A/N: This is a pretty intense chapter. The darkest so far. I think it turned out good though. Let me know what you think.

Also check out the start of my new story "Harry Potter and the Onnisian Rebirth".

Thanks for reading

Drunken Prince

Standard Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter. Just the stuff I make up about him.

Chapter 6-Hogwarts

Harry and Ginny had some time to themselves and Harry had been able to express most of his feelings to her. The sentiment was mostly the same between them. They wanted to be together now and were hopeful for a future together. She thought 'Talon' was awesome and got a little too carried away 'petting' him in that form. They had just come back inside to grab a snack when Dobby appeared in front of them.

"Harry must go to Hogs Head Inn right away. Mr. Finnigan say Harry must come right away and bring help."

"What's happening Dobby? What's wrong? And why would we go the Hogs Head if they need help at Hogwarts?"

"Mr. Finnigan not knowing what else to do. He say he be at Hogs Head Inn to meet Harry. He was being frantic. He is being scared Harry. He is being very scared."

"Ok. Dobby tell Seamus we're coming. We'll be there in 10 minutes."

Harry ran inside and yelled for everyone's attention. Many of the regular Order members had already left, but the Weasleys and those closer to Harry had stuck around.

"Ok everyone. There's an emergency at Hogwarts. I don't know what it is yet and I don't know a whole lot of details but I do know that one of the toughest guys I know is scared to death, so it must be a big deal. My plan is to solve whatever problem is happening, then retake the school right now if the opportunity presents itself."

As Hermione and Molly started to protest Harry just shook them off. "If everything goes pear shaped we'll get out, I promise. Mrs. Weasley look at me. We are at war. I'm an adult wizard. I'm going to be in dangerous situations. I care too much not to be, but I promise you I am going to live through this thing and in a couple years I'm going to marry your daughter. But right now we have to fight. Our friends are in trouble. Ok?"

"I trust you Harry. Please be careful."

"Right. Now Mione, Ron, Charlie, Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, and Ollie. We're heading out. I'll go with Dobby underneath my cloak and scope out the Hogs Head. We don't know what to expect there. Wait here and I'll be back in 5 minutes. Any questions?"

"I want to go," proclaimed Ginny, while Arthur stepped forward as well.

"Ginny you can't apparate if we get in trouble, or separated. You are in hiding right now, and you're underage. Mr. Weasley, we may need to blend in, I can't have anyone who is obviously not of school age with us. I need to go. I'll be back in 5 minutes. Dobby."

Dobby and Harry apparated into the Hogs Head and Harry tip toed around to find Seamus and scope the land. He headed up the stairs and found Seamus in the first room with an older man. With a quick movement he flipped off his cloak and trained his wand at the older man.

"Who are you and what's going on here?"

"Easy there lad, the name's Aberforth, I believe you knew my brother. Seamus here was just telling me we were going to be having some company, I assume he means you."

"Seamus?"

"Yeah mate we need your help. They've got Neville, Hannah, and Daphne Greengrass. They're trying to torture information about you and the Order out of them. It's been 3 days mate. I'm scared. The last time they took me they beat me something awful. It took me weeks to heal up, and I was only there for a couple hours. When I saw that elf I told him we needed ya."

"Ok, Dobby can you go back and bring the others straight to this room?"

Dobby nodded and popped away. "Now Seamus tell me what you know."

"Alright, so the Death Eaters we have to worry about are Alecto and Amycus Carrow. They're the Dark Arts teachers…yeah just Dark Arts. They don't teach defense of nuthin. Right bastards they are. Mean as spit. Alecto she's the real piece of work. She loves to hurt people it just in't right you know. She's a little off in the head. Then there's Snape, and a bunch of Jr. Death Munchers. Blokes we have gone to school with. Crabbe n' Goyle. Zabini. Montegue and Flynt, you know, that crowd."

Dobby had brought back pretty much everybody by this point so they were all listening while Seamus updated them.

