Ninja Wizard V 11
By David
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and company, JK Rowling has that pleasure.
Author Notes: These marks () indicate Japanese spoken.
Ninja Wizard V 11
"Roasting DE's Over an Open Fire"
The plan was worked out over the next few days. Sirius and Harry would go there to investigate and if the DE's and Voldemort were there, they would take action. It was decided to take the train down there and rent a room for a few nights and go from there.
"I'll be back in time for Christmas love," Harry said to Hermione. "Have no worries about that. He's disrupted a lot of lives and now we have a chance to bring it to his front door."
Hermione nodded. "Just be careful, Harry."
Harry turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I will. We will. Sirius and I have every intention of coming back from this thing."
Hermione closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. Both of them had just started to realize their feelings for each other were running deeper than they knew. Harry wanted to get this thing done so that he and Hermione could enjoy their lives together. A knock on his bedroom door ended the moment.
"Yo!" Harry sang out and heard Sirius chuckle from the other side. "Come in, Mr. Padfoot."
Sirius stuck his head into the room and smiled at the tender moment Harry and Hermione were having. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get going."
Hermione kissed Harry and backed up. "For luck."
Harry grinned at her. "Thanks love."
Harry picked up his backpack and walked out the door behind Sirius. The three of them went downstairs to the living room and found Keith standing there with Remus.
"Nothing new other than what I told you earlier. I do have a program on my computers called Google Earth. I was able to get some shots of the grounds from it so here they are," Keith handed over a folder to Harry. "Look them over as I know they will be very helpful to you."
Harry tucked the folder away in his backpack as Sirius nodded.
"Nice work kid," Sirius nodded. "Everybody watch yourselves and we'll be back as soon as we can."
Harry and Sirius went out the door and headed down the street for the bus stop at the small strip mall a few blocks away. From there they would go to the nearest train station. They would ride the train all the way to Little Hangleton. Then they would get their room and start the job.
They got into their room mid afternoon. Sirius stretched out on his bed and sighed as Harry pulled a map of Little Hangleton out of his pack and spread it out on the table. He pulled a bit of paper out of his pocket and looked at it. It was the current address of the Riddle Mansion on it. He looked in the street index and found the proper box to look. Yeah, it was in the far end of town. You either had to drive or ride a bike out there. Harry pulled the folder of pictures that Keith had gotten for them and looked it over. Somebody hadn't been caring for the grounds as it looked overrun with bushes. Perfect cover for approach. Harry decided to take a ride out there and look it over in the daytime. He pulled a smaller bag out of the pack and put a couple of big bottle of hot tea in there and made sure his binoculars were in there, too. He glanced at Sirius who was currently snoring lightly. Harry smiled as he shook his head. He turned to the door after leaving a message on the mirror attached to the dresser in the room. He left the B&B and walked out into the very cold day. He turned and headed down the street keeping alert for trouble as it usually found him first. After walking for a bit, Harry got lucky and found an unattended bike. He looked around to see if there was anybody around and then hopped on it and rode off. Harry suddenly discovered why it had been abandoned. The hand brakes weren't working. Harry managed to stop the bike and risked using reparo to fix the brakes. Nothing happened. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and got back on. Harry did look around as he pedaled out to the Riddle Mansion. Little Hangleton didn't look like much. Just a couple of houses, stores, a school, and one church. That was it. It was mostly light woods and nothing else. Harry kept going until he crested the hill overlooking the Riddle Mansion. He pulled the bike into the thick brush and pulled his binoculars and began surveillance. Within the hour he knew everything he needed to know about the property after having looked at it from all angles from a distance. He found the perfect entry point and the perfect vantage point for Sirius to watch from. Harry retreated.
0130 hours. Sirius watched through the night vision binoculars and marveled once more just how great muggle technology was.
"Too bad the idiot named Fudge won't let us use stuff like this. Make our jobs easier," Sirius grumbled.
He watched Harry moving cautiously through the thick brush on the grounds and grinned. "You sure make it look so easy way you go sneaking and peeking like that, kid."
