HARRY POTTER AND

HARRY POTTER AND ICE CREAM DELIGHTS

Author: Luckner

Disclaimer: The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: As this story is taking on a more adventurous nature I'm changing the description from humor/romance to adventure/romance.

CHAPTER 5: SLEEPING UNDER THE STARS

Sleep did not come easily to Harry Potter on the night before his meeting with Edward Trunuffen, Editor of the Daily Prophet. Over the previous four days Harry and his friends had carefully arranged every detail of the planned encounter. But in spite of all the preparations the young teen was still concerned that something might go wrong. This was Harry's first real opportunity to hurt Voldemort's efforts, while at the same time make the wizarding world aware of the threat, and he desperately didn't want anything to snuff it up.

He went over the plans time and again in his mind trying to catch some detail that they might have overlooked, but everything seemed to be covered. Philius Lovegood had arranged for the meeting to take place in a hastily created broadcast station far away from the main offices of Wizard Radio; at a location that was kept strictly secret. It was only natural to expect that Death Eaters would try to interrupt the broadcast once its nature became clear, and they would likely launch an attack against the main offices of Wizard Radio. Harry had contacted Nymphadora Tonks and suggested that a trap be set, and the fewer people who knew about it the better. After she got over her shock at the audacity of his plan she readily agreed to help.

Although Harry had some doubts about it, Fred and George Weasley had volunteered to meet Edward Trunuffen at the Daily Prophet offices and apparate him to the secret location where the meeting would take place. Earlier that day the twins had dropped off a new batch of their truth potion and Luna had already baked it into a batch of innocuous looking wafers. She had wanted to make her delicious Chocolate Snorkacks, but the others convinced her that as a follower of the Dark Lord, Trunuffen didn't deserve them. Philius Lovegood had worked out the wording of the order, purportedly from Lord Voldemort, that would direct Edward Trunuffen to eat the wafers immediately before the meeting. Hermione, Ginny and Neville had prepared the list of tough questions that would be asked at the meeting, and Ron helped rehearse Harry and Luna so that they were flawless.

But now, as Harry lay awake staring at the ceiling, he realized that he couldn't remember a single question. 'What if he couldn't remember in the morning?' This was so important that he didn't want to mess it up. In frustration he finally got up and went down to the kitchen; thinking that a bit of food might help him sleep. Coming through the kitchen door he saw Luna sitting at the old oak table that filled the middle of the room, and sipping on a mug that he knew must contain hot cocoa. She was wearing a thick white robe decorated with orange and blue animals; which must have been of her own design. Something about Luna always made Harry smile, even if it was at one o'clock in the morning.

When she saw him enter she immediately brightened, and pushed a second mug across the table in his direction. He sat down opposite and pulled the mug towards him, inhaling the rich, steamy chocolate smell.

"It has a warming spell on it," she said offhandedly. "I wondered how long before you would be down."

"How did you know I'd be down?" Harry asked as he took a sip of the chocolate. The temperature was just right and it was just sweet enough. "You make an excellent cup of cocoa," he added with a smile.

"Old family recipe; my mum created it when she was a girl and passed it down to me. The secret is the nutmeg and cinnamon. I knew you would be down," she said, switching subjects without warning. "You always worry about things so much; you need to relax and take life as it comes."

"You may be able to do that, but it's not so easy for me. Sometimes I wish that I could forget who I am, if only for a little while," he said wearily.

"I think we can arrange that. Will you join me for a walk?" Luna asked as she set down her empty mug.

"You do know that it's almost two o'clock in the morning, don't you?" Harry asked as he looked up at the brass clock on the wall.

"That's the best time," Luna declared like the fact should be obvious.

"Oh? Well then let's go," Harry declared with a smirk as he sat his own mug down

Luna took a couple of warm cloaks from a cupboard by the door and they ventured out into the darkness. The first thing that Harry noticed was that it wasn't all that dark, not with a bright full moon that was bathing the landscape with it's soft silver rays. The second was that he really didn't need the heavy cloak with the balmy temperatures; and Luna was in fact carrying her own cloak over her arm. It was a warm, comfortable night with a soft breeze coming up from the south.

