Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton, 6/22/1996, 04:59

Saying Voldemort was apoplectic would be an understatement. Two of his teams were killed by teenagers and his yew wand had been burnt to cinders! This was also the second time he had been forced to flee from Albus Dumbledore!

It was only by sheer luck that Rabastan had managed to escape the castle and had followed him out of the main gates in a smoke-like form. Unfortunately, the rest of the death eaters who attacked Hogwarts were killed by students!

The Hogsmeade teams were more successful and had only taken minor losses. The team that attacked Diagon Alley didn't fare quite as well but they had still wreaked havoc on the hub of magical Britain and managed to kill quite a few of the residents.

Presently, he was having Narcissa apply burn paste to his arm though he knew he would have to perform another ritual to fully heal himself the skin, as he could already tell that there was deep tissue damage caused by Potter"s cursed flames.

"Do you recognise this spell, Narcissa?" Voldemort asked, breaking the silence as he watched her gently dab the burn paste onto the charred skin on his arm.

"I do my lord, this is an old Black family spell called the fire from hell," Narcissa replied, not looking up from her task.

"I admit that I'm intrigued, what kind of spell is it?" Voldemort inquired in a soft voice as he watched her dabbing the salve in the crook of his elbow.

"Very complex dark magic, my lord. The spell consumes all that it touches much like fiend fire," Narcissa explained as she looked up to meet his gaze.

"That spell transformed the caeruleumors spell into black fire, I didn't know that was possible," Voldemort said in a questioning tone as he felt the numbing agent in the salve starting to take effect.

"When the cursed fire meets a complex spell, it feeds off of it as a source of magic and takes on its properties until the source of magic is consumed. It is said that the spell can even consume the killing curse itself but my ancestors never tested the theory," Narcissa lectured as she went back to completing her task.

"How would Harry Potter know of such a spell?" Voldemort asked as he inspected his arm which was now coated in a thick orange paste.

"No doubt my sister's spawn must have been teaching him Black family magic, my lord," Narcissa answered.

"Then I believe it is time to share some of the misfortune we've been suffering of late," Voldemort said as he tried to move his arm, only to hiss in pain when the skin around his elbow was stretched.

"It is my lord" Narcissa agreed, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

"What do you know of the order's headquarters?" Voldemort asked as he moved his arm more slowly.

"It is under fedelius but the order members do move in the open when they come and go," Narcissa answered at once.

"I believe it is time we send the order a present," Voldemort said thoughtfully.

"An attack?" Narcissa asked as she put her potions away.

"No my dear, I believe the muggles call it a bomb," Voldemort said as he began putting a plan together.

"You want to blow them up, my lord?" Narcissa asked.

"I do, send for Augustus, we have work to do," Vdemort ordered and watched Narcissa hurry to carry out the command.

He would have Roomwood pull double duty as after he had the man create a device to destroy the order's headquarters, he would have him gather ingredients for the regeneration ritual.

'Let's see how you handle this Albus,' Voldemort thought to himself as he took his usual seat and tried to make himself more comfortable, a feat made almost impossible due to the third-degree burns on his wand arm.

Infirmary, Hogwarts, 6/22/1996, 09:39

Harry jerked awake when he felt Tonks' hand slip out of his. Harry looked up in time to see her making walking towards the hospital loo, sporting white linen pajamas. The hospital wing was almost empty now with only him and Tonks occupying the ward.

Dumbledore never did come back to speak with him last night, not that Harry wasn't all that surprised. He was still waiting to have the conversation Dumbledore had promised they would have after he had found the horcrux locket last summer.

However, Harry had been very surprised when Madam Bones came into the infirmary at about four this morning to retrieve Susan. She had gotten a quick statement from Harry about the attack last night and inquired about Tonks' condition before she escorted Susan out of the hospital wing.

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts as Tonks walked back to the bed she had slept on. She was dressed in baggy torn jeans and a Weird Sisters tee shirt. The bruising on her face had subsided but she still had a bandage on her head and walked with a slight limp.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Harry asked as he stood from his chair and looked her over worriedly.

