The Chosen Six

by Tribun

Fate is a funny thing; it doesn't have to be set in stone. When Sirius Black makes a different choice at that fateful night, the ripples from that decision affect Harry Potter and his friends. Yet, they didn't know that years earlier something else was also set in motion, which will also affect their lives and the magical world as a whole.

52. The Die is Cast, Part II

I certainly have no rights to Harry Potter, but this won't stop me writing this story. However, you probably already know this. As it is my specialty, and as in my other big stories, this shows how things go if something went different right at the beginning. Please note that I'm not a fan of bashing and also don't expect the two main pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them certainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.

Now the story will go on hiatus for a bit over three months (my estimate) so that I have the time to write ahead far enough in Year 5 before I start posting. If you want to know when it continues, put the story on your alert list.

I'll try to answer all my reviews, since I do like the feedback for improvement. So please tell me your thoughts on the story in reviews. I would appreciate it. The more feedback I get, the more I can improve the story even further.

This story does have a TvTropes page. You can find the link in my bio. Feel free to visit and contribute to it.

---

Chapter 52: The Die is Cast, Part II - The Express Under Attack

"Frankly, it's a wonder no one else died in the chaos."

These frank words from a healer brought the situation to the point. The panic that had broken out after everyone still in the stands had seen Cedric's horribly mutilated corpse and then the Dark Mark rising up into the sky from it had been severe had next to uncontrollable. Such a big number of people in a panic trying to get down the stairs was bound to end in disaster.

The aftermath of said panic was no less nerve-wrecking. Seeing how one school nurse could hardly deal with the sheer number of injured, additional healers had to be ferried in quickly. Even with magical healing, the sheer number of people who had been crushed against walls or got trampled over was horrifying and overwhelming. The worst cases had been sent straight to St. Mungo's while the rest were being treated in a field hospital.

Under such circumstances it truly had been a wonder no one else apart from Cedric had turned up dead, though there had been several close calls.

Dumbledore knew things could have been much worse, so he nodded when hearing this. "Please keep me updated - especially on the injured students."

"We're doing what we can." The healer then looked at all the occupied field beds. "Oh, what a mess. That feels like fifteen years ago."

If he only knew how close to the truth that is... Dumbledore thought while walking away.

The area surrounding the Quidditch stadium of Hogwarts was brightly illuminated with light spheres and had turned into a hive of activity. Though only adults were being present. All the uninjured students had been sent to their dorms and due to the growing chaos, only the parents of seriously injured students were allowed onto the premises.

He then saw all the law enforcement being busy. Cedric's death had been such an obvious murder that no one could even attempt to claim anything else, and thus it had become a criminal investigation. He knew they had tested out the portkey, but the forest where it led to - the place where the murder had happened - had clearly been picked at random and held no special meaning.

Tom is way too smart to leave behind obvious clues, Dumbledore thought, knowing it only could have been him, and not someone trying to imitate him.

Dumbledore felt deeply hurt by what happened, but he knew things would get much worse soon enough, so he was setting his grief back for the moment. As much as he wanted to warn everyone about Voldemort being back, he knew he couldn't. While he by now knew how Voldemort had cheated death, everyone else would see him as insane, since even magic couldn't bring back the dead. And he could hardly say that Voldemort had not been truly dead, even though that was the truth.

No, in order to actually be taken seriously about the whole matter, he had to leave Voldemort out of it and instead be more vague - say that someone has continued his cause. Thankfully, with what happened today that was very plausible, though he also knew there also would be those would refuse to believe even that. Fudge had had a front row seat to what happened, but Dumbledore by now had no illusions and knew the man would try to downplay it.

Looking to the gate that led to the pitch, Dumbledore sighed when seeing the Diggorys walk out, the coffin containing Cedric's mutilated corpse. This will be one of the most difficult things in my entire teaching career...

"Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?" he asked while approaching them.

"Headmaster Dumbledore... I..." Mr. Diggory was clearly close to having a breakdown. His wife said nothing, looking like she was barely holding on.

Dumbledore understood too well how they felt - the sudden death of a loved one. "I know. This is the worst that can happen. In all my time as the Headmaster of this school, I feared the day I would lose one of my students this way and had hoped it would never come."

"We don't blame you... you couldn't have known." Mr. Diggory was trying to compose himself. "Who does something like this and why?"

"Malevolence does not need a reason. As for who..." Dumbledore was about to continue, but didn't get the chance to do so when someone else interrupted him.

"Ah, there you are." It was Fudge and he looked a strange mixture of scared and angry while carrying around a heavy-looking bag.

"Cornelius, it has to wait. The Diggorys have the highest priority after the loss they suffered," Dumbledore told Fudge, feeling little patience for his behavior at such a moment.

"No, it can't wait!" It felt like Fudge was completely deaf to the atmosphere around him.

The Diggorys looked hurt and Dumbledore was outright baffled that Fudge acted like that with grieving parents present who had just lost their son. "Cornelius, having patience for a few minutes shouldn't be too much to ask for." The look Dumbledore then gave Fudge reminded the man of his school days and he was cowed for the moment.

Dumbledore turned back to the Diggorys. "I'm sorry for that."

"No, this isn't your fault..." Mrs. Diggory managed to whisper, besides her grief now taken aback at Fudge's rudeness.

Dumbledore then looked thoughtful. "Now, since you asked me who could have been responsible. Sadly, I have no concrete answer I can give to both of you. It is clear however that someone has decided to continue the terrible deeds of Lord Voldemort and we can expect for the worst to happen..." Dumbledore then noticed Fudge being about to say something and sighed. "Yes, Cornelius?"

"That is hogwash and outright insanity! Those times are over, once and for all! You are clearly wrong," Fudge insisted, looking like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"Are you honestly insulating that the brutal murder of one of my students and the Dark Mark being set above him did not happen?" Dumbledore asked Fudge, honestly wondering if the man's denial was that great.

"Of course it did happen..." Fudge, even in deepest denial, knew he couldn't dispute those facts. "But there is no way what you said is true. It has to be the act of one lone madman using all this to impress, or just a few insane imitators, little more than that! Society is perfectly safe."

"I hope you truly understand what you are saying there, Cornelius," Dumbledore reminded Fudge. "After all, the Triwizard Cup was found to have been manipulated to have the portkey locations altered. The cup had been stored in your Ministry and Ministry workers placed it. Such a level of sophistication is not the work of a few insane individuals."

Fudge looked nervous for a moment, before suddenly he gave Dumbledore a hard look. "I knew it... This is all about you wanting my position."

"I honestly fail to understand how you come to that conclusion." To Dumbledore that mental leap was next to incomprehensible.

"You are using this to try and make me lose my position so you can grab it for yourself. I always knew your humility was just an act, you only waited for the right moment But we'll see..." Fudge then noticed the bag he was still holding. "The prize money... Since he is no longer with the living, it's up to you what to do with it."

