Chapter 52 - United We Stand

Harry Potter at that moment was doing many things. That was the best thing about the Shadow Clone technique in his opinion. The ability to relay information quickly and securely was good but there were other ways to do that whether better or worse but there was no substitute for being able to be in a number of places at once.

Right now, he was taking advantage of that to get in some harder training. The encounter at the graveyard, belatedly identified as being outside Little Hangleton, brought home the dangers of this isolated society to itself and to outsiders. That increased awareness of the threat prompted the Clan to intensify his training, assuming Harry would agree and he did, taking it harder and higher than they expected, approaching their own levels.

For their part, his friends and girlfriends were also training under the eagle eyes of their watchers from the Clan. This saw them more confident in their everyday lives, feeling they and their families were safer thanks to the visible improvement in their skills.

The month ended with the Death Eaters' ranks swelling but their membership becoming quiet. Voldemort was ruthlessly building on the training regime Lucius had bribed and cajoled them into, using the coercive power of their Dark Marks to sustain his authority over them. His rituals were going as well as expected and his body sang with power again. It was taking so long, though, that his patience was being tried.

In Surrey, the last minute rush was over. There was no more time, no more excuses could be offered.

Sirius Black was getting married, and his heart was racing! An amused Remus had made sure Tsunade sat his old friend down, putting him through a full physical examination that morning before pronouncing him fit for the day and the night to come.

Sirius wanted to panic, he could feel it so close to the surface but he refused to give in. He was a Gryffindor at heart and this was the time to show it. Just then, he saw his beautiful Mary and just about all his thoughts shut down at her smile. While his eyes were glued to her, he gave the correct responses by rote and before he knew it, she was in his arms, melting against him and their first kiss as husband and wife.

Sirius was glad that the whole thing was being recorded because he knew he was never going to be able to remember it all. What he did notice was the adoring look in Mary's eyes, the joy of their first dance, and finally slipping away from the reception with her hand in his, Apparating the pair to their hotel for the night. They had decided to take two weeks off for their honeymoon over in Thailand, with only a pair of Clan clones guarding them.

July opened up hot and muggy, something that strained the patience of the candidates for Minister. Amos Diggory felt betrayed by his son who was refusing to accompany him for his 'casual conversations' with the common witch or wizard, terming it a shameless use of his son's fame. Amos didn't see what the fuss was. He had been talking about Cedric's skills for years and now he wanted to show people he was right to be proud of him for so long.

It led to tense evenings over the dinner table with his wife stuck in the middle again playing mediator. Cedric had taken a position of neutrality on the election which hurt his father but was better than the outright support of Amelia Bones which he had threatened to take.

'If my own son won't support me, who would?' repeatedly filled Amos' mind.

That wasn't a problem that Albert Runcorn faced. He had neither children nor a wife to approve or disapprove of his ambitions and the resignation of Cornelius Fudge was both a blow against the Dark and an opportunity to get someone more friendly to their agenda into the position, and that was just what Runcorn intended to do. He was not marked, something that he was glad about overall as it allowed him more freedom of action without the suspicion that the Death Eaters attracted. It also made him more palatable as a candidate to the neutrals.

To that end, the risen Dark Lord was directing his forces to keep training and to send what support they could to his chosen candidate. Lucius Malfoy was bankrolling Runcorn's campaign though the slippery man had failed to convince the Daily Prophet to adjust its coverage of the election appropriately as he had managed to do for Fudge's election five years earlier.

Investigation had finally turned up the news that the ownership of the paper had changed a couple of years ago and the only hint was that the new owner was actually a consortium who had pooled their resources together to take it over. Such a thing sounded like Hufflepuffs except that he couldn't find any hint of the money they had used. The stealth and cunning in that implied some Slytherin involvement, only who could have done it?

It didn't matter, however, only that the new owners were no friends of Fudge and they had neglected to use their position to properly support themselves. What a waste of money!

Lucius' money, on the other hand, was far from wasted. Runcorn had been able to host a number of movers and shakers, treating them to the most refined (and expensive) of banquets as he plied them full of brandy and fine wines. He had made all the right noises and the use of subtle magic had aided his honeyed words.

The common witch or wizard would follow the orders of their betters as they always had. Those who went against his patron would find out how unwise such a course truly was once he won.

For Amelia Bones, the election was stressful resulting in more trips to the Kitsune Compound and only returning home to the Ossuary enough to preserve the wards in top condition. The rest of her time was split between the mountains of paperwork, talks with the more politically minded people in the Alliance and doing her actual job as head of the DMLE. Thanks to her clone, the paperwork wasn't a big problem and neither was getting time to talk to her allies.

