CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The three entered the room of requirement and found Daphne and Hermione reading tomes. Harry threw down a burlap sack with the melted lumps that were the horcruxes. "We have them all. We have six horcruxes and the only one missing, if you two are right, is the one remaining in Lord Voldemort.

Hermione looked into the bag. "So you got three today?"

Fleur smiled "Yep! One at a place called little Haggleton, one at Gringotts, and one at Sirius's home."

Daphne sat up and listened to what had happen as the three of them told the day's events.

The next morning they were awakened by a house elf from Headmistress McGonagall asking for a meeting as soon as possible. They gathered together and landed directly in the Headmistress's office. Minerva wasn't even surprised by their appearance but Amelia was and stood up quickly before realizing who it was and then sat down.

Minerva looked over at her "I am not even surprised when they just show up here. Harry seems to be able to go anywhere he wishes, regardless of the wards."

Harry smiled "It does come in handy. Imagine what havoc I could have caused as a firstie if I had known then what I know now?"

Minerva shuddered and quipped "Like that stopped you from doing things anyway."

Amelia was chuckling "All right Harry enough of the distractions. What news do you have for me?"

Harry turned over the bag to her "These were Horcruxes and evidently Tom made seven of them. In there are five and there was one in me and now all that is left is the one in Voldemort himself."

Amelia looked very surprised and then horrified "That is how he came back?" Harry nodded silently to her. "Oh good heavens that man is an abomination even as Dark Lords go."

Amelia listened as Harry continued "Tom during the ritual last year didn't get his enemies blood. He got one of his follower's blood because Wormtail had to finish the ritual in a certain time or fail. He took Rockwood's blood and used it. Had he used my blood, someone he considered as an enemy, the ritual would have made him much more powerful. As it is today he is greatly weakened. It is my understanding he does not cast spells even in battle, he just directs his people."

Amelia added "It is my understanding that rituals not done correctly or done with shortcuts fail miserable over time."

Hermione looked at her "Our research revealed the same thing. Had he used Harry's blood they would almost equal each other in power but they are far from it as it stands and we think there is a possibility that he is weakening."

Fleur then added "We met him in little Haggleton two days ago and he tried to confront us but lost seventeen men before he left. He didn't cast one spell."

Daphne then finished "Since we now have the horcruxes taken care of we need to directly attack him and see if he can be hurt."

Harry grinned "We believe that if he is directly attacked his true abilities will fail him, so that is what we are going to work on for the next few weeks."

Amelia stood up "Just remember the more cornered he feels, the more desperate he becomes. Keep me in the loop Mr. Potter." Amelia went through the floo to her office.

That night another attack came with a plea for help from a town in Northern Scotland. It was only thirty or forty miles away from the school. They prepared to head to it as quickly as possible.

Harry usually landed on the outside of the town and made their way towards it but for some reason decided to land disillusioned in the town center with a pub and a store as the local focal point. When they looked around they found no fighting, screaming, or explosions occurring. If anything the town center was dead, not even the pub was open.

Harry thought "I think this is wrong as the Pub isn't even making noise at ten pm."

Daphne thought "Hold one." Suddenly on the side of town five distinct pops could be heard that sounded very much like apparition."

The five heard someone whisper very loudly "Jaston start with the noises."

Then they heard three thumps on the Pub's roof and it suddenly came to life as sounds of merriment and then screams of panic came from within. Harry thought out "Definitely a trap and well thought out on their part."

Fleur asked "Leave or fight?"

Hermione chuckled in thought "This is an opportunity to shock them very well. Maybe if we are quiet enough they won't even know we are here until no one is able to return to Voldemort alive."

Harry turned to Daphne "Can you stay here and cause distractions?"

Daphne smiled as she answered "Yes, all day long."

Harry turned to the rest "We are going to hit the guys on the roof of the pub and then stay together as we hit anyone else we find."

Harry apparated them silently to the back corner of the roof top. Unfortunately it was practically on top of two look outs posted there. Harry and Hermione both stunned them but it caused too much noise. Harry looked around and counted over ten death eaters in the vicinity and began a systematic approach to taking them out. Hermione immediately sent up her special shield which caused three to lock up until they were drained.

The other five were distracted by the attack and trying to get the others with them to assist. Daphne's distractions were causing real problems with the other death eaters and causing confusion. They did not hear the other fight occurring but Daphne had them chasing around ghosts as she led them through the streets right behind an unseen attacking force.

