A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter – the feedback and analysis is fantastic help.

This is the darkest chapter yet, but one I'm pleased with.

IX. Genesis Part One: Orphans

"There is no greater evil than the darkness in the hearts of men."

Harry

In our central office within the Department of Mysteries, one of the walls was covered with a massive map. Where there had been an attack by the followers of Voldemort, we had stuck a black pin to the map.

Despite the best efforts of Operation Wrath of Merlin, there were more black pins than ever.

I sighed.

Would this ever end?

It had been a couple of weeks since the raid on the terrorists, and our subsequent visit to Azkaban had given us enough information to keep us occupied deep into the night.

We were well into February. A bitter winter had given way to spring. It had been quieter. Dar-jach was present in more places than ever, a constant reminder of the time we lived in. I spent most of it training, learning new spells and sparring with Y.

Deciding on an early night, I trudged into the small bedroom I had down the hall from the main office.

I had only been asleep a few hours when I was roused awake by Kingsley's Patronus.

"Harry, I need to see you in my office."

Noting the tone of urgency, I quickly left my bed. Presently, I was seated in Kingsley's office. Arthur was there too, a worried look on his face.

"Ten minutes ago, the Aurors received word of an attack," Kingsley began.

"Where?" I asked.

They were both silent for a heavy moment, then Arthur answered:

"An orphanage."

I didn't reply, and he looked at me warily.

"The orphanage…was for children who'd lost their families in the war."

"War orphans?"

"Yes."

Sadness turned to cold rage in a matter of moments.

I contemplated their words silently, then questioned them with a low murmur.

"How many were living at the orphanage?"

"Thirty."

"Did anyone survive?"

"We don't think so."

"I'm going to find them," I said, standing. My hands were clenched into trembling fists.

"Harry…"

"Yeah?"

"We…we want X and Y to sort it out."

"What?"

"We think you're emotionally compromised."

"I'm not," I replied flatly. But a voice in my head was telling me that was a lie.

"Harry, you're a war orphan too."

"You don't need to remind me," I said through gritted teeth, my frustration mounting.

"Harry-"

"This was aimed at me! Do y'understand?"

"We don't know that-"

"Of course it bloody was! They did it to provoke me!"

"And they're succeeding! Harry, you have every right to be pissed as hell, but-"

"But nothing! We've been playing catch-up for Merlin knows how long…and I'm sick of it! Months of running after dark wizards, when we should be a step in front of them! I'm ending this, and I'm doing it now!"

"No, you're not!"

"With all due respect, Minister, you don't have the right to tell me what to do!" I yelled.

"Potter, stand down!" shouted Kingsley.

I didn't.

"I was the one who defeated Tom Riddle! I was the one who walked to what I thought would be my death in the Forbidden Forest! Me!" I shouted back. "And I'm the reason why they chose to attack that orphanage!"

"Can't you see? I'm to blame!"

"This is what they want, Harry! This is what they want you to do! You'll be walking into a trap if you personally pursue them," cautioned Arthur, interrupting Kingsley and I.

"I know," I replied, suddenly calm. "And I'm going to do it with or without your support. So you might as well let me."

Kingsley threw a scrutinising look at me.

"I don't want you to do this, but I won't stop you."

I nodded in thanks. I was beyond mere anger. This was an emotion I did not have a name for.

And I would make them afraid.

Already a plan was forming in my head. If I got out into the open, let a couple of sightings occur, they'd have to respond.

They would come to take me.

But they would only meet their doom.

"Can you take the Aurors off the orphanage."

"Sure. Are you going to check it out?"

"Makes sense to."

"I can give you an hour-long window tomorrow morning. Nothing more."

"That's all I'll need," I said grimly.

"An emergency session of the Wizengamot is now called to order!"

About two-thirds of the Wizengamot were in attendance. Many looked ruffled, having been roused from their beds. I took my usual spot high in the gallery overlooking the Chamber.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted one.

"Are the rumours true?" asked another.

Kingsley stood, and cleared his throat.

"Members of the Wizengamot, tonight I bring news of the gravest nature. Three hours ago, we suffered an attack so vile I would not have believed it possible. But nevertheless, it is. An orphanage dedicated to children who lost their parents in the war was ruthlessly targeted. The children and their carers are no longer with us."

Kingsley paused. Cries of shock rang around the Chamber.

"In the last three hours, the Auror Office has been working furiously, trying to find the perpetrators of this evil. Their work will continue. But what happens, I ask, when the law catches up with these killers? Will we blunt the force of justice? No. We will never cower to evil again!"