"My sides are still very sore," Tonks groaned as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I really am sorry about you getting clipped by that spell," Harry said as he watched her try to lean down to pull on her sock.

"It was better than the alternative," Tonks said, wincing when she pulled a muscle in her side trying to bend down.

"Here," Harry said as he took her socks and began to slide them on her feet, not noticing the tender look she was giving him.

"So what did I miss?" Tonks asked as she carefully stood up and stepped into her boots before using her wand to do up her laces.

"From what I gather, the professors herded the students into the great hall for the night... oh, and Madam Bones came by to pick up Susan. She said for you to come into the office after you wake up," Harry said as he pulled on his own trainers.

"Do you want me to take you home or would you rather ride the train?" Tonks asked curiously.

"I'll take the train, I want to spend some time with Ron and Hermione," Harry said as he straightened up.

"Have you been running around shirtless all night?" Tonks snorted as she noticed his attire (or lack thereof).

"He hasn't left your bedside all night," Madam Pomfrey cut in as she stepped out of her office.

"That's not true, I used the loo an hour ago," Harry corrected.

"I offered him one of the beds and he turned it down," Poppy added.

"They could have come back to attack again," Harry defended though it sounded lame even o his own ears.

"I knew you liked me, Potter," Tonks smiled.

"I would say smitten better sums it up. How are you feeling, Auror Tonks?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Just some tenderness in my sides," Tonks answered, giving Harry a soft smile.

"Let's have a look," Poppy said as she waved her wand over Tonks' side and nodded thoughtfully.

"There is some inflammation in your obliques but that is to be expected," Poppy said at Harry's questioning look.

"So I can leave?" Tonks asked hopefully.

"I would like you to eat breakfast and take another dose of muscle-relaxing potion but after that, you are free to go," Poppy said as she levitated two trays of bacon and eggs onto the bedside table.

Harry's stomach gave a noisy growl when the smell of bacon hit his nostrils. Turning his chair so that he could use the bedside table to eat, Harry took his seat and dug in with gusto. Tonks sat on the edge of the bed and began to eat as well sharing the small table with him.

"So you torched his wand?" Tonks asked with interest after washing down her eggs with a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah but honestly I thought he was going to kill us with that spell of his," Harry said after setting his cutlery on his empty plate.

"I saw the spell before I passed out, but I couldn't tell you what it was," Tonks admitted.

"That makes two of us," Harry chuckled as he stood up.

"You like you've been through hell," Tonks muttered as she looked at the light pink scar across his chest.

"We all had a rough night," Harry shrugged, shivering slightly as a morning breeze blew through the partially open window on the other side of the ward.

"Dobby," Tonks called out and was rewarded a second later when the elf in question appeared with a barely audible 'pop.'

"Miss Tonky, wants to see Dobby?" The oddly dressed elf asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could get our trunks for us?" Tonks asked hopefully as she looked down at the elf.

Dobby snapped his fingers and both of their packed trunks appeared at the foot of the bed.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said as he opened his trunk and dug a tee shirt out.

"You's be welcome Master Harry Potter sir," Dobby chirped as Harry pulled the shirt over his head.

Harry knew that he should probably take a shower but he really wanted to get out of the infirmary, and by the look Tonks' was giving him, Harry was pretty sure she did too.

"The clothes you's left in the come and go room last night be's burnt, nasty man set the room on fire," Dobby said, wringing his hands nervously.

"He burnt the room?" Harry asked in surprise.

"He's burnt the room of hidden things and now the other rooms not be's working at all," Dobby explained.

"I really hate Voldemort," Harry sighed as he pulled a light jacket on.

"Other elves say it will work again once the castle repairs itself but the hidden treasures be gone forever," Dobby said.

"I hope so. By the way, thank you for warning us about the attack last night," Harry said, giving Dobby a genuine smile.

"You's be welcome, the castle elves be thrilled you make much more work to be's doing," Dobby beamed.

"Yeah the seventh floor was a bit of a wreck," Harry chuckled as he shrank and pocketed his trunk.