In a display of showing no piety to the dead, Fudge dumped the bag with the Galleons on Cedric's hovering coffin before leaving. The Diggorys were shocked at this display of the Minister who always had looked so collected. A few tears escaped Mrs. Diggory over how someone could be so insensitive, it adding to how hurt she already was emotionally.

Mr. Diggory engaged with some silent communication with his wife, before taking the bag and handing it over to Dumbledore. "Please take it; we don't want that blood money. Use it for something good."

"I will use it for the students. I promise that." Watching the Diggorys then leave with their son's coffin, Dumbledore felt alarmed how hostile Fudge had become in his desperation.

He had expected Fudge to be in denial even after all those glaring facts, but this was beyond what he had expected and revealed the abyss that Fudge had hidden so well from others. His insecurities, his constant fear of losing what he had accomplished - accomplished only with the help of Lucius Malfoy - now made him lash out against all preceived threats. Perhaps just like Malfoy had expected him to do.

Dumbledore was still looking after them when McGonagall and Moody joined him. Even a hardened man like Moody, who had went through countless hardships and a horrible war, looked unsettled by the recent events, and that meant something. There was at first silence for some moments, before McGonagall decided to break it.

"Albus, does today mean...?" she asked.

Dumbledore right now very much looked his age. "Yes, I fear so. The veil has fallen and the war has started. I don't however expect him to engage in open warfare just yet; not while he can use the denial of the Ministry."

"Started? The war had never ended, we only had went through a pause in hostilities," Moody snorted. "Everything is to be set in motion, right?"

"Yes. The day has come." Dumbledore looked to McGonagall. "Please help me find Madame Maxime. There are important matters I have to discuss with her and Hagrid."

Dumbledore knew that they now had to act fast, since Voldemort surely would not wait to gather his advantages. Dumbledore also had a good idea what Snape right now was going through, the man having told him he had to leave after being called by his now jet-black mark. Hopefully, the man would get out of it alive.

---

...at the same time, the Riddle House...

Snape was trying not to show any emotion while going through the portkey. He had been directed by his mark to a place where no less than three Death Eaters had waited for him. Pettigrew and the Carrows, the three who had vanished from the country right at the end of the war. Snape had to really control himself not to murder Pettigrew on the spot, feeling nothing but hatred for the traitor who directly was responsible for Lily's death.

No, he had to keep up his outer and inner pokerface if he wanted to leave what was coming not only alive but also with his cover intact. Hopefully, his prepared story as well as what Voldemort had seen three years ago would be enough to make it work.

When the portkey stopped, he found himself inside a house. A big one he guessed when looking around. However, all the shutters were closed, thus he had no idea where this house actually was located. Voldemort clearly was very careful about information and it also showed he still had his doubts about him.

"He's waiting for you." Pettigrew's oily voice again tested Snape's control while watching the Carrows open a door.

Behind the door was what looked like a throne room - a clear massage how Voldemort thought of himself. His natural surprise shone through when seeing Voldemort sit on the throne at the far end of the room. Somehow he had managed to regain his body and Snape really wondered how he had managed to do so.

However, it was not only Voldemort that aroused Snape's interest. First of course was that huge snake that had coiled itself around the throne and was now observing him with interest. It created the question where Voldemort found this huge beast, since Snape, having studied snakes due to house pride, was unable to identify it.

And then there was the man standing next to the throne. Snape knew he somehow knew him, but found it difficult to place him. It was like he should recognize him but had difficulties to do so. He however had to be high up on the ladder and enjoy the Dark Lord's trust for standing next to the throne.

"Ah, Severus. At last we meet again. Come closer..." Voldemort sounded really calm, but Snape knew that very well could be a mask.

Snape saw that Voldemort looked exactly like he did mere days before his 'death', in all his deformed glory. It was eerie for him to look like fourteen years had not happened, but Snape didn't allow these thoughts to come to the surface. Instead, he did set up all the mental constructs in his head and hoped it now would pay off like it did three years ago.

It was not that Snape was some kind of death-seeker, but he had come to accept the fact that in his quest to somehow redeem himself for his past errors, he very well could find his own death. His life had become better over the years, but the specter of his past sins would never leave, thus should he find his death in the line duty, then so be it.

Snape knelt in front of the throne. "Look me into the eyes, Severus," Voldemort ordered.

Knowing this was it, Voldemort being about to use his Legilimency, Snape looked up. Long seconds went by, until Voldemort chuckled. "Good... Very good. It confirms what I have seen three years ago. You most certainly are smart, Severus, to pretend to Dumbledore you've changed your colors while staying loyal to me."

"I am very sorry, Master, that I could not act three years ago, but your presence during the whole affair with the Philosopher's Stone had put me into a difficult position," Snape said, talking about when they had met briefly.

Voldemort waved it off. "Get up, Severus. And I will not punish you for keeping up your cover. Though you do know you have to work your way up again. You have to prove that getting information on Dumbledore and his activities was worth playing that charade for years. Your actions will determine your worth to me."

Snape didn't show how relieved he was that his deception had worked. Voldemort was so sure he could see the truth in the minds of people, that he never considered someone could manage to fool him. "I'm grateful you are giving me this chance, Master. Dumbledore is very secretive and keeps his cards close, but I will get information of worth to you, even though it will take time."

"That remains to be seen..." Voldemort then noticed Snape's interest in Barty and Nagini. "I see you are showing interest in those close to me... This here is my dear Nagini. She means a lot to me, so you better learn fast not to disrespect her or I will not hesitate to punish you."

Snape wondered what was so special about that snake that Voldemort gave such a dire warning. There seemed to be a human-like intelligence inside her when he noticed the way she observed him. "I understand, my Lord."

"You better do." Voldemort then looked to the man at his left. "And I'm a bit disappointed. He was a new recruit at the time, but surely, with his face having been so prominent during his trial, you should have recognized our dear Barty."

Finally it clicked for Snape and he looked to the man. "Barty Crouch Jr.?! But... but he's dead! Died in Azkaban years ago!"

Barty chuckled and after a nod from Voldemort started to speak. "Oh, I spontaneously regenerated... Ha ha, of course I never died. My worthless father under my mother's urging swapped us during a visit with Polyjuice. She died of her sickness in Azkaban and is buried there - the dementors never saw the difference. Of course, once our Lord returned, he freed me and made my crappy father pay for all of his shortcomings."

Snape was taken aback at this, since he honestly had not expected this, so his disturbed look at this explanation was all too genuine. All of a sudden the death of the elder Crouch made a lot of sense and when thinking about it, it most certainly also wouldn't have been above Crouch Jr. to set off the Dark Mark at the World Cup to send a message to all those that had turned their backs to Voldemort.

"I see you are surprised, Severus." Voldemort's expression then turned serious. "However, now let's get to business..."

Snape knew this would take some time, but he also knew when he would report to Dumbledore, the news would be very unsettling. He knew he couldn't leave out a single detail, as anything could be of importance.

---

...Hogwarts, the next day...