"When I was appointed Minister for Magic, one of my first enactments was prohibiting the use of the Unforgivable Curses by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I now move to overturn that order. For too long we have fooled ourselves that mercy and compassion will guarantee peace. Make no mistake, Councillors. We are at war, and I will not deny our soldiers the weapons they need to fight the enemy on their own terms!"

"Does anyone dare object?"

Not one hand was raised in the Chamber. Even the most ardent critics of Kingsley were silent - at least for the moment.

"So be it. I hereby publicly deliver a kill order to the Auror Office. Let this be a warning to anyone who is an enemy of freedom and peace! No more will such evil deeds be done in the name of a dead man."

Ginny

I noticed a change in the air as soon as I walked into the Great Hall.

We believed once that Hogwarts was once untouchable.

We had been wrong.

With Voldemort gone, the aura of invincibility had begun to shroud the proud battalions once again.

But now, once again, students were scared.

And there was only one question on everybody's minds:

Is Hogwarts really safe?

Taking my usual spot at the Gryffindor table, I picked up a nearby Prophet, unfurled it,and began to read.

DEATH EATERS KILL THIRTY WAR ORPHANS IN SHOCKING ATTACK

Late last night, a horrific attack on a Wizarding Orphanage for young survivors of the war left thirty children dead, as well as two matrons and a caretaker.

A picture of the remains of the orphanage covered most of the front page, a blackened, scorched ruin. All the children...innocents...gone.

I felt sick. That it looked just like Hogwarts by the end of the Final Battle made it all too real to me.

Further down the page, another headline read:

KILL ORDER GIVEN TO AURORS

The Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, last night made a U-turn on his reformist policy of banning MLE use of the Unforgivables. In a statement to press, the Minister, visibly angered, claimed that such an attack required 'regrettable and unfortunate' measures to be taken. The change in policy has garnered a fair amount of criticism for Shacklebolt, with opponents saying the move was 'too late' - and several supporters voicing their disappointment in him for allowing the return of what is considered to be an 'extreme' course of action. The hard-line approach has been widely received with public approval, however... (continued on Page 2)

I flipped over the page to continue, but McGonagall interrupted.

"Children, if I may have your attention please?"

The eyes of the school collectively went to the Staff Table.

"Due to the tragic news, classes have been cancelled. Today has been made a day of mourning. Please join me in a moment of silence."

The words 'classes have been cancelled' would usually be something to rouse a massive cheer amongst the student population, but not even one person smiled.

Not today.

Harry

On a glorious spring morning, I made my way through the magical wards protecting the ruins of the orphanage.

Aurors had already been here, but had since left.

I stepped inside a hole where a door used to be, and made my way through charred piles of rubble.

Rounding a corner, I saw the remnants of a door blown off its hinges. I walked into what looked like to be a bedroom.

The sight will haunt me forever.

Bloodstains splattered the walls, mixed with dirty scorch marks and blackened soot - a macabre contrast to the strips of bright blue wallpaper that had been there originally.

The stench was close to unbearable, stagnant pools of liquid combined with blood, rotting flesh and vomit.

But worse still were the bodies. The remains of one mutilated corpse were spread across the room, whilst another child was unharmed apart from a pinpoint hole running through her head and the thin trickle of blood that had made it's way down between her eyes.

I continued, willing myself onwards.

I walked into the next room, a study, to find an elderly matron with her throat slit and her clothing reddened by the river of blood that had wept from her neck.

I found an assortment of fingers and toes scattered on the ground in a crude diagram.

Dark magic rituals.

I looked up again at the ceiling to find a head leering at me in a hideous grin. There was no body attached to it.

A girl spread out on a bed, her hands tied and her legs bent at heinous angles, obviously broken in several places.

I did not want to think about her fate, or the pool of blood that had seeped out onto the bedsheets.

I continued my search, and I could see what had conspired here in my mind's eye.

The things that Dark Magic could do.

I moved into the kitchen, and immediately wished I hadn't.

The luckiest child there had received a simple Avada Kedavra.

And on the wall, a Dark Mark was drawn in blood.

An abomination the likes of nothing I had ever seen had happened here.

I came across horrors in that ruin that I cannot adequately begin to describe. This place of hope, of new beginning, had turned into a monument to the greatest evil humanity could do.

And in the midst of it all, I screamed at the world. It had not given these children a chance to experience, to share in its beauty. No, these children had been doomed to hell on earth.

I did not know how such atrocities could be committed by any human, whether they were Wizard or Muggle.