As they walked along the meadow trail Harry began to understand why Luna enjoyed her midnight walks so much; the meadow seemed even more beautiful in the silvery glow of the moonlight than it had in daylight. Luna stopped and observed the tall grass along the trail appraisingly, as if trying to reach an important decision. Finally resolved, she spread her cloak on the grass and lay down on it comfortably, indicating that Harry should do the same.

As he lay back on his cloak Harry felt strangely at peace, and he wondered it there might be an enchantment on the peaceful meadow. The warm breeze caressed his skin with the sweet perfume of summer Jasmine and the sound of crickets in the grass nearby seemed to make him rather drowsy. As he glanced over at Luna, he saw she was lying on her back staring at the star-filled sky, the silver moonlight reflected in her unblinking eyes.

"Thanks for sharing this with me, Luna," he said sincerely.

"And thank you for sharing it with me," she replied with a warm smile. "Now go to sleep so the Ginger Fairies can bring us both sweet dreams."

"The Ginger Fairies?" Harry asked contentedly as he closed his eyes.

"Oh yes, they live here in the meadow. And if you fall asleep under the stars they will sprinkle you with fairy dust to bring you the sweetest dreams."

As sleep overtook him Harry didn't doubt her words for a single moment. And indeed the Ginger Fairies must have been working overtime that night, for the two teens had the most beautiful dreams, which not surprisingly seemed to revolve around each other.

- o -

Harry felt more than saw motion around him. Very reluctantly he opened his eyes and saw Luna waving her wand above him.

"What's up?" Harry asked with a sleepy smile.

"It gets cold around dawn. I'm putting a warming charm on you," she said.

"I can think of a better way to keep warm," Harry replied boldly as he opened his arms to her.

"Can you?" Luna replied shyly, and lay down next to him with her head on his chest.

After a few minutes, and in a very sleepy voice, she added: "I think I like your way better." And the two drifted off to sleep.

Harry was roused the next morning by a feeling of movement. He opened one eye and saw Luna sitting beside him looking towards the eastern sky.

"Too early…come back to sleep," he grumbled, closing his eye again.

"Oh good, you're awake. Look at this," Luna responded cheerfully.

"No….Sleep," Harry mumbled and rolled over away from her.

Oh look, it's Voldemort off for a sunrise walk," Luna said casually.

The seconds ticked by as the boy's sleepy brain processed the information.

"Voldemort! Where!!" Harry yelled as he leaped to his feet and started to wave his wand around.

"Six seconds," Luna said appraisingly. "Not bad at all."

"Luna," Harry said severely. "That's not funny." But then seeing her sweet smile his mood softened and he added: "Well, maybe it's a little bit funny.

She patted the ground beside her and together they watched the sun rise above the tree tops in it's pink and gold splendor.

As they walked back to the house Harry put an arm around Luna's back. "You were right about sleeping under the stars. Do you think we can do it again?"

"Of course, maybe if we're lucky it will be raining. It's even nicer in the rain," Luna replied dreamily.

Harry looked up at the slightly cloudy sky. "I can hardly wait," he said hopefully.

- o -

Nymphadora Tonks hadn't known what to think when she received an owl from Harry Potter asking if she could meet with him. He wondered if they could meet at the Burrow and he asked her to please keep the matter confidential. She was curious about the article that she had read in the Daily Prophet, and so she readily agreed. There had been an angry reply to the article in The Quibbler, and a hasty retraction by the Prophet; but that was only to be expected considering Harry's celebrity status. Nevertheless, Albus had said that Harry was spending the summer with the Lovegoods, and he didn't seem happy about it. 'Could Harry possibly be so smitten with the young Lovegood girl that he was actually considering marriage, and what was Albus going to go about it?' Tonks wondered.