Within seconds the leader was knocked out and the others were taken out permanently. Unknown to Daphne or Harry there were fifteen death eaters chasing her phantom forces. Once Harry had the roof cleared he managed to apparate into the pub to find five death eaters holding the townspeople hostage.

Harry apparated up to the roof and explained it too them. "We will go to the men's room and then come out into a little hallway. I want everyone to pick a man and then take them out. I will take two." They all nodded at him and then apparated into the rest room.

They were met at the vestibule by one death eater who probable heard them enter. Harry stunned him very quickly before the death eaters could really get their bearings. Harry thought "1, 2, 3 – Go!"

They each appeared behind a death eater and stunned. Gabby didn't almost see the wand come from the crowd at her until it was too late. She ducked and hit the person with a cutting curse that sliced their shoulder and head off. "Watch out death eaters dressed as natives." She thought to the others.

Harry turned to find two coming towards him and sent a mass stunner spell that got five of them. When he turned he saw Hermione about ready to be attacked with a dagger and cast a shield before another mass stunner hit four others. Hermione turned when she heard the shield being challenged. She began casting stunners quickly until all twenty of the people in the pub were stunned.

Harry killed the ones with wands out and that left ten people as unknowns. Hermione stated out loud. "I wonder if any of them were from the village at all? This was a very sophisticated plan and had we not been as vigilant they would have gotten us."

Harry frowned "I only had ten that didn't have weapons or wands out."

Fleur stated quickly "Let's see if they have wands or anything on them. If not then I would venture to say that they are villagers forced to participate."

Harry nodded his head in agreement "We are not going to risk waking them or allowing them to fight with us. Leave them here stunned while we take out the other death eaters."

They went out the front door to hear Daphne laughing as she ran the other stupid death eaters on a merry chase. She felt them near "This is actually fun. I actually got them to stun two of their own as they ran around a house and caught up to their tail."

Hermione and Fleur were laughing as Harry just shook his head "Wonderful bring them to that alley and we will set a trap for them." Daphne smiled and then nodded.

Soon the thirteen death eaters came running down the road and as they came by Hermione, Gabby, and Fleur began picking them off by the rear. There were five left that entered the alley. Hermione and Fleur stood by the entrance to the alley and managed to get two more as they made their way to where Harry was.

Harry became visible and this stopped their advance and they held their wands on him. The leader looked back and only saw two guys behind him "Shite. Where are the others?"

A female voice sounded out from the walls "Defeated of course. You are surrounded now surrender." The lead guy looked very dejected and then dropped his wand.

Harry frowned "Every death eater carries at least two wands and other weapons. You have five seconds to throw whatever you got on the ground or I can start throwing cutting curses like there is no tomorrow." The leader then threw another wand and a dagger out.

Harry looked them over "Who cooked up the scheme for tonight's festivities?"

The Leader said slowly "The Dark Lord. He was sure that your saving people thing would cause you to let your guard down and the death eaters disguised as villagers could easily kill you."

Hermione from behind asked him "What did you learn from tonight?"

He turned around "The Dark lord's agenda doesn't stand a chance."

Harry then asked "How many more men does he have now?"

The leader turned around and scowled "I may be defeated tonight but that doesn't mean I am willing to give up. Purebloods have to protect ourselves against those that want to change the life we have worked to build in Britain."

Harry cast a cutting curse "I do not have the time to bicker with an idiot."

Harry turned to the man on his right "How many men does Voldemort have left?"

The man began to shake as he watched the other guy twitching on the ground. "Really I don't know the precise numbers. I have only seen thirty-five or forty at any one time."

Fleur asked "How many new faces have you seen?"

The guy gulped "A few, it use to be more every month but it has dwindle the last six months." Harry stunned the remaining men and left them bound and naked in the town square. The Aurors arrived ten minutes after they left to find the villagers stunned and five more stunned death eaters bound and naked out in front of the pub.

Once the aurors got the story, they took the bound death eaters to the ministry cells and a trip to the Wizgenmont for trial.

When Voldemort found that this raiding party had not returned after an hour he went to the town to see what had happened. He found none of his men and plenty of Aurors investigating the scene. He quickly surmised from his roof top vantage that his entire force of thirty-six men had been eliminated. The death eaters posing as villagers had all been captured and not one of Potter's people had been hurt. Voldemort returned to his hideout very dejected.

The girls returned to the room of requirement and wound down from tonight's stressful activities. When Harry returned a few minutes later they adjourned to an oversized prefect's bath and when they began to wash each other's back, one thing led to another.