When the sun rose, Hogwarts was wearing the color of mourning. The mood in the castle had plummeted with Cedric's death and the Dark Mark rising into the sky. Yestday, the plan had been that directly after the last task, the end-of-year feast would take place, but that obviously had changed. Now, today, a very somber ceremony was planned before the students would see off the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and then board the Hogwarts Express for the journey back home.

It still was a bit before said ceremony in the great hall and behind the guest building a little meeting was taking place. The Six were meeting up with Fleur, her two friends, and Krum. This was the earliest and last opportunity for them to do so. After the shocking events of the previous day all of them still were trying to understand what exactly had happened, though by now they had puzzled together most of the pieces from what they had heard.

"I still can't believe it. One moment we were competing for the cup, and then..." Krum looked like he had to focus. "Only someone who has lost all of his humanity would do something like that to anyone. That Dark Mark... it's like Grindelwald's sign."

They knew that was a very personal thing for Krum, since he had told them a bit of how his family had suffered under Grindelwald. To compare the Dark Mark to Grindelwald's sign meant that Krum felt that Voldemort - even though he didn't know it was him - really was that dangerous.

"Oui... I also had trouble to believe it... until I saw the Thestrals Mr. Hagrid was feeding for pulling the carriages later this day." Fleur had been shocked to see the Thestrals, not having seen death before. It had been sad proof that all of it had been very real.

The Six knew exactly who had to be responsible, knowing of Voldemort's continued existence, but they could hardly say that, fearing it could make them look insane. It also was disheartening to them that while they were shocked about Cedric's death, they seemed much less affected than many other students. It was sad proof that all the horrible things they already had went through in their lives had caused them to harden.

"I know, it feels unreal. Yesterday we were talking with Cedric, him telling us about his future plans, and now he's gone." Hermione felt strangely numb, knowing that the reality of the situation was only slowly dawning on her.

"Better be glad that most of you will leave the country today." Harry for his part looked somber and listless. "I heard whispers that this was only the beginning and that Magical Britain won't be a nice place to stay in."

"I feel kind of guilty that I'm relieved we'll leave today. It's like we're abandoning you," Marc admitted. "Are you really sure this will lead to more bloodshed?"

Luna looked quite subdued as well, showing nothing of her usual aloofness. "That... was a declaration of war. The enemy has struck at the heart of Hogwarts to send the message that no one will be safe. It might look peaceful for a while and they prefer to stay in the shadows, but once they escalate to open conflict, then my fortune be with us."

Sabrina paled a little at these frank words. "I heard stories from my grandparents about the war against Grindelwald, yet I still can't imagine living through something that horrible."

Krum remembered some of the things about war in his family's stories. "Nothing can top Grindelwald's war. From the tales of my family, it was a lengthy meat grinder that changed most magical societies on mainland Europe forever. Still, the upcoming conflict will no doubt be horrible enough if the forces moving against the government are this brutal."

Sabrina looked to Fleur. "And yet you decided to still return here. That man of yours must be really awesome that you take the risk. Though, will be weird for us to go our separate ways after those years."

Fleur blushed a bit. "Well... I can say Bill is nothing like any other boy or man I ever met before."

"That's our Bill. He has a really magnetic personality." At lest Ron's attempt at humor helped a little.

An hour later, everyone was gathered in the great hall.

As a sign of respect to the late Cedric, most of the students were wearing black armbands. The hall itself was decorated with black drapes and the mood was somber. Over at the Ravenclaw table, Cho Chang was a mess, looking like she could fall apart emotionally at any moment. The teachers also looked very subdued, and everyone also spotted Myrtle looking highly disturbed at what had happened.

"What's wrong with Myrtle? She looks like she got killed again," Ron wondered.

"Remember that the last student to die at Hogwarts prior to Cedric had been Myrtle. Of course this dregs up painful memories for her." Hermione then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though, she also looks a bit relieved. Maybe Cedric not returning as a ghost reassured her he is at peace?"

Once the doors had closed, the Headmaster stood up to address everyone.

"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, "of another year. It was a year that started hopeful, where many felt like they could reach the stars. However, it sadly ended in tragedy and the loss of one of our own. Cedric Diggory was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house. He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."

Everyone gave Dumbledore their full attention. While the press had reported widely about Cedric's death, the why and who had been kept surprisingly quiet. The whole thing was unbelievable to many of them and they were trying to make sense of such a senseless crime.

"Cedric Diggory was murdered by those who want to continue the cause of Lord Voldemort and twist Magical Britain into a dark place." Now, that caused unrest, while over at the Slytherin table the usual suspects tried to look stoic and unmoved.

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that the madness will start again, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of a lone perpetrator is an insult to his memory."

People in the hall started to look a bit scared, but Dumbledore continued nonetheless. "I implore all of you to carry word of this out into the world. Darkness is gathering and all of us have to prepared for what is to come, though there are those who would deny even the obvious."

Most of the hall now felt subdued at these words.

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of those that are ruthless in their quest for power. Remember Cedric Diggory."

Everyone started to raise their goblet to salute Cedric... no, not everyone. While there were a few people in the other houses who looked unmoved, numerous Syltherin students from fourth year and up looked unmoved by Dumbledore's words, some even looking disgusted. They also were not raising their goblets, nor were they wearing black armbands. It was a message and those who understood it were unsettled.

Others however were more vocal.

"Effing bastards..." Dudley cursed when seeing that. He had already expected something like that from Malfoy and Parkinson, but now he saw those from the older years with the same attitude show their true colors.

"It's like all shame left them. What do they think that will accomplish?!" Millicent added, gripping her own goblet hard in her anger at such disrespect.

"It's another declaration of war." That had been Blaise Zabini who had whispered that to them.

"What do you mean with that, Zabini?" Daphne wondered. Zabini was a guy mainly keeping to himself, not wanting to be drawn into the conflicts of others. He was not their friend, but also not their foe.

"They know their power base inside Slytherin is starting to crumble at an increasing pace, but now it's like they feel the wind is changing what they think is to their favor. That disrespect to Diggory is a warning. Next year things will get ugly." Zabini then turned away.

Looking at it, they saw a clear divide in Slytherin. While those that had disrespected Cedric were from their year and above, those in the years below them looked very offended at such a blatant disrespect towards a murder victim. Battle lines were drawn in House Slytherin, that was for sure.

That left the three of them with some dread how the next school year would go.

o

It was a solemn ceremony. While the elves were being busy with loading the luggage into the carriages, the students of Hogwarts were gathered for sending off the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Unlike with their arrival, due to recent events no press was allowed, which made the whole thing feel quite a bit more private already.

The Durmstrang delegation was to leave first, standing on the deck of their ship while the lines were being removed from the dock. Had Karkaroff been still there, he would have made them stand in a neat row at attention while that happened. However, he was gone and Stogardson did nothing to stop them from waving at the students while the ship slowly moved towards the middle of the lake.

"Quodammodo nunc sentio aliquid deceptus quod eundum est, quamquam id factum est," [In a way I now feel a bit disappointed that we have to go, despite what happened,] Poliakoff said.