She even had time to walk a beat for the first time in a decade. It wasn't the same, not with the obvious deterrents of her Auror bodyguard and the unseen protection of a pair of Harry's clones. Instead, she was approached by regular witches and wizards who wanted to know what she stood for, what she would do if they voted for her.

The polls published in the Daily Prophet were actually paid adverts commissioned by Dumbledore and Malfoy. Unlike in previous elections, they were marked as such and the paper's own coverage of the election was decidedly neutral, reporting only what it could prove.

Despite this, Amelia's support was strong from the 'neutral' families as well as some on both the Light and Dark sides of the spectrum. She was well-known as an opponent of the corruption in the Ministry and one of the most competent heads of the DMLE in recent decades. Her credentials on law and order issues, administration and character were clear leaving only her to prove her relative competence at economics in order to make her a well-rounded candidate.

While she already was in the top few percent of wizards with that arcane art, that was a low bar to reach and Amelia still found the whole area difficult and dry. Thankfully she had good tutors available.

Taking a night off from her studies and the rest of her hectic schedule, Amelia headed back to her ancestral home. In some ways, the place wasn't as warm and welcoming as it had been in years past. Not when she had got quite used to lazy evenings spent with interesting company at the Kitsune Compound. Since the formation of their alliance, you could usually find someone unusual to talk to there, whether they were witch or wizard or what have you. The good food and the space available made it natural even without the way the young Potter had become central to their lives.

Still, Amelia did enjoy the comforting feel of the wards on the Ossuary at the back of her mind, making her feel secure. That was very good and Amelia sat down to a dinner made just for her by Harry's clone. Susan had her clone with her at the Kitsune Compound, practising hard at her accuracy with knives, leaving Amelia virtually alone and missing her niece.

The dinner made up for some of that, however, as did the message from her niece showing the young woman working hard and having fun.

All those things flew out the window as Amelia's connection to the wards blared its alarm deep in her mind. "We're under attack!"

One of her bodyguards immediately pulled Amelia to the ground, shouting "Down!" while the other two reacted according to their training, the junior one bounding out to the nearest window.

"Death Eaters! And- Oh shit! How in Merlin's name?!" She ducked down just in time, sickly green light hitting the window and surrounding walls, showering her with glass and stone that her armoured clothes repelled.

Crawling out of the destroyed room and around the corner, she called to her boss. "There are at least a score of Death Eaters out there, Boss! It gets worse. Down the back I think I saw You- Voldemort! He had the red eyes and wand looked like it was on fire!"

Amelia nodded tightly, her heart pounding and the wards clamoring for her attention. A quick review and she activated all of the defences. From statues and lawns, from the walls and roof, the sentinels rose up and started drawing on the magic supplying them. Made from stone and armed with short swords, the short defenders were only as tall as house elves but that also made them harder to hit. Since Amelia was on hand to direct them, they used evasive tactics as they leapfrogged their way to flank the attackers.

"Damn it!" Amelia swore as Voldemort negligently Transfigured a barrier between his forces and the sentinels before returning to pouring his power into a straight contest against the wards. This was a job where total reserves and power really made their mark and Voldemort had plenty. It also happened to leave the Dark Lord behind his forces, able to oversee them and the closest to safety should things turn against him.

With one of her guards trying to find another vantage point and the other two staying on close protection, it was only a matter of time until- "Can you use the Floo?" she cried.

"It's down. First thing we checked and just like the last time that bastard was around it is mysteriously unavailable." The senior guard replied with a growl.

"Amelia?" Harry grabbed her attention.

The adults turned surprised. "I'm sorry, Harry, we're just a bit busy here."

"Yes, I know that." Harry's clone replied with remarkable patience. "What I don't know is where I best fit your plans for defending your home."

"Nonsense!" one guard interrupted. "You're too young, we can't risk you!"

"I'm not at risk! You know I'm just a clone. I've already sent word to the Kitsune Compound and help is on its way. We only have to hold out for a little while and these 'gentlemen' will be trapped completely. I can have at least ten clones out there evening the odds, just give the word."

"It's given." Amelia put in firmly.

Harry nodded tightly and created one clone after another, having to recharge his chakra between clones, then with a grim expression half of them disappeared in a Body Flicker onto the grounds. The rest stayed to spread out through the house.

Thirty seconds later, all the clones were in position and the one in the house furthest from Amelia signalled the counter-attack with a Grand Fireball technique. It was big, showy, designed to shock and awe the Death Eaters but most importantly it fixed their attention his way and well away from the others who weren't expendable.