Then he saw a DE approach a bush that Harry was hiding behind. Suddenly the man was gone. Sirius blinked and then looked back through the binoculars. He was sure he'd seen the man there a moment ago. Did he apparate somewhere else? Sirius saw Harry move away from that bush and into the cover of another one. Another DE appeared, and this time Sirius saw Harry pop up, grab the guy by his head, yank on it real hard, and then drag the DE behind the bush. Sirius grinned. So that's what happened to the first one! He wondered if Harry could teach him some of that. He looked back through the binoculars and watched Harry take out two more before slipping in the house through a broken window. Sirius settled down and sipped some hot tea. He knew it would be some time before Harry came out. Harry crouched down deep into the shadows of a corner and listened to the sounds of the house. He could hear a lot of breathing going on and he knew there were at least four DE's in the room he had just entered. He reached into his pack and withdrew an antipersonnel mine. Settling it up was easy. Put the side that told you to point at the enemy. Harry was glad that Sirius and Remus had come up with a way to protect the electronics against magic so they would work properly. He set that in a corner and moved to another corner and set up a second one. Harry them moved through the house, setting up the explosives as he went. He took out the DE's that were a potential threat to him. Harry went into the basement area and he set up the explosives that would implode the house on top of the bad guys. Once that was done Harry went looking for Voldemort and his pet snake and didn't find them. Harry had a feeling he had gone out for the night. Oh well, at least he could take out the DE's base of operations and a bunch of them as well. Harry left the house by a different window after making sure he set the explosives in that room. As he left the property Harry took out four more DE's. They never saw it coming until it was far too late. Harry went to a safe point from where he could watch the house going down. Harry pulled a DE wand he stole to trigger the explosives if the detonator didn't work. Harry thumbed the switch, and the House of Riddle was no more.
The basement explosives went first, destroying the load bearing beams. As the center of the house began to drop, the other explosives Harry planted went off, shredding the DE's into nothing as they made the mistake of jumping up from the floor where they had been sleeping and getting caught in the explosions of the anti personnel mines. Harry watched to make sure none of them escaped as the house came down. Harry made a point to alert the ninja network to be alert once Voldemort saw what happened here. He knew he'd want revenge in the worst possible way and Harry was determined to make sure he never got it. Harry retreated further into the brush as he knew his job was done. He found Sirius at the watching post Harry had set up earlier in the day. Sirius grinned at him.
"Nice job kid," he said, patting Harry on the back. "This should put us up on the scoreboard."
Harry observed the now burning house through the binoculars. "No fire department yet?"
"I think we're a bit too far out into the boonies for them to respond," Sirius said. "Not only that, those thick trees over there acted like a sounding board, making the sound go up after hitting them."
"It would sound like a sonic boom from a jet passing overhead," Harry grinned.
Sirius grinned. "It would. Now let's get out of here."
Harry and Sirius moved out and were in their room before long. Harry took a hot shower and then settled into bed. Sirius was already asleep. Harry decided to sleep for about two hours and then write his after action report for the others to read when he got home. He yawned and then rolled over. He smiled as he pictured Voldemort's reaction. He was sure he'd be really pissed. Voldemort was pissed. Beyond pissed. The night hadn't gone too well for him as the four raids he had planned didn't turn out so well as more of those people in black had appeared and disrupted things for him, taking out at least ten of his DE's. Rather than try and fight them, all four raiding parties managed to get out of there with a majority of people. Now they were trembling in fear as they stood there watching Riddle Mansion burn down. Voldemort turned to look at one of the DE's next to him and the man bowed.
"I would be honored to have you as a guest at my humble home, Master," the man said.
Voldemort nodded, and the DE's popped away. Voldemort would find out who had done this, and they would pay. Oh yes, they would pay for the insult directed at him. He wrapped the huge snake around him and then popped away just as the first fire engine arrived, having gotten the call far too late.
Harry and Sirius heard the talk around the dining room of the little café they had gone to for breakfast the next morning. Harry sipped tea while Sirius had a mug of robust coffee while waiting for breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and English muffins to show up. The stories of the Riddle Family were repeated as well as Frank Bryce having disappeared from there circulated round the dining room. Sirius got drawn into one conversation with an older couple and they told Sirius everything they knew. Sirius played the perfect listener, saying all of the right things at the right times. Harry took the time to enjoy his breakfast as Sirius talked to people around him. They finally got out of there an hour later.
"Who knows what you can learn from other people when you are in a restaurant eating a good meal?" Sirius said as they got into the rental to head back to the train station.
Harry looked to Sirius. "Find out anything interesting?"