"Etsi gratanter nemo nostrum Durmstrangum amplius patietur, vel," [Yes, though thankfully none of us will have to endure Durmstrang anymore, either,] Krum told him.

That caused the attention of Piotr Rasputin. "Quam facitis?" [How do you mean?]

"Cogitare de illo. Durmstrang nunc certus est descensus into de pugna cruentato determinare quis post Karkaroffum succedet. Nemo parens, ne gravissimae quidem, prolem nunc locum adesse vellet. Scholam quam novimus mox desinam," [Think about it. Durmstrang is now sure to descend into bloody infighting to determine who will take over after Karkaroff. No parent, not even the most hardened ones, would want their child to attend the place now. The school as we know it will soon cease to exist,] Krum explained what would happen.

They all realized the truth of these words. They also knew they would quickly grab their things and then get the hell out of the school as soon they they were there and then never look back. Piotr looked over to his younger sister, actually relieved by the knowledge that she would be spared one more year of Durmstrang. Then they went under deck when it was time for the ship to dive for the travel back to Durmstrang.

At the shore they watched the ship vanish in a whirlpool.

Then it was time to say good bye to the students from Beauxbatons, the huge winged horses being ready to lift the carriage back to France. Thanks to the Beauxbatons students having mingled a lot with the Hogwarts population, the goodbye was much more heartfelt. The winged horses then slowly started to life the huge carriage off the ground.

Watching from a window how the crowd became smaller the higher the carriage rose, Marc sighed. "Partir après ce qui s'est passé hier, c'est bizarre. À vrai dire, j'ai aussi l'impression qu'ils vont me manquer." [Leaving after what happened yesterday feels weird. Truth to be told, also feel like I will miss them.]

Sabrina looked over to Fleur, then back out of the window. "Je n'avais pas imaginé que mes années d'école se termineraient par le fait d'être témoin d'un meurtre. J'ai vu ces Sombrals... J'ai peur de ce qui les attendra." [I had not imagined my school years to end with witnessing a murder. I saw those Thestrals... I fear what will wait for them.]

"Et Fleur revient toujours ici. D'une certaine manière, j'admire sa bravoure et la façon dont elle est attirée par son petit ami," [And Fleur is still coming back here. In a way I admire her bravery and how she is drawn to that boyfriend of hers,] Marc remarked, having seen the really long temporary goodbye between Fleur and Bill Weasley.

"Tu sais que je peux t'entendre?" [You know I can hear you?] Fleur reminded them, having heard every single word.

Sabrina snorted when seeing the offended look Fleur gave them. "N'essayez même pas de le nier..." [Don't even try to deny it...] She then sobered a bit. "Honnêtement, tu penses qu'on oubliera un jour ce qui s'est passé hier?" [Honestly, though, you think we will ever forget what happened yesterday?]

Fleur looked a bit haunted at the reminder. None of them would ever forget the horrible sight of the brutally murdered Cedric. "Non. Je pense qu'aucun d'entre nous n'oubliera jamais ce qui s'est passé." [No. I don't think any of us will ever forget what happened.]

Once the other schools were on their way, the students started to board the carriages. The number of students who now could see the Thestrals was at a depressing high, only the younger years having been spared that 'honor'. It was a haunting reminder of yesterday's events. No one said anything on the way to the train station, nor while they boarded the train.

It was only when making themselves comfortable in their compartment that the Six got several visitors.

"Eh, Percy, Penelope, I understand both of you riding on the train, but why is Bill also here?" Ginny wondered.

"After what happened, Mum begged me over the floo to ride with all of you on the train. You can imagine that everyone's nerves are paper-thin after yesterday's events. Hell, she even told me Charlie is taking some time off and will be at the train station," Bill explained, himself also visibly shook-up by what had happened.

"She not only called you." Percy had been able to see the Thestrals since the troll incident almost four years ago, but the sight of a dead student had shaken him badly. "We honestly intended this train ride as the start of your punishment. However, after what happened..."

Seeing that Percy was having trouble, Penelope took over. "After that we honestly can no longer get ourselves to truly punish you. We collectively decided to just sit in the compartment next to yours and leave you in peace."

While that should have been a relief, the reason for it was nothing to be happy about.

When the three adults left the compartment, they almost ran into someone and Percy looked in surprise. "Mr. Moody, what are you doing on the train?"

"The same thing as the three of you." The man's magical eye seemed to constantly scan the length of the train. "Constant Vigilance. I feel it - they will try something. I tell all of you, better keep up your guard. I don't trust this peace to hold."

"Isn't that a bit...?" Penelope stopped when Moody gave her a piercing look. She then gulped hard. "I... I understand. We will keep them safe."

Inside the compartment meanwhile, Harry looked out of the window while the train started to move. "Everything happened so suddenly... I honestly have no idea how I should feel. I mean... you would expect after Voldemort twice, a basilisk and Greyback and his pack..."

"You are not alone with that. First we almost got killed by Karkaroff and then Cedric got murdered by Death Eaters - everything in less than 48 hours. It all happened so fast - I'm only starting to understand what happened and feel accordingly," Neville said, knowing this was a lot in such a short time.

"We are confused because while - depressingly - we have hardened after the events of the previous years, to actually see Cedric dead was something entirely different. It came out of nowhere and it was someone we knew who died." Luna made no secret that this went for her as well.

"You think the Headmaster is right that war will soon come to us?" Hermione asked, sounding scared at the possibility.

"Gods, I hope not. But we all know if that really had been Voldemort..." Ron didn't dare to finish the thought, but everyone knew what the consequences would be, had it indeed been Voldemort.

"Then if he's already started the killing, he soon enough will be after me. After all, it's me he really wants, though I still have no idea why he's been so obsessed with me in the first place." Harry felt strange that he stated that a murdering psychopath was after him and he wasn't falling into a panic.

Ginny looked scared at the idea, but then suddenly took hold of Harry's arm. "We won't allow him to harm you. Never..."

No one, not even Ron, did anything to stop Ginny from leaning against Harry.

---

...at the same time, in the Ministry of Magic...

Rita Skeeter knew that everything in her life had gone down the drain and straight to hell, which was especially bitter for her after the great run she'd had just before that. She had been able to go wild and pretty much be utterly destructive without having to fear the consequences, and she had found she liked it. However, sadly, everything had come to a very sudden end when her anonymous suppliers had told her the deal was off and they would have no further dealings with her.

That had come as a shock to Skeeter and any attempt to write to them resulted in no reply. She had no idea Draco had arranged for the post box to be enchanted so that any mail - which only came from Skeeter - would be incinerated. Now she regretted having relied on someone anonymous. Without a source of constant things she could twist beyond recognition, her output against those brats had been reduced to a trickle.

However, that was nothing compared to the fact that it also meant her mysterious protection from legal consequences was gone. Without it, she had quickly suffered a number of serious defeats in the courts - her and the magazines she sold her stories to. As a result no one wanted to buy from her anymore after the worst gossip magazines got buried under a massive number of litigation. While the fines individually were capped, the sheer number of individual fines - one for each piece of libel of which there were many and that for every single of her targets - added up to a serious burden for those publications.