When she apparated into the back garden of the Burrow the next day she was shocked once again. On a bench by the pond sat Harry Potter and he wasn't alone. He had his arms around a young girl with long dirty-blond hair and bright silver eyes; and they were clearly oblivious to the presence of anyone else. A blind man could see that the two teens had intense feelings for one another. 'I hope Albus stocked up on the lemon drops.' Tonks thought with a smirk.

Not wanting to interrupt the two teens, Tonks slipped through the back door and into the kitchen of the Burrow. Molly was at the stove working on lunch and Ginny was sitting the table.

"Hi Molly, Ginny," Tonks exclaimed cheerfully.

"Tonks, you're just in time for lunch. Ginny, will you call Harry and Luna?" Molly asked.

"Okay, but I hope Harry doesn't hex me," Ginny declared, giggling as she left the room.

Tonks looked over at Molly questioningly and saw a smile on her face as she continued to stir a large pot on the stove.

"So, that's Luna Lovegood?" Tonks asked in a neutral tone.

"Yes, that's Luna," Molly replied, but there was a dreamy tone to her voice.

"And the article in the Daily Prophet? Tonks asked.

Molly's smile disappeared and her eyes hardened. "Lies, vile lies. The two of them are just fond of each other."

"Fond? Molly, just one look at them tells me they are more than just fond of each other," Tonks replied firmly.

"Well, yes, it is rather difficult to separate the two of them. Ron said it's almost like they are joined at the hip; but I think he's a little jealous that he and Hermione aren't quite as comfortable with each other. The relationship has really changed both of them."

"Oh, how so?" Tonks asked, as she snatched two of Molly's cookies from the table.

"Harry's much more confident and happy than before. You'll see," Molly said.

"Hi Tonks," Harry declared, choosing that moment to enter the kitchen.

"Hi Harry," Tonks responded as she turned to face the teen. The first thing that she noticed was that he was holding the young girl's hand and that gave the playful Auror an idea. There was nothing more fun than embarrassing a teenaged boy.

"So, is this your fiancée?" Tonks asked, assuming that Harry would immediately turn to the color of a ripe apple.

"Yes, this is Luna, my bride-to-be," Harry responded casually, surprising almost everyone in the room. Over the past few days he had come to expect a good deal of teasing over the article, and was determined not to be embarrassed over the Prophet's lies.

Never one to give up easily, Tonks decided to try her luck with the other teen. "So when is the wedding to be," she asked Luna innocently.

"Keep reading the Daily Prophet. They'll let us all know," Luna responded without a blink.

"You know, you two are no fun at all," Tonks declared with a pouting expression.

As the two went upstairs to get Ron and Hermione, Tonks turned to Molly with a surprised look. "You're right, he has changed."

"They've both changed," Ginny giggled as she grabbed a cookie from the stovetop.

During their lunch the young Auror observed Harry carefully. The teen was definitely more confident and determined, and Tonks had no doubt that the young girl sitting at his side was at least partly responsible for the change. Afterwards Tonks joined Harry and Luna in the back garden where they could speak in private.

"So what can I do for you, Harry?" Tonks said brightly.

"Do you know who controls the Daily Prophet?" Harry asked seriously.

The smile disappeared from Tonks' face as she turned serious as well. "The Malfoys, Blacks and McNairs," she replied.

"And behind them is Voldemort," Harry declared conclusively, as Tonks visibly shuddered. "And the Ministry can't do anything about it?"

"Nothing; the stock is all held in the hands of people with no direct connection to the Dark Lord. We know who's pulling the strings, but we can't prove it."

"What if you could prove it? Harry asked with conviction.

"Then we could shut them down," Tonks declared in surprise.

"What about Fudge, would he interfere?" Harry asked.

"He wouldn't help, but if you had solid evidence he probably wouldn't interfere. After the disaster at the Ministry, and the proof that You-know-who has returned, Fudge is in a very precarious position," Tonks declared with satisfaction.

"Tomorrow Luna and I are meeting with the editor of the Daily Prophet so he can make a public apology. It will be broadcast on Wizard Radio at noon, and we think we can get him to make a public confession of Voldemort's involvement with his newspaper," Harry said with confidence.