"Quite a bit about the Riddle Family History," Sirius said. "They certainly were not well liked, for one. They were miserly, always taking advantage of other people's misery, and they didn't have any other family other than their son Tom, who was Voldy's daddy. If there were other relatives, they have passed on. It was just the three of them. Frank Bryce was the last of that family as I've heard it told. The help that they had working for them have since gone onward."
Sirius pulled out into traffic and drove out of Little Hangleton towards the train station in the bigger city they had gotten off the train in.
"I didn't find any intel in there to indicate what they might be up to," Harry sighed. "I was kind of hoping to. Didn't find any muggle things either."
Sirius nodded. "Then that kind of cements the theory that not all of the DE's are using muggle means to communicate with others."
"It's the muggle born DE's that are doing it," Harry said. "The pureblood DE's don't use it because they have no idea just what they are and how to use them."
Sirius grinned. "Very good Harry. I think we're now on the right track here. Now we look for his new hiding place and take that out. I'm kind of hoping he goes to Malfoy Mansion. I'd enjoy blowing that one up. Never did like that blond ponce."
Harry had to grin at that one. "Him and his little puppet named Draco."
Both of them shared a laugh at that one.
True to Harry's word, he was home two days before the Christmas Eve. Harry checked in with Hermione and then went to the Japanese Embassy where he knew his Japanese family was waiting for him. He passed through security and headed for the apartments where he knew his family would be. The only person he found was Miyoshi playing on the xbox that he had gotten last Christmas.
(Hello there little brother,) Harry said as Miyoshi opened the front door.
The little boy's face lit is in joy as he pounced on Harry, knocking him over as the escort smiled.
(Oh my, I've been attacked by a wild ferocious tiger!) Harry exclaimed as Miyoshi had been wearing his tiger outfit. (Whatever shall I do?)
Harry's escort laughed out loud. (Perhaps if you feed him ice cream he just might be your friend.)
Harry laughed out loud at that. (Sounds like a great idea! Hey wild and ferocious tiger, I'll get you some ice cream if you promise not to eat me?)
Miyoshi's eyes grew bright at the mention of ice cream. (Okay!)
Harry carried Miyoshi into the apartment as the escort closed the door behind them and walked off with a smile on his face. Dealing with Miyoshi was one of the fun parts of his job. Harry dropped his pack on the couch and put Miyoshi on one of the stools at the counter and listened to him rattle off everything he had been doing since he saw Harry last. Harry located the ice cream and served it out to himself and Miyoshi. Harry listened to him talk as he ate his ice cream. Shizune found both of them relaxing on the couch playing a racing game on the xbox when she came in. Harry hugged her and she was glad to see him again.
(Ichiro is out with your father working a problem,) she explained.
Harry knew what they meant. (Won't be much of a problem to fix then.)
Harry glanced down at Miyoshi. (Hey wild one, I'm gonna talk to Mom in the kitchen, okay?)
(Okay!) Miyoshi said as Harry led Shizune into the kitchen.
Harry offered her a cup of tea and they both sat down at the kitchen table and began to talk about the last few months, picking up from where his last letter had left off. He told her of the operation he had undertaken against Riddle House and she nodded her approval.
(Then we have forced him out into the open. He will start making mistakes, and we will catch him,) Shizune said.
Harry grinned. (That was the idea. Keith did find information on a possible inner circle member we can go after and hopefully he can lead us to Voldemort's new hiding place.)
(Daddy!) they heard Miyoshi yell from the living room as the front door opened.
Harry smiled and walked into the living room to find Miyoshi climbing up Kotake. Ichiro saw Harry coming into the living room.
(Tadeo! Welcome home brother!) Ichiro said as he went over to Harry and hugged him. (You look well. It is good to see you.)
Harry grinned as he hugged Ichiro. (I am well, my brother. It is good to see you.)
He turned to Kotake and bowed. (Father, it is good to see you.)
Kotake smiled. (Welcome home, my son.)
Shizune came into the living room. (It is time for dinner.)
Kotake put Miyoshi down and they went to clean up for dinner.
After dinner they gathered in the living room and Harry told them of what he had been doing since he'd seen them last. Miyoshi eventually dropped off to sleep and Shizune carried him off to bed. Now Harry was free to talk and once she returned, Harry was able to tell them the things he couldn't say in front of Miyoshi. The three adults frowned as Harry told them of Umbridge and showed them the scars he had on the back of his hand.
