Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, objects, words, or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.

Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.

'Mind Link Language'

"Regular Language"

"Communication Through the Mind, Communicator, or Parseltongue/Draconian"

'Thought or Spell'

The Grey Army

"Go on mudbloods! Let's see you run!" A Death Eater shouted as he tore through the magical city with his brethren around him.

Suddenly, their ranks were decimated by explosions, sending the survivors scattering for cover.

"Good! Keep it up!" The head auror shouted as she and her troops barraged their dark robed opponents from the windows inside the buildings.

While most in the city were either fighting or fleeing, the Grey watched.

"Dumbledore is starting to act smarter." Harry said, almost amused as he eyed the battle. "I wonder how Voldemort will react."

"Isn't it bad that we let the Ministry beat us in saving this city?" Justin asked, mildly concerned.

"The battle isn't over yet." Draco replied as he sat, never removing his gaze from the battle below.

Harry grinned. "Besides, what is more important? This one battle, or the whole war? Information is invaluable."

The conversation was halted, though, by the roar of explosions inside the buildings in front of them.

"See?" Draco said more than asked.

Death Eaters and aurors were visibly engaged in close combat inside the rows of buildings. The silver masked reinforcements had managed to flank the Ministry fighters and were using it to their advantage. Harry pulled his hood over his head and ensured his immediate weapons were available to him.

"Get ready to move."

In an instant, the others were lined against the rooftop, waiting for the order. After a couple minutes, when the aurors could only retreat in fear, did Harry speak.

"Go."

As one unit, the group launched themselves off the roof and spread out, using their apparition and shadow abilities to reach their intended targets, behind the Death Eaters.

By the time they finished off the Death Eaters, though, the aurors were already dead as well.

"Area clear. Negative hostiles remaining." Draco announced on his communicator.

Hearing similar callouts from the rest of his teams, Harry replied, "Copy. Everyone, regroup on me here in the street."

Turning around, the leader of the Grey Order called to those in the buildings around him, "Everyone! It is okay! The Death Eaters are gone! We ended the fighting! There is no need to be alarmed!"

Slowly, windows began to open and with them people, sticking their heads out. A singular door opened near Harry. A tall man emerged from it, pointing his wand at the young man.

"You mean you killed everyone in your way! You're no different from You-Know-Who! Don't act like you're our savior!"

The Warrior turned to face the civilian but looked calm and relaxed as if a wand capable of killing him a hundred different ways was not pointed directly at his chest. He tilted his head to the side, then spoke."Tell me. Did you see us kill a single auror here?" Harry paused, and the man faltered. "I didn't think so. They are our enemies too, but they chose to fight us. We are for change. Countless wizards and witches have given their lives, trying to peacefully make that change. The Grey does what it needs to survive. Would you rather us have left the Death Eaters here to kill the aurors in peace, before murdering all of you?"

"I… uh…" The man stumbled.

"Thought not." Harry turned around and started walking away. "Let's go, everyone! It's time we took our leave!"

In an instant, Blaise and Seamus emerged like ghosts from either side of the man, who still kept his wand pointed at Harry, although shakily. "You… could've killed me?" He muttered as the other members emerged around their leader and began to follow after him.

Harry stopped. "It is called restraint. True strength is knowing when to exercise it. The Ministry is too corrupt to possess a backbone, and Voldemort is too weak to hold back. We aren't burdened by either fault."

Then, as if they were dust in the wind, the group disappeared without a sound, leaving a terribly confused crowd behind them.

"You're getting even better at that." Neville said, as they emerged onto the grounds of Hogwarts inside one of their apparition points.

Harry chuckled softly as they proceeded out. "Practice makes perfect. Besides, I'm not going to play nice anymore. They can see it's an act."

Seamus laughed. "I mean, yeah! You? Nice? Please!"

Harry shook his head with a grin. "All of you are dismissed. Get some rest. You earned it." Without another uttered word, Daphne and Harry linked arms before disappearing once more.

"The one time he doesn't have a comeback, he just disappears…" Seamus grumbled.

"Aw… you okay?" Susan half jokingly asked.