She herself had also been buried under fines. She was no stranger to fines, but the sheer number of them - again, one for each piece of libel and from each impacted party - had amassed to a sum she simply was unable to afford. She was facing financial ruin and the threat of facing homelessness and all of her possessions being sold off to settle part of her debt was now hanging over her.

And that disgusting Mr. Shark told me in court that I have no one to blame but myself. Hypocrite... she thought.

She of course felt she was the wronged party in all of this, blatantly ignoring the fact that it was indeed all her own fault. Had she not felt the need to go after them and trust someone who wouldn't even tell her their name, then this never would have happened to her. She now was suffering the consequences of her actions, as much as she was trying to deny it.

She had basically ignored everything around her in her desperation, having little mind for the breaking news of the past several days. Even yesterday's shocking events at Hogwarts had left her surprisingly unmoved. She was way too occupied with her own problems to care how everyone else around her went crazy over what had happened.

Facing eviction from her flat in a week, she had been surprised when getting a floo call from the Ministry and now she was walking to the office of the Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge. Being so preoccupied, she actually managed to ignore how the atmosphere in the Ministry had changed much to the worse.

She knew enough about Umbridge and her past actions to know that that woman was a viper, ready to bite you when you least would expect it, but in her desperation she was grasping at any straw that could save her. Finally finding the correct door, she knocked.

"Oh, come in!" Skeeter did so and even with her own lack of taste, she was disgusted by the tacky decor - foremost the overabundance of the color pink and the cat motifs - but hid it well. "Please take a seat Ms. Skeeter, I was expecting you," Umbridge greeted her with a smile that was quite false.

"Madam Undersecretary, allow me to be blunt. Why have you asked for me?" Skeeter asked after taking a seat, not wanting to waste time.

"Ah, getting right to the point?" Umbridge's false niceness did not waver. "Very well. I have asked for you, because I want to give you an offer for a well-paid job that needs to be done. Let's say, a hole needs to be dug out to get information."

"I recently got burned by a partnership. I need something more substantial than a proposition" Skeeter told Umbridge. After recent events, she had become really direct and blunt, her nerves worn thin.

It was unnerving how Umbridge's mood still didn't seem to change. "Ah, you are most likely playing at how you are burdened with debt due to losing a number of lawsuits against you?" Skeeter's sour expression was answer enough. "In that case, a little trust-building is needed and I have the right thing."

Umbridge pulled out a pouch from under the table and handed it over to Skeeter. Skeeter's eyes went wide when seeing that it was filled with at lest two-hundred Galleons. "You give this away just like that?"

"There is much more where this is coming from." Seeing Skeeter put away the money, Umbridge knew she had her hooked now. "I see you are interested, and I'm sure after recent events, you will like the job I have for you."

"And what job would that be?" Skeeter asked, wondering what Umbridge was playing at.

"Why, getting back at Sirius Black of course," Umbridge told her.

Skeeter now looked scared. "No offense, Madam Undersecretary, but that didn't turn out well for me last time, so why do you think I would take that risk again?"

"Because your name will be kept out of it. Black won't even know it had been you," Umbridge reassured Skeeter, knowing why the woman was being reluctant.

Part of Skeeter felt she shouldn't accept, but even with the Galleons she'd been just given, she would need way more money to save herself from financial ruin. Thus, she decided to take the risk "Alright, what exactly does the job entail?"

"Sirius Black is still a phantom. Next to nothing is known about his private life. However, what is known does not paint a flattering picture. After all, a wizard hiding amongst Muggles can't be trustworthy. I want you to dig into the dirt and learn all about him and then bring the information to me. As I've shown, I can be very generous," Umbridge explained to Skeeter.

Stupid fool, Umbridge thought when seeing Skeeter was accepting the job.

She of course had no intention of honoring the agreement they were making just now. And while Skeeter knew to be careful around her - seeing through her false friendliness - Umbridge knew that Skeeter would not be expecting to what lengths she would be going to ensure nothing could be traced back to her.

One way or another, Black's life would become hell soon enough.

---

...about an hour later...

The Hogwarts Express was driving through the vastness of the Scottish Highlands, the sunlight of this bright summer reflecting off the train. It was peaceful, like everything was all right. That was quite the contrast the mood of the students riding the train, of course. Their mood was low due to recent events.

At the front of the train, on the engine, the driver and the stoker were meanwhile talking.

"Feels a little weird doing this after what all happened," the stoker remarked while controlling the fire - the engine did run on magic, but the fire still needed control. "I can't shake off the feeling that something could happen."

"Boy, we are neither still at Hogwarts nor yet in London. Can you honestly say something could happen out here at this time of the day?" the older driver asked the stoker, pointing at the empty landscape and the broad daylight.

Despite the driver's words, the stoker still looked uneasy. "I can't help it. I've got a strange feeling..."

"Well, suit yourself..." The driver then looked ahead and saw that they soon would drive over a viaduct. Then however he frowned. "Strange. What is that?"

It looked like there was some sort of heat shimmer over the viaduct, though it most certainly wasn't that hot. He watched the strange shimmer more closely, when suddenly there was a white flash. -BOOOUUUM- A second later an explosion ripped through the viaduct, causing two of the arches to collapse!

"The brakes! The brakes!" The driver shouted, both he and the stoker pulling the big lever for the emergency brakes.

-krraiiiiiiikk- The Hogwarts Express was rather abruptly slowed down, causing its passengers to be thrown forward, many of them falling. However, the maneuver did have the intended outcome and the engine stopped about 100 meters before the now useless viaduct. It left both men on the engine wondering what happened and what to do next.

Meanwhile inside their compartment, the Six were trying to understand what just had happened. All of a sudden they had been thrown around their compartment when the train did a sudden stop, ending up in a pile on the floor with many of their things falling onto them. Their pets also had not been happy, Crookshanks having jumped to the luggage rack to not be buried, and Hedwig and Pigwidgeon protesting loudly that they had been thrown around in their cages.

"Ow! If someone is looking for their foot, it's pressing onto my spine!" Ginny growled.

"Oh, sorry, Ginny!" Neville quickly removed his foot.

"Yikes, Hermione, take your finger out of my ear!" Ron complained.

"Oops, sorry, Ron!" Hermione quickly pulled her hand away.

All of them finally managed to get back up and, after quickly putting the owl cages back into correct position, looked a the chaos in the compartment. "What the hell just happened?" Ron then wondered.

"The train has come to a sudden stop. But why...?" Walking to the window, Harry pulled it down and then looked outside. "There's a big dust cloud ahead of the train. Looks as if something blew up, though it's not the engine."

It was that moment that chaos started to rise in the train, the students being confused after the train stopping so hard it threw them around. Voices rose and students walked onto the corridor, wondering what what was going on. The Six did the same, seeing as there was little else to do and the confusion was big.