(This woman has become a threat,) Kotake declared.
Harry nodded. (I know. That's why I've set up my own organization to fight back. I don't know if they are reacting to the things that Dumbledore has done in the past, as the Lady McGonagall has worked tirelessly to improve things at Hogwarts. She wants to eliminate the useless classes and start classes that would be much more effective but Umbridge is blocking her at every turn. A lot of us in my group think that she is out to destroy Hogwarts completely. We do have ideas, but no real evidence to confirm our suspicions.)
(Hmmm. This is not good. Well, for now help us in taking down these gutless bastards. The Dark Magic detector we have built in the Wizarding Affairs Office has been extremely effective in helping us find these DE's and stopping them. A number of our magical ninjas have been very effective against the DE's in recent months, especially in the weeks after Voldemort's rebirth. Since you took out his hiding place they have been a bit more active than usual but out ninja have been much more effective in stopping them,) Kotake said.
Harry smiled. (Of course our friends are very effective against them. Nobody can beat a Kokura Ninja.)
Ichiro grinned at that. (Very true, my brother. We are a step ahead of them at the moment, and it's a good thing. But sooner or later he is going to come out of the darkness to attack. Do you have a plan for that?)
Harry sighed as he crossed his arms. (My feeling is that sooner or later he will attack the Ministry, the Wizarding hospital, and Hogwarts. My friend Ron is good with strategy as he plays a lot of chess. He has volunteered to come up with a plan to defend Hogwarts should that ever happen. We think that Voldemort is already slowly taking over the ministry as he has somebody very high up moving his people in place one at a time. I believe he's doing it through somebody in Fudge's office. I believe his time is short as he's been marked for death. How I know this I just don't know, I just do.)
Kotake growled. (Not good. I have looked into the Riddle Family and found nothing of interest as there were just three of them back in the 1940's. There was no mention of a grandson by the name of Tom Riddle and that leads me to believe that Voldemort has been part of the Wizarding world ever since he was invited to go to Hogwarts by Dumbledore. The orphanage where he grew up has been shut down and the building is gone due to a fire that happened there some years ago. Nobody died thanks to the quick actions of the nuns who lived there. According to the official report nobody knows how it got started so it was ruled an act of God.)
(No,) Harry said firmly. (It was Voldemort. He's been trying to cover up his existence to keep people from finding out anything.)
(I agree,) Shizune said. (That is why it is even more important to find out what we can so we can discover a weakness.)
Harry nodded. (I suspect the Dumbledork knows things but he's holding those secrets very close to him, waiting for the right time to step forward with them.)
(A sound tactic for someone to use,) Ichiro said. (Especially after he lost so much to you.)
Harry sighed. (He'd tell me that he would be willing to share things he knows if I recant everything and return him to power. That is something I am not willing to do.)
(We will continue doing what we can until he makes his move. From what you are telling me of your dreams about this room inside the ministry, he will not do anything until he gets what he wants from in there. As to how you are having these dreams, I have consulted other wizards and they seem to think that someone is attacking a small part of your mind that isn't protected, hoping to find some tiny little crack to get inside the protected areas,) Kotake said.
(We developed that same theory, too. I've made an effort to try and protect my whole mind but from what I understand it's very difficult to do. Hermione thinks that someone is trying to get me to go there and find whatever is behind that door and bring it out for them,) Harry said.
Kotake nodded. (That is very possible. So what do you plan on doing?)
(Sirius is making an effort to get me inside that area and see what is there. The only people who are allowed beyond that door are people called Unspeakables, kind of like the Japanese Secret Service. They answer to nobody,) Harry said. (They won't hesitate to do what needs to be done. Even Sirius respects them.)
(Perhaps Sirius should reach out to them and see if they are willing to share information and work with us,) Shizune said.
Harry nodded. (Never thought of that. I'll tell Sirius that the next time I see him.)
Harry yawned and stretched. Kotake glanced at the clock.
(It is late. Time we were in bed,) he said.
Harry bowed. (Then I bid you all a good night.)
The impromptu meeting broke up as everybody headed to bed.
Harry spent the day before Christmas getting his presents to everybody all wrapped up and Helping Shizune in the kitchen. The plan was for a big Christmas at the Granger House in the early afternoon. Miyoshi was all hyped up and Harry finally decided to take his younger brother out on the grounds for a bit of fun. As Harry got Miyoshi all wrapped up against the cold, Shizune popped up from out of the kitchen and handed Harry a list.
