Very sorry for the delay folks, life has a way of doing that. The story is alive and well, it just took a lot more time than I'd like to get this chapter up. Thanks for reading!

Harry put all of his effort behind the punch, throwing a haymaker that would knock someone's lights out. He felt a light impact against his fist as Brad caught it. Before he could react, he felt the pull on his arm. It lifted him off of his feet as he rolled over Brad's back, landing hard on the ground. He barely had time to register hitting the stone floor before he was roughly rolled onto his side, his arm twisted behind his back.

"Agh!" he cried out, patting Brad on his leg with his free hand. Brad immediately let go and helped Harry off of the ground.

"What'd you do wrong?" Brad asked. Harry was panting, this being the sixth such time in the last hour that he had been unceremoniously thrown to the ground. He'd been spending three mornings a week waking up early for a sparring session with Brad. The three students had attended several outings at the range, but Brad was spending a little extra time with Harry.

"I…don't know…" Harry panted, wiping sweat from his brow. Brad had been patient in teaching Harry, but remained wholly unforgiving. He'd show Harry the how, explain the why, but damned if he would let Harry land a blow. As Brad told him, "If you plan to hit me, you're going to earn it."

"You're trying to hit too hard," Brad said, throwing Harry a towel to wipe off sweat with. They would both need time to clean up before breakfast, so now was as good a time as any to end the sparring session. "Hitting too hard means hitting too slow. You're telegraphing what you want to do, giving me plenty of time to counteract."

"Right," Harry sighed in frustration. He couldn't seem to win. Brad seemed to know everything Harry tried.

"You need to focus on moving a little faster, and being a little more unpredictable." Brad patted Harry on the back. "Let's get cleaned up. We will try again in a couple days." The two headed toward the common room for showers.

"You get him yet?" one of the sentries asked as they made it to the top of the stairs. It wasn't a secret among the troops that Harry was sparring with Brad, and they had various pools on when and especially if Harry would land a hit.

"Not this time," Harry admitted, a hint of frustration behind his voice. Brad smiled as the sentry shook his head.

"You'll get him," the solider replied, shooting an amused glance at the captain. With that, they'd made it to one of the most dreaded parts of each morning.

"HALT, SCOUNDREL!" Sir Cadogan hollered at them as they approached. Brad rolled his eyes as Harry took a step forward.

"Dilligrout," Harry said firmly. The knight looked Harry up and down, then turned to the captain and stared unmoving.

"Seriously?" Brad asked rhetorically. "Dilligrout."

"Very well," Sir Cadogan said, obviously unhappy, but opening regardless. He'd received a talking to by the Headmaster about the amount of grief he was giving the soldiers. He was told explicitly to open when someone gave the password. He'd taken it to mean that each solider had to say the password, something that the students did not often have to do.

"Pain in the ass," Brad said under his breath as they made it inside. They headed to the shower room, each to their separate stalls to clean up. By the time they'd finished and gotten dressed for the day, almost everyone else was up.

Most of them were busier though. The majority of the student body would be leaving for Christmas vacation, so it was time for the last minute packing. Harry, Ron and Hermione would all be staying, partly for their own reasons and partly in solidarity with Harry, who was unable to leave even if he wanted to.

"Morning, boss," Mike called out as Harry and Brad hit the last of the steps. The rest of the gang waited patiently, talking amongst themselves until Mike's callout. "Any luck?"

"No," Harry said. The shower had cooled his frustration, and he figured he knew what to try during the following session. "Next time though."

"That's the spirit!" Mike gave Harry a friendly punch to the shoulder as the group made its way toward the breakfast hall. It was going to be a busy day, especially for the operators and their fellow soldiers.

The Task Force would be escorting the students to Hogsmeade for a final visit for half the day, before they boarded the train and headed home for the break. After that it would be three weeks without the majority of the student body, until their return in early January.

The conversation picked up as everyone headed down for breakfast.

"Settle down, everyone," Major Price called out. The briefing room was packed, everyone from Staff Sergeant and above attending the briefing. The addition of a platoon from Charlie Company only served to stack the room further. The idle chatter died down, and the Major began his briefing.

"Alright, we all know that today we are escorting the students to Hogsmeade for a final visit before they board the train and leave for their Christmas vacation." There were several nods of affirmation as he continued. "I now have confirmation, as of last night, that the Headmaster was able to work out a deal with the Ministry of Magic. We will be deploying a platoon to Hogsmeade for the duration of the Christmas break, taking over for the Ministry." There was a ripple through the troops at the news. The Ministry, thus far, had been pretty hardline against deploying TFA anywhere.