"The basement be worse, Bonesy girl made big messes out of masky men," Dobby exclaimed, sounding almost gleeful.

"I really do not want to make an enemy of Susan," Harry muttered.

"I hear that," Tonks agreed as she opened her trunk.

"Dobby has work to finish in the basement, have a good summer Master Harry Potter," Dobby said before disappearing with a soft 'pop.'

"I have to run too, Bones will want a full debrief. She'll probably want to rip me a new one for not being in the Hufflepuff common room as well," Tonks said as an afterthought.

"Do you think she will?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Well it wasn't like I was out getting drunk or anything but I wasn't at my post in the Hufflepuff common room," Tonks shrugged.

"You weren't really needed there anyway, from what Susan told us, the Puffs slaughtered their attackers," Harry pointed out.

"We'll see, I might end up getting bumped down to cleaning the loos for the magical maintenance department," Tonks grumbled as she pulled on her auror robes.

"You really do look good in those Robes," Harry smiled as he watched her shrink her trunk and slip it into her pocket.

"We still haven't played aurors and criminals yet," Tonks smirked.

"No, we sure haven't Harry said as his mind wandered to the possibilities.

"Oh yeah before I forget, vestigium magicim restrictum," Tonks said as she pointed her wand at Harry's chest.

Harry was taken aback as he was engulfed by golden mist before it quickly settled into his skin.

"What was that?" Harry asked in surprise.

"That was the spell to remove the trace early," Tonks beamed as she came to stand in front of him.

"Thanks," Harry smiled as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Don't mention it," Tonks smiled before she kissed him one more time.

"I have to get to the ministry and you have a train to catch," Tonks said after checking her watch.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of this damn castle," Harry muttered as the stepped out of the infirmary.

The walk down to the entrance hall didn't take long as the hallways were almost deserted except for Mrs Norris who they met coming down the infirmary corridor. When they walked down the grand staircase.

Harry couldn"t help but be horrified at how much damage was done to the entrance hall. The cathedral-like room looked like the inside of a chimney! Luckily the hall was made primarily of stone but he could see massive cracks in the walls and the floor where intense heat had damaged the stone. The windows had shattered and looked to have melted into pools of glass on the cracked and soot-blackened flagstone floor.

"Holy shit!" Harry exclaimed as they stepped off the stairs.

"This is worse than I expected," Tonks admitted as she led them over to the doorway leading outside.

They were forced over the burnt-out pieces of the massive oak front doors in order to step outside. Unfortunately, the view from the outside of the castle wasn't much different. Harry stood there for a second gaping as he got a good look at the lawns or rather what used to be the lawns.

There was no grass anymore just blackened soil leading all the way to the gates and the edge of the lake and the whomping willow was gone leaving nothing behind but a charred stump. The only positive thing to note was that it didn't seem the fire had made it to the forest or Hagrid's hut.

"Will the grass grow back?" Harry asked as he watched thestral drawn carriages taking students down to the train station.

"Yeah, after a while. There is more than enough magic around the castle to purge the traces left by the cursed flames," Tonks assured him as they began walking across the dry cracked earth, both deciding to forgo using the carriages.

"Damn, this looks worse than the Burrow's orchards," Harry muttered as burnt earth crumbled under his feet.

"I'm pretty sure this was fiend fire," Tonks admitted.

"McGonagall never said what kind of fire they used but it wouldn't surprise me," Harry shrugged.

Harry knew a bit about fiend fire from the notes on the hellfire spell. Hellfire was derived from fiend fire but the latter was several magnitudes more powerful. The spell itself was said to be very easy to cast but almost impossible to control as the fire developed a mind of its own.

Harry and Tonks walked in silence for a few as they took in this barren incarnation of a place that was a pristine emerald green lawn this time yesterday.

Harry couldn't help but feel his hatred for the death eaters grow the more he thought about what they had done last night. It wasn't bad enough that three of his peers had been murdered in a cowardly attack but they had defiled a bastion of the wizarding world! This was a place that Harry had considered his home until this year when he had moved in with the Tonks family. As mixed as his feelings may have been about the school of late, seeing the scars left behind by the attack last night lit a fire in his belly and made him want to defeat these bastards even more.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, they approached the main gates, idly Harry noticed that the wrought iron gates were blackened and had started to warp.