Despite his surprise, Voldemort was quick to put up a spell to shield against the fire, biting back a grunt as the magic and chakra mixed, sending painful feedback through his arm. The pain disappeared as soon as the fireball did a second later and he hissed "Get them!"

The quicker Death Eaters had dropped to the ground before the fireball arrived and they scrambled to get to their feet before their fellows tramped them in their haste to obey their lord and master. A few of them conjured water to put out the spots of flame remaining in their way.

That was when a second clone decided to try something else. A chakra surge later and Voldemort's barrier at his flank turned into shrapnel. Whipping his head around, Voldemort's reflexive magical shield turned aside most of the stones but some of his Death Eaters weren't so lucky, going down with cuts bleeding freely on their thighs despite their reinforced robes.

"Surrender, Bones!" Voldemort called out in his most commanding voice. "Surrender and I will make your death easier!"

The one clone by Amelia glared at her as she was about to reply, shaking his head. Writing out a single word, he showed the word "TRAP!" to her and she nodded. It didn't matter whether it was or not, it wasn't worth the risk of betraying their position.

Amelia's guards were far from idle themselves. They had Transfigured some of the rubble into animals that crawled out into the garden turned battlefield. Her guards had not taken the news well that the Clan were so much more deadly than they and had stepped up their own training to make up the deficit over the last year.

Now, they had to put it to the test if they didn't want to be outdone by a single fourteen year old boy.

While snakes were rightfully feared opponents, able to sneak up close to enemies and take them out with a variety of toxins ranging from the merely painful to the deadly, not a single one was used here, not when Voldemort was an infamous Parselmouth who could order their own creations to turn on them.

Instead, they used a variety of small animals from badgers to spiders to terriers. They weren't expected to last very long against a major force but they didn't need to, only to keep them from moving too freely.

Harry's clones saw the collection of animals waddling, crawling or dashing out of the house and smiled. At least the wizards were trying. Now to show them why the Clan made great allies.

The first clone was still under attack by a barrage of spells, mostly Bone-Breaking and Entrail-Spilling Hexes with the occasional Unforgivable thrown into the mix. He sent back Fireballs every twenty seconds or so, just enough to let them know he was still alive.

The second through fifth clones inside the house were waiting silently, letting him absorb the fire while waiting to take over if he should fail.

The sixth through tenth outside were approaching stealthily, only to find that the Death Eaters were now unleashing their spells in a number of directions making it decidedly unsafe.

"Bugger." Amelia swore, the final sentinel blasted apart in a shower of debris. The spellfire lessened however, giving the defenders a short break and letting Harry's clones approach closer.

One moment, the Death Eaters were walking confidently towards the house, having dealt with the last of the automated defences and only one surprisingly competent enemy ahead. The next moment the very ground under them erupted in explosions!

Luckily for them, wizards tended to be more resilient to such things because of their magic instinctively moving to strengthen or armour them. However, such things have limits and it also required the wizard to have time between when they sensed the attack and its arrival.

Also in their favour, Harry had deliberately selected tags used to deafen and blind rather than kill. There were only a handful of explosive tags in the mix, enough to make it a threat they had to honour, and the Death Eaters responded beautifully as the clones faded back behind cover and the wizards threw out yet more spellfire, trying to find whoever was doing this to them.

"Where are they?!" "Stay still so I can kill you!" "Found y- damn, false alarm!" and other cries exemplified their confusion and aggression. Those were never a good mix as the following action showed.

Half a dozen Death Eaters were down, not from the defenders but from friendly fire, desperately clutching at their intestines and trying to stuff them back inside. Voldemort sneered in disgust but cast the Portus spell on some detritus before banishing it at the wounded minions, sending them back via Portkey to a safe house where they would be patched up.

A cannon blast spell from Voldemort's wand brought their panic to a halt and they settled down, not noticing the wires that Harry's clones tied around the stragglers. A quick jerk on the wires and they fell face down, knocked out, injured or killed as their heads hit the now rocky ground. The remaining Death Eaters roared their hatred at their unseen attackers.

"Cowards! Let's see how you like this!" Crabbe called. "Fiendfyre!"

The other Death Eaters backed away from the magical flames he had conjured, watching with fear and awe as the fiery serpents dashed at the formerly immaculate home, before Voldemort gave a cold smile and added his own fire curses. The Dark Lord's minions did their own versions, though none of them risked casting the insanely dangerous spell.

Within seconds, the flames had reached the Ossuary, licking at the stone and following the walls, seeking entrance to find and immolate the people inside. Sending half of his people around to the left while he took the rest around to the right, the attackers added more fire, more destruction until there was obviously no way for the defenders to still be alive.