(Could you go to the store and get me these items? Take your brother with you he needs to blow off some of that youthful energy,) she smiled.
Harry grinned as Miyoshi got excited. (Sure. I can do that.)
Shizune went back to the kitchen and Harry turned back to Miyoshi. He got the little boy ready and then he got himself ready. Outside the embassy Harry put Miyoshi on his shoulders and was glad he worked out with weights every day. The little one was getting bigger every time he saw him. People around them smiled as they played a game of directions. Harry would ask Miyoshi what direction they were supposed to go in and Miyoshi would tell him no and point in the right direction and Harry would go off in the opposite direction, getting Miyoshi to laugh out loud as they went off to the stores. Once at the store Harry put Miyoshi back on his feet and the little boy grabbed onto Harry's belt once he saw the crowds in there. Harry simply shook his head and silently gave thanks for having found everything he was giving people in the months previously. They managed to get through the crowds and get what Shizune needed and back out again. Miyoshi looked back and shuddered.
(They're crazy,) he said, pointing to the people trying to get inside.
Harry sighed. (That's why I did all of my shopping early.)
They got hot chocolate from a street vendor as they headed back. Miyoshi stopped before a bell ringer and put a couple of pounds in the man's bucket. The man looked at Miyoshi and nodded.
"Mighty kind of you young man," he said. "Now the homeless will get much needed things."
Harry smiled as Miyoshi walked back to him. (Good job, little brother.)
Miyoshi beamed up at Harry and they moved on. Getting back to the apartment, Miyoshi handed Shizune the packages she needed as he told her of their adventures. She smiled at him and patted him on the head. Harry popped up in the kitchen.
(Is there anything I can do for you Mom?) he asked.
Shizune thought for a moment. (No there isn't.)
(Okay, I'll take Miyoshi down to the recreation room for a few hours,) he said.
She looked pleased. (That would help. Thank you.)
Miyoshi led the way and once they got there broke away from Harry and found his friends and started playing with them. Harry decided to get in a workout as long as he was down here and went into the locker room and changed into shorts and a t shirt. He came out and saw Miyoshi playing in the jungle gym area, several adults watching. Harry turned to the weights and went to work.
Christmas Eve Harry joined a team of ninja in the Wizarding department for his shift. The board was quiet until about ten when several signals went off, signaling DE activity. Harry responded to the one in Little Whinging, Surrey, where his former uncle and aunt lived. Harry apparated there to find a pair of DE's standing watch as three other DE's were trying to set a house on fire. Harry recognized it as number three Wisteria, the home of Arabella Figg, a lady he had met in the summer he had stayed with his so called relatives. Harry popped out of the dark, surprising the two DE's standing there. Harry flew past them, slicing open their throats with small blades he had concealed in his hands and then switching to throwing stars to get the three DE's. One of the DE's managed to alert the three trying to set the house on fire and they attacked. Harry went into attack mode and got one of the DE's with well thrown stars. That one went down as the other two snarled at Harry.
"We brought a little surprise for you," one said.
Harry had a sudden bad feeling as the DE cackled. A moment later four very deranged werewolves popped out of nowhere and charged Harry. Harry simply reacted, calling up his silver forged short swords and charging them. Harry took out the first one as he seriously wounded the second one. The two DE's turned back to the house and before they could do anything Harry was right there, kicking both of them away from the house right into the arms of the two remaining werewolves. One of the DE's got shredded up badly in seconds as the other one managed to fire the AK into the chest of the one coming after him. He missed by scant inches but it was enough to get that werewolf to back off. Harry used the opportunity to charge and the DE that was shredded up was falling backwards as the razor sharp tip of Harry's left handed sword caught the edge of the DE's neck, opening up the major blood vein. The left handed sword continued to move from right to left, going into the front of the werewolf's neck opening it up as the right handed sword plunged into the heart, killing him instantly. Harry didn't stop, continuing to move as he went after the DE and the werewolf that was left. The DE turned, choosing to try and protect himself from the remaining werewolf, thinking he could get that one before taking on Harry, but Harry knew better, having talked to Remus a number of times about a werewolf's fighting capabilities. It would take more than just a simple spell to take a werewolf down, you had to really open him up in order to kill him. Harry wasn't sure that the AK would do the job and he wasn't about to find out. The DE was far enough out of the reach of the werewolf so he managed to fire off the AK point blank range into the chest, and it was enough to knock it back, really pissing it off. Harry changed targets from the DE to the werewolf. As Harry went after the Werewolf, the DE laughed at Harry.
