AN: Thanks for all the support and sticking with me as I reentered the active posting world again. As always, I don't own any of it. It's a crying shame too.

Chapter 4

Harry's role in the war was finally becoming active as he was on his first mission. All the hard work Harry went through would be tested tonight and he was bouncing with nervous anticipation.

"Settle down kid. You wanna spook 'em?"

"They aren't even here yet. How can I spook them?"

Mad-Eye growled. "It won't be long…get ready."

Harry just looked at him in a strange way and shrugged his shoulders. Tonight's raid was on the Creevey family and although they were members of the vaunted DAwhich was led by Weasley and Granger, they were no match for Death Eaters. Harry and Mad-Eye both knew that the DA was trained to fight under Albus' rules which meant stunning and nothing lethal. In a perfect world, that would be a great ideal but the world wasn't perfect and the DE's didn't play fair.

From his time at Hogwarts with the hyperactive brothers, Harry knew they had two little sisters who were not magical as was the case with their parents. Without even accidental magic to protect them, the Creevey family was doomed to be slaughtered tonight because they were brainwashed into playing nice.

The normal city noise was momentarily interrupted by the sound of multiple pops. Mad-Eye laid a hand on his shoulder and whispered. "Just like we planned. Catch them in a cross fire if we can, don't let them get behind you, and don't do anything stupid. We don't need them to know who we are just yet and above all else…"

Harry snorted. "I know pops….constant vigilance."

Mad-Eye grinned back. "No…whoever bags the least tonight has to buy the drinks at the pub later."

Harry chuckled. "I hope you brought your money bag." He then disillusioned himself and moved out to make his way to the other side of the house.

As soon as they were in sight, Harry did a head count and saw at least twenty-four. Harry knew this was overkill for one of their raids so he quickly deduced the plan for tonight was total destruction to send a message out. Harry gave a manic grin as he thought a different message would be going out instead.

Lefty had come through for him splendidly. Along with his two wands, two knives, and about ten throwing stars, Harry was also carrying three firearms. The first was a Skorpion machine pistol which he thought may be a little overkill for the night and might actually give his grandfather a heart attack. The other two were fitted with MI-6 silencers, Lefty acquired somewhere, and were a pair of Ruger 9mm. These two were his weapons of choice and he had to admit, he was pretty good with them. The few times Lefty took him out to practice, he realized that the aim and accuracy he learned under Poppy translated to the pistols as well. They were not cannons by any means but when you are a pretty accurate shot, you didn't need the heavier calibers to do the job. With the number of DE's involved, Harry didn't think the Creeveys had time for him to use his wands and in Harry's opinion, that was a shame as he was quite proud of them.

(Flashback)

Minerva took his Holly wand from Albus' office and transfigured an exact replica of it but when he took it in his hand, the wand felt uncomfortable and not right like it once did. It was why she returned it to Albus' office as the bond between Harry and the wand was no longer there. Minerva theorized that Harry had changed too much for the connection to remain and while it made Harry feel a little better, it also hurt that another part of his former life was gone. As it was, Hedwig and Dobby were the only connections that remained.

It wasn't a week later and a long portkey trip before he found himself walking between Moody and Lefty as they made their way through a darkened forest. "Where did you say we were?"

Lefty replied. "Hoia Baciu Forest in Romania. Nasty place but the crafter here makes the best wands."

Moody added. "Stay on the path and don't wander off. There's a lot of nasties out here."

With s gesture of his hand Harry asked. "I get that he's the best but why would we have to go into the middle of this to have a wand made?"

"Man's a recluse for one. He also thinks that unless you can make it through here, you ain't worthy of his work."

"So…what's all in here?"

"As far as we can tell…a little bit of everything. It's said it's the darkest place on Earth. Even Tom would hesitate before coming in here."

Harry chuckled. "Well, let's do this."

His smile turned into a frown as the men didn't move. "Don't tell me…I gotta go alone?"

Lefty chuckled. "Yep"

"Um…I don't have a wand."

"Shouldn't need one. Just don't wander off the path."

"How far?"

"Bout two miles down the path."

"Great! Hopefully I'll see you in a bit."

