Edited by the mighty pazed!

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Chapter 20

Harry looked around at the grounds of the ancient castle. "I used to think of this as my true home…" he said.

Spitfire nodded as Hermione gave his hand a squeeze. "I did too Harry."

"But now…" he said as his eyes found the window of the Headmaster's office high on the wall overlooking Black Lake, "now it just seems… so small somehow…"

Spitfire stood next to the young couple for a moment letting the sight settle in their minds. "Harry," she said finally, "You'll find many things like that will happen over the years. As you change and your perspective changes, the luster something once had is lost to the passing of time. It means you've changed, grown, become something more than you were before."

She turned towards them. "But now is not the time for contemplation; we need to take our positions. I'm sure our message has been delivered by now and they will be coming soon."

Harry nodded. "Alright," he said, making a final check of his equipment and making sure he had everything.

With a flicker of gold and crimson the blond woman disappeared into the distance, leaving the two teens alone for the moment. "I won't be far Harry… are you sure about this?" she asked, a nervous tremor in her voice.

"Yeah..." he replied, "I am. He wants me, and if he thinks I'm here alone it will give us a better chance to surprise him… You dropped him off at the phone booth right?"

"Yeah, I dialed it myself and watched him disappear before I came back," she said. "If…"

"I know," he said pulling her close. "If it looks wrong, or looks like too much, I'll give the word…"

They stood like that for a short time, till they finally let each other go.

"I'll see you when it's over Harry," she said softly.

"You can count on it Hermione," he said, as she turned and walked towards the darkness surrounding the castle.

Lucius Malfoy had always been a proud man, proud of his family name, proud of his status, proud of his accomplishments in the name of his Lord. He felt himself the epitome of what a pureblood wizard should be!

However the confused, babbling and addled thing that was making its way across the floor of the building that had once been the home of the wizarding government, the Wizengamot, could scarcely be recognized as Lucius Malfoy any longer.

While he looked much the same, he twitched and jumped at the smallest of sounds, and when someone called his name after recognizing him he let loose with a shriek, collapsed on the floor in a ball that scuttled away till he had backed itself into a corner of the room.

"Out of the way!" said a loud voice from behind the crowd that had gathered.

Thomas Rowle had known Lucius since they were boys, even before they first arrived at Hogwarts, as their families had been quite close, politically speaking at any rate.

Thomas's stomach turned at the smell pouring off the man as he knelt. "Malfoy!" he said. "Get a hold of yourself!"

He got no response, other than gibberish, so he tried again. "Malfoy!" … "Lucius!" he tried then, grabbing the man, only for him to scream incoherently and lash out knocking Thomas back and off his feet.

Quickly drawing his wand he stunned the now raging man.

"Take him downstairs, and put a calming draught in him!" Thomas told the men behind him. "Our Lord will want to know what happened to him!"

Thomas stormed his way out of the room where Malfoy had been placed, and made his way towards his Lord's audience chamber. Pausing only briefly to compose himself he entered.

The room had once been the Wizengamot's meeting chamber, but now served as Lord Voldemort's throne room. Near where he entered several others had congregated, but had not dared to move any closer. Opposite them sat the Dark Lord himself in all his terrifying glory and next to him stood the only Death Eater he ever allowed within arms reach, his enforcer Bellatrix LeStrange.

"Rowle? I trust you bring me news?" the sallow skinned man said from deep inside his dark robes.

"I do, my Lord," he said standing straighter.

"Then approach," the voice hissed. "I do not wish to be kept waiting!"

"Y-yes my Lord!" he said and began to walk across the room watching both of them closely as he did. When he reached the center of the room he saw Bellatrix twitch and he stopped moving forward.

Taking a deep breath he began. "Lucius Malfoy was found in the entryway a short time ago!"

"Ah! So he did escape the destruction of the manor…" Voldemort said and his head moved slightly under his robe. "It seems your brother-in-law is more able than you realized my dear."

"It would seem so my Lord," she said, anger plain on her face.

"Bring him to me!" Voldemort said.

"I-I'm sorry my Lord," Thomas said swallowing hard. "He is unconscious at the moment…"

"Explain!" the Dark Lord roared.

"H-he was found in an uncontrollable state!" Thomas blurted, "He didn't seem to recognize anyone! And either attacked or tried to run from anyone present! I had him stunned and given a calming draught, so I could try to make sense of his ravings!"