Ron piped up just then. "Right so how do we get to the school mate? It's alright hanging out with you in the bar an' all but don't we have some death wankers to beat up?"

"Oh yeah well that's why I had ya come here see. This portrait right here of this girl. That's Ariana, Ab and Dumbledore's baby sister. Anyway, we just pull this back and bada bing this tunnel will take us straight to the Room of Requirement. We've been hiding out there because well they've been abusing the girls and whatnot. Pullin' em' right outta their beds so we all, the old DA I mean, kinda ended up together there. You'll see.

The tunnel was quite a ways and it took a solid ten minutes to make the walk, but at the end, sure enough there was the back of a portrait. Seamus knocked on it 3 times then opened it up. There was a ladder next to the portrait for all of them to get down. As they made their way down and got settled the old members of the DA all gathered around them and started asking questions.

"Are you guys here to help us get Neville and Hannah back?" asked a nearly frantic Susan Bones.

"Yeah we are," replied Harry. "But look, we need to do this as a team ok. Can I count on you guys to help me?" The affirmative nods and whoops were all Harry needed to hear. "Look you guys. I think we can take back the castle, but we need to plan carefully and be smart. First things first. We need to get Snape and the Carrows, but we can't do anything that might raise an alarm because we don't want any of the Death eaters to call their boss. Don't let any death eater touch their wand to their left forearm ok. Does everybody understand?"

Everybody said they did then Hermione, ever the smart one, asked "Wait Harry don't we need to get in touch with McGonagall so she can take over the wards?"

Harry grabbed Hermione with his hands on either side of her face and kissed her forehead in grand dramatic fashion. "Thank you Mione. I don't know what we'd do without you. Yes McGonagall is key we need her if we are going to do this. Help from the other teachers couldn't hurt either. Seamus. Here, take my cloak and head to McGonagall's office and get her back here quietly, and Seamus… be careful mate." Seamus took off and Harry pulled out the Maruader's Map.

"Ok. So Snape is in the Headmaster's office. That's the worst possible scenario. We can't get to him there without him being aware of it. Any ideas?"

"Well it's after 11pm right now. We could wait until breakfast and probably catch them all unawares in the Great Hall," offered Colin Creavey.

"Colin, that's brilliant. That could work. But I don't want to wait that long to get to Neville and the girls. Maybe we can grab them tonight and get back here to get some rest, then finish the job in the morning in the Great Hall. Mione, you think it will work?"

"Maybe, but we need to send a hit squad or something to take out the Carrows and get our friends back. Harry that will have to be you and a couple others."

"The map says the Carrows, Nott and Zabini are in the dungeons in a room that is quite a ways from the Slytherin Commons. Neville, Hannah, Daphne, and some girl named Diane Vollie are in the room right next to them."

"Diane is a Ravenclaw firsty. Her dad was a Wisengamot member who recently got killed when they found out his wife was a muggle born. We didn't even know they had taken her," said Susan.

"Alright then…." The doors opened and every wand in the room was immediately trained in that direction. Out from under Harry's invisibility cloak came Seamus and a slightly disheveled Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, what do we have here?"

"It's very nice to see you too Professor."

"Yes, well…yes it is good to see you. And you Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley." They both nodded in response.

"Professor. We're going to save Neville, then we're going to take the castle back tomorrow morning at breakfast. We need your help."

Harry laid out the plan to McGonagall and she added a few suggestions here and there. The plan developed and everyone was pretty confident it would work. McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress would take over the wards as soon as Snape was taken care of. The details were all worked out pretty easily really.

"Right then. Charlie. Ron. Seamus, and Katie. You're with me. Mione, can you take care of things here? Make sure the room provides you with healing facilities and send Dobby to fetch Madam Pomfrey. Professor would you please do us the honor of providing disillusionment charms for Ron, Seamus, and Katie? Charlie disillusion yourself and all of you come with me." With that he pulled on his cloak and headed towards the door.