Gathering his Death Eaters before him, "Now you all see the power of your Lord! Let us go and celebrate!"

That got a cheer from his minions and they quickly headed to the edge of the wards where they could Apparate freely, taking their dead and wounded with them.

If they had stayed a minute longer, they would have been astounded as, against all precedent, the targeted house still stood.

When the Fiendfyre had raced at the place, Harry's clones knew they couldn't oppose it directly and the Water and Wind techniques they tried were useless, failing to douse or strangle the magical flames. That left Lightning, which did nothing to the flames but did recharge the wards, and Earth. They poured their remaining chakra into both, making multiple walls between the house and the rushing flames, each one only holding for a few seconds but long enough for the next one to fully form and start pushing back. The clone in front of Amelia dove into the last flame, the fire licking at his skin even as the Earth technique created a new, thick wall for her house.

The gardens and grounds, once so pretty, were now in ruins, ancient trees burnt to a crisp, lawns vanished under the weight of battle. The house itself was also showing the scars of the brief encounter, several rooms looking more at home in a warzone than a stately manor.

His clones searched the grounds and surrounding area before reporting back. Harry gave the good news.

"They're gone! Not a trace remains of the bastards. They took their dead with them, too," he added.

Her guards looked at him skeptically then poked their heads out cautiously.

"You're right! But what the hell went on out there! Wait- did they use Fiendfyre, the idiots?!"

"Stupid bastards," another guard muttered.

"I want to see." Amelia's voice was like iron as she kept tight hold of her control, getting up and heading out to a newly-created gap in the outside walls, her shoes crunching on the gravel underfoot as she walked outside. Her eyes took in every detail, noting where the wires and tags were used, where the Fireballs rained down on the bloody Death Eaters, where someone, Voldemort, she thought, raised shields against the attacks, and it sunk in now that it really was over.

Amelia performed the shadow clone technique, sending them off to help in the survey and cleanup of her home. While they took care of her duties, she headed into the little wood to one side checking for damage, walking into the clearing she loved as a child.

"The important thing is you're alive, Amelia." Harry's voice startled her as she turned around, wand at the ready. Already, the Clan's cleanup crew were hard at work, transported in by a half-dozen of the witches and wizards who had been visiting Harry's home.

"Is that?" Amelia was torn, she had just seen Harry die for her. Even knowing it was a clone didn't stop the feelings flooding her.

"Yes, this is the real me. Susan is safe at home and Dad has already told her you're alive and unhurt."

Amelia sagged with relief.

"You're important to me, too, Amelia."

Her eyes searched his face intently, seemingly finding what she sought and she smiled to herself.

Harry wasn't sure how but he ended up with Madam Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and a stern, scary witch in her own right holding him to her tightly and gasping for breath. It wasn't Body Flicker nor Apparating but between one instant and the next she had simply moved the ten metres between them. Her hands were feeling him, making sure he was alright and his own arms came up to rub her shoulders when she looked like she was crying.

Amelia broke off, gazing up into his eyes then again moving the pair of them, pinning Harry's back to a tree and kissing him passionately.

Her reaction was a fairly typical one after near death experiences, something his parents had made sure to teach him, and he was happy to kiss her back. She might be older than him but beneath that glamour she wore to hide her youth, she was a very sexy lady.

Most importantly, the Jewels had been right about her possible inclusion. Amelia Bones had long since gone from 'guardian of Susan' to 'friend' then something more. Harry couldn't pinpoint where it had happened but he was happy making her happy. He loved her.

Harry groaned in frustration as he stopped her. "Amelia, I have to ask. Are you sure you want this as much as I want you?"

Amelia looked at him in disbelief. "Do you really think I'm some young schoolgirl who doesn't know what she wants?"

So when Amelia tried again to examine his tonsils, Harry was already running his hands over her back, exploring and caressing then picking her up. Amelia's legs raised instinctively, wrapping around his body as she moaned into the kiss. Harry's hands moved down to grab her pert arse and squeezed another moan out of the sexy witch.

After Amelia came up for air, Harry gave her a mischievous grin and lay her down on the ground, his nimble fingers making quick work of her clothes as he kissed at her neck. He smiled to himself as she was already squirming, her chest heaving as she moaned and sucked down air. Sliding his hands over her trim waist, Harry was grateful to her exercise regime keeping her so fit, so unlike many witches and wizards as Amelia had refused to let herself go. Rather than twenty years older, she could easily pass for Susan's older sister if she wanted.

It was only the glamour and her no-nonsense approach to her job that kept the Wizarding World from noticing how young and sexy the head of the DMLE truly was, and Harry was now enjoying all of her.