"You can't use Veritaserum, Harry. It's a controlled substance and any confession you get will not be legal," Tonks declared, becoming more serious still.

"But what if we don't use Veritaserum? What if there was something else?" He asked.

"But there isn't; only Veritaserum is powerful enough to override a person's willpower."

"There is a new potion just as effective, developed by two slightly demented individuals that I think you know," Harry declared with a smirk.

Tonks eyes opened wide at this new revelation. "I always knew those two crazies were brilliant. What do you need from me?" She asked eagerly.

"I would like you and some of your friends to be at the radio station tomorrow. I have a feeling that when Trunuffen starts talking Voldemort is going to send some of his friends for a visit."

"Will you and Luna be there, Harry?"

"No, Luna and I will be having the meeting in an off site location; but the Death Eaters won't know that. When he hears the questions that we are going to be asking, and the answers that Trunuffen will give, I think old Voldie will do anything to stop the interview as quickly as possible."

"It sounds like it might be an interesting party," Tonks said happily, noting how confident Harry had become. "My friends and I will be happy to attend."

"Will you keep this as confident as possible; we wouldn't want advanced word of our party to leak out?" Harry declared with a smirk.

"I'll have to clear it with my boss, Amelia Bones; but she's on our side in this war, so it won't be a problem."

- o -

Edward Trunuffen was a member of an old pure-blood family with strong connections to the elite families in the wizarding world. He was about fifty, with dark hair that was slightly graying, raven-black eyes and a reputation in the pressroom of being a severe taskmaster. He had first gone into the publishing business because he realized that controlling public opinion was a sure route to wealth and power, and as he laid the sheet of parchment on his desk with a satisfied smirk he believed that his goal was almost in his grasp. It was almost too good to be true, he thought as he rubbed his hands together.

He had not been looking forward to making a public apology to Harry Potter and Xenophilius Lovegood's idiot daughter, but now he anticipated the meeting with almost childlike glee. He had previously considered such an apology to be a personal humiliation, but now everything had changed.

The letter that he had just received, along with a small packet containing some dark-colored wafers, came directly from his master. The message was not funneled through a go-between, like Narcissa Malfoy, but was written by the Dark Lord himself and signed with a distinctive "V." 'He would always treasure this letter,' he told himself, 'and when the Dark Lord is victorious I will be rewarded beyond my wildest dreams.' His lust for wealth and power kept him from questioning the letter for even a second.

The message explained how the Dark Lord intended to turn the public apology to his own advantage. The wafers, the letter declared, contained a new and powerful potion. Trunuffen was ordered to eat the wafers immediately before the start of the meeting. The effect of the potion would be instantaneous, and he would be able to read the minds of both Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood.

The Dark Lord ordered Trunuffen to use this power to embarrass and humiliate Harry Potter, and cause him to loose credibility with the public. Trunuffen looked forward to the opportunity with the greatest of pleasure. There wasn't a sixteen year old boy in the world that didn't have something to hide, and now Trunuffen had the means to find out what it was. As for the Lovegood girl, all he had to do was get her on the subject of her fanciful animals and she would make a complete fool of herself. That would further discredit Potter, because a perceived romantic relationship with such a girl would again call his judgment into question. 'Maybe I can turn the subject to what the two of them do in private; the public eats that kind of thing up,' he thought with a leer.

Not long before Trunuffen had received the Dark Lord's message he had received an owl from Harry Potter. The boy had declared that for security reasons the site for the meeting would be kept confidential, and that the editor would be escorted to the location by two wizards who would meet him the next morning. At first he had been annoyed by such a 'cloak and dagger' approach, but now he looked forward to it.

At 11:00 the next morning Trunuffen was waiting on the steps outside of the Prophet Building, scanning the street for his escort. It was a grey, overcast day with the threat of rain, and Trunuffen hoped that whoever was meeting him wouldn't be late.