"I have to run but try and stay out of trouble on the train," Tonks said as they stepped through the open gates and onto the cobblestone path that led down to Hogsmeade.

"You be careful too, I'll see you this evening," Harry said before he wrapped his arms around her and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Don't worry about me, I'm a professionally trained auror," Tonks assured him.

"I always worry, Nymphadora," Harry said softly.

"I love you, Harry, I'll be fine," Tonks said softly as she took a few steps back and twisted on the spot, disappearing with a soft 'pop'.

"I love you too," Harry whispered after she had already left.

Harry stood there for a few minutes after she left as he wondered about Tonks and what was going to happen at the ministry. Harry was almost certain that Tonks was about to get thrown right in the thick of things. After her performance last night, Harry had little doubt Tonks would be back on active duty and that thought terrified him. She was very skilled but that didn't help ease his trepidation at her going into life-and-death situations.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts as a carriage passed him and he realised he had been standing there lost in his thoughts. Shaking his head, Harry began walking toward the train station secretly hoping Tonks got bumped to magical maintenance after all, at least she would be much safer that way.

Ministry of Magic, London,6/22/1996, 10:37

Tonks stepped into the auror department to find utter chaos waiting for her. Aurors and hit wizards were running in between cubicles constantly chatting with one another.

"Well if it isn't Nymphadora Tonks," a familiar voice boomed from a cubicle to her left.

"Wotcher Shack, you know perfectly well not to say my name," Tonks scowled as she looked up at her much taller colleague.

"It's been so long since I've seen you, I must have forgotten," Kingsley smirked as he put his arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner and steered her through the bullpen.

"You're taking me to see Bones, aren't you?" Tonks asked warily.

"Her orders are to have you in her office as soon as you entered the department," Shack said as the entered the hallway that led to the private offices of the different department heads.

"That can't be good," Tonks muttered.

"On the contrary, you and Potter took down two high-tier targets last night," Shack said as they came to a stop in front of a door with a placard that read.

A. BONES

Office of the Head of DMLE

Kingsley reached up and knocked smartly on the door and waited for a response.

"Enter!" An agitated voice barked from the other side of the door.

Tonks took a breath and followed Kingsley as he stepped into the spartanly decorated office. The room was furnished with a simple writing desk and a few straight-back chairs and a row of filing cabinets. The only decoration in the room was a picture of an eight-year-old Susan on Amelia's desk. The walls were the same black brick as in the hallways and the floor was covered in grey carpet. The room captured Amelia's no-frills personality which was a sharp contrast to some of the offices' other ministry heads.

"You can go, Auror Shacklebolt," Amelia said as soon as she spotted Tonks stepping into the room.

Shack turned on his heel and swept out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft 'click'.

"Take a seat Auror," Amelia said as she gestured to the straight-backed chair across from her desk.

Tonks quickly followed the instruction, feeling a bit relieved to be off of her feet.

"You had a busy night last night, you and Potter tangled with the LeStrange brothers and had a confrontation with Voldemort himself," Bones started off as her hard eyes bored into Tonks' own.

"I was taken out of the fight before Voldemort arrived, ma'am," Tonks corrected.

"I heard, Susan gave me a summary of Potter's version of events. Furthermore, I interviewed Potter myself last night and from what he told me, you're lucky to be alive," Amelia said, giving Tonks a questioning look.

"Yea ma'am, Harry pushed me out of the path of a killing curse and into a doozy of a bludgeoning charm," Tonks agreed.

"Better the hospital than the morgue, he made the right decision," Amelia nodded.

"Yes ma'am, Harry did the right thing," Tonks said as she met her boss' gaze.

"Are you completely healed?" Amelia pressed.

"Mostly ma'am, Poppy said my ribs will be tender for a while," Tonks replied.