Harry took off down the path. The darkness was closing in all around him but it was nothing he'd never dealt with before. After fifteen minutes, he had the feeling he was being watched. It lasted for another ten minutes before he saw movement. Unfortunately, it was on the path in front of him. Harry started to stop but then knew it was part of the challenge to get his wands.

Three vampires stood blocking the path. "Ah…fresh young meat brothers. What brings you down our path this evening?"

"I'm sposed to meet a man about wands."

"You'll have to get through us first."

Harry's mind was racing as he tried to think of a way to defeat the vampires without a wand. He then remembered a little wandless trick taught to him by Lefty and concentrated for half a second. When he was done, blue flames covered his body and he began to step forward once again. Not wanting to come into contact with the flames, the vampires moved out of his way as he continued down the path. He kept the flames up until he was sure the vampires weren't following along behind him and canceled the spell.

His journey took about two hours in which he met all kinds of magical creatures and assorted nasties. He used his brain the entire way and never drew his pistols to get him out of a bad situation. The journey itself was interesting as he had never seen trees shaped as many of these were. They made the whole experience surreal and a little eerie and that was saying something since he had traversed the Forbidden Forrest at night on several occasions.

By the time he arrived at the old house, a grizzled old man who would fit in with Mad-Eye and Lefty was waiting for him. The man looked at him for a minute before nodding and waving him inside. Once inside, Harry had to admit it was the strangest room he had ever seen and he lived with Mad-Eye and his ever present paranoia. Foe glasses lined the wall surrounded by weapons of all makes and types. He heard a chuckle in the background and turned to see Mad-Eye and Lefty sitting at a table drinking fire-whiskey. He shook his head at the and muttered 'bastards' before looking at the man again.

The man had a smirk on his face. "Name's Ralph. Thanks for not killing all my friends and protectors."

Harry chuckled. "Ralph? You don't have some strange nickname like those two?" He asked pointing at his mentors.

The man frowned. "Ralph is my nickname."

Harry grinned. "Oh this I gotta hear!"

"Well…I was in the troop with those two back during the last war. Seems the sight of blood don't agree with me."

Harry smiled. "Oddly enough…that's the most logical nickname I've heard yet from Pop's friends."

Harry sat at the table he was directed to and placed his hands on the runes engraved on the table. As soon as he made contact, the runes lit up and began glowing brightly. Ralph turned back to the two men in the back. "you didn't tell me he was a powerful one...course I shoulda known if he made it through the test without any weapon at all." He cast a smirk at Harry as if he knew what Harry had hidden underneath his coat.

Moody bellowed out..."He's me grandson..what dya expect?"

Ralph had Harry do different tasks mainly moving his hands and placing them in different spots on the table and each time having the runes light up. "He's a lot like you Al...you must be teaching him good."

"Aye"

Twelve hours later, Harry was the proud owner of two new wands. Both were exactly the same as Ralph couldn't find anything that was a better match for Harry. The actual wands were hickory. As they talked, Ralph explained that the wood symbolized, appropriately in this case, perseverance which spoke of its flexibly and enduring qualities as a tree. The cores were thestral heartstrings. All Ralph would say was that the thestrals were known to be fairly calm creatures until pushed too far. Once this happened, they reacted violently and viciously. Once Harry picked up the wands, the four of them felt a pulse of magic pass through them.

Ralph looked at him cautiously. "Those wands will be very formidable in your hands Mr. Potter. See that you follow your grandfather's example. Dark magic ain't bad if you're using it for the right reasons."

"Yes Sir. You don't have to worry about that from me."

"Good lad. Now you get out of here with those two reprobates and let me enjoy my peace and quiet."

Harry just nodded as he walked over to Mad-Eye and Lefty and in a flash, the three of them were gone by portkey.

(End Flashback)

Harry moved quickly around to where he would be in a better position to take out as many DE's as possible. He withdrew one of the Rugers from its holster and took careful aim. He started at the back and began taking out the force as they moved to the front doors. He knew the group heading around the back of the house were Mad-Eyes' targets so he focused on who he had in front of him. He was surprised at how quickly the group was moving to take the house as he only got off six shots before they were breaking down the door. He continued to fire as the DE's were entering the house and managed to get a couple more before reloading and following them inside. The room behind the front door obviously was the family room and the DE's caught the Creeveys in front of the TV. Despite the situation, Harry gave credit where it was due as the lead DE worked very quickly by eliminating Mr. Creevey as the biggest threat. He was already on the floor after being taken down by a curse. Harry was glad he didn't see a flash of green which meant he was probably still alive but couldn't worry about him right now as there were still five people in the room in imminent danger.