In the Ministry, Amelia had kept her sex drive buried deep. She couldn't allow any liaisons that would interfere with hunting down the Death Eaters and other scum that burdened her world, nor could she afford to be thought of as just another witch willing to spread her legs for some sufficiently 'charming' wizard.

If Amelia had known he was this good, she might have made a move earlier. At least she could have kept the glamour off when it was just them. Right now, she was catching up on over a decade of passion and lust, feeling her love for the magical young man bursting as she let him bring her such pleasure.

An hour later, sated and happy, Amelia was cuddling with Harry, his hands on her pert arse as she kissed his neck and shoulder, recovering from their latest bout.

"You really are a sexy lady, Amelia." Harry purred as she relaxed. "It's a crime the way you hide it away from the world."

Amelia laughed musically then groaned, feeling him against her. "Well, I'll never hide it from you again." A thought struck her. "Oh no! Susan! How-"

Harry stopped her with a kiss and a smile. "No need to worry, Amelia. After the unconventional way Angelique joined us, my Jewels and I sat down and discussed who we would be willing to admit to our lives. You were approved unanimously and Susan's only complaint has been how long it was taking."

That stopped Amelia. "Truly?"

"If you'll pass me my wand, I'll swear it." The confidence in his voice convinced her and she shook her head.

"Not a chance, Potter," Amelia smirked up at him, "I want your other wand now." She gasped a second later as he gave her just what she wanted, again and again.

Amelia found herself thanking the way the Clan had trained him as he drove home again how good it felt to surrender to his assault.

When the pair returned to the house, Amelia found Susan upset and waiting for her. That expression melted away as she noted how Amelia was walking and how close to Harry, giving her a big smile. "At last!" she said as she hugged Amelia tight to her.

The place still looked like a wreck and her guards insisted that they move somewhere else until it was safe for her to return. Amelia's original plan to help restore the connection between her and the home's wards had been completed in an entirely unexpected way thanks to the attack. When she fought off the invaders, it cemented their connection far better than merely spending a night under the roof of her family's home.

At the same time, the wards were nearly spent and would need professional care. Even the lightning power ward was acting up after the battle.

So they quickly resolved to return to the Kitsune Compound for a number of reasons, not least of which were the safety of Amelia and Susan and the announcement to the rest of the Jewels about the latest addition to their lives.

As Harry had predicted, none of them had a problem with the older woman and Angelique nearly welcomed her with a kiss on the lips rather than on the cheeks. The Veela remembered at the last moment and diverted from the risky course and Amelia gave her a grateful smile. She needed to rest from her emotionally and magically exhausting day.

After she was done settling in and snuggling at Harry's side, the Clan wandered into the living room, smiling at their newest guest. "Welcome, Amelia." Anko said, openly grinning. "I'd offer our hospitality but I'm sure Harry will take good care of you.

"As for the other things today, I believe it would be most wise to have one of us or our clones at your side more or less permanently from now on. This is intended in no way as a slight against your guards. They performed very well. The clone, however, would offer new ways to keep you safe including a long-range transportation method that isn't affected by wards. If you needed to get out of there in a hurry, this would give you a way that your, our enemies won't expect and won't be able to stop."

Anko paused, letting Amelia and her guards consider the offer.

"Other than that, I think you could all use somewhere safe to sleep and we are happy to help."

Harry nodded firmly, not even allowing Amelia the chance to protest, not that she was wanting to protest when he turned those eyes on her. She could feel his fierce determination to keep her safe and what she really wanted to do was take Harry to bed right then.

The Clan noticed these signs and kept the meeting short, having already covered the most important details. That was the protection of their preferred candidate for Minister of Magic who also happened to be a fit, attractive lady that was important to their son, Harry. They slipped back out of the room, leaving just Harry and the Jewels who made sure Amelia knew she was welcome.

As Amelia went to sleep that night cuddled at Harry's side, she could hardly believe the day she had had and looked forward to the morning.

In the morning, the papers were screaming the headline: "MADAM BONES ATTACKED AT HOME!"

The articles described what was publicly known of the attack, which wasn't much, and contained interviews with 'the wizard on the street' views given prominence. The attitudes expressed included outrage at whoever had done this and hopes for her safety despite the graphic pictures of her home.

A quick check of Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron showed that much of the gossip there was about the attack and that people were getting behind her more than ever.

Ayame explained the development. "The perception of injustice against her makes people want her to win. Add to that the way that Amelia had been established as protecting the common voter from criminals and corrupt officials long before the election and that only adds to the boost to her popularity."