But I did know I was going to end each and every single person responsible.

Ginny

I helped Hermione pack her trunk.

"I'm heading back to London - I'm needed there right now."

I nodded in understanding.

"I'm worried about Harry, Ginny. When he hears about this…I wouldn't put it past him to do something stupid."

"Someone should go check on Teddy."

"Merlin, I didn't even think about Teddy. He's with Andromeda, right?"

"Yeah. I think Harry might visit him."

"I might see if someone can keep an eye on Teddy. We may discover Harry. After all, you know him better than anyone."

I gave her a wry smile.

"I thought I did. Now, I don't know."

Hermione engulfed me in a hug.

"Stay safe," I whispered.

"I will."

Harry

I returned to the Department of Mysteries, and began preparing.

"What are you doing?" asked X.

"I'm going to spring a few traps."

"We're with you, Harry," said Y.

I nodded. There would be no dissuading X and Y.

I looked over the map as I waited for the others to get ready.

My eyes narrowed in on a red pin.

Whoever was waiting at that pin wasn't in for a good day.

Ginny

After Hermione left, I took my broom out to the Quidditch pitch. I didn't feel much like flying but I needed something that would take my mind off the horrors of the world.

I swooped around the Pitch, completing lazy laps.

Peace.

It seemed like an ever-elusive dream now. How naive had we all been, to think that the victory at Hogwarts would make the wizarding world's problems disappear!

I descended. Not even flying was succeeding in cheering me up.

Harry

In the last few days, we'd gotten at best seven or eight hours of sleep between us. A cauldron of what Y had dubbed 'superjuice' - a potion that gave us renewed strength and energy had become a permanent fixture in the corner of the office.

I dipped a goblet in the cauldron and took a long drink.

We'd just returned from a raid that had resulted in no new information. Despite our best efforts, we weren't any closer to finding the Death Eaters responsible.

Sitting down, I began making notes on the latest information we had, the odd noise from X or Y accompanying the rustling of the parchment.

Hours went by, with little progress.

In frustration, I slammed my quill on the table. I needed to get out of here for a while.

Crack.

I appeared from nowhere in the middle of the street. Down the road was Andromeda's house. I needed to see my godson.

I walked briskly down the street. The wards that protected the house, whilst adequate, could do with improvement. I paused, and cast an orange hue into the sky. It darkened, shimmered, and vanished.

I levitated myself into the house by way of an upstairs window. In it was a lantern giving off a dim glow, surrounded by pictures of Remus and Tonks. A cradle was positioned alongside a wall. I walked over.

"Hey, Teddy," I whispered.

My godson looked up at me from his cradle, and raised chubby fingers towards me. I had expected him to cry, but he looked serene.

Another figure burst into the room, wand pointed at me.

"Get away from him!"

"Hi, Andromeda," I said, my voice heavy. I moved into the light and held my hands up in a gesture to show I meant no harm.

"Oh, Harry!" she exclaimed, lowering her wand, and wrapping her arms around me. "I'd been so worried!"

Perhaps better than anyone, Andromeda could understand me. She'd lost a family too.

"I'm sorry…"

"Where have you been? What have you been doing? You look so much older!"

"I can't tell you. At least…not yet. You must forgive me."

She nodded, but she was unhappy about it.

"He's going to start walking soon, I know it. He's already changing his hair colour."

I grinned.

"Just like his mum."

Andromeda gave me a sad smile.

"You gave me a promise, Harry. You said you'd be there for him."

"And I'll keep it. You know I will. But I can't be there for him right now."

"When, Harry?"

"Soon. What I'm doing won't take forever."

"I hope so."

I checked my watch.

"I have to go."

"Okay," she replied, with a certain resignation.

"I've strengthened the wards on the house. Getting in here was too easy."

"Thank you."

I stole a last glance at Teddy, and then with a crack, I disappeared.

It had been a week. This was the fifth hideout we'd raided. The last four hadn't given us much information. We'd barely slept. It didn't deter us.

"Crucio!"

On top of a small table, the man screamed beneath Y's wand. His fellow captives sat on the floor, bound with thick chains.

"Where are they?" Y asked.

"I…I don't know…please, have mercy…"

"He knows nothing," said X from the corner of the room. He was sitting in a chair, eyes intently focused. X was an accomplished Legilimens. No thoughts were entirely safe.

Y nodded, and turned back to our captive.

"Avada Kedavra!"

With his wand, Y levitated another one of our captives, and slammed him onto the small table previously occupied by the man who had just died.