It was that moment when Percy, Penelope and Bill stormed out of their compartment. "Stop! ... STOP!" It was impressive how loud Penelope could be.

Seeing as they got their attention, Percy then spoke up. "Everyone back into their compartments. We will investigate what is going on." Percy then looked to Bill. "Bill, do me a favor and find the Prefects and tell them to keep order."

While Bill was older than Percy, he understood where his brother was coming from. "I'll tell them, be sure of that." Bill then left quickly.

"What do you do next? All we saw was a dust cloud ahead," Neville asked, wondering what was going on.

"We need to get to the engine and investigate why they pulled the emergency brake," Penelope decided and she and Percy were about to leave, when...

"You won't need to do so, I'm just coming from there." That was Moody and he looked a little banged up, a huge bruise forming on the side of his face with his natural eye.

"Oh my, Mr. Moody!" Hermione gasped when seeing that.

"Nah, it's nothing serious, lass. When the train stopped, I got thrown face first against a metal wall part." Moody grimacing and being a bit unsteady on his legs proved the impact must have been severe. "The driver told me that the viaduct ahead of us got blown up and the train is stuck. I knew something would happen."

"Blown up?!" Suddenly Harry had a very bad feeling about this. "We need to call for help."

"Already sent my Patronus to inform the school, but I have no idea where exactly we are, and neither does the driver, so apparation is out. I also tried apparation to leave, but failed, someone put up a big interdiction zone to stop apparation. The only way help can find us is by flying on brooms and following the train tracks." Moody clearly was feeling there would be violence soon enough.

"I have something else!" Harry then ran into his compartment, pulled open his trunk and dug into it, pulling out his communication mirror. "Uncle Sirius! Uncle Sirius! It's an emergency!"

"Harry?" No one else said anything when hearing Sirius' voice, feeling this was something Sirius would give Harry. Sirius then appeared in the mirror. "Harry, what is wrong? What emergency? I was just about to go on patrol and you caught me in the locker room..."

"The train is being ambushed! A viaduct was blown up and now it's stuck!" Harry said frantically.

Moody used that moment to speak up. "Yes, and we have no idea where exactly we are. I already alerted the school, but better gather as much help as you can, because I don't like this. It's..."

However, Moody was interrupted by a distorted voice echoing through the train. "Your train is stuck and won't leave. However, no harm will come to you if Harry Potter gives himself up. ... Potter, you have five minutes to step out of the train alone and follow instructions. Fail to do so, and each minute one student will get killed. And to show this is no bluff..."

-tsssam- -tschaang- A bolt of magic came out of nowhere, shattering the window of one compartment. Additionally, a small crater was ripped open by an explosion right next to the train. " Come alone... The time starts now."

"Shit! I'm getting help now!" Sirius cursed before his picture vanished, but sound was still coming through.

There was some silence before Ginny held onto Harry's arm. "Harry, don't you think about going! They will murder you!"

Harry looked scared out of his mind, but also knew what that ultimatum meant. "What choice do I have? If I don't go, they'll start murdering students."

"Mate, you are planning to become a martyr?" Ron looked scared at knowing it would mean Harry then would very likely walk to his death.

"NO! I'm horribly scared... but... but..." Harry was trying to say more, but words failed him.

"But you know that you are the only one who can buy us time. If you don't go, the killing starts." Despite being blunt, the fact that Luna now was crying showed the emotional turmoil she was going through. "You don't want to go, but know you have to..."

"Harry, I..." Percy was trying to find words, but failed. The situation had become downright horrifying.

"The reinforcements won't arrive in time, do they?" Hermione asked Moody, having a feeling what his answer would be.

"No chance for that." Moody looked incredibly angry and yet also helpless. "And as for defense, even if we muster all of the seventh-years who have just finished school, we would still be at a disadvantage, since they can strike us from afar, even if I could see them."

"So the only solution is for me to win time until the reinforcements arrive?" Harry knew that was a dubious chance at best.

"Harry, we would never send anyone to almost certain death..." Penelope looked quite pale, now that the gravity of the situation had hit her.

Harry knew they would never do that, but also knew there was no other choice. Wordlessly he gave his friends a look that showed he didn't want to do it but had to, then turned around and started to walk away. The adults knew, stopping him would only delay things and cause certain death. They couldn't stop him.

"Harry..." Ginny was trembling, but knew she could not stop him, either. "This... this is unfair! Harry has done nothing to deserve something this horrible!"

Ron knew his sister was hurting, had an idea it was because she was close to Harry in a different way. "I want to stop him... but then I remember it only would make things worse. This is all absolute crap."

His friends felt terrible that there was nothing they could do. With a look of utter defeat they retreated back into their compartment and closed the door, leaving the adults alone in the corridor to look at the leaving Harry.

"I already know I failed and Harry is walking to his certain death." Percy looked utterly defeated. There was little that could be added to it and Moody instead started to muster the oldest students for the defense of the train.

Walking down the corridor, Harry suddenly saw Dudley poking his head out of his compartment. Dudley paled when seeing that Harry was walking towards the exit door. "Harry, you are honestly doing this?" Harry gave him a nod. "Oh crap..."

-wump- "Dudley, quick! Daphne fainted when she heard that!" Millicent gasped from within the compartment.

Seeing Harry give him a nod to show there was nothing he could do for him, Dudley went back into the compartment to help his friends. Continuing on his way, Harry was almost at the exit door, when Draco and Pansy poked their heads out of their compartment.

"So you are going to sacrifice yourself, just like the obedient lamb you are, Potter?" Pansy said with open anticipation, making little secret of her hatred of him, especially after them being blackmailed.

"Good, at least you are useful for something." Draco added, making no secret of how much he hated Harry. "Soon enough a different wind will blow at the school, but you won't be there for it. Ha!"

Harry ignored them and instead opened the exit door and left the train. "At least you are obedient, Potter. Follow the floating lights."

Harry did as told, not knowing where it would lead him.

Bill, who had just returned, looked through a window and watched Harry walking away. "We were completely helpless and Harry now has to walk right towards almost certain death. And we are supposed to protect those younger than us... His friends will feel horrible about this. I better stay with them to make sure."

Bill then opened the compartment door and froze in unpleasant surprise at what he was seeing. Or better, what he was NOT seeing.

The compartment was empty apart from the three pets. The window was fully pulled down, meaning the five teenagers had climbed out of it. Knowing them, Bill was dead sure that they would follow Harry at a distance, having decided to never abandon him regardless what would happen. While such loyalty was normally commendable, it now meant they had to worry about all six of them.

"Oh shit..." That was all Bill could curse when realizing what a clusterfuck this was becoming.

o

Harry felt like he was living a nightmare while with every step he was walking closer to his doom. He saw that the lights were directing him to a grove of trees - clearly where he would be confronted with no one else than Voldemort himself. He also had no illusion what Voldemort wanted from him.

"Harry?" That was Sirius voice coming from his pocket.

