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Chapter 26

"Finally!" Harry said, as he looked into one of the last two remaining doors.

Steve chuckled. "At least it wasn't the last one."

Harry grimaced. "Yeah, well at least this time I have some idea what I'm looking for," he said, leading the way inside.

Motormouth shrugged. "Okay, you told us this place is some sort of super wizardy place, what the hell makes it so different?"

Harry shrugged. "The Department of Mysteries is where people called Unspeakables study magic, at least that's what we were told… To tell you the truth, thinking back on what I saw here last time, I think they are the wizarding version of mad scientists."

Harley groaned. "Dealt with a few of those nut sacks… They're dangerous."

Harry nodded. "And I know at least one of them was on Riddle's payroll, they knew entirely too much about this place when we fought Lucius Malfoy and the others," he said, stepping up to a door. "This should be it."

Steve led the way inside, shield held at the ready. The center of the room was dominated by a giant pendulum clock floating in mid air, its gears and springs moving slowly.

"Hermione dubbed this the Time Room." He looked around quickly, then sighed in relief. "Looks like we didn't need to worry about this," he said, pointing at a cabinet on the far side of the room.

Both his companions watched, stunned, as the cabinet was hit by a flash of light and shattered, scattering wood, glass and glittering particles into the air in an explosion, only for it to suddenly stop after a few seconds and pause, frozen in time, then reverse and return to an unblemished state.

"Well, that's… disturbing," Steve said. "So those are the time turners?"

Harry nodded. "It looks like they found a way to silence the explosion, but yes that's them."

"Now I see why you and Hermione didn't want Tony down here, he wouldn't leave till he figured that out, and could study those things closer," Steve replied.

Harry shrugged. "I really thought they would have had it sorted by now, it's been two years… Though we did leave a few messes down here… The Hall of Prophesy was all but destroyed, and it was huge, those brain things, in the tank… Merlin knows what else."

Steve shook his head. "We'd best head back and join the others, unless there is something else down here that's dangerous we need to check on?"

Harry smirked. "Oh, I imagine there is plenty more here that's dangerous… including the Veil of Death… but I don't know much more about what's down here. I only knew what those were because Hermione used one our third year to try and take all the electives."

Motormouth's eyes grew wide. "They gave something that can manipulate time to a student? What are they, fucking nuts?"

"So says the girl that's been hopping time lines since she was fourteen!" Harry quipped back.

Harley sputtered. "Yea… yeah well, I wasn't given MOPED on purpose! I just happened to find the damn things! And I did alright!"

Steve chuckled. "Enough, argue later, help our friends now."

Harry and Harley looked at each other, then Steve, Harley shrugged then they stuck their tongues out at him. "Meaaaa!"

Steve rolled his eyes and headed back towards the circle of doors, the teens following.

"Harry? Is it strange we haven't seen anyone in here?" Harley asked. "I mean, you said this place was run by people called Unspeakables. Where are they?"

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea…" he said, looking around, "but we didn't see anyone the last time we were here either… I just thought it was because we were here in the middle of the night."

"And there are no Deathnibbler guards… I don't get it… and it's kind of creepy," she said.

"I agree," Harry said as they stepped into the room of doors and began to spin.

Once the room had stopped and they had exited back towards the Ministry, two figures in long dark cloaks stepped out of the darkness that hung beyond the ring of doors. Stepping between them the shorter of the two flicked his wrist, a wand appearing in his hand.

"They're gone?" the taller of the pair asked.

"They are," the shorter replied, as he flicked his wand, making the lipstick marks on the doors disappear.

"Then let us begin," the taller one said, turning to one of the doors, opening it and stepping inside, followed by his companion.

Tony zipped to the right and fired down one of the hallways. "How we doing JARVIS?"

"I have counted fifteen more on the upper level, and six-, excuse me, five on the lower. Ms. Spitfire will complete her task clearing the lower area in an estimated two minutes or less."

"Right," Tony said, wheeling towards a different balcony and firing again, all the while dodging a smattering of spells that were being sent his way. "How did we get stuck with this job again? Whose idea was it for me to 'keep them busy, Tony'?"

"That would be Captain Rogers sir," his AI replied.

"I know that!" he snapped, as a particularly nasty looking purple hex splashed against a wall, causing the solid marble to bubble and melt. "Next time I'm going with the kids, and he can have whoever it is throw nasty crap at him!" Tony growled.

"I will make a note of it sir," JARVIS said.

Dane lifted his shield and blocked another spell. "You'd think they'd figure out that's not doing any good," he said, pointing his sword back down the hall and loosing the energy the shield had collected from the spell back the way it had come, shattering the desk the man was trying to hide behind.

Natasha fired her pistols as the man shielded himself behind his arms from the flying debris. "They don't react well to something new do they?"

Hermione scoffed as she threw a desk down a hallway, scattering people like ten pins. "If they did then they may not be in this position!"