Harry finished for her, saying "I have to point out that this is only a short-term effect and will only cause problems if you don't make a public appearance soon. If you had been injured, it would have become a choice between risking your health or losing the election." He smiled and hugged her tenderly. "I'm glad for multiple reasons that isn't the case."

Amelia hugged him back, not yet comfortable with more display of affection in front of the Clan. "Thank you, Harry. And you're both right. If I delayed my reappearance, rumours we don't want would start, too."

"So the question becomes where do you want to be seen?" Anko asked.

"Well, today's Sunday. No one would think it amiss if you didn't go to work, but Monday morning, strolling to your office seems like a good way to break the news." Naruto offered. "It would also be a good prank, which is why I thought of it."

The others nodded. It was a perfect explanation for almost everything Naruto thought up, after all.

That was how they handled it in the end. Amelia took the Floo to the Atrium, making sure she was seen by everyone in the lobby as she walked to her office. Unseen were the clones from Harry and the Clan keeping watch on the crowd to make sure no assassin would succeed.

Runcorn seethed as he heard from his informants in the Ministry an hour later. How in Merlin's name had she survived? He had listened as Lucius lovingly described the devastation of the Ossuary, conveniently leaving out the casualties that the Death Eaters had suffered in the lightning strike on the Bones property.

Runcorn had been as certain as Lucius that there were no survivors, removing the front runner from the Ministerial race. He felt like cursing someone.

He wasn't alone in that either.

Voldemort sat on his throne in Malfoy Manor, barely restraining the urge to hex everything in sight as he seethed. The older Death Eaters had found somewhere else to be while their Master's rage gripped him. The newer ones learned from the example of Marcus Flint, now shaking in the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse on the floor of Voldemort's throne room where he fell. No one dared to pick him up lest they draw that anger onto themselves but nor did they want to be seen to ignore the annoyance which could also draw Voldemort's anger for being bad servants.

The assault on the Bones place was revealed as a failure. The wizarding public weren't in fear of him. That Bones woman was still alive and well and more popular than ever. It was only his own intervention that saved his forces from a humiliating defeat by a handful of opponents whom they outnumbered nearly ten to one!

Glaring a final time at Flint, Voldemort used a silent spell, counteracting the tremors and damage from his Torture Curse. Flint got to his knees, gasping out his praise for the Dark Lord before scurrying out of the room to clean himself up.

Flint carried with him the message to the other Death Eaters that their Lord required all available forces at a meeting that evening. The Dark Lord, not known for his patience, was giving them plenty of time to make sure they were available. This suggested either something good or something very, very bad.

No one bet on the former.

By the end of the day, Amelia had been approached by what seemed like the entire population of Wizarding Britain. Intellectually she knew the number was far lower but there were still scores of people who had talked to her, wanting to ask about the attack, her views, her plans, her wardrobe, for Merlin's sake!

At a political level, it said good things about her chances in the election just a week away but Merlin was it draining. She went home to Harry, giving a grin at that thought and another at the arms that went around her when she arrived.

"Welcome home."

The following week allowed Amelia and Susan to settle into their new lives. Since the Ossuary was unlivable until the repair teams and security specialists had done their job, both of them were gladly taking the opportunity to live with Harry and the Clan in Cranleigh.

Despite the best that the Clan could do, it wasn't all smooth sailing, however. While Amelia had gained a great deal of familiarity with the Kitsune home, she still had to get used to doing things without magic while in the town outside their home. Things like current television gossip and news were hard for her to handle since she was already so busy with the wizarding world and had never really gotten as deeply into the regular world as others in the Alliance had done.

Thankfully, the locals were more tolerant of her gaps in knowledge than would normally be true, thanks to the way the area had improved economically because of the Clan and their businesses. Friendly and wealthy could buy you a lot of leeway, and Amelia was now using one clone to make up for her earlier lack of attention.

The conversation on Wednesday evening, after Amelia had studied a little of the United Kingdom's military history, was enlightening. She had been trembling, something that none of the Clan nor their allies had ever seen before.

"I- You- They-?!" Amelia took a breath to regain her mental balance. "I have just been spending the day looking up recent history. That got me into something called World War One and Two, which.. I can't believe those Death Eaters nearly got us all killed!"

Harry hugged her while Naruto nodded solemnly. "Indeed they did. At any point in the last twenty-five years, for certain, they could have triggered a war that wiped out everyone on this world. By now, both sides are trying to reduce the level of overkill from several times over to 'only' a couple of times. The treaty came into force last year and there's hope for further reductions." Naruto tried to put a positive spin on that, but it was clear he didn't like them either.