HP++++++++++HP+++++++++++HP

In the dungeons, Harry led his group up to the room where the Carrows were.

He whispered to the others. "I'll open the door, then Charlie you and I will sneak in. You three cover us, I'll open the door as wide as I can."

Harry grabbed the handle and opened the door as wide as it would go. Time slowed down again. He rushed through the doors and started throwing stunners. He wanted to be as quick and as silent as possible. He definitely didn't want Voldie alerted to what was going on. There were just the four of them in the room. Before Charlie even got through the door, Harry had all four death eaters unconscious.

Seamus was standing there with his mouth hanging open. "Harry how did you do that? That was bloody brilliant."

"That's what he does mate," was Ron's easy reply. Charlie bound all 4 death eaters and Harry, Ron and Neville headed to the next room while Katie stood lookout.

What they saw wasn't pleasant. All four prisoners were naked, bloodied and bruised. They were tied up with chains on each wrist and each ankle. The chains were pulled tight so that each prisoner was pulled into an 'X'. Neville obviously had a dislocated shoulder and probably some broken ribs. Hannah was a mess and had blood between her legs. Harry didn't even want to think what that meant. Daphne was barely holding on, she had bad cuts on her face and head, and her eyes were rolled back in her head. Harry wasn't sure the little firsty was still alive. He'd just get them to Pomfrey and hope for the best.

"Dobby!" Pop. "Dobby you can apparate people within the school right?"

"Yes Harry. Dobby can."

"Good, then take these four straight to the Room of Requirement and to Madame Pomfrey." He, Ron and Seamus released all four of them and Dobby took them to the healer two at a time.

Harry walked back into the other room and had to try very hard not to kill the death eaters in front of him. He was so furious he could hardly concentrate.

"What are we gonna do with these bastards Harry?" the normally reserved dragon handler asked him with pure venom in his voice.

Harry stood there in thought and waited for something clear to make itself known.

"I have an idea. Kreacher." Pop.

"Master. What is it you wish for Kreacher to do?"

"Kreacher, I want you to take these four prisoners to Rockfang the goblin. Tell him they are a gift from me, and I don't care what is done with them."

"Yes master Harry." Harry piled the bound death eaters together and Kreacher took them all at once.

"Remind me never to piss you off mate," Seamus mumbled out.

HP++++++++++HP++++++++++++HP

The room of requirement looked completely different when Harry and the others made it back. The entire right side of the room looked exactly like Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing. Four beds had occupants. Madam Pomfrey was busily moving back and forth between three of them, pouring potions down throats and muttering healing spells.

Professor McGonagall approached Harry and spoke quietly to him. "The Vollie girl passed away minutes before you arrived. There was nothing you could do. She had internal bleeding and most of her organs had failed." At the broken look on his face she changed tactics. "Harry Potter you look at me my boy. There is nothing you could have done. That child would have died no matter when you arrived tonight. Her injuries were far too extensive. The things those vile creatures did to her are unconscionable. They are to blame. Do you understand me? There are three others who owe you their lives, and tomorrow morning I am certain that the rest of this school will be able to say the same. I have made contact with my fellow teachers. They are willing to help us. Tomorrow morning Hogwarts will once again be free of death eaters and we will keep it that way this time. Now if you would, I believe Madam Pomfrey may be convinced to let you see your friend Mr. Longbottom, then I advise we all get some rest." She turned and headed towards the make shift dorm the room had provided.

"Professor…thank you. I won't let you down."

"I don't expect you will Mr. Potter. I don't expect you will."

Harry headed over to the bed where Neville was just starting to stir.

"Hey Nev. How you doing?"

With a raspy voice barely above a whisper Neville replied "Harry. I knew you'd come. I told Seamus before, we had to just hold on until you got here, then we'd fight and we would win. We just had to hold on long enough."