Clint stepped around the corner quickly and loosed an arrow that exploded in a shower of sparks. Each body a spark hit shook uncontrollably for a moment before they collapsed. He smirked at the sight. "Love that thing…" he said, quietly. "If I could play devil's advocate, if they did, then this could be much more difficult."

Hermione sighed as she kicked a door out of her way, smashing it across the room in the process. "I guess that could be true…"

A voice crackled to life over her ear piece. "Alright we're done in the DoM, where is every one?" Steve asked.

"Fourth level, Cap," Natasha answered. "We've met some opposition but are making good progress."

"Alright," Steve confirmed, "you keep pushing them up, we'll join up with Tony and Spitfire and hit them from behind as they retreat up the stairs, just like we planned."

"Roger," Nat replied.

"Harry? Hermione asked, "So you secured the Time Turners?"

"Didn't need to," he replied. "They're still caught in that explosion loop."

Hermione snorted. "Really? I thought they would have that sorted by now. Well that's good, I guess."

Harry pointed towards a wall. "Just lay them there Hermione. Did they all get dosed?"

"Did it myself, with Natasha," she said, laying the limp bodies on the floor where he pointed. "There's just one group left; they were trapped in the Wizengamot chambers, so their wands wouldn't work…. We just locked them in… We found Percy with them."

Harry stopped writing and looked at her. "Really? What did he say for himself?"

Hermione shrugged. "He was following orders as a Ministry official… the prat… It's going to break his parents' hearts."

"He did that a long time ago," Harry said quietly. "I just hope-"

"HARRY!" yelled a voice from across the atrium.

Turning he saw two people he really wished he could have avoided. "Lupin, Tonks," he said coldly.

Paying him no mind the older man clapped him on the shoulder. "It's good to see you Harry, we were worried! You look great! You've grown!"

Harry shrugged the man's hand off. "No thanks to you! I hope you and Tonks had a good vacation while Hermione and I were being hunted and starving!" He poked the grey headed man in the chest. "And don't even get me started on your abandoning me before that! Stay away from me Mr. Lupin! You as well Ms. Tonks!" he yelled and stormed away.

Remus Lupin's eyes grew wider and wider as Harry's voice rose in anger. "W-what?" was all he could mutter.

Hermione shook her head. "He has every right to be angry you know."

The werewolf's head swiveled slowly towards her then up to take in her height, his eyes still wide. He had been so intent on seeing his cub that he had missed the gigantic, and evidently, intelligent green troll that had been several feet away.

"Wha-wha?" he said eloquently.

"If you want Harry back in your life in any meaningful way Professor, you have a long way to go. You as well Tonks," Hermione said, as she walked towards them.

"Wh- what are you?" asked Tonks, drawing her wand.

Hermione shook her head. "I would have thought you talked to the Weasleys already… It's me Tonks, Harry's best friend since first year, Hermione…"

"Hermione!" they both gasped in shock. "How?" Remus asked as Tonks asked, "What happened?" stepping all over each other in the process.

Hermione sighed. "There was an accident…" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter at the moment, I need to go find Harry and calm him down. You two need to think about things before you approach him again… He's a lot different now… and what you and the Headmaster did… well, he may never trust some people he thought of as family again." She turned and walked away in the direction Harry had gone.

Remus's eyes followed her then he turned to Tonks. "What did we do?" he asked.

"I-I don't know Wolfie…" she said, tears evident in her eyes. "But we had better figure it out, if we want him to be Godfather to Teddie…"

Remus gathered her into his arms. "We'll figure it out… I promise."

"This is the Wizarding Wireless News in conjunction with Potter Watch." Said a voice. "Your attention Please."

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Harry said into the microphone, knowing that his voice was being transmitted nationwide as he spoke. "My name is Harry Potter."

He paused and took a deep breath. "Two days ago, the man known a Lord Voldemort attacked Hogwarts… He was defeated, and all students there were unharmed."

He could hear cheers from below them in Diagon Alley. "Early this morning, the same small band of fighters moved against those occupying the Ministry in his name… again they were victorious." Another swell of cheers rose out of the shopping area below them.

"As of this moment the tyranny of Voldemort and his followers is over," he said. "And what did it take to do this? A small group of good people that wanted to help… A group known as the Avengers. You will learn more about them in the days and weeks to come, but for the moment be glad that they decided to make a stand for what is right, not what was easy, and fought against Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, and his band of murderers."

Harry paused for a moment before he continued. "Now it will be up to you, the people of the wizarding world, to make sure that something like this is never allowed to happen again. Thank you, and have a good night."

Fred nodded to him and took over. "This message will be repeated for the next twenty four hours. At this time the only public building open is St. Mungos. A special edition of the Daily Prophet will arrive no later than noon tomorrow, detailing further information. Thank you."