"What caused the change of heart?" Brad asked, voicing the question held by everyone in the room.

"Faculty wants to be able to move back and forth between the castle and Hogsmeade during vacation. After the attack at the Quidditch game, Dumbledore had the ammo needed to make it happen." Major Price held a serious look on his face. Though the official stance within the Ministry was that nothing had actually occurred and dementors were completely under Ministry control, there was enough unofficial doubt cast to cause a review. Dumbledore was able to negotiate the removal of the dementors from Hogsmeade during the review, along with making sure the timing was during the Christmas holiday and not after."The Minister is undoubtedly going to be paying close attention, and any major slip ups in safety are going to be a way for them to kick us out of here. Don't fuck up."

The next several hours consisted of a detailed plan of individual assignments, down to the squad level, for each of the five platoons. Apparently, command had decided to use numerical order. 1st Platoon would leave within an hour of the briefing to secure Hogsmeade from Dementor control. 2nd Platoon would handle security up and down Hogs Highway for the day, while 3rd provided the student body escort. 4th Platoon and half of 5th would continue security at the castle and its grounds while the rest of 5th Platoon acted as the Quick Reaction Force, ready to respond rapidly to any threat. A pair of AH-64 Apache helicopters would be dispatched from RAF Lossiemouth to escort the Hogwarts Express back into muggle territory, where it was deemed highly unlikely that Sirius Black or any others would present a threat to the students.

Questions were asked and answered until everyone thoroughly understood their day's assignments. Once clear, they were dismissed. 1st Platoon headed immediately for the armory to gear up for their assignment. Each soldier in 1st Platoon was being issued a Mk I Patronus Pack, in light of the recent incursion. They were being issued at the squad level for everyone else.

Brad and his team headed to the library, as they had made previous plans to meet up with Harry, Ron and Hermione for a study hall of sorts. Classes were over, but several of the less favored teachers had assigned homework to be completed during Christmas vacation. Professor Snape, worst of all, assigned six rolls of parchment on the various uses of Doxy Eggs and how to collect them.

No one was excited about it, but Hermione had the idea that if they did a study hall, the projects could be completed in short order, leaving the remainder of the holidays for relaxation. Mike, unsurprisingly, seconded it and no one else had a good argument against it, so the plan was set. They'd work in the library for a few hours until time for the Hogsmeade visit, and then several hours a day until the assignments were complete.

"Hey, guys!" Mike greeted as the four operators took seats with the trio. All three winced even before Madam Pince had the chance to respond.

"Quiet," she scolded them, receiving a momentarily confused look from Mike. "This is a library, hush." Madam Pince stalked back toward her work room, while Brad smacked Mike across the back of the head.

"Nice, genius," Brad continued the scold. "Got any firecrackers you'd like to light off as well?" Mike gave an innocent look that no one believed, before turning to the trio again.

"Hey, guys," he repeated, this time much quieter. "Getting anywhere?"

"Yeah," Hermione replied, "we're already done with the first scroll."

"Already, she says," Ron huffed, "We've only been here all morning."

"Quality work takes time," Hermione defended.

"Do we need an Outstanding on every assignment?" Ron asked, a little too loud.

"This is a LIBRARY!" Madame Pince called out from her room. "Quiet!"

"Shut up and work, bro." Mike punched Ron in the shoulder playfully, but nevertheless it was taken seriously. After almost an hour, a second scroll of parchment was done and the trio were well into their third. Mike was leaned back in his chair with his head lolling in boredom, while Jason and Eric flipped through a book on dangerous creatures. Brad was counting the time until they needed to gear up.

Finally, Brad rapped his fingers along the table, sitting up. "It's time."

There was a palpable feeling of relief from the others. The boredom had been severe, and though Ron and Hermione would never say it aloud near Harry, they were looking forward to the Hogsmeade trip. Harry, of course, would not be able to accompany them. No matter the security placed on him, the staff and soldiers alike remained firm. He would not leave the safety of the school unless absolutely necessary.

"We'll meet you outside the Great Hall doors," Mike said, mostly to Hermione. The soldiers dismissed themselves, off to gear up, while the students packed their homework. An awkward silence hung over them as they packed bags.

"I'll bring you a bag from Honeydukes." Ron broke the silence first. Harry was doing his best not to make his friends feel bad, but it was tough. He felt left out, and that was hard to hide.