Harry dropped a wand into his left hand from the wrist holster he now wore as he kept firing to eliminate the DE's as quickly as he could. It never left his mind that there was almost an equal number heading in from the back. He knew Mad-Eye would take care of a good many of them but he didn't need the ones he was facing to be reinforced until he put these down. A curse flew towards the family and Harry cast Protego Horribilus to protect the Creeveys. The two young wizards were already in front of their mother and sisters casting the best shields they knew. While it was helping, Harry knew it wouldn't be enough for some of the higher level curses the DE's were known to use.

Harry's shield flashed as it was hit by several dark cutters and knew it was time to make a choice. The Ruger went back in its holster and the other wand dropped into his free hand from the wrist holster on that arm. With four remaining attackers from the the front door group, Harry started hammering them hard with every strong curse he could throw. He yelled 'DOWN' and the Creevey brothers took their sisters and mother to the floor just as Harry released an over-powered and drawn out cutting curse. Over their heads, a ribbon of deep red flew out in a arc and hit his last four opponents. As they dropped, Harry rushed across the room, he said "Stay down. I'll let you know when its safe."

Harry made it to one of the back windows and took a look outside. Mad-Eye had six down already but was having difficulty with the remaining five as they were hiding behind trees and any other cover they could find as they traded spells with the old Auror. He moved to a door and cast a silencing charm on it so he could open it without being heard. He stuck his wand out the door and with a smirk, Harry cast Serpensortia five times in quick succession. With the amount of power he put into the spells, five large black mambas were summoned and he hissed out. "Kill those five but leave the old man alone."

Within a few minutes, the spell fire stopped and the DE's started screaming and running out from behind their cover. Moody took advantage of it and put the men down as soon as they appeared. He remained where he was until Harry canceled the spell with a smirk on his face. As soon as the snakes were gone, Moody came out from his cover and lumbered over to Harry. He growled out. "Don't think that little trick gives you the credit for the kills."

Harry chuckled. "Sure thing pops. Wouldn't want your reputation to be ruined by a wet-behind-the-ears snot-nosed-brat."

Moody took a swipe at Harry who ducked and moved back towards the house. "Mr. Creevey got hit. Don't know how bad but he was down. I think the rest are okay...just a little shaken up."

"Let's go check then. Good work if they only got one but we need to hurry before the Aurors show up."

Harry went back in the door after canceling his disillusionment charm but did pull up his hoodie and cast a charm across the opening to obscure his face. He knew the longer he stayed dead, the more opportunities they had to do some real damage.

He made it back into the room where both boys were leaned over their father. "How is he?"

"He's still breathing...barely. I don't see any blood and the curse wasn't green."

Harry replied. "Well that's something then. Let me take a look." He then waved his wand over Mr. Creevey and frowned. "I'm not too sure about this one."

Dennis asked. "What can we do?"

Harry's tone turned dark. "Mungo's is out. They won't treat a muggle. The bastards." He turned back to the door. "Hey pops...need your help in here."

Moody thumped through the house and into the family room. Both boys looked at him and together said. "Professor Moody?"

"Aye lads. Lemme take a look." He waved his wand over Mr. Creevey. "I've seen this before. Might can counter it. Junior...come over here so you can learn."

Harry asked. "What was it?"

"Looks like a variant of the blood boiler. Try the counter for that and put a lot into it."

"Yes sir."

Harry waved his wand several times and Mr. Creevey seemed to relax a little and breathe easier. After a minute, his color began to return."

Moody waved his wand over him again and nodded. "That did it son. Good work."

Harry nodded and then turned to the others. "Are all of you okay?"

Colin answered. "Yeah...I think so. Mostly shaken up. They didn't get to mum or my sisters before you got them. Thanks for saving my family."

Harry just shrugged. "It needed to be done. We're glad we got here in time."