"Good, I did not call you in today for your account of the battle, I have enough evidence on that already," Amelia assured her

"What did you call me here for, ma'am?" Tonks asked feeling a bit nonplussed that she wasn't here for a debriefing.

"You contacted me last April about Theodore Nott repairing a vanishing cabinet, is that correct?" Amelia asked.

"Yes ma'am, Headmaster Dumbledore advised me to leave it be. I thought you should be made aware of the situation," Tonks replied.

"Yes, we looked into the matter but until a law was broken with the artefact, there was no legal course of action we could take," Amelia admitted.

"Did you find the cabinet, ma'am?" Tonks asked.

"Yes, it was in a classroom off of the entrance hall but it was destroyed, most likely by Voldemort as it was reported he was the last one to come through. We have sent the pieces to the department of mysteries to see if they can repair it but I doubt much will come of it," Amelia sighed as she took out her monocle and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Any word about Theodore Nott?" Tonks asked hopefully.

"Yes as a matter of fact. He was picked up this morning at the home of Severus Snape. Potter mentioned that he was the one who removed Nott from the school, so I sent a team to pick them both up early this morning," Amelia replied.

"That's good news," Tonks said feeling a sense of relief.

"We're going to have to cut Nott loose, there was nothing illegal about repairing a vanishing cabinet and he refuses to answer any questions," Amelia said and there was no mistaking the frustration in her tone.

"We could get him on conspiracy to commit murder, he was part of a plot to bring terrorists into a school," Tonks exclaimed.

"We can't prove he had anything to do with it. We can't interrogate a minor without parental consent and considering that Cantankerus Nott is believed to be an inner circle death eater, I doubt he'd give it to us anyway" Amelia pointed out, looking very annoyed.

"Buggering hell!" Tonks exclaimed.

Tonks could feel her own frustration grow when she realised the truth in Amelia's words. Cantankerus Nott was still active in the Wizengamot and would cause all kinds of problems for them in the court if they tried to circumvent this law. This was always the problem in prosecuting death eaters, they were well-connected to powerful people in the government. In many cases, they had gotten away with murder or worse simply because of their status or because they had a powerful family member.

"That sums things up nicely," Amelia snorted, pulling Tonks from her thoughts.

"You know that Snape works as Dumbledore's spy inside the death eaters camp, ma'am," Tonks said, knowing it best to move things along.

"I do indeed. Though speaking of Dumbledore, that bearded bastard's neck is on the chopping block too. If he weren't a necessary evil, I would bring him up on charges of reckless endangerment and three counts of manslaughter after that fiasco last night," Amelia muttered darkly.

"Good, we tried to get him to destroy that damn cabinet for two months," Tonks admitted.

"Well Albus will have to wait, we have a mess on our hands after last night and I need all hands on deck," Amelia said as she replaced her monocle.

"Does this mean I can finally come back to work, ma" am?" Tonks asked hopefully.

"You bet your ass you're coming back to work, you are reinstated to active duty effective immediately. Report to Auror Shacklebolt to begin work with team Alpha," Madam Bones barked.

"Yes ma'am," Tonks said as she rose to her feet and stood at parade rest.

"I hope you're ready for this, Auror because the shit is about to really hit the fan, after last night," Madam Bones warned.

"I am, I have been stuck in that infernal school for a year, ma'am," Tonks assured her.

"It seemed to work pretty well for you, if my reports are true you and Potter are an item," Amelia smirked.

"Susan is such a gossip," Tonks snorted.

"That she is but Potter trained her and McMillan well, those two turned those bastards attacking the Hufflepuff common room into hamburger," Amelia said and there was no mistaking the pride in her voice.

"If I had known they were attacking both common rooms I would have-

"Save it auror. According to Mister Potter, the information you received made Gryffindor the priority. I'll just pretend that you weren't in a compromising position when you got word of the attack," Amelia said, cutting her off before she could finish.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"You trained Potter, didn't you?" Amelia asked.

"Yes ma'am, that was why Dumbledore was so eager to allow me in the school undercover," Tonks admitted.