"Sirius, I can't pull the mirror out of my pocket. They are watching me while I'm walking towards them," Harry whispered, hoping the Death Eaters were not listening as well.

"You are walking...? Crap! Harry, we are on our way. I gathered as many allies as possible on such quick notice and we apparated to the train tracks hopefully close enough. We are already searching for the train on brooms." These words gave at least some hope. "I'm muting the mirror from my side so they can't hear me but I still listen in. Try to win some time!"

"I hope that's possible..." Harry honestly had no idea if he could even do so, or if he would get killed on sight.

The train now was quite a distance away and he was closing in on the grove of trees. What he saw there was bad enough. It was a dozen robed individuals, their faces hidden by skull masks. Harry knew, these were Death Eaters and it was certain there had to be some more around observing him. However, that was nothing compared to the man he spotted standing in the middle of the circle they were forming.

It was Voldemort, and when walking closer Harry saw the same nightmarish face he had seen back in his first year at the back of Quirrell's head. It now being attached to a proper body was in a way worse than it being at the back of a head. It also was an unnerving contrast to see him in broad daylight during a warm summer day.

"Don't dawdle, Harry. My patience is not endless." It was clear Voldemort saw this like some sort of sick game.

Harry knew there was no way around it. He was scared shitless but his body moved forward until he stood only several meters away from Voldemort. Up close the sight was, if anything, even worse. Harry now understood even better why people had been so afraid of him during the war. Despite having met him before (well, twice, if a memory of him counts), only now did Harry truly understand his frightening presence.

"You took your time, I've been waiting for a long time for us to meet again," Voldemort finally said, trying to sound like a scolding teacher.

"Well, I most certainly didn't." Harry's only refuge right now was of the verbal kind.

Voldemort actually chuckled at this defiance. "Like father like son; defiant up to the very end."

Harry tried not to imagine it. He remembered Voldemort three years ago telling him how his father had attacked Voldemort with his bare hands. Brave, but in the end futile. The way Voldemort had talked about it however had been really insulting.

"My Lord!"

Voldemort looked up and when Harry turned around, his heart fell. It was his friends, who obviously had followed him and had been caught easily. The five teenagers were being held at wandpoint by three Death Eaters, one of them holding their wands in one hand. They didn't look harmed, so they must have surrendered right away when getting caught.

"Guys, what are you doing here?! Are you insane?!" Harry gasped.

"We did that for you, Harry," Ginny told him. "Though, we didn't exactly cover ourselves in glory..."

"Yes, there is no way we would abandon you." Ron then froze when realizing they stood before Voldemort. "Oh-uh..."

Voldemort snorted. "Friendship. That is such an overrated concept. What is truly important is power - not some emotional hogwash. After all, what an illustrious circle of so-called friends you have there, Harry. Two from a family that is the shame of Magical Britain, an upstart mudblood, a delusional headcase and of course..." Neville trembled in fear when Voldemort gave him closer attention. "The boy that could have easily taken your place, Harry."

"Uh, what...?" Neville gasped, wondering what that was about.

Seeing how Harry looked confused as well, Voldemort chuckled darkly. "Oho... Looks like Dumbledore still hasn't told you the truth? That is so delicious; he obviously doesn't seem to trust you with the truth."

"Not like you would tell me, either." Harry knew he shouldn't antagonize Voldemort, but that had to be said.

"At least you are not a dunderhead. As I've said before, my motivations are none of your concern." Voldemort then looked like he was starting to enjoy himself. "You see, Harry, everything up to this point over the past year has gone according to my plan. There was only one problem before I would be back to my old self: how to deal with that annoying protection your weak mother put upon you? After all, I would not make the same mistake twice."

It was like Voldemort liked hearing himself talk. "The answer was simple: YOU would provide one of the ingredients needed for my resurrection. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken. Pettigrew here was a great help acquiring that from you and your help is well-noted. You probably didn't remember it, getting stunned and all that..."

Ginny understood what Voldemort was talking about. "That day in Hogsmeade... It was all about Harry's blood?"

Voldemort gave her a look like a nasty teacher seeing a student actually giving a correct answer. "You are understanding fast, girl. Too bad for you that you and your family made the wrong choices and you will pay dearly for it."

Harry on the other hand looked to the Death Eater Voldemort had pointed at. The Death Eater, after a nod from Voldemort, took off his mask, revealing Pettigrew's face. Harry looked at him in disgust. "Traitor..."

"Oh no, I'm not the traitor. The traitors are those who acted like they accepted me, while in reality I was only dirt in their minds. To them I was the weak link that they can exploit, as they showed wonderfully when making me their secret-keeper." That said, Pettigrew put the mask back on.

"Amusing... but fact is, with your blood used for my resurrection, Harry, your protection is not longer working." Harry wanted to flinch back when Voldemort came closer, but two Death Eaters held firm onto his shoulders. Voldemort's finger going over the side of his face had to be one of the most disturbing things he'd ever gone through. "See what I mean? I can now touch you. I no longer have to fear my spells reflecting back onto me."

"And that is too bad for you, Harry." Voldemort slowly drew his wand. "For you, and for your friends, since I do remember all of them together ruining my plans three years ago... Crucio."

The pain hit Harry like a sledgehammer, but it was not only him. Voldemort had given a signal and other Death Eaters had put the same curse onto his friends. All of them were screaming as burning pain flooded every part of their being - a pain so intense that they truly wished for death to end the agony. It felt like an eternity before the pain all of a sudden stopped.

Dark laughter filled the air, the Death Eaters feeling sick amusement at their pain while they were roughly pulled to their feet. Voldemort also looked highly amused. "Oh, I could do this all day... Now back onto your feet!"

They still felt pain in every part of their bodies, horrified at how it felt to be put under that curse. Moody had not been hyperbole when describing it in class. Yes, they were really afraid, but all the pain also caused them to feel a small but growing defiance against Voldemort. Perhaps it was because they were not alone.

"Why... why did you kill Cedric? Why such pointless cruelty?" Hermione gasped while being uneasy on her legs.

That had been way worse than the first time she had suffered under that particular curse and the mocking laughter of the Death Eaters when seeing proof how much the six of them had lost control of their bodies while suffering felt like buring irons on her skin. Even after all she already had experienced, her peaceful upbringing meant she was underable to understand such acts of needless cruelty.

"Ah yes, highly embarrassing for our society that someone like you is seen as the best student of Hogwarts." Voldemort gave Hermione a highly condescending look, before actually giving her an answer. "It's not pointless. A message had to be sent to Magical Britain. The boy just had the misfortune to be in the right spot. Of course his defiance meant he would be returned in pieces."

"But... you just revealed yourself to the whole country like that... And this..." Ron honestly wondered how that was supposed to work.

Voldemort chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying that he can lecture them. "Did I? Oh no... they will only see what they want to see. Even all of those brats having been in danger won't we a rallying call. People in the Ministry will play it down while others go against them about it. Chaos and strife... While they are busy with each other, I can do as I please."

"Master," one Death Eater said.