"Yeah, Seamus, are you okay?" A few of the other boys chimed in, mockingly. The Irishman proceeded to flip off his friends while forces inside and outside the castle were at work. In a tower above them, Harry and Daphne were changing from their combat robes into more comfortable clothing.

"So are you going to take yourself up on your own advice?" Daphne grinned as Harry went to sit in the office.

"I don't know…" He trailed off, his forced grin already fallen and starting to look at the various plans he was spreading out. "I'm not trying to hold a long, drawn out war with either the Ministry or Voldemort…"

"I know. That wouldn't exactly look great to the people, but too fast…" Daphne continued for him.

"And the people will see us as purely conquerors… It's a lot of pressure."

Daphne walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's not just your burden though. That's why you have your generals along with the rest of us."

Harry sighed in her arms, closing his eyes. "Yes, but, when all of this is said and done, I will be looked at as the one responsible. I know you get it, but fuck. I never thought I'd almost miss being just an assassin."

Daphne chuckled. "This is different, that's for sure." She then noticed the plans on the table, particularly one note and knitted her brow. "Wait a second… this isn't just about the war. It's about a plan. The plan. You're further along than you've been admitting."

Harry stiffened, then his shoulders dropped. "It's risky, though. All of it hinges on so many little details, and-"

"Do you think it will work?" Daphne cut him off.

He spun around to look at his wife, confused. "What?"

"Harry, do you believe this is the best plan we have?" Daphne reasserted.

The Orderian paused, looking down into space. Moments passed. Finally, his gaze drifted up to his wife's piercing eyes to find compassion and solidarity.

"I do."

"Then that's all we need. Now, how can I help?" Daphne summoned a chair next to his.

Harry stared for a moment longer at her as she sat before turning and starting to explain the intricacies of his idea.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was trying to rally his own base and come up with a plan to defeat the greatest threat he had ever faced.

"They keep moving in conveniently wherever Voldemort or we go… Interesting…" The old wizard spoke as he gazed upon a map of England as well as reports strewn on his desk. He lifted up a document to reveal a stack of weathered papers.

"Too bad, they are more than unaware of Voldemort's weakness." He rubbed his fingers over his lips in thoughts after popping a lemon drop into his mouth.

"It may be better if they eliminate him if Harry is what I believe he is, but with how strong his forces are…" Dropping down into his chair, he brought his hands in front of his face. "It seems the only solution, although a temporary one, is to pit him further against Tom…"

Dumbledore arose from his seat and left his office to start enacting his latest plot.

Meanwhile Voldemort was acting the only way he knew how: violently. Besides the bodies piled up on the floor at his feet, he was throwing more and more in desperate attempts all over Magical England with little success.

"Who are you more wary of: Voldy or Dumby?" Seamus joked to Blaise.

Blaise brought his hand to his chin in thought. "That's actually a tricky one. Normally I would say Dumbledore, but Voldemort isn't used to being so overwhelmed in power…"

"Dumbledore will always be concocting another plan, but I think Voldemort is becoming an animal trapped in a corner. He's going to become more vicious and possibly unpredictable." Neville spoke up.

"Guys. We're going to kick their asses regardless!" Seamus laughed.

Neville and Blaise stared at their friend stoically.

"Okay. Okay. I know what you're going to say," Seamus raised his hands. "Victory is never assured.' I know it isn't, but if we keep underestimating ourselves we do ourselves another injustice. Besides, nowadays there's not much to laugh about… Might as well take what we can."

Neville spared Blaise a glance. "When did he start coming up with pieces of wisdom?"

"I think that's Susan's doing. She's actually having a positive effect on what we thought was the hopeless cause known as Seamus." Blaise replied with a grin.

"Oh, fuck you!" Seamus raised a defiant middle finger to the two.

"There he is!" Neville beamed, clapping Blaise on the shoulder.

"And here I was starting to worry that someone had replaced you," grinned Blaise.

Seamus grumbled under his breath as his own reply.

"Make a hole! Make a hole!" A soldier shouted as she ran past, in the direction of Daphne and Harry's quarters.