"And he's been training others. Hannah Abbott killed two death eaters in the attack on her home, the Gryffindor students took out three death eaters before you two arrived, and the Hufflepuff students wiped out an entire attack team last night. Thanks to you and Potter, the children can defend themselves," Bones said, giving her an approving nod.

"It was mostly Harry's doing until after Raster," Tonks admitted.

"I am well aware but he passed the training you gave him to his peers," Bones shrugged.

"Yes ma'am but all things being equal, I'd prefer being an auror again," Tonks answered, not expecting praise from her boss.

"Very well, you are being promoted to grade three senior auror status," Amelia said as she pulled open the top drawer on her desk and removed a silver badge before tossing it to Tonks.

"P-promoted?" Tonks asked in confusion as she caught the badge.

You have been responsible in one way or another for taking down three of the top ten most wanted criminals in Britain, keep that up and you could have my job one day," Amelia answered as Tonks clipped the badge on her lapel and set her old badge on the desk.

"Thank you, ma'am," Tonks said still feeling a bit shocked at being elevated in rank eighteen months earlier than she expected.

"I think that should be all for now, you're dismissed Auror Tonks," Amelia said before looking back down at the open file on her desk.

"Good day, Madam Bones," Tonks replied before turning on her heel and sweeping from the room.

Tonks felt her heart soar at the news that she could finally do her part on the front lines. Though after last night, she felt a certain amount of anxiety as well. If it weren't for Harry, she would have gone on her next great adventure and that was a sobering thought.

The promotion had taken her by surprise, she had actually been expecting a bollocking for not being in the Hufflepuff common room during the attack but instead, she had moved up two grades.

She would have to start training harder as there was a real possibility that she would be in a confrontation sooner than she expected.

Tonks crossed the department getting looks of surprise from her fellow aurors when they spotted her new senior auror badge.

As she located Shack in his cubicle and made her way over to him she couldn't help but be relieved that she was going back to the job she had wanted since she was thirteen. She had enjoyed her time at Hogwarts especially since she got to spend every evening with Harry but she had still longed to be out there meeting those monsters head-on.

Now she was going back and she was a ball of nerves. The excitement of getting to do her part mixed with the apprehension of being on the wrong end of that curse that had almost taken her life last night had her stomach twisting in knots.

'On the bright side, at least I'm finally done with history of magic class,' Tonks thought to herself as she came to a stop in front of Kingsley's desk.

Hogwarts Express, 6/22/1996, 01:29

A few hours later, Harry sat in a compartment with Ron, Hermione, and Neville as the Hogwarts Express sped towards London.

None of them had said very much on the trip, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So McDonald was that pink-haired auror?" Neville asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, she's been training me all year," Harry answered.

"Where are you going over the holiday, Neville?" Hermione asked as if just realising that Neville didn't have a guardian.

"France, I'll be staying with Daphne and her family," Neville admitted.

"I still can't believe you got the best-looking girl in our year," Ron muttered.

"I would be careful or Lavender might hear you said that," Hermione warned in an attempt to be playful but it fell short as Hermione's voice sounded hollow and listless.

"Hermione?" Harry asked as he looked over at his friend.

"I was such a bitch to him and now...

Hermione trailed off as tears began running down her cheeks.

"He drove you bonkers, Hermione," Harry pointed out as he put his arm around her and held he while she cried.

"You lot did good at holding them back," Harry said as he rubbed gentle circles on Hermione's back.

"It was just lucky you sent word or we would have been caught with our pants down," Ron muttered.

"You and Lavender were up in the dorm, I'm pretty sure you two were caught with your pants down," Hermione said as she sat up and wiped her eyes.

"Might explain why she was so vicious in her attack. I saw her take out two of them by herself," Harry admitted.

"She has a bit of a temper," Ron said fondly.

"I saw that last fall," Harry nodded.

"So what are you doing this summer," Hermione asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Andi is taking us to Black Island next week," Harry said and couldn't fight the smile playing on his lips.

"Will Tonks get to go?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, after last night I doubt it," Harry said as his smile disappeared.

"She's kept saying that she wanted to go back to being an auror," Hermione pointed out.