Harry had to turn his head so his friend wouldn't see his tears. Neville's faith in him wasn't something he expected, or really deserved, he didn't think. He steeled himself and replied "You did good Nev. You did good. Tomorrow your hard work is going to pay off, and those bloody bastards that did this to you are the ones who will pay up."

"Harry, I think they killed Diane. She was in bad way. I tried to fight…I tried…but they kept cursing me and breaking my bones. I couldn't stop them…"

Harry interupted him "I know mate. You did everything you could. I promise you we're gonna make them pay. I promise. Get some rest ok. You need to heal up."

"Ok. Thanks Harry."

Just as he was turning to head towards a bed he was pulled into a deep embrace by the matron healer of Hogwarts. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She just held him tightly.

HP++++++++++HP++++++++++++HP

The next morning dawned and Harry hadn't slept a wink. Most of the others got some sleep, but Harry couldn't slow his mind long enough to even doze off. He kept seeing his friends broken bodies and the horrible way they were tortured and left. This war had to end soon. He didn't think he could take seeing too many more people suffer at the hands of these monsters.

The twins made their way over to where Harry was seated.

"You ready there Harry…"

"…we wouldn't want all these…"

"…fine young warriors headed off to battle…"

"…without their fearless leader."

"Yeah guys I'm ready. Get everyone up and ready to go yeah."

"Sure thing…"

"…Harry old chap."

Twenty minutes later saw the crew headed towards the Great Hall. The plan was for the teachers and regular students to attend as if it was a regular meal. Their presence would probably be noticed but not overly criticized. They had been periodically making it down to meals in the Great Hall for a month or so. Harry, and his crew would sneak in under disillusionment and take out key targets while the rest of the DA and teachers provided cover. The Slytherins and death eaters didn't know it but they were surrounded before the fight even began.

As the others moved into position Harry moved to flank Snape and subvert any escape he could make to the side entrance. The battle started with a stunner and an incarcerous spell from Ron. Most of it ended nearly just as quick. All the death eaters and all the Slytherins who stood to fight were stunned and bound in less than 5 minutes. Snape had moved to slip out the side door just as Harry expected. He removed his cloak and stepped in front of Dumbledore's killer.

"I don't think so Snape."

"Potter," the Potions Master sneered. "I should have known you'd show up here at some point. You never could keep your nose out of things that don't concern you."

"Oh this concerns me. My friends being tortured and innocent kids being killed most definitely concerns me. Your master is hiding like the coward he is so I figured we could start a little raucous. Or least finish one."

The first curse came from Snape's wand. It was a stunner. Time slowed down and Harry threw a shield up, and then sent it to cover all his friends. He could feel his Altor Regnum magic in a much clearer way now. It was really a simple thing to mentally extend the shield he used and place it around his companions. The shield blocked Snape's curse easily, but Harry could see even in slow motion like he was that Snape was faster and more skilled than any opponent he'd faced thus far. Snape through four or five more curses in quick succession. A combination of stunners and cutting curses. Harry side stepped each one and moved to take the offensive. He threw a stunner, a reducto and cutting curse in a chain and for the first time since discovering his Altor Regnum magic his curse was blocked. The stunner was absorbed by Snape's shield, as was the reducto, but the reducto weakened Snape and the cutter nicked his wand arm. He threw back a reducto of his own which Harry easily side stepped. Harry threw a cutter and bone breaker, quickly followed by a disarming spell. The cutter missed just barely but the bone breaker hit Snape in the leg and dropped him. With the Potions master distracted by his pain, the disarming spell did it's job and Harry caught his opponents wand with his left hand. Harry moved in to make the kill. The point blank reducto curse was on his lips when Snape cried out.

"Potter stop. I'm not your enemy. I'm not against you."

"Oh really, that's what Dumbledore thought too and look where it got him."

"Potter I'm not your enemy, I assure you I am on your side, give me a chance to prove it."

"You have 60 seconds."