Suddenly he heard a loud explosion that was quickly followed by two more; and the editor began to look for a place to take cover. At that moment an ancient black automobile turned the corner onto the street, backfiring regularly as it lurched forward down the block and leaving a blue-black cloud of smoke in its wake. The vehicle must have been sixty years old and was clearly American made. Autos of that age were quite rare in London, and American built vehicles of that age were rarer still.

The vehicle lurched to a stop in front of the Prophet Building and two equally strange men stepped out onto the sidewalk. If the two were trying to be inconspicuous they were failing miserably. Both wore long grey trench coats and Fedora hats pulled down low over their eyes. Their shoulder-length red hair seemed particularly conspicuous when contrasted to the rest of their ensemble. The two walked up the steps toward Trunuffen with identical grins on two identical faces

"We've come ta take ya for a ride, Sweetheart. Da boss wants ta see ya," one said in dialog that must have come straight out of a 1930s era American gangster film.

"Ya, he wants ta fit ya for cement robes," the other added, trying to look as menacing as possible with a most comical effect.

"Be feeding the fishes at the bottom of the Thames less I miss my guess," the first declared with a sneer.

Rolling his eyes in disgust, Trunuffen climbed into the back seat of the rickety old sedan and it launched forward dangerously. He felt a sudden pull behind his naval and the car hit a rough road surface with a slight bump. The entire automobile had apparently been made into a portkey. Judging by the rolling pastureland that he could see out of his window, he knew he was many miles away from London.

They drove on a few miles before coming to a stop in front of an old Victorian house. One of the strange men jumped out of the auto and opened the rear door for Trunuffen, and with a flourish of his hand indicated that the man should exit. The two led him up to the front door and rapped sharply three times. Seconds later the door was opened by a teenaged girl with bright red hair and a smile that seemed positively wicked.

"Password?" She said with a straight face.

"Moldy Voldie," one of the men replied.

"Enter," she ordered and swung the door open.

She led the annoyed editor down a long hallway to another door, and as he passed into the room she whispered: "Enjoy it."

Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood rose from a heavy oak table as he entered the room. What unnerved Trunuffen most was that neither teen smiled nor said a word, but stared at him with a quiet resolve. Behind them, standing before a large circuit board, was an engineer monitoring the broadcast equipment.

Trunuffen stepped forward and extended his hand with what he hoped was a sincere smile plastered on his face. He felt certain that he could deal with these teenaged adversaries, whatever their plan.

"Mr. Potter, it's so very nice to finally have the opportunity to meet you. And Miss Lovegood, I know your Father well, and it's a pleasure to meet you as well." As Trunuffen spoke the meaningless words he was trying to peer into the minds of the two teenagers, but he saw nothing at all. Harry refused the opportunity to shake hands, and all but ignored his presence in the room.

"We should get started," Harry said to Luna and then nodded to the engineer. "Sit down Mr. Trunuffen."

Trunuffen knew there was something terribly wrong when his body instantly obeyed the boy in spite of the fact that he didn't want to sit.

The engineer nodded to Harry and picking up a microphone he switched on the key.

"We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming at this time to present the meeting between Mr. Edward Trunuffen, Editor of the Daily Prophet, and Mr. Harry James Potter and Miss Luna Lovegood," the engineer announced in a strong clear voice. The man then picked up his coat, set the microphone on the table between the three people, and walked to the door. "It's all your's Mr. Potter," he said as he left the room.

"Isn't he going to stay to monitor the equipment," Trunuffen asked the two teens, growing more concerned about how things were going. When no reply seemed to be forthcoming Trunuffen decided that it would be best if he took control of the meeting from the very onset. With a wide smile he began to speak: "I would just like to say…"

"You're not here to make speeches," Harry declared, interrupting the man. "You're here to answer questions concerning Voldemort's involvement with the operations of the Daily Prophet!"