Colin recognized the shrug and the voice. "Harry?"

Harry sighed. "Harry's gone Colin. You know that."

"But?"

All of a sudden, there was the sound of multiple pops out in front of the house. They heard one yell 'Aurors' followed by feet running up the steps. Moody looked down at Harry. "GO...I'll be fine!" With a nod, Harry tapped a ring on his hand with his wand and disappeared.

Colin looked at Moody. "Professor...was that really Harry?"

Moody placed his hand on Colin's shoulder. "I'm sorry son but everybody knows Harry Potter is gone. You wouldn't be going about spreading rumors that he's around would you?"

Colin shook his head. "You're right Sir. Whether it was or not...after what you did...I owe you both that much."

"Good lad. Now go tend to your family while I deal with the Aurors."

Moody walked over and stood by the entrance as the Aurors came through the door and came up short at the sight of him. The leader gasped out. "Master Auror Moody? What are you doping here?"

Moody growled out. "I was out for a stroll and saw these dip-shits about to attack this family. Wasn't about to walk away."

Another Auror came running up to the leader and whispered in his ear. The Lead Auror then turned back to Moody. "Moody, I know you're good but even you couldn't take down twenty four single-handed."

Moody took a threatening posture. "Wanna find out Johnson?"

The lead Auror knew better than to challenge this man. "Um no sir...not really."

Moody gave one of his grins that you could never tell if it was evil or happy. "Good. The family is in there. I've already countered the curse the father was hit with. You might want to have the medics give 'em all a once over and then calming draughts. Maybe even post some guards here tonight just in case the bastards send someone looking for their team."

Another Auror asked in an astonished voice. "This was all of them? No one got away?"

"As far as I know."

The lead Auror only nodded. "Okay Master Auror. Madam Bones will probably want to talk to you but you can go for now."

Moody nodded his head and then tapped his portkey. In the blink of an eye, he was gone and the Aurors went about cleaning up the scene and sending away bodies for identification.

When Mad-Eye arrived back at their house, he found Harry waiting for him on the couch in the main room. "You did good tonight Junior."

"You too pops but I can't help but think that twenty-four DE's was a little overkill for the Creeveys."

"Aye...I'm thinking it was a training mission."

Harry's nodded. "They weren't very aware of their surroundings so I don't know how good they really were. Those in the back seemed to do okay."

"Didn't say they weren't talented."

Harry only nodded. "The only reason I did as well as I did was because of the Rugers. They'd have overwhelmed me in minutes if not for that."

Moody flopped down in a chair across from Harry. They didn't need much of a debrief but talking about successes and failures were good for keeping an edge. "Aye...much like they had me at a stalemate but still...the mission was a success."

Harry nodded. "Yes sir it was. I'd just like to make sure we have a better advantage next time."

Moody grinned at him. Never let it be said that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. It was always good to have overwhelming firepower when going up against an adversary.

"And we will. Just knowing where they're gonna hit is a big one. Who's next on the list?"

Harry frowned. Moody knew he was still hurt by the broken bond still but it was much better than his reactions to her name when they first started the training. "Granger's house but you said they'd been moved."

Moody gave him an evil grin. "Still don't mean we can't use it to take out a few more."

Harry nodded. "Guess I'll head to bed. Looks like we have another long night tomorrow."

**ALM**

Harry spent most of the morning rummaging through Moody's arsenal and came across several balls. When asked, Moody told him they were experimental stun grenades developed for the DMLE. Harry nodded and took them to his room and began to experiment with them. By disassembling them, he was able to see the inner working and figured out what caused the stunning spell to activate. As the whole thing was done with runes, he sanded the stunning runes off the inner workings and then pulled a book from his library. The book was left with him by Lefty and was a breakdown of runic sequences and what they did. When he found the right entry, his face took on an evil grin much like Moody's the night before and he set to work.

He worked through lunch and finally came out about three in the afternoon and had a late lunch. Once Moody sat down across from him, he took in Harry's smug look. "So what have you been up to all day laddie?"

The grin didn't leave Harry face. "I was just tinkering with those stun balls."

"And?"

