Chapter 5 –No Bones about it
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"Daphne wake up, we have company."
"Dam they sent a lot of Deatheaters."
"Yea, and look close to the rear. The magnificent pooper is here also. He must really hate the Bone family."
"Got a plan Harry?"
"Yea, hide here unless the wards fail. If they fail we flame in and grab the Bones and flame like hell."
"Thanks, I really didn't want to take on the whole bloody army he brought."
"Good point, "Expecto Patronum"…Hi buddy tell Dumbledore that Bones Manor is under attack."
As the stag flashed away Voldemort did his part and the wards fell. We flashed into the living room of Amelia Bones and almost got blasted by one of her curses, phoenix or not. I now had the privilege of talking to Madam Bones while two very angry cats stalked around the room. My plan to grab everyone and flame was forgotten as the door to the room exploded and Deatheaters tried to storm in. They could only come in a couple of a time and what Madam Bone's curses didn't stop the large cats slashed with their claws or snapped necks with their jaws. I tried a more subtle approach.
I took out two brown eggs which I laid on the floor I then transformed and grabbed an egg in each claw. Flying out the door did not bring as many curses as I thought I would get. I flew close to the ceiling and down the entrance way. By the front door or what was left of it I dropped the first egg. Just outside I dropped the second egg. I then flamed straight up into the sky. In reality Voldemort had only brought twenty Deatheaters but it looked like a hundred from our point of view. As I hit my altitude I transformed into my human form and as I fell I grabbed some eggs from my pocket. I tossed them at Voldemort and his groupies and transformed to flame to Daphne. Fighting came to an abrupt halt as the walking bad guys disappeared.
"Merlin, Harry Potter as a Phoenix, with Miss Greengrass as a panther and who is the little cat? "
"Madam Bones, I would appreciate your silence as to what you saw as our anonymity is a great surprise to Voldemort's forces, we would like to keep it that way"
"Well if that is your aim you best be gone as the Calvary is about ready to arrive."
"Yes Madam Bones." We transformed and flamed to Hogwarts to make ourselves visible to our individual common rooms but not before the Phoenix mark soared over Bones Acres.
"Harry? Where have you been, Ron says you were not up stairs and it's after curfew?"
"Out and about Hermione, out and about."
/Scene Break/
At Breakfast the owls delivered the Dailey Profit which reported the attack on Bones Acre.
Luna wondered over and gave Neville a lip-lock that got a few whistles at the Gryffindor table. After they parted Luna looked at Harry and said, "Harry do you know…" Hermione scream interrupted Luna.
"Don't you start with you know, who did you know what!" screeched Hermione.
"Gee Hermione have the glopdobbers got to you this morning? All I was going to say was Harry do you know you have some pudding on your chin. I always notice pudding, it's the best thing in the world." It wasn't pudding but by that time the table was laughing at a flustered Hermione.
I was late afternoon when Madam Bones arrived and requested a private meeting with Harry Potter. After Madam Bones told Dumbledore to take a long walk on a short pier as we headed to a vacant classroom. Where she put up a silencing wards and I followed with a few advanced ones I had learned.
"Thank you for not involving Daphne."
"Oh I figured you could get her here without my announcing anything. After all Slytherin and Gryffindor couples are rare and far between and usually not public knowledge. Why don't you pick her up, I would like to speak with both of you.
I flamed to the deserted class where we usually meet. She came is a few minutes later and we returned via phoenix to Madam Bones.
"Look Harry, I don't condone vigilantes but so far you have been kinder to the Deatheaters than my Aurors. I assume the Phoenix dropping off Deatheaters in the Ministry is the same that saved my life last night?" I nodded and she continued, "What I would like to do is remove the trace on your wands as a starter."
Daphne handed her wand over and Madam Bones removed the tracer spell. When she looked at me I smiled.
"Sorry but I don't have a trace to remove."
She looked ready to give a Hermione tirade.
"Madam Bones I have given up on this society and its great leaders. When my wand was broken by my abusive uncle I obtained a new wand. When the great leader of the light locked me in my room I…lets put it this way... I have broken many laws to survive and take my fight to Voldemort. Fudge is in my way as well as Dumbledore are you going to join that group?"