From a thousand wizarding homes around Britain there was a collective gasp at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. In the Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge was listening in shocked silence, realizing that the shaky hold he had on his position was about to get shakier still. In his office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore knew that Harry Potter had now taken the conduct of the war out of Dumbledore's hands and into his own. The control that he so desperately wanted to maintain had disappeared in a single moment. But no one was more shocked than Edward Trunuffen. He turned deathly pale and felt like someone had just hit him in the face with a cricket bat.

"I have to leave," he declared as he hurriedly got to his feet.

"No, you will sit down and answer our questions," Harry said firmly.

Under the influence of the potion the terrified man dropped back into his seat. "What have you done to me?" He screamed in fear.

"Just gave you a little potion to help you tell the truth," Harry declared. Trunuffen's eyes widened in panic, and sensing his next question Harry answered it for him. "No, it's not Veritaserum; it's something new. Now, let's begin with the questions."

"How long has Voldemort controlled the Daily Prophet?" Harry asked as the once proud man trembled in fear.

The question cut through Trunuffen like a red hot knife, and he looked for any avenue of escape.

"Two years," he whispered against his will, knowing full well that his words were signing his own death warrant.

"Why has the Daily Prophet alternately praised and attacked me in its articles?" Harry continued forcefully.

"To undermine the morale of the public we encouraged them to pin all of their hopes on you, and then we shattered that hope by printing negative stories," Trunuffen replied, streams of perspiration streaming down his face.

"And why did you attack me?" Luna asked, with no less determination than Harry.

"Your Father's newspaper has been gaining market share on us; by attacking you we hoped to reverse that trend. Also, by suggesting some kind of inappropriate behavior between you and Mr. Potter we hoped to damage his image."

- o -

In a decaying manor house on the Cornish Coast, Lord Voldemort was taking care of some unfinished business. One of his Death Eaters had the audacity to suggest that the Dark Lord's plan for attacks on the homes of prominent wizards should be postponed for a few weeks. He had pointed out that after the failed raid at the Ministry the Dark Lord's forces were severely depleted, and a delay would allow his ranks to be filled with new recruits. For his presumption the Dark Lord was subjecting his servant to a most severe application of the Cruciatus Curse; and the man's screams could be heard throughout the house.

At that moment Peter Pettigrew burst into the room uninvited, and fell to his knees before the Dark Lord.

Voldemort glared at the intruder, and then at the Death Eater who lay sprawled at his feet at the point of death. No further pleasure could be gained from the man, for he was already unconscious. Further application of the Cruciatus Curse would only drive the man into madness, and he had proved moderately useful in the past. Wormtail, on the other hand, would prove a suitable substitute for the Dark Lord's wrath.

"You dare enter this chamber, Wormtail? For that insolence you shall take his place," Voldemort hissed smoothly as he raised his wand to strike.

"Please master," Wormtail screamed as he felt the excruciating pain coursing through his body. "The radio…Potter…Trunuffen…" Unable to say anything more the helpless man collapsed to the floor in agony.

Hearing the name of his arch enemy, the Dark Lord released the curse instantly. "What was that? Speak quickly Wormtail."

Struggling against the unbelievable pain, the man raised his eyes to look at his master. "On the radio, Master; Harry Potter is talking to Trunuffen."

"That is of no consequence, Wormtail. Trunuffen is merely making a strategic apology," the Dark Load said smoothly, and prepared to renew the curse.

"But Potter is asking him about you," Pettigrew declared, as he trembled in anticipation of renewed pain.

"What! Turn it on immediately," he ordered another follower who stood near the door.

What he heard caused the Dark Lord to fly into a frenzy of rage.

"All of you. Stop that broadcast immediately. Bring Potter and Trunuffen before me. Go now!" He screamed.

The four men in the room were more than willing to do anything rather that face the fury of the Dark Lord, and hastily apparated away.

- o -

As Nymphadora Tonks sat in the offices of Wizard Radio listening to the broadcast over the room's speakers she was as shocked as any by its contents. She had brought four other Aurors with her, and they were prepared for anything. As she listened, Tonks was glad that she had brought as much force as she did, for this was certainly an interview that the Dark Lord would want to stop at all costs. The station staff had been quietly evacuated earlier that morning and the six Aurors were now alone in the building.