With a bigger grin, Harry replied. "Oh...they're kinda death balls now...well at least maim balls. I removed the stunning spells and added in cutters instead. I then pushed a lot of magic into the charging rune so that it would be able to send out the more powerful spells. I figured we could throw them in a group of DE's and take out enough to give us a better advantage."

Moody nodded. "Good thinking. If they work, I'll get some more for you to play with."

"Why'd nobody else do something like that?"

Moody growled. "That'd be your former headmaster keeping the Aurors' hands tied so that none of his redeemable upstanding citizens would get hurt."

Harry shook his head. "And the sheep wonder why we were so close to losing last time."

"Aye"

**ALM**

They were set up early much like the day before and were awaiting the attack. They were split up this time with Harry being across the street sitting on a large branch in a neighbor's tree while hiding under his invisibility cloak. Moody was camped out behind a shed in the Granger backyard. He had a conjured chair and had his own cloak over him. The waiting was hard as they knew the Death Eaters wouldn't show up before dark.

Harry climbed down from the tree to stretch his legs and loosen his joints for a few minutes. It wouldn't pay for the DE's to show up and he not be able to move for a few minutes due to his unresponsive muscles. Just as he was about to climb back up, he heard multiple 'pops' of apparation and turned to look across the street. It seemed the number was greater than the previous night as if last night was the signal that the DE's were now being hunted and old Tom wanted this mission to be successful.

Harry reacted quickly and threw three balls into the midst of the bunched up DE's after activating them. There was no sound and the only way Harry knew they worked was due to the flash of light. Once that occurred, sound did break the quiet once again as many DE's were now lying on the ground and either screaming or moaning. Several didn't do that as the death balls had earned their name due to the proximity of them to the activated balls.

Harry went into motion, This time, the bunched up DE's were stunned at the suddenness of the counterattack. He pulled out the Scorpion, pulled back the hammer, and let go. The silencing charm around the machine pistol held as he emptied the first 20 round clip. He slammed in another and opened up once again. He was downing the enemy at a good rate but many had already regained their senses and moved. A group of about fifteen took off around the side to get away from the invisible death and ran into Moody. Another death ball was sent in their midst which cut Moody's foes by five. As soon as the flanking DE's started moving again, Moody sent a high powered ribbon cutter towards them and took out the three front ones. Knowing he wouldn't last long out in the open, Moody moved behind a tree and started making surgical strikes when he wasn't dodging incoming curses.

He got three more before the four remaining DE's were closing in on him. They were still unaware of who they were facing and if they'd known, they'd have been a lot more cautious. One of them finally tagged Moody with a cutter which set Moody back a step recovering from the curse. They made their move and Moody snap cast a bone breaker straight into one of their chests. They hesitated for a second allowing Moody to send another lethal curse out. This time the intended target spun out of the way. Moody knew then that these were a little better than the rest and cast several spells trying to keep them off guard so that he could get an opening to finish them off. Out of the dark, Moody saw a glint of metal reflecting in the street lights. In the next moment, one of them dropped to the ground. Moody spared a glance and saw one of Harry's stars sticking out from the man's neck. The distraction was enough where Moody landed two solid spells taking out the remaining DE's.

Moody grunted out. "How many were there this time?"

"Close to forty. Old Tom must be nervous after last night. You okay?"

"Just a cutter. I'll live. What about the rest?"

"Death balls and the Scorpion got most of them. I finished them off with piercing hexes between the eyes."

"Good lad. Never leave anyone alive that you may have to fight later."

Harry snorted. "Moody Book of Combat 101 item 3. I'll bet dumbnuts loved you for that one."

Moody snorted. "Aye that he did. Called me into his office and tried for three hours to show me the error of my ways."

Harry tried his best to imitate Albus. "I'm so disappointed in you Alastor. They could be redeemed to do my dirty work just like Severus."

Moody nodded. "Aurors will be here soon. Let's go."

As they arrived home, Moody pulled them in to the living room like the night before. "Well laddie...let's do this."

Harry nodded. "The death balls worked perfectly giving us a slight boost. If it hadn't been for them, I figured we'd have been overrun tonight."

"Aye...they were a big help. I'll get some more for you to play with. Now, why aren't you using your magical abilities more?"