"Thanks," Harry replied numbly. The façade of spending the day together on homework was over, and with their bags packed it was time to part ways. They made it to the stairs in silence and Harry turned to his two best friends. "See you later."

"Yeah," Ron replied. Hermione gave him a half smile, knowing he didn't want to stay alone but not exactly willing to volunteer to stay as well. She would if he asked, and he knew it. Both of his friends would, but he wouldn't put them in that position.

Harry watched them on their way down the stairs until they were out of sight, then lugged his bag back to the Gryffindor common room. There was no sense carrying it around the castle with him. He planned to go to the Quidditch pitch to clean his broom.

"Psst…Harry!" a voice called out from behind him, and he almost jumped out of his skin. He turned quickly to see Fred and George standing almost behind a statue, as though they were trying to hide.

"Bloody…" Harry muttered to himself. The twins didn't mention his fright, so Harry continued. "What are you two doing here?"

"We've come bearing gifts," Fred said, winking mysteriously as George pulled a parchment from his pocket.

"What's this?" Harry asked as George handed him the parchment.

"This, mate, is the secret to all of our success."

The handoff went without a hitch, and things around the castle had been quiet for the first week of the Christmas Holiday. Students were back home visiting family, and the small handful remaining were excited to have free access to Hogsmeade for the duration of the holidays. With the soldiers actively and constantly patrolling the school grounds, Hogsmeade and the Hogs Highway, it was the safest anyone felt all year.

More than once, it was said that no matter where you stood, there was at least one soldier in sight. Without the looming threat of dementors nearby, students and staff alike were able to get around and enjoy their vacations.

The peace and quiet wasn't to last however, and it was never more apparent than that morning. Warnings had been set out throughout the school and even to the townsfolk in Hogsmeade. It would be a loud day, as the soldiers of TFA were performing a series of exercises. Battles to keep the men and women honed and prepared to fight.

"Hey, snap out of it, bro." Mike hucked a small stone, cracking Harry in the arm. Harry was knocked from his reverie and back into the present. With as often as the trio were 'training' with the operators, they were all curious how they would fare against opponents. It took some convincing, but Major Price and Dumbledore relented and allowed Harry, Ron and Hermione to accompany Reaper in the field during the exercise.

Everyone was using the stun ammunition, which as it turned out were perfect for training exercises. The stun effect prevented any form of cheating, which was difficult to do with the paint based simunition, but not impossible. Their current objective was to infiltrate the castle and make it to the command center to assassinate Major Price. 3rd and 5th Platoons were defending the castle and it was up to Reaper and the three students to make the attack.

"Jason, take Harry, Ron and Hermione to the west side of the castle, there should be plenty of cover near Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Use your SOLDA to get an M32 and dump smoke at 1445. Make a lot of noise, I want them focused on you." This was going to be one of the first deployments of the satellite based Orbital Cargo Deployment System, or OCDS. The US military had spent a fortune placing weapons, equipment and even some small vehicles inside a large satellite. On request, it would automatically load and launch the requested supplies to special operators. It was tremendously expensive, but the idea was to increase the combat efficiency of special operators without increasing the load they carried into battle.

"It'll be my pleasure," Jason said. The M32 was a six round revolving grenade launcher. He could accurately place grenades to almost 400 meters, and filled with smoke grenades he could create an effective screen to prevent the defenders from seeing what was going on.

"Eric, Mike and I will approach from the water to the east. We will take the first years' boat ramp up into the castle and move in from there. Any questions?" Brad asked. There were none. This was the first time the three would see any form of combat, and they were varying in attitude. Harry was eager to see how he would perform, even if he was a little nervous. Hermione had some ideas on creating a distraction and was looking forward to the ability to try them out. Ron was reluctant but unwilling to let his friends do this alone. He was vocal about his desire not to be shot however.

"Good. You guys just remember what I taught you. Take cover and make noise," Brad said. They nodded, clearly as ready as they would get. "Give 'em hell."

The teams departed, each headed to their respective objectives. It didn't take long for Jason and his team to sneak into a position in the woods outside Hagrid's hut. Jason looked at his SOLDA. The data pad was a flexible screen attached to the inside of his left arm. It showed all of the data a soldier could want, nearby friendly units, up to date maps, access to footage from spy satellites and UAVs, even access to the NATO High Value Target database. Its newest feature, however, was the most exciting.

For a long time, operators were limited to what they carried into battle. Perhaps, if lucky, they could find valuable equipment or enemy resources. Air dropping supplies was always risky, especially if you don't have total dominance of the airspace. OCDS was changing that, allowing operators to carry their standard gear and request supplies on the fly during a mission.