"Get ready," Tonks ordered, certain that it wouldn't be long before the Dark Load would react, and react violently.

Moments later four masked and hooded Death Eaters apparated into the broadcast booth of the Wizard Radio Station, their wands drawn. Alerted by the sound of their adversaries' arrival, the Aurors starting to shoot spells through the glass partition that separated the waiting room from the broadcast booth. The windows were shattered into a million tiny fragments and forced the surprised men to find whatever cover they could. Soon the air was filled with red and green light as spells shot back and forth, destroying anything that their lethal beams impacted with.

It was clear that the Death Eaters were both outclassed and outnumbered, and one of their numbers gave the order to apparate away. But here too they were to be frustrated, for immediately after their arrival the Aurors had erected an anti-apparation ward around the building. Within a few seconds two Death Eaters lay unconscious on the office floor, leaving the remaining two to battle on alone.

"We've got to get outside the wards," Wormtail screamed over the noise of the battle. He turned and fired a reductor curse against an outer wall, blowing open a large hole. Both men tried to make their escape at the same moment, but Wormtail was caught in the back with a Stunning Spell before he could get through the hole. His comrade didn't hesitate for a second, as he scrambled to save his own life. He just managed to get beyond the silvery wards, and apparate away safely, when multiple beams of red light cut through the place where he had been standing.

As Nymphadora Tonks took an accounting of the captured Death Eaters she was delighted to discover Peter Pettigrew was among them. His capture would especially please Harry Potter and all the friends of Sirius Black. While her team transported the prisoners to holding cells in the Ministry, Nymphadora Tonks went directly to Director Bones' office. Entering the office she found her chief listening intently to the radio, a rare smile on his face.

"Well Trunuffen and the Prophet are finished," she said with satisfaction. "The girl with Potter, who is she?" Amelia Bones didn't like the Daily Prophet, didn't read it, and didn't follow gossip.

"That's Luna Lovegood; she's the daughter of the Quibbler publisher," Tonks replied.

"Oh yes; well she has a great deal of courage. Trunuffen has already implicated Narcissa Malfoy as being an agent of You-know-who. Take a team to Malfoy Manor and place her under arrest," Bones ordered.

"With the greatest of pleasure," Tonks said with delight. "There's also something that you should know about one of the Death Eaters that we just captured." In the hurried conversation that followed, the young Auror filled her chief in on the details of the capture of Peter Pettigrew, and the effect that it would have on Harry Potter.

o -

Lord Voldemort was beside himself with rage, as one question after another systemically destroyed his carefully laid plans. Trunuffen had exposed Narcissa Malfoy as well as Voldemort's connections to the Black and Macnair families. The Ministry would move swiftly to cut off the funds that he received from those sources. And still Trunuffen continued to talk. Where were his Death Eaters? Why hadn't the broadcast been stopped?

At that moment an injured man stumbled into the room; his robes torn and his left arm clearly broken.

"It was a trap….They were waiting for us. I was the only one able to escape," he said as he fell to the floor.

"That is your misfortune," the Dark Lord declared, and a green beam of light hit the helpless man.

- o -

The broadcast lasted for a full hour, and with each answer Trunuffen knew that he was sealing his fate.

"You can go now," Harry finally said.

"He'll kill me," Trunuffen said in complete despair.

"Do you want to live?" Harry asked.

"Yes," the man answered a slight glimmer of hope in his voice.

"There's an Auror outside the door right now. If you'll sign a full confession, naming names, they will take you to sanctuary outside the country."

"I'll do it," he said sadly.

"It may interest you to know that the wafers that you believed came from Voldemort actually came from a new group fighting him," Harry said firmly.

"The Dark Lord will destroy them," Trunuffen said with certainty.

"No, 'The Marauders' will destroy him and all who stand with him," Harry said defiantly.

It was there that the interview ended, but a new word was on the lips of witches and wizards all over Britain: "Marauders."