"That's why I was so infuriated when I got to Hogwarts," Harry added. "I grew up knowing just how powerful regular people had become. A single weapon can destroy a city and these bigoted idiots think they can't lose! We have looked at the timing of the original Statute of Secrecy. It's clearly around the time when the wizards and witches learned that guns and armies were moving beyond them, and the regular people have only become ever more powerful in the centuries since then. They are also more peaceful than they were, which is very much a good thing."

Amelia nodded fervently with the images of the nuclear testing still in her mind until a gentle kiss from Harry broke her free of the loop.

Another witch was also experiencing a nightmare while awake. That was nothing new to her as such was the entire point behind her sentence to Azkaban and Bellatrix Lestrange had embraced the madness long ago.

Azkaban was the dumping ground of those wizards and witches who were convicted criminals but had neither the means or, rarely, the motivation to escape their sentence. Bellatrix fell in the latter category. She had still had access to some of the Black funds at the time of her trial but she had scorned those other Death Eaters who had scurried to pay off the corrupt officials to preserve their freedom.

Her faith in her master would soon be rewarded after these long, cold years.

The self-styled Lord Voldemort was currently brooding, something that he did very well like he did everything. While he was thus busy, a portion of his awareness was watching over the training of his Death Eaters, old and new, as they threw themselves fearfully into the intensive course their master had designed.

A score were on basic wand practice, making sure their wand movements were perfect at faster and faster speeds. The wizards and witches were still pathetic compared to his own level, of course, but they were improving.

The next group were working on learning new spells or relearning old ones that they had forgotten over the years. Their progress was slow but this was always going to be a long-term project. Once Britain fell, it would be time to start on other countries, after all, and that would take time.

The last group was split in two, half casting their strongest shielding spells while the other half cast their strongest pain curses. While not the Unforgivable Cruciatus, this pain curse was still debilitating to the victim making it an excellent incentive to improve one's shield spells. Also, the exposure meant that the Death Eaters were growing more resilient, able to keep fighting even as their nerves were crying in agony. Done right, this spell could eclipse the Cruciatus Curse from a weak or uncommitted caster.

Also, their cries of pain made up in a small way for their betrayal of him, for their incompetence. Yes, this training was working perfectly.

However, it did nothing to restore the Dark Lord to his rightful position. All the training in the world was useless without a way to use it.

Thus, the wizard was brooding. He had sent off Malfoy to keep an eye on the Ministry and the election. Oh, a fair election would see that Bones woman winning, but nothing said the election would be fair. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee of his plans with Fudge out of the way and a caretaker Ministry on the books. It allowed far too great a risk that someone competent would oversee the process.

He needed some way to make Bones look bad. Killing her would be better but that had already failed and until his agents penetrated her new security arrangements, it was too chancy.

That was when Voldemort thought of a way to poke Bones in the eye on the one issue she had the most support. Law and order was the key. And by breaking out his Death Eaters from Azkaban, he would be spitting all over her record on that issue. There was no way to do it before the election but that didn't mean the idea was without merit. He would regain the services of his most loyal and fanatical followers grown hungry for vengeance and it would show the sheep of this world just how empty and hollow Bones' promises were.

'Yes, this will do well.'

The day of the election dawned muggy at the Ministry in London. The air felt charged and the wizards and witches lining up to vote could only hope that the Cooling Charms in the building were up to the challenge.

Over eleven thousand British wizards and witches were eligible to vote. Of that number, some were apathetic, some were out of the country on business or holiday and couldn't return in time, some were ill or injured, and lastly a few were working all day, unable to vote before polls closed.

They were decidedly in the minority, however.

While most elections were rather calm affairs, this campaign had been anything but. With Dumbledore openly supporting one candidate, Lucius Malfoy supporting another and Harry Potter and his allies supporting the third, the stage had been set for a confrontation.

There had been no formal debates, such were not part of their tradition, but each had given speeches supposedly to outline their intentions. In reality, they were more about appealing to the base prejudices, in Runcorn's case, or boasting about how good a person he must be to have Dumbledore's support, in Diggory's case. Amelia took the chance to point out that Runcorn was good friends with people known to have murdered in the service of a Dark Lord and who actively encourage division and hatred, so if he became Minister voters should expect more of the same, and that neither Diggory nor Runcorn have any record at running a government department.

Neither of the other candidates could dispute her words truthfully, though that didn't stop Runcorn from trying, nor Dumbledore from giving another endorsement. The Daily Prophet all but ignored them, however, seizing on a rare chance to quote the Boy-Who-Lived supporting the Head of the DMLE. While Harry would have preferred things to be different, there was no point crying about it. He had the fame, the reputation, and the paper would have done the same even if the new owners weren't his allies.