He could see the rest of Reaper had made it into the water. It was time to make some noise. He switched to the order screen. Rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, medical supplies, even a few ATVs and a personal underwater jet frame. They thought of all of the contingencies. He ordered an M32 and a supply of 40mm grenades and set the coordinates to the pumpkin patch. ETA of two minutes…not bad.

"Reaper 1-1," Jason whispered into his headset, "Ordinance ETA 2 mikes, you're a go in 3." He heard a click of the radio, confirming his transmission. He spent a minute analyzing the terrain before a loud noise became too much to dismiss as background noise.

"What on earth is that sound?" Hermione asked. The three students were deeper in the woods, their lack of experience in stealth operations made Jason extra careful in letting them closer to the woodline.

"That must be the supply drop," Jason said. It was the first time he'd used it. "Not exactly stealthy." He looked up. Two bright streaks were rapidly descending toward the patch. "Time to make some noise." He hefted his M249 SAW, the light machine gun perfect for the task at hand. Its belt of 200 rounds would help make it sound like the entire team was down there in the patch, instead of just him. He waved the trio forward and they darted into the open.

The OCDS drop turned out to be a bit of a blessing. It was a rare thing to see something dropping from orbit, and the defending soldiers paid more attention to the drop than the grounds. The four had made it almost three quarters of the way to the patch before the first defender began firing on them. Jason immediately dropped to a knee, leveling his SAW and unleashing several ten round bursts in the general direction of the defending troops. It wasn't particularly accurate, but it was enough to get heads down so they could reach better cover.

By now the streaking sound was nearly deafening. Jason looked up in time to see the two modules as they slammed into the ground only 40 feet ahead of him, dead center of the pumpkin patch. One more push forward and they'd be there. Both modules were upright and producing heavy steam. He tapped a button on the SOLDA, initiating a code that caused explosive bolts to detonate, opening the face of the case and exposing the contents of the modules.

"Cover me!" Jason shouted. The defenders were still getting their bearings, and Jason intended to take full advantage of it. Ron stood straight up, much to the shock of his two friends.

Crack! The report of a heavier caliber rifle, probably a sniper or marksman, was heard just after Ron's hair blew about, a red streak smacking him square between the eyes. Ron collapsed, a picture of agony. Jason was out of cover and moving to the grenade launcher. Hermione, still under cover, whipped her wand in a perfect formation.

"Illusius!" she cried out. A dull green orb shot from her wand, growing larger and larger until it was the size of a small car. It was a ghastly head and it contorted its face cruelly, launching itself at the defenders. Many of the troops dove for cover, the rest firing as rapidly as they could manage at the giant spectacle. It broke its attack at the last minute, lifting up and coming back down at them again.

"What is that?" Jason called out to Hermione as he loaded the smoke grenades into his launcher.

"It's an illusion. It can't really do anything, but it's big." She wasn't lying. It was keeping the attention of almost every defender on site. Jason thanked her silently for knowing such strange spells and leveled the launcher.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk… He fired off every one of the six rounds, one after another, in an even spread. As soon as he ran out, he loaded more, and fired them. Soon, the field was coated in smoke so thick it was hard to see anything. The ghostly shape started to fade off, and Jason leveled his SAW, starting to send rounds down range.

"Moving!" Harry called out, running low and fast to Jason. Harry was carrying two more reloads for the SAW, freeing Jason of that added weight. Hermione peeked from her cover once more for a spell.

"Avis!" She called out, and kept waiving her wand about. Birds shot from her wand, and continued to do so as she waived it. They flocked into the smoke, and Jason could see the red streaks as the defenders tried to get their bearings. So far, the distraction was going well.

Sergeant Sara Freeman looked on at the spectacle ahead of her. She'd never seen anything like it. First, the two missiles or whatever they were rocketing down from the sky. They hadn't done much damage at all when they landed in the pumpkin patch, but she and the rest of her squad had been sure that Hagrid's hut was getting flattened. The lack of explosion was surprising and they'd tried to recover to the best of their ability.

Now they were suddenly fighting a giant green head. She'd fired at it till her magazine went dry, and when she saw several of her squad were ducking instead of fighting back it pissed her off.

"Get your asses back on the line and GET SHOOTING!" she hollered. She'd always had a small frame, it was something she'd been picked on for when she was younger in the Spartan program. She made up for it with a very loud command voice. In fact, she was certain it was one of the reasons she made Sergeant. People didn't ignore her when she yelled.