"I still can't believe none of you thought to tell me McDonald was an undercover auror," Neville scowled.

"She really didn't want anyone to know but Hermione figured it out on her own," Harry sighed.

"And Ginny thought he was cheating on Tonks with McDonald so he didn't have much choice in telling her unless he wanted to get hit with a bat-bogey hex," Ron chortled.

"I'm sorry mate, but if it'll cheer you up any, Ron got a real shock when we told him," Harry said, causing Ron to scowl at him in annoyance.

The rest of the ride passed with light conversation, they all avoided talking about anything concerning the war.

Harry knew that things were only going to get worse before they got better but for those few hours, they were just four normal teens riding the train home after a long year at Hogwarts.

Head's Office, Hogwarts, 6/22/1996, 22:29

Albus sat behind his desk rubbing his temples in an attempt to relieve the tension headache that had been building all day. Last night had gone very badly and he knew the blame rested squarely on his shoulders. He had overestimated his own abilities and his hubris had gotten three young men killed.

Last night had started off fairly well, he had received a report from Popsy who was the elf he had tasked with trailing Theodore Nott. Popsy informed him that the boy had completed his task and that the cabinet had been moved to an unused classroom on the ground floor.

Albus had instructed Severus to get the young Theodore out of the castle as he feared the retribution the boy would face from his peers if there were to be an attack. He had also instructed the other members of staff to be on alert as there was a good chance the school would be attacked in the next few hours

The first signs of something wrong came a little after curfew when he was informed by one of the paintings of a disturbance in the entrance hall. What he found when he arrived made his blood run cold, the most destructive spell known to wizardkind was running loose on the grounds, fiend fire!

It took him far too long to subdue the sentient flames and some of the fiery creatures had managed to enter the entrance hall before he managed to extinguish them completely.

As soon as the last fiery creature was snuffed out, Albus made his way to where the reports said the first attack was taking place while sending Filius and Minerva to assist the Hufflepuffs.

He arrived in the Gryffindor tower corridor just in the nick of time as he was barely able to prevent a second bought of fires from starting. He was a bit taken aback to find Tom had come to the school in person and even more surprised to witness Harry Potter disarm him or rather destroy his wand.

Tom being the coward he was had quickly fled when he realised the odds weren't in his favour. Harry was understandably upset with him but he hadn't had time to talk with the boy as there was another attack taking place in the village and Albus needed to give them aid.

By the time he arrived in Hogsmeade the village was in shambles, for the second time in less than a year, he had witnessed the village of Hogsmeade completely destroyed. The death eaters had retreated not long after he arrived but Albus was able to capture two of them. It broke his heart to learn these two men had only graduated last year ago, Perigrine Derrick and Lucian Bole were beaters on the Slytherin quidditch team in ninety-three and were now looking at being sentenced to death on crimes of insurrection and multiple counts of use of an unforgiveable curse.

The aurors had done well and had only lost two men in the fight. The group of death eaters seemed more focused on holding the aurors up than actually trying to kill them.

Unfortunately, Albus' night was just beginning. Minerva had met him at the front door of the castle when he had returned. She had calmly informed him of the three students that were killed in the attack. She had then asked if it was true that he had known about Theodore Nott's plan.

He had barely answered her question before Minerva had rared back and slapped him so hard that he had seen stars, the force of the blow had actually busted his lip.

He still remembered what she said next, he would remember it for the rest of his life.

"You arrogant son of a bitch, I trusted you and now three of my students are dead! I am done and I will be filing a complaint with the governors! You are no longer fit to run this school! Every year it's one thing after another but this takes the biscuit! I thought you would have learned by now not to take risks with people's lives but you keep pulling stunts like this!

Albus had stood there listening to her berate him and he couldn't dispute anything she had said, he knew she was right. He had thought he would be able to swoop in and save the day like he always had before but he had miscalculated. He hadn't foreseen the death eaters finding such an effective means of keeping him distracted while they commenced their attacks on the common rooms.

Albus had stood there in the destroyed entrance hall long after Minerva had left pondering how he could make this right, though he knew it was a pipe dream.