In the end, as the Potter Alliance expected, nearly ninety percent of eligible voters turned up, far higher than the forty percent that was the norm, people eager to see who would be the new leader of their country.

All the papers the following day carried the official announcement: Minister Amelia Bones Wins!

The Ministry was busy, of course, transition periods are always chaotic even at the best of times. This was far from it with Runcorn lodging a protest about vote tampering and rigged elections. His protest was not the pure fiction that many of Bones' supporters thought it was. There really had been efforts to rig the election. They had been made by Voldemort's supporters to aid Runcorn himself, however, and in normal times, they might have succeeded.

This election had brought in over five thousand more voters than the last, however, and that was what they had based their plans on. The paltry thousand false ballots added were massively outnumbered by those extras, most of whom had voted for Bones or Diggory.

The final tally, even with the ringers, was Bones: 5,690, Runcorn: 2,600, Diggory: 2,599. Once the falsified votes had been removed, Runcorn's numbers were a clear last and there wasn't anything he could do about it. His allies had already done all they could. Now, he was the subject of an investigation into vote rigging with the new Minister someone he couldn't buy off!

Happily for Runcorn, he could testify honestly that he had nothing to do with the election fraud committed in his favour.

Unhappily for Amos Diggory, the initial tally had created tense times in his own home. Not only had his own son refused to say who got his vote but his wife was taking his son's side when he tried to find out. On top of that, he had been last in the election by a single vote! That made his son's apparent betrayal hit him harder. The real reason Cedric had refused to say was that he was afraid if he had answered, his father would have discovered Cedric only voted for him because he was family, not because he thought the man was the best candidate.

As much as Amelia wanted to throw that bastard Runcorn into prison, being friends with someone wasn't a crime and she couldn't prove Runcorn was guilty of anything else. There wasn't enough evidence around for an honest judge to grant a warrant. Without that, she wouldn't move. Nailing him wasn't worth her self-respect.

Cries of election fraud weren't the only spanner in the works. Voldemort's agents were busy working subtle sabotage throughout the Ministry's departments. One such snuck into the Department of Mysteries after hours, leaving a trail of misfiled reports and artifacts.

Amelia, still wearing her hat as Head of the DMLE, was called in by Broderick Bode, one of the Unspeakables who worked in the Department. "We were trying to restore the files to their rightful order when we wondered if it might have been deliberate. Unfortunately, none of the detection spells we used turned up anything. I am afraid it may be too late to find out who did it but we are concerned. There are many things here that are dangerous to the unaware."

Amelia nodded. That was part of her training, all those years ago, never to mess around with the mysterious department. The few who had failed to listen to the warnings had all been lost to the Wizarding World in different ways.

"However, there is something here that you should look at, Minister-Elect."

Amelia felt her eyebrows raising on their own. "And just what might that be?"

"As the soon-to-be-Minister, it falls on you to be informed of various things within our Department. The specific one I have in mind is regarding Voldemort and Mr Potter. I had informed Minister Fudge who was excited but he seemed to lose all interest the very next day." Bode shrugged. "It seems the boy is important."

Amelia didn't know whether to laugh at the man for the very obvious nature of his statement or inquire just what he meant. As her eyes narrowed, Bode continued. "He is - required in order to examine one of the artifacts that came into existence here."

Now, Amelia definitely wanted to know more. "Enough of the mysteries." Madam Bones snapped.

"Please, forgive me, Madam Bones. I do not mean to try your patience. Nevertheless, I must ask if you could bring the boy here."

"I will not bring anyone here to be the subject of a dangerous experiment." Amelia returned firmly.

"And I am not asking you to." Bode replied. "All he needs to do is come down here, stand around for a few minutes while we make sure it is safe, then he may pick something up. If it isn't safe for him, that will be the end of the matter. It is, however, a private and personal matter which is why I have been circumspect. It would be against my Oaths to tell anyone more than this without his express permission."

Amelia relaxed fractionally. She had been keeping her exact relationship with Harry quiet for obvious reasons so the lack of trust he implied was actually a good thing as it meant that secrecy on that was holding for now. Also, the assurance of discretion and safety was refreshing. "Very well, I will pass this along. I can see why Fudge would have been excited and I am afraid I can imagine easily how he might have lost interest."

A quick phone call from outside the Ministry and Harry agreed to visit as long as he would have her there and his parents. It would be the perfect excuse for the Clan to get their own spies inside the Department of Mysteries.

Thank you for reading and for your support. As always, thank you to my betas for their hard work.