True to form, the men in her squad got back up and started firing. The giant head had broken off its attack at the last second and was slowly making its way about for another run. No casualties so far, but it hadn't escaped her notice that there were several smoke grenades around their position.

"For fuck's sake," she sighed. She could see a figure in the patch leveling a launcher for another salvo. She took aim and was just getting ready to fire when the giant head was close enough to be the bigger threat. Stopping the smoke would have to wait.

Crack crack crack, she took individual shots, aiming at the eyes. She wasn't sure how to hurt the thing, but if video games taught her anything, it was to aim for the weak spot. She figured it was worth a shot here too.

"All teams to the front gate," Sgt. Freeman heard over the radio. What? It looked like this was it, but sending everyone? It was quite a gamble. The head again turned away at the last second and it started to dissipate. She allowed herself a moment to thank the lord at the turn in luck, but was pulled to the present when she saw what was happening around her.

There had to be a few dozen smoke grenades all spewing the concealing gas. It was harmless but soon they wouldn't be able to see a thing. She aimed out toward the pumpkin patch, letting loose a volley of rounds, while she could still reasonably see.

Crack, whiz whiz… She ducked down. She'd have called it too fast if her experience in battle hadn't taught her there was no such thing as taking cover too fast. Not when you could hear the whiz of bullets whipping past your head.

She saw more reinforcements pouring out of the castle toward them. One of them lost their rifle and tumbled down the staircase as a green jet struck him in the chest, obviously a spell. This was turning into a massive clusterfuck.

Slowly, methodically, Brad crept his head up from the water. He was careful, moving slow enough to prevent any sound, any ripples. His eyes made it above the water even as his lungs were screaming at him for air. His discipline prevented him from moving any faster though. His barrel crept up from under the surface, then his nose. He let the remaining water drain from his nostrils before slowly exhaling and inhaling. Once his shoulders were out, he was swiveling, rifle at the ready for any threat.

Mike and Eric had done the same, and it only took a few moments before they were satisfied that the room was clear. They made their way slowly to the edge of the dock, then one at a time hefted themselves out of the water. They stayed crouched low, letting much of the water drain from their uniforms and equipment while they listened for anything nearby. It was silent.

Brad stood halfway, waving the team forward. They moved forward quietly, suppressed weapons aimed at the doorway leading into the school. The suppressors were helpful to reduce sound, but they were far from silent. Once they fired their first shot, it would be a race against time.

They stepped through the door, clearing the hallway beyond. It led directly to the staircases and would be a straight shot up to the third floor, and then it was a matter of getting to HQ. He could hear the gunfire outside, it sounded like a hell of a fight. They must have bought it and sent the guards from down here outside. Brad counted his lucky stars and they moved on. At the foot of the stairs they listened closely. They could hear boots upstairs, but there was no line of sight.

"Rapid approach, go." Brad ordered. They began jogging up the stairs, rifles aimed and ready to go. They knew that guards would be up there and instead of relying on stealth to get them further, it was time for the other two components of a successful assault. Surprise and violence of action. They reached the top of the stairs before the interior guard knew what was on them.

Rounds coughed from the operators rifles and the guards went down. Reaper team jogged past them, not missing a beat. Their cover blown, they simply continued on toward the door leading into the third-floor hall. Eric, as though reading the mind of his team leader, pulled a stun grenade from his vest and primed it. Brad took a very quick look, and four more were in the hall, ready to fight. Several rounds flew past where his head had been a moment before as he barely ducked out of the way. Brad nodded and Eric pitched the grenade at face level down the hall.

Whump! The second they heard the detonation, the three charged the hall. All four guards had been caught by it, their eyes and ears overloaded by the blast. The operators made quick work of their adversaries as they rapidly passed.

Down the hall, from the command room a head and rifle poked from the doorway. The rifle wasn't even halfway up when Brad fired a trio of rounds, impacting the poor trooper in the face. He slumped to the floor as they finished the approach.

"Captain?" the Major's voice tentatively called from inside. "You-" Brad was no dummy. He knew the Major was going to try and surrender. Unfortunately for the officer, one didn't receive orders that involved shooting a superior officer every day, and he planned to capitalize. Without further hesitation, Brad burst into the room. A very surprised looking Major Price, with a handgun in hand, was in the center of the command post. Brad seamlessly took aim and pulled the trigger twice, aimed at center of mass.