"This one has a stronger mind," said X. "Break it."

I moved out of the shadows and put my wand to the man's throat, ignoring the gasps of recognition that came from the last captives.

"Crucio!"

The man writhed against his bounds.

"You are going to die tonight. However long that takes is up to you. Where are they?!" I shouted, intensifying the curse.

"Harry, he has information," X said.

Y forced the man's mouth open and trickled a few drops of Veritaserum down his throat.

"Were you at the orphanage?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what you did there."

The man described his actions at the orphanage. When he finished, even X appeared sickened.

"How many?"

"About fifteen of us."

"And the rest?"

"Most are part of a larger group."

We continued questioning the man, finding out the locations of safe houses, others involved, people giving assistance to their cause…everything.

"Any other questions?" asked X.

Y and I shook our heads.

I put my wand to the man's stomach.

"This one is mine."

The Unspeakables both nodded.

I exhaled slowly, and cast Fiendfyre inside the man's stomach. His agony was instantaneous. With beads of sweat forming on my face, I controlled the livid flame as it surged through the man's flesh. The acrid stench was overpowering. I looked up to see horror on the faces of our remaining three captives. My victim's screams came to an abrupt halt as the pain consumed him, his limbs crumbling to ashes.

After the flight in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, I had made it something of a personal mission to learn how to control Fiendfyre. I had been a prodigious student.

Finally, I withdrew my wand, quenching the Fiendfyre.

Justice had been done.

Hermione

After a long day, I decided to visit Andromeda and Teddy. It had been a week since the attacks, and trusting Ginny's intuition, I had meant to go sooner, but the Ministry had been in such uproar that I hadn't been able to find the time.

I knocked on the door to Andromeda's home.

"Hermione! Come in!" she greeted me.

"Thank you."

"Can I get you some tea?"

"Yes please."

I made my way into the lounge to see Teddy crawling about on the floor.

He looked up at me, and his tuft of hair went from a Weasley red to a brown to match mine.

"He's been doing that with every visitor. Molly came over yesterday," said Andromeda, bringing a cup of tea into the lounge.

"What brings you here?" she asked as we sat and I took the tea.

"Harry has been here, hasn't he?"

Andromeda paused and sighed.

"Yes, although I don't think he'd appreciate my saying."

"You talked to him?"

"Briefly. He didn't tell me anything, just that what he was doing wouldn't last forever, and that he'd return to us."

"How is he?"

"He looks…tired. Older. He's aged, Hermione. He's eating well enough though. He doesn't look as thin as he did after the Battle."

"What is he doing?"

"He wouldn't say. But he looks like a man still at war."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"Afraid of? Tell me?"

"An Auror - who is now dead - had a theory that Harry was part of a wetworks operation. That means -"

"I know what wetworks means, Hermione," Andromeda reminded me gently.

I nodded. "She - the Auror - thought that Harry was hunting down Death Eaters."

A thoughtful expression passed across her face. "It's what James or Sirius would have done."

"Yeah?"

"James killed in the first war. Both to protect and punish. He wasn't proud of a lot of it, but he understood the necessity."

"Really?"

"Yes, Sirius too. People knew their reputations. They were powerful wizards. And unquestionably brave," she said.

"They say that on the night Lily and James died, James tried to hold Voldemort off without a wand," I asked.

"Yes. He loved his family utterly," Andromeda replied simply. "And I think that love lives in Harry still."

"So do you agree? That he's part of a black ops mission?"

"Perhaps," she sighed.

"You're not certain then?"

"I am certain of only one thing, Hermione. In war, no hands are clean."

Harry

During another evening in the Department of Mysteries pouring over parchment, I found the information I was looking for.

A lead on their location.

I cross-referenced it with a statement we'd taken from a captured Death Eater, and I knew I was right.

Quickly studying the map, I conjured a red pin, and placed it into the wall with a feeling of great satisfaction.

It was time.

I donned my dark dragonhide jacket, tightened the strap that held a long black knife across my chest, and secured my wand in its holster, before lifting the hood of my cloak over my head.

Making sure X and Y hadn't spotted me, I disapparated from the Ministry with a crack.

I reappeared on a country road. For miles around, it was practically deserted.

Save one house.

I pulled my Invisibility Cloak on, and made my way down the dusty road. About a mile ahead lay the hideout occupied by the cadre of Death Eaters.

They thought they were safe.

Little did they know that they would not live to see another dawn.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Get ready for even more action next chapter!

Please review! To those who have, or intend to, thank you, thank you, thank you! I really can't express my appreciation enough.