Harry thought for a second. "First, it keeps me off the radar a little bit longer and second, well, if we were matched up a little more evenly, I probably would but since they had overwhelming numbers, I thought I needed to use overwhelming force."

Moody nodded. "My thoughts too. Good call on that. So what's next?"

Harry closed his eyes to think. "Nothing tomorrow night. I imagine Tom will lick his wounds for a few days...maybe even a week. We've taken out over sixty in two days. That's maybe a quarter of his forces right now not counting any creatures."

Moody asked. "What are your thoughts on the current raids?"

"Like you said last night...training missions or giving his troops a taste of death and destruction in a less crucial raid. I mean...the Creeveys and Grangers are no threat to him and he only has an interest in them because they're muggleborn and well known at Hogwarts. I don't think there's any connection to me since I'm supposedly dead."

"So you don't think the Weasleys are on the list?"

"It wasn't on the list I saw but...they are blood traitors. Hell they're friend traitors too for that matter." Harry chuckled. "If he don't get them...I just might one day."

Moody's eye rose at that and he just stared at Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Geez pops...I was just kidding but if that red-headed git comes at me with a wand...I'm putting his ass down."

"Understood. Now...I'm thinking he's getting them used to working together for bigger targets. We've done some damage so he's going to be rethinking some of his plans."

"Probably"

"He's going after Bones sooner than he planned now and I'm going to guess he'll go after the Greengrass family as well. They're the top neutrals and if he takes them out, he probably thinks the rest will come down on his side. My sources say he's not too happy about having another group against him even if they are against Albus."

Harry nodded. "Yeah...he's lost a good chunk of his cannon fodder so he'll move up the timetable. Can you have Lefty sneak over there and put up some alert wards? We need to be there fast cause he's going to hit and hit hard."

Moody nodded. "I'll send a note in the morning. I'll also stop by and see how many of those balls I can get. If we lob a bunch of them over, we might walk away from this one too."

Harry nodded and rose out of his seat. "I'm heading for bed. Whipping up on bad guys makes me tired."

Moody chuckled. "Me too son. I'd plan on Minnie and Poppy coming over soon. They're going to know we're active now."

Harry nodded and walked out of the room. He stripped as he walked through his room and climbed into the shower to rid him of the grime from the fight. Within minutes, he was climbing in bed and sound asleep.

**ALM**

The headlines in the Daily Prophet the next morning had most of the British magical world totally riveted to the lead article and in shock at what they were reading.

DEATH EATER ATTACKS STOPPED COLD

On the previous two evenings, the Death eaters were out for blood and mayhem. Both attacks were completely stopped with none of the defenders injured according to a DMLE spokesperson.

Two nights ago, Hogwarts muggleborn students Colin and Dennis Creevey were enjoying their summer holidays with their family when the Death Eaters came knocking. The Creevey family was defended by unknown persons who totally decimated the attack. Unofficial reports have Retired Master Auror Alastor Moody somehow involved along with an unknown accomplice. Of the twenty-four Death Eaters involved, none made it out alive.

In a similar attack last night, over forty Death Eaters attacked the home of muggleborn Hogwarts student Hermione Granger who was linked to Harry Potter before his untimely death. The attack was once again thwarted with no idea how it came about. There is speculation that Master Auror Moody was once again involved but no proof has been discovered and the retired Auror is as always unavailable for comment.

The only thing that connects the two thwarted attacks is evidence of a new spell being used. This spell seems to be a variation of the piercing hex and experts say that the entry wound is very small for a normal piercing hex and the caster would have to have focused his spell into a tight beam. That's where the difference stops as the exit wound is rather large. Officials are stumped by the results of their autopsies and are actively seeking Master Auror Moody to hopefully shed some light on this subject.

Other sources revealed that the Aurors played no part in the defense of these two students' homes. When we spoke to young Colin Creevey, all he had to say was thank you to his saviors and that if they ever needed his help, he would gladly do anything he could for their defense of his family. Hermione Granger was not available for contact and is believed to be either at Hogwarts or in another undisclosed safe location with her family.

In the aftermath of the attacks, sixty-four Death eaters have been taken off the streets permanently while the defenders have suffered no casualties.

Whoever you are, Thank You!