"You underestimate me young man. I did some research this morning and found that you are marrage contracted and emancipated. What I have come with is an offer of partial immunity. While I don't want you out killing everyone you have so far captured a large number of Deatheater alive. You have also exposed many that are Deatheaters. I would like to offer you and your girlfriend Auror badges so if you end up killing one of those Deatheaters you have some immunity from prosecution. I also know you have a few capabilities that are not registered."
"So what's the catch? What do you expect of Harry?"
"I…we…look you are bringing in bad people my people haven't. Fudge is letting the idiots escape to go out and again kill, rape and pillage. You at least bring them back to be imprisoned. This piece of tin gives you immunity in case you make a minor mistake and if you tap your wand to the badge it will bring a squad of Aurors to help you fight. As long as you keep up the good work I won't have to withdraw the badges. Other than that I have no string attached to the offer."
"We thank you for you help Madam Bones and hopefully we can keep adding to the downfall of Voldemort. Just beware that Dumbledore has some master plan for me and to that existent he wants control of me. He has not given me the mandatory training required; he has kept my vaults from me and kept crucial information away from me. You may have to go up against him and the Wizengamot before this is over.
About that time the wards we had put up fell and Dumbledore entered. "What is going on here Amelia? You have my ward secured in this room; I demand to know what is going on."
"Why Albus I was just complimenting young Harry on his teaching the DA class. My ward Susan has been most complimentary of him and his classes last year. The wards were simply to keep those like the last DADA professor from over hearing." Amelia was giving Dumbledore a grin which everyone in the room knew was phony.
Two days later Susan handed me a package. Amelia had sent the badges. I took mine and put it in my pocket. Daphne however sat and stared at it for a long time. I did not like the look on her beautiful face, it was almost evil. Even Tiger was not jumping in her lap recently for her beloved scratching.
/Scene Break/
It is Harry's life that to be targeted come what may. Voldemort had a hissy fit over his troops being picked up and delivered to Azkaban with very little loss of life. So he arranged a special trap to catch the unknown pests. In his rant and plotting he had his potion master Snape around to provide whatever potions that were needed in battle. Snape dutifully reported to Dumbledore that there was a trap being set to catch the obnoxious vigilantes. Rather that keeping the people fighting the Dark Lord informed Dumbledore kept the information quiet and started a plan of his own. There could be a way to capture the Deatheaters without loss of life and get the vigilantes under his control. Dumbledore did not even think of telling Harry but thought of rushing in at the last minute to save the day. That was the state of Dumblefore's thinking, to maintain the idea that someone powerful was there to save the day or, all to often, help pick up the pieces.
Hedwig found another meeting place of the nasty Deatheaters. As Hedwig watched the creeps as they arrive but this group of arriving humans were acting odd even for humans. They looked around way too much. She could almost smell the fear coming off those arriving. Hedwig must report the new reporting place but the placed reeked of dead rotting rats.
Hedwig knew her familiar was attuned to her but this place that they were going bother her and she had to relay this to her familiar. She hoped the few nips and tugs were enough as was her ruffled feathers as she tried to convey she was not happy with this place.
"Well Daphne it appears Hedwig had found us another Deatheater assembly point."
"Yes let's get going and see how many so maybe the next time we can take care of them, err, or do you have other thoughts Harry?"
"Rushing in is not the answer. Even if they kill tonight it's not our doing. We must stop them when we can and that will save more lives than rushing in like idiots. Daphne my love does Hedwig seem a bit off tonight? She keeps doing the feather thing and her nips are definitely trying to get my attention."
"She is your familiar but could she be warning us that something is not right."
"How about it girl is this wrong?" Hedwig did a large body nod.
"So you think it's a trap? Hedwig did a large body nod again and hooted. Harry might not know but the hoot was saying "You better believe it" but Harry figured that extra precautions were in order.
One thing that I know is that Tiger has a pair, whoops she's female. She has the steel of a battle veteran. One example was when I was training and I forgot that little Tiger took a ride on my phoenix tail but when I transformed a couple of hundred feet in the air she just grabbed a bit of my robe and clawed herself into my pocket. Now it was another time for action.
We flew in a good way away from the ward boundaries. We found some cover just short of the ward's boundary and littleTiger just headed straight for the front door. When she hit the wards they tossed her backwards. They had apparently taken the size limit off the wards at this manor. While inside an alarm must have sounded but nothing happened that we could see. This was a recon mission and right now we were stuck without an idea.
That is when the Deatheaters started to appeared and Daphne went crazy.