Voldemort realized that he was wasting too much time. "Ah yes, I'm enjoying this a bit too much, but sadly we are are pressed for time. Give them back their wands, they are of no danger to us."

He must completely sure of himself that he does this, Ron thought while still feeling the echoes of the pain from the curse. Holding his wand again however meant little in such a situation.

"Now to business. I have to make this quick. All of you will die, but first you will watch me kill dear Harry in front of you. Then you will follow him," Voldemort then gave Harry an especially nasty look. "But first, Harry, you will kneel in front of me, kissing my feet while begging for forgiveness."

Harry knew Voldemort wanted to humiliate him before murdering him, but even if he was as good as dead already, he would not lose his dignity. "I will never do that!"

"You refuse?" It looked like Voldemort had already expected that answer. "You will soon learn the folly of trying to refuse Lord Voldemort. You have clearly been taught no manners, so I will teach them to you... Imperio!"

To Harry it felt like something was trying to smother him in bliss, to tell him it was all right to just let things happen in shut off his mind. It was a disturbing feeling and it became increasingly difficult for him to resist despite all the resistance he was putting up, the feeling starting to become overwhelming... That was, until in his mind a light was starting to fight back against the invasive bliss.

Harry became aware enough to see that Ginny had taken hold of his empty hand, trembling in fear but yet determined to not let him suffer all alone from Voldemort's curse. Harry realized that Ginny was somehow that light, her closeness giving him strength. Then, one by one his other friends put their hands onto his shoulders and the light grew. Feeling stronger than before, Harry struggled back against the invasive bliss, and finally broke its hold.

Voldemort looked confused. While he had been amused at Harry's friends seemingly doing some pointless attempt to save him, Harry didn't seem to be affected by the Imperius Curse at all and then looked him directly into the eyes. "No... You will never get me to do it."

The Death Eaters had fallen silent, fearfully looking to Voldemort, whose amusement had turned into anger. Voldemort also was a bit confused why the curse had failed. "You remain stubborn? Then I'll just kill you. Goodbye, Potter. Avada Kedavra!"

There was a second where the Six kept close together, seeing the green beam of death emerge from Voldemort's wand. They knew they had no chance to dodge that one. Besides the fact that none of them had been able to explore deeper relationship-wise and thus create those kind of adult relationships, each of them had their own, private regret about something they now wouldn't be able to do or cause with their death, besides the fact how much it would hurt their families.

Harry felt like fate had prevented him to show the magical world he was more than just the Boy-Who-Lived. Ron bemoaned how now he could never show to the world he was his own man. Hermione realized she now would not be there to fight for those who had been taken advantage of. Ginny regretted she now could not show the world that a tomboy could also have feminine dreams and goals. Neville felt sad that with his death, the Longbottoms would now die out. Luna felt disappointed she now would never know how it was to be a big sister.

-zzzzzztt- In front of their eyes the green beam of death struck some kind of invisible barrier half a meter away from Harry, getting reflected up into the sky instead, where it splintered in an explosion of green light. Somehow, something had deflected the otherwise unstoppable beam of death.

"WHAT?!" Voldemort was utterly unprepared for whatever that was, but had little time to wonder, when suddenly... -Whhhooom- a shockwave erupted from the point of impact, blowing him and the Death Eaters off their feet and at least twenty meters away.

"Guys, run!" Neville, while wondering what just had happened, most certainly knew this was their only chance.

They did not have to be told twice and made haste to run deeper between the trees to take cover, now actually glad for Voldemort's arrogance which allowed them to regain their wands. All Six of them were now running on pure adrenaline and knew they would crash, should they come out of this alive. Some kind of wonder saving them, however, had all of a sudden risen their chances a lot.

"What was that?!" Luna wondered, right now looking like a scared rabbit, missing all of her normal calmness.

"Who cares?! Let's worry about that later!" Ginny gasped while they seeked cover behind the trees. "Fire off whatever you got to slow them down!"

"Got it!" Hermione knew while they right now still had no chance in direct battle - despite everything still not knowing enough to stand a chance - they knew numerous spells to make them difficult to catch.

"Get up! Get up! Don't let them escape!" Voldemort shouted, his confusion over what had happened being overpowered by rage that somehow they had managed to make him look like a fool.

That however proved to be more difficult for the Death Eaters than first anticipated. In some parts the ground had suddenly turned into swamp - swamp that didn't look any different from normal ground - forcing other Death Eaters to help those who had stepped into it. Hedges of thorny vines grew all of a sudden, blocking the way and injuring those who got caught in their sudden eruption. All the while all kind of spells were thrown at them by the Six, ranging from being meant to slow them down to causing actual injury.

Watching all this, Voldemort was seething with rage, feeling like these brats were mocking him. "Enough of this! Looks like I have to do everything by myself!" Flames shot out of the ground, torching the hedges and instantly drying up the swamps. "No more fun and games. All of you are dead..."

"Master!" That was Malfoy's voice. Voldemort saw him point to the sky, and then understood. Two groups of broom riders were upon them. One was led by Black, while the other was led by none other that Dumbledore himself. "Everyone to me!"

It was impressive how broom riders with enough experience could jump off their brooms in mid-air and land on their feet, while their brooms slowly descended to the ground. Even someone as old as Dumbledore was capable of that feat. The adults had jumped off with wands drawn, confronting the Death Eaters while looking in horror when seeing Voldemort, now having irrefutable proof of his return.

Dumbledore looked Voldemort straight into the eyes. "So it is true, Tom. You somehow managed to cheat death, have returned and wasted no time to spread your evil."

"Dumbledore..." Voldemort growled, but had to face facts: he had lost this day and nothing would be won by forcing a confrontation now. "This day goes to you, but there will be more days and in the end Lord Voldemort will rule. Just try to spead word of my return and see if it does you any good." He then gave a hand sign to show he had dropped the anti-apparation screen and all of them vanished with loud cracs.

The confrontation was over.

"It's over...?" Hermione looked a bit like she couldn't believe it.

"Harry?"

"Uncle Sirius?" Harry realized the danger now was truly over. He didn't mind Sirius running to him and hugging him, as if to reassure himself that Harry was there. Judging by him still being in police uniform, he literally had wasted not a single second to come to their aid.

"I heard everything over the mirror... I... I know that curse is horrible. We saw that green light and knew where to find you..." Sirius was fighting not to have a complete breakdown, not caring about the tears that ran freely.

"It hurt more than anything else... I think I'm still in shock..." Harry knew he and his friends had went through so much in mere minutes that it was difficult to process it. The horror of it was only starting to dawn on them.

On Luna it seemingly had dawned earlier, since she fell to he knees and... -whhhhgglllbll- started to vomit heavily, her already naturally pale skin looking almost white at the moment. When most of it was out, she coughed and trembled, clearly not being in a good place.

"Luna, oh no..." Neville looked pretty bad as well, but his instinct to comfort the girl was stronger. Holding her after she had put a little distance to her mess, he was struggling to find words.

"Everything we encountered before... It can't compare to that