"Have fun!" and he apparated away just as the werewolf charged.
Harry used the left handed sword to block a claw strike, the sword sliding through the fingers, making the werewolf scream out in pain, enraging it even more. Harry flipped over it, dragging both swords over the shoulders in an effort to damage the arms. He landed on his feet and charged just as the werewolf turned around. This time Harry was able to use the left handed sword to slice open the neck while the right handed sword struck true into the heart. The werewolf dropped. Popping sounds alerted Harry and he faded back into the dark shadows. Albus Dumbledore strode forward as Arabella Figg came out of the house. Harry breathed a sigh knowing she was safe now. Harry turned and jogged around to the hack of the house and out of range of the anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards the DE's had put up prior to their attack and apparated back to the wizard department deep inside the Japanese Embassy. His night was over.
Harry rolled over and peered through bleary eyes at the very excited little boy jumping up and down on his bed the next morning. Harry swept Miyoshi's feet out from underneath him and the little boy laughed out loud as he landed on the bed next to Harry. Harry glanced at the clock. Six in the morning. Way too early. He pulled Miyoshi into him and used his thumb on a nerve point to calm Miyoshi down and get him to go back to sleep. Once the hyper little boy was asleep again, Harry settled down and went back to sleep for another two hours. When he woke up at eight Miyoshi was still sleeping. He smiled at his little brother and very carefully got out of bed and went to take care of business before going into the kitchen and starting up the coffee and the tea pots. He got his cup of coffee once it was done and jumped out of the way as a very excited Hiroshi came into the kitchen for his cup of coffee. He sighed once he got his first taste of the coffee.
(Now that's good,) he said as he joined Harry at the kitchen table. (Heard you had quite the night last night.)
Harry sighed. (I did. Christmas Eve, you would think the DE's would stay at home, but noooo, they had to go out and try to ruin somebody's holiday. I encountered five DE's and four very deranged werewolves. I managed to take them out before the Dumbledork and his friends showed up. The location I went to was the house of a lady I had met when I went to my dear loving relatives one summer that turned out to be a mistake.)
Hiroshi nodded. (You were victorious, Tadeo. You saved a life and potential more lives that could have been threatened by those dishonorable dogs.)
Harry nodded as he reached for a small rice ball and bit into it. Hiroshi took another sip of coffee and then frowned.
(Where is your brother, the Wild One?) he asked.
Harry smiled. (He attacked me this morning about six, so I retaliated and took him down and put him back to sleep.)
The old man laughed quietly. (You were the same way when you were his age. Ichiro did the same thing with you, stopping you and then getting you to go back to sleep for a few hours more. Five in the morning is just too early to get up.)
A small voice piped up right then. (Big brother! Why did you stop me from getting you up?)
Harry leaned over and looked at a grumpy Miyoshi, the little boy had his arms crossed in front of him and looked very put out.
(Because six in the morning is just a bit too early to wake up little brother,) Harry smiled at him, ruffling up his bed hair. (Now go comb out your hair and come back here. I'll have your tea and some food ready for you as we wait for the others, okay?)
(Okay,) the little boy grumbled as he dashed off for the bathroom.
Hiroshi laughed again as Harry smiled. (Some things never change.)
Harry sighed and went back to his coffee. A few minutes later Ichiro walked into the kitchen and headed for the coffee pot.
(The Wild One up yet?) he asked.
Harry nodded. (Woke me up at six, so I managed to put him down for another two hours. He's up now.)
Ichiro grinned as he joined Harry and Hiroshi at the kitchen table. (Yip. Sounds like him.)
Harry looked up as Shizune entered the kitchen with Miyoshi behind her.
(Good morning Mother,) Harry and Ichiro greeted her while Hiroshi raised his coffee mug.
Shizune smiled. (Good morning. Has Miyoshi had anything yet?)
(No. I was going to give him a bit of tea and something to nibble on,) Harry said.