"You got stuck on a night patrol for that?" Jason asked. The team won, much to the embarrassment of the two platoons defending Hogwarts. To their credit, it was a massive learning experience and they were already implementing changes to their patrols and defensive strategies. Hermione's tactics had been highly effective against the unprepared troopers and they were determined not to let it happen again. Major Price had been less than enthusiastic at the outcome, especially the being shot part.

"It was less that he got shot," Eric pointed out, only to be immediately interrupted by Mike.

"And more that Cap shot 'im in both nipples!" Mike guffawed at his own comment, clearly still enjoying it the most out of anyone. "It was incredible." The others were laughing too at this point. They were in the Gryffindor common room, enjoying the fact that they had it to themselves for the duration of the holiday. In fact, there were only two Ravenclaws and a single Hufflepuff. That was it for the entire school.

"I didn't mean to shoot him in the nipples…" Brad said lamely. Truth be told he hadn't intended to shoot the Major there, but he wasn't broken hearted over it either. What he was a little broken hearted about was replacing Lieutenant Jacobs on a night patrol along Hogs Highway tonight.

"Sure!" Mike said, then turned to Hermione. "By the way, I hear you're pretty largely responsible for the success of the diversion." Command had gone over every detail of the operation in a debriefing that took several hours, and the major point pulled away was that they still had very little experience fighting actual magic. Even in the United States, there were precious few instances of muggle on wizard combat and they simply didn't have much of an idea what to expect. They'd become very rapidly proficient at fighting dark creatures, but actual wielded magic was something of an unknown. Hermione's use of several diversionary and quite spectacular spells highlighted their inexperience.

"Thanks," she blushed, trying to make it look like it didn't mean as much to her as it really did. Truth be told, she was happy that she'd been instrumental in their win. Not just that, but her knowledge had actually turned the tide of the battle. The Lieutenant in charge of defense confirmed that he'd bought the large assault. Hook, line and sinker. He'd redeployed internal security to reinforce for the battle outside, not knowing it was a diversion. Without the spectacular display, another twelve soldiers would have been inside waiting for the rest of Reaper, including four in the indoor dock where Reaper made entry. It would have been an entirely different battle. He'd nevertheless made a rookie mistake leaving even one approach completely undefended. The Major's shouts could be heard through much of the third floor as he reprimanded the Lieutenant for his poor deployment. A thorough review showed the Lieutenant had not used standard protocols during his defense and had paid the price.

Ron was celebrating with the rest of them, but he definitely had a more sour edge about him. He'd received a solid shot to the forehead by one of the snipers posted in the Owlery. The center of Ron's forehead was still beet red, and he spent a fair bit of time rubbing the sore spot.

Harry had done an excellent job as well. He carried the extra ammo for the SAW, and after the first belt ran dry, Jason gave it to Harry to reload and operate. Jason had switched back to the M32, lobbing stun grenades and smoke at the defensive force. Harry had maintained excellent control of the weapon, firing small bursts and keeping lots of heads down. The weapon jammed near the end of his belt, and Harry switched to his wand, successfully hitting one of the defenders with an Expelliarmus spell from a distance that impressed even Flitwick, who was standing by to repair whatever minor damage occurred during the exercise. It won Gryffindor ten points, which was icing on the cake.

In all, the task force now had an idea where they were insufficient and had gained valuable experience from the exercise. And OCDS had worked beautifully, deploying much needed firepower right where it was needed.

"Hey," Mike took a seat next to Hermione as everyone broke into their own conversations about the day. "You have plans for tomorrow?"

"No?" she seemed to ask. They'd finished the holiday's assignments already. Aside from the occasional training and today's big event, they had nothing significant planned.

"I thought maybe you'd like to go celebrate the win," he said, flashing her a nervous smile. "Maybe grab a bite to eat in Hogsmeade?"

"Erm, yeah that sounds great," she replied a little quicker than she meant to. Her face flushed and she looked down. Mike stood, much to her relief.

"Sounds like a plan," he said cheerfully. "I'd better go help the Captain. He's got a patrol to get to!" Mike called out a little louder, turning and wrapping an arm around Brad's shoulder, leading him to the portrait.

"I can't believe I have to patrol all night," Brad sighed.

"I can't believe you shot the Major in the nips," Mike chuckled again. He was not planning to let Brad live it down.

Thank you all for reading, again I apologize for how long this took. I'm well into chapter 16 already.

I'd like to challenge anyone who makes it this far to leave a comment with something they like and something they dislike about this story. It would help me to get an idea what people are thinking as they read, and like anyone I love getting the feedback.