"And what did he say Rowle?" the Dark Lord asked. "What left one of my circle in such a state?"

"Harry Potter sir!" Thomas almost screamed, "Harry Potter is at Hogwarts!"

Hermione leaned on the wall next to the red headed woman. "What was in that syringe anyway?" she asked.

Natasha smirked, as she lowered her binoculars. "A little of this a little of that… It was a cocktail the people who trained me cooked up to break enemy agents and make them malleable for intelligence gathering… Think of it as a really bad LSD trip, with post hypnotic elements."

Hermione chuckled darkly. "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

Harry's head snapped up when he heard several small pops from the direction of the village. "Showtime… is everybody ready?"

A chorus of "ready"s answered him over his ear piece.

"Let's do it then…" he said, mostly to himself.

Harry touched his wand to his throat. "Well hello Tom! Nice to see you, and your little club too! Bella dear? Is that you? My aren't we looking divine tonight! Azkaban chic is really you!"

He watched as they gathered around their Lord at the gates, and he began preparing to cast. Harry spoke again. "Just come on in, I hope you don't mind but I had the castle locked down. I thought this would be a splendid place for us to face off! I mean, what better place hmmmm…? Than on the grounds of the place that was more of a home to us than anywhere else?" he said, as the gate clanked loudly and opened.

Tony watched as several blips appeared on his heads up display. "Alright people, we've got multiple signals coming in from two directions. Four read as very large, coming down from the mountains behind the lake… Along with ten… no twelve smaller ones with them, moving the same speed."

"That will be us Bruce," said Hermione. "Giants for you, and I'll cleanup around their ankles! We move as soon as Harry gives the word."

"Ok!" came a reply.

"I count twenty coming in though the forest, moving fast… Spitfire that will be us, I'll knock them down, you clean them up… Nat? You and Legolas ready?"

"Like you had to ask," came back to him over the headset, as he zoomed in on one of the parapets, to watch as the Black Widow settled herself behind her sniper rifle, with Clint nearby also preparing to fire.

"Alright then! Cap you're with Harry," Tony said; a click answered. "Whenever you're ready Harry!"

Harry watched from the crest of the small hill he was on, as the group of Death Eaters made their way up the pathway towards him, with Voldemort himself in the lead.

"I must say I am impressed with your courage Potter!" the dark clad Lord said as he approached,

"And you look as despicable as always snake face," Harry jibed. "Hiding your face now Tom?"

My name is LORD VOLDEMORT!" the Dark Lord roared, as he threw back his hood. "And you will kneel before me, and beg for the release of death!"

"Ah! There is the disgusting face that I have learned to know and despise!" Harry chided, "But then what's a nose among friends?"

"Potter!" the Dark Lord growled, "I am going to strip the meat from your bones and use it to feed the thestrals!"

"Sorry," Harry said. "I don't think I can oblige with that T-"

A boiling crimson spell smashed into the ground at Harry's feet. "You will address Lord Voldemort correctly Potter!" yelled Bella.

"Oh but I am," Harry said with a smirk. "His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle!" Harry twisted at the waist to dodge another dark colored spell this time from Voldemort.

"That name means nothing to me!" he screamed.

Harry smirked and spoke again just as Voldemort began to cast another spell.

"Ava-"

"Avengers,"

"-da Ked-"

"Assemble!"

"avra!"

Even as the killing curse erupted from Lord Voldemort's wand, Harry reached out with his right arm and caught the object flying towards him, bringing it between them.

A deep resonant 'thong' rang out from the shield as the spell impacted it and reflected back towards the caster. Tom's eyes widened as he dove out of the way.

He rolled across the ground, gathering his feet under him and looking up just in time to watch Bellatrix's head disappear into a fine red mist.

A roar from overhead drew his attention next, as a pillar of fire dropped from the sky, and erupted into several smaller trails of smoke and fire as it passed by and over the Forbidden Forest.

"What is this Potter?" he snarled, as a roar shook the ground and a green troll stormed out of the darkness near the castle and hurtled into the air towards the mountains while a second troll laughed out loud and rode on its back piggy back style.

"You have your friends, your Death Eaters. These are my friends, the AVENGERS!"