Ichiro snorted at that and Shizune looked at him in that way she did and Ichiro blushed. She turned to the counter as Miyoshi took his place at the kitchen table and waited for his food. Kotake walked in a moment later and joined them at the table. Now they could start the day.
Harry sighed as he sat on the smaller couch as he watched Miyoshi play with the Transformer toys Harry had gotten him. His mind drifted as he did the what ifs again and wondered what his life would have been like if Voldemort had never happened. He was sure he would be with his parents in their house enjoying a happy Christmas with them. But life happened the way it did and there was nothing he could do about it except to carry on as he always had. He liked his life now and he loved the people that gave him a home to be in and he would always appreciate that. He sipped a bit more of his tea and turned his attention back to Miyoshi as he played with his new toys. Then an owl appeared from nowhere and dropped a letter into his lap and disappeared again. Harry cast spells on it to check it for anything suspicious and discovered it was from Neville. He opened it.
"Harry, just a quick note to thank you for the books and the Bonsai tree you sent me for Christmas. Gran likes it and thinks it's a very interesting plant. Gran wished to thank you for the Waterford Crystal you sent her with the Longbottom Family Coat of Arms etched onto them. Hope you're having a Happy Christmas. Neville," Harry read.
He smiled as he folded it and dropped it onto the table next to him. He'd have to send Neville a note later to thank him for the book of Dueling Champions of the Wizarding World as Harry had often wondered who they were having heard of them. Harry sat up as a thought struck him. Would they be willing to help defend the Wizarding World against the DE's if they were asked? Harry resolved to approach them and talk to them after discussing it with Sirius and getting his opinion. Harry stood up and stretched, feeling things pop in his body. He pulled his wand and used it to gather up all of the torn Christmas wrap into a ball and then into a trash bag. He gathered the bows and stuck them into another bag for Shizune as she saved them for the next year. Harry put the trash bag by the washing machine in the service area and checked the time. He went into the kitchen to find Shizune working in there.
(Anything I can do to help?) he asked.
Shizune turned and smiled. (No Tadeo, thank you for asking.)
(Okay. I'm gonna go hit the shower then,) Harry said.
Harry turned and headed into the bathroom.
Harry glanced at the bit of parchment he held in his hand that Hermione had given him when he arrived at the Grangers for Christmas Dinner. Hermione had told him that Dumbledore had been there looking for him and wanted her to give it to him.
"He was most polite this time," she said. "Daddy wouldn't let him in and he simply asked for you and I said I hadn't seen you. He asked me to give you this, and I checked it very carefully after taking it. There's nothing there."
Harry nodded and then opened the letter, seeing Dumbledore's familiar handwriting.
"Harry, I must inform you that Arabella Figg who lives close by your relatives was attacked last night by five DE's and what looks like four werewolves. I am telling you this as she lives very close to your aunt and uncle who live around the corner from her. I believe she was targeted because she is a squib, born into a magical family but incapable of doing magic. As I am unable to protect you I must ask you to please be careful in what you do and where you go as you could be attacked at any moment. I do wish you a Happy Christmas. Albus Dumbledore," Harry read.
He folded up the letter and stuck it into his pocket. He crossed his arms and started out the window for a moment as Hermione leaned into him.
"I know she had been attacked last night because I was there," he said and then told her what happened last night. "My brothers have been very active as of late and so far it has been just groups of four, five, six, and sometimes seven DE's. Last night was the first time they used werewolves against somebody, and Fudge better wake his ass up or someone will get killed. So far the clan has managed to keep people from getting killed. We have been lucky so far."
Harry turned to Hermione. "This is why we need to figure out a way to get rid of the toad so we can secure Hogwarts and teach everybody defense. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's gone over to the enemy and is actively working for them, and not just for Fudge. I've been working on a theory, and it goes something like this. Umbridge has an agenda in mind. She wants to be the one to control Hogwarts so that Dumbledore can be brought to heel. Once he has been neutralized by her, she then can mold Hogwarts into something she wants. She is more or less the number two person at the Ministry just under Fudge. Since she has tasted power at Hogwarts, she is now actively working against Fudge. She has him distracted by something while she moves people around inside the Ministry very discretely, and they are either DE's or DE sympathizers. Once they are in place she will stage some kind of coup to take over and become the Minister of Magic. Once that happens, then Voldemort will have won as she will literally hand over Wizarding England to him. From there he will be able to attack the other countries without any kind of resistance from anybody once they know England is under his control. We need to stop her from doing that."
