by as the school prepared itself for a return to normalcy. For some it seemed to be naught but a long weekend. For the professors it was not a break but an exhausting week of heavy spellwork and patrolling.

That the Headmaster had summoned him in the dead of night was not unexpected but slightly unnerving. Even more unusual was that instead of talking in the Headmaster's Office but that they were walking through Hogwarts. Initially he had thought that it was so that they could go over the castle's security but nothing had been said as they made their way through the castle to the seventh floor of the east wing. That they walked the corridor then turned around to walk it again was odd, but on the third pass the walls shifted and a door appeared.

"This is the Room of Requirement," Dumbledore stated. "In all my time here as a student and professor I have seldom felt the need to use it." With a heavy sigh he opened the door and entered.

The room inside was far larger than the exterior suggested. Piles and piles of, well, junk filled the room though the piles began to vanish and organize as though invisible hands were sorting through it all.

"Over the years a few students, staff, and the house elves have used this room to store items as well as to acquire items that they might need," Dumbledore explained.

+It took you long enough,+ a familiar voice called out to them. The tiny figure stood atop a desk to make up for his stature while a rotund but powerful man stood behind the desk.

+Master Happosai,+ Dumbledore greeted, +and I presume that this is Master Saotome the elder.+

+Good evening Headmaster, and it's good to see you Ranma.+ The slightly rotund man returned.

Ranma eyed his father, noticing that the man's clothes were newer and fit his frame better. +It looks like you've been busy old man.+

+Well, things are tricky back home and your mother is not in any condition to travel.+

Happosai cackled. +You're going to be a big brother.+

+There's going to be another mouth to feed so you+

+Have taken on some more work,+ his father admitted. +Though you and your little family will benefit from this work too.+ Genma Saotome pulled out a pair of boxes to match the one that was on the table.

Even from this distance Ranma could feel the darkness of the magic from the items that were contained within the boxes. It was almost as though the items were alive. As his father opened the box to reveal a ring a wave of hatred malice filled the room. The other boxes shook and rattled as though something alive were in them. Cautiously his father opened the second box to reveal a golden chalice as a wave of pure malice filled the room. The third box shook violently that Happosai had to restrain it.

"We found this one here," Happosai stated as he turned his eyes to Dumbledore. "I believe you know what these are." He opened the last box – a beautifully ornate head piece. The three items trembled as though they did not want to be near each other despite the fact that they were all dark and corrupted artifacts.

"Where did you find those?" Dumbledore finally asked.

"We came across these in our travels," Genma replied. "Once I found the first the second was easier to find. It is not normal to find something so dark and evil – so corrupted. These aren't items that should be left lying around – they could corrupt anyone who comes into contact with them."

Dumbledore restrained himself from touching the ring.

"What are those?" Ranma dared to ask.

"The product of a dark, forbidden magic," Happosai explained. "I believe they are called Horcruxes – items that contain a part of a witch or wizard's soul. Dark magi who are afraid of death will often make one of these in an attempt to gain immortaility."

"Since a part of their soul still exists they would not die unless all fragments are destroyed," Ranma reasoned.

"This is why Voldemort is so infamous. While Grindewald may have spread chaos and destruction further abroad, he and his followers did not kill as many as Voldemort," the grandmaster explained. "To create a Horcrux one must murder someone as that act will cause your soul to fragment. They must also prepare the container before murdering the victim so that it is ready to capture the fragment."

"Those are fragments of Voldemort's soul," Ranma repeated. "He must have thought to create six Horcruxes so that there would be 7 parts of his soul in existence."

Happosai nodded, "With these three we should be able to triangulate the locations of the other Horcruxes unless"

"He is at a location that is unplottable," Dumbledore reasoned. "He is likely at the estate of one of his followers and their home is warded so that it will not appear on any map."

The grandmaster rubbed the stubble on his chin. "When I was training Harry over the holiday I thought I had found one but I could not access the house. Harry was able to enter the building but I was not."

For a moment Dumbledore stiffened.

"You know of the place," Ranma deduced. "That's where Harry stayed the remainder of the break."

"It is the home to one Sirius Black," Dumbledore ceded.

"The accused Dark Wizard?" Happosai remarked.