Dawn brought more bad tidings when Albus received news that Theodore Nott and Severus Snape were arrested at the latter's home in Spinner's End just minutes before their portkey to France was set to activate. Thankfully he had at least been able to get the Davis family out of the country but young Mr Nott had been sent right back into Voldemort's fold.

Severus was still classified as a ministry spy thanks to testimony Albus had given on his behalf in eighty-one so the ministry could not hold him. He was subjected to a veritaserum interrogation but he had immunity from prosecution not that there was anything to prosecute him for, he was the dark lord's potion maker and spy. To Albus' knowledge, Severus had never actually been party to a raid during either war.

There was an order meeting in a few days and Albus was dreading it. He was actually considering passing leadership over to Alastor as the events of the last twenty-four hours had made him wonder if he was fit to lead the group any longer.

This whole debacle would complicate his plans for training Harry Potter during the upcoming school year. Albus knew the boy was furious with him and he knew he had lost the boy's trust, not that he could blame him. He had been putting off talking with the boy since last Summer when Severus' involvement in the prophecy came to light. Now Albus knew that he would have to talk to Harry or risk alienating him.

Albus was also very aware that he had created an enemy in the Bones family last night,l. Amelia Bones was on the warpath and seemed unusually well-informed about Nott's involvement in the attack the night. Albus knew that she would be after him and would make things difficult for him and by extension, the order.

Albus poured himself a tall glass of Ogden's and took a deep drink. Normally he was not a fan of drinking but after the past twenty-four hours, he was tempted to drink straight from the bottle.

'Maybe it's time to retire,' Albus thought as the warm liquid filled his stomach and a puff of smoke billowed out of his mouth.

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London, 6/24/1996, 17:39

Sturgis Podmore appeared in the alley near headquarters and never saw the lithe blonde woman raise her wand. The imperius curse struck him in the back before he had fully gotten his bearings.

'Take this inside the house and touch your wand to the blue rune,' Narcissa commanded through the curse and offered him a shiny silver sphere the size of a marble.

Sturgis took the sphere and turned towards headquarters, paying the sound of Narcissa apparating away no mind. Sturgis felt the wonderful euphoria of the imperius curse as he crossed the street and walked up the steps to headquarters.

Stepping in the front door he walked to the basement kitchen where he was planning to drop off his report.

"Podmore, you're late," Remus said when he entered the kitchen.

"Got a bit hung up," Sturgis said absentmindedly as he reached into his pocket and removed the sphere.

"You'll have to wait a bit, Sirius had to run to Andi's," Remus said as he went back to reading his book.

Sturgis drew his wand as the kitchen door opened but he paid it no mind as he pressed his wand tip to the tiny blue rune etched into the surface of the sphere.

"Whatcha doing there?" Mundungus asked curiously as the sphere began to expand outward so that it grew to more than two feet in diameter.

"I don't know, she said to touch the blue rune," Sturgis muttered as the sphere became too heavy to hold and slipped from his fingers.

"STURGIS NOOOOOO!" Remus screamed but it was too late.

The three gallons of concentrated erumpent extract detonate upon impact with unimaginable force. The six occupants of the order's headquarters were dead within a millisecond of the fluid exploding on the basement floor. The force of the explosion was so intense that it destroyed the order's headquarters and the houses on either side of it. The initial explosion spawned fires from ruptured gas lines in the muggle homes. These flames quickly engulfed the whole neighbourhood and required every fire brigade in this part of London to combat it.

The fires inside of the fedelius' protections were not able to be extinguished as the muggles couldn't see the house. By the time Sirius arrived in the alley, the whole street was alight and filled with muggle firemen, the sirens of their truck mixing with the roar of the firehoses spraying torrents of water at the out-of-control fire.

The air was so thick with smoke that Sirius was forced to apparate away and collapsed to his knees in Andi's back garden breathing in great lungfuls of air before vomiting all over the begonias.

Sirius shakily drew his wand and sent off a patronus to Dumbledore, praying that the order members still at headquarters had made it out of that.

End Of Pt. I