"Harry, are you… suggesting that… you kill her?" Hermione asked.
Harry sighed. "I've thought about it. Have you ever noticed that she's constantly has her wand in hand? That tells me she is ready to fight at a moment's notice. I've used my ninja senses to probe her defenses, and she has some kind of protection around her that's fairly strong to protect her. It would take some work to get through those defenses to take her down. Not impossible to overcome them, just a bit difficult. Even more reasons why we need the defense club. The defensive and offensive spells we are learning are not strong enough to break her defenses. The kind of spells that Voldemort and the DE's have are strong enough to break through. Fudge believes she's working to weaken Hogwarts and she is, but not for Fudge. She's doing it for Voldemort, and I think he's the one that has given her that kind of protection. What I need you to do is to start researching really hard hitting spells that is capable of weakening those protections so I can defeat the bloody wanker and put him down for good."
"I'll do it," Hermione said. "We can introduce those spells to the group once we get back to Hogwarts in January. We do need to step up."
Harry sighed. "Enough shop talk. Let's go enjoy the festivities."
Both of them rejoined the group in the living room.
Voldemort's Lair, unknown location, England.
Voldemort sat in his throne like chair, looking out at all of the DE's present in the room. All of them knew he wasn't happy. He hadn't said anything just yet, and it was that silence they scared the hell out of them all. Finally his gaze stopped at one DE.
"So, out of the six groups that I sent out last night, only you was able to return," he said softly. "Now, why is that?"
The man trembled, clearly scared out of his mind. "Because they missed me?"
"And how did they miss you?" Voldemort asked.
The man swallowed hard. "My unit leader ordered me to stay in hiding and cast my spells from there, my Lord. I did as I was ordered, and managed to set the fire that destroyed the wizard house after trapping the people inside while the others battled the people in black."
Voldemort nodded and bade him to continue.
"These people in black… they were so fast… there one second and gone the next… they killed our brethren with some kind of strange magic… I do not know how… the unit with the four werewolves were put down very quickly… I was able to find out from our friend in the Aurors… he was there at the Figg house… he followed Dumbledore there… apparently Dumbledore knows the squib woman… do not know why, my Lord, I am trying to find out!" he bowed deeply, his head down so he would not see the green spell of death coming at him.
"This man you know, would he be able to find out who destroyed my house?" Voldemort asked.
The man nodded. "I have asked him… to try and find out… he told me Dumbledore was most upset about it… Dumbledore thinks it may cause you to retaliate against innocents," the man said.
"Then go and talk to him," Voldemort commanded him. "Have him find out about this Figg woman and find out who destroyed my house to I can visit upon him a most painful death."
"By your command, my Lord!" the man said and slowly backed away and then fled the room.
Voldemort then looked around the group and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Only two remained behind. Voldemort turned to them.
"Lucius, Snape, come to me," he bade them and both men approached him. "I must know how your efforts are going in attempting to penetrate that room. I must see that prophecy!"
"The attack upon Arthur Weasley was not completely successful, my Lord. He was found a short time after Nagini attacked him. He yet lives," Lucius reported. "My agent was not able to get inside that room. He is at the moment attempting to turn one of the Unspeakables to our cause. I am to meet with him after the New Year. My agent has informed me the man has fallen into financial difficulties. I am planning to play upon that opportunity."
Voldemort smiled. "Very good, Lucius. Snape?"
Snape bowed. "My Lord. The boy I have given the task to has reported numerous successful attempts to place the images of the room in Potter's head. I have provided him with images of Sirius Black to use in the next phase of the operation. If Lucius is successful in turning the Unspeakable our way, that would certainly help us gain access to the place. Once Potter goes in there it will be fairly easy to tag him with a tracker so that we can follow him wherever he goes in there, hopefully into the place where the Prophecy is stored. If Lucius is able to get the Unspeakable to assist Potter in getting it, so much the better. Then we shall take possession of it."
"Both of you have done well. Now send the woman in," he said.
Snape and Lucius bowed and left the room. Snape paused in the hall.
"Our Lord wishes to see you," he snarled to a short, squat toad like woman.
She smiled brightly. "Thank you Severus. I shall see you back at the school."
Snape glared at her as she entered the throne room of Lord Voldemort.
Next Episode: Umbridge Begins to Clamp down. Resistance Begins.