Ranma nodded, "Accused and improperly imprisoned. He is Harry's godfather."

"Ah," the grandmaster nodded. "When you have a chance take Harry to that place and find the Horcrux. Your father and I will take these and destroy them."

"And the matter that we spoke of?" Dumbledore asked.

"They're in Hogsmeade." Genma was clearly not happy with what they were talking about. "Their honor will be preserved upon the equinox."

"They are all that we could muster," Happosai added. "At the very least we made sure that the others wouldn't join the other side.

"Ranma, you'll need to introduce your apprentices to the others this morning."

X

"Today you will be tested," Ranma stated as his apprentices stood before him. "We'll head down to the lake then head to the shore by the forbidden forest."

The faint light of the predawn sky provided them with just enough light to descend the stairs to the lake safely. Despite the chill in the air they had started to break a sweat as they raced across the frozen lake towards the shore. As they neared the shore they could see three figures exit the forbidden forest and take a direct path to them.

Ranma and Shampoo slowed, allowing the apprentices to take the lead. Each figure wore a cloak so it was difficult for him to identify them at a distance. The three figures slow spread to give themselves more room to fight once they were close to twenty meters from the six apprentices.

Neville was the first to act as he sundered the ice between the cloaked figures and the apprentices, limiting the approach by giving them a disadvantage. One of the figures appeared to fall into the water, leaving the other two to circle around the broken ice. The figure on the far right pulled her arm back, a line of glyphs appearing in the wake of her fist before she sent a blast of fire at the apprentices. The other figure threw a mixture of throwing knives/spatulas and powder bombs at the apprentices as they scattered.

Harry and Theodore cast shielding wards while the others began to fill the air with spells. The fire mage created walls of fire and sent blasts of fire at the apprentices as she closed the distance between them while the other fighter threw projectiles that were blasted out of the air.

Suddenly the third figure emerged in the midst of the apprentices with a flurry of kicks that sent Helen and Su flying.

"They are not holding back," Shampoo stated.

"No they're not," Ranma replied.

Ginny rushed to check on Su and Helen, leaving Neville to deal with the elusive fighter. Despite his size advantage it was clear that he was slower than the robed fighter. A swift kick was ducked under and then the robed figure vanished as Neville lost sight of his opponent. He moved to defend himself but found nothing as his opponent was gone.

Theodore was knocked aside as he attempted to block a straight punch but was unable to deal with the pure power behind the blow.

Harry rushed in to distract her, allowing Theodore to regain his wits. A sweeping low kick connected with her leg but failed to knock her off her feet. A mean back hand barely missed as Harry wisely rolled out of the way and retreated. What he failed to consider was the third figure as she pulled out a battle staff and swung it hard, connecting with Harry's back and sending him into the frigid lake.

Neville used his water magic to lift Harry out of the water only to be punched in the ribs by the third fighter as he suddenly appeared behind Neville. Rolling with the punches Neville tried to cover his ribs even as he countered with a kick but his opponent had vanished again.

Theodore got to his feet only to be forced to dodge as his attacker smashed into the ice with a powerful leaping punch that cracked the ice as she landed. He connected with a short knee but felt a jolt of pain as though he had kneed a statue rather than a significantly smaller girl. His mind registered more pain this time in his stomach as his attacker connected with a straight punch. A wall of ice should have kept his attacker from pursing him but she ripped through it as though it were paper. Another punch robbed him of his senses.

This time Neville anticipated the ambush. Unfortunately he misjudged the location and allowed his attacker to knock his legs out from under him. All he could do was cover his head as he was met with a barrage of kicks.

Harry and Ginny faced the second attacker, taking turns defending and attacking while leaving their opponent trapped between them. They did not anticipate the intervention of third fighter as he took advantage of their focus on the woman before them. Harry was introduced to the man's feet as a kick to the back of his knees brought him down to the ice and an elbow to the head dazed him. Before Ginny could even register the presence of the robed fighter her opponent had grabbed her arm, spun, and suddenly she found herself on the ice.

Ranma shook his head. He had not expected his apprentices to win, but he had not expected them to loose so quickly. While they were not fighters they did have magical training but clearly lacked sufficient experience in combat.