"Fuck. That's not good." Blaise stared after the hurrying soldier.

"Let's go." Neville ordered the other two as he already started to follow after the trooper, as she disappeared around a corner.

By the time the three Warriors arrived, the soldier was already dismissed, but Harry was standing inside the doorway to the marriage suite reading a message.

"What's going on, boss?" Seamus asked.

Harry looked at the three in front of him before looking back down at the note and putting it away. His face was a stone mask. "Nothing for you guys to worry about, yet. Go relax before your next missions. I'll see you later."

Without giving them a chance to reply, Harry stepped back and closed the door.

The three men looked at each other, concerned.

"What the fuck was that about?" Seamus finally asked after putting some distance between them and the door.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Blaise replied quietly.

"Me neither, but he is our leader. We need to trust him." Neville commented.

Seamus stopped in his tracks, garnering the other two's attention.

"What?" Neville asked, concerned.

Seamus gravely into Neville's eyes. The redhead's orbs filled with determination and Neville thought he saw a glimpse of something else? Was it anger?

"Neville Longbottom, fourth in command of the Grey Order, never, and I do mean never think for a moment I do not trust Harry. My loyalty, my trust in him is absolute. I consider you my friend, and we have been through a lot together, but I will make you pay if you make that mistake again." Seamus's normal joking manner had evaporated, and Neville and Blaise could only look on in shock.

"You may be number four, sir, but I will prove to you why I am a part of Squad 1, Harry Potter's personal squad, if you think for a moment my devotion to him is less than that."

Neville finally found words to speak. "I will forgive your cheek, Seamus, but only if you listen to me carefully right bloody now." He was calm, but his words were cold as ice. "I would never insinuate something like that. You need to calm down right now before this escalates into something neither of us wants."

Seamus seemed to regain his senses and looked down, nodding. "Yes, sir." The Irishman sighed, and the three felt the pressure in the atmosphere release with his breath. "I'm sorry. I just… I'm getting worried about him."

Neville's eyes widened in understanding, and, looking at Blaise, he saw a similar recognition.

"I… know what you mean, and I'm guessing you do as well, Blaise."

The former Slytherin nodded. "He keeps slipping into his old self. The war's taking its toll on him as it is the rest of us."

Neville shook his head. "You know Harry. I'm sure it's hitting him harder than anyone. He always has and always will take responsibility for more than what he should."

"He thinks he has to shoulder the whole fucking war himself, and it feels like nothing we say helps." Seamus agreed. "I just want to see him genuinely smile and laugh again."

"All we can do is be there for him." Blaise patted his squadmate's shoulder. "We're all getting worried, but that doesn't mean we don't trust him."

"Seamus looked down in shame. "Again, I'm sorry, Neville. I'll take whatever punishment you see fit to hand out with no complaints.

Neville walked up and stood facing the redhead until he raised his eyes off the ground.

"Your punishment is to do whatever you can whenever you can without compromising your duties to help bring that smile back, Seamus Finnegan. Any questions?"

Tears filled Seamus's eyes and a smile grew on his face before he planted his feet together and saluted. "Sir, no sir."

"Good. Then let's get going. I'm sure Harry will tell us whatever that note contained soon." Neville smiled and led the other two further into the depths of Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, Harry was sitting in his living room on his couch near the fire, turning the note over in his hands.

"Dear Lord Hogwarts,

I must say I am rather impressed with how well you have withstood the opening months of our war, but I must assure you that the Ministry of Magic and the light it represents will prevail in defeating the Dark Lord. I also must urge you to think of the consequences of the path you follow, not just for you but all who follow you as well. You were right in Azkaban. We will see each other soon.

Sincerely,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry flung the letter, the latest threat against his people into the fire with a growl, and, the tied magick between him and the castle reacted, engulfing the flames in a sharp flare.

AN: Apologies to everyone who may be confused to see this as Chapter 3. Had been going back over my files and realized the original Chapter 3 was meant to be 4. Good news though? Two chapters at once! Hope everyone enjoys it, and would love to hear your thoughts.

As Always,

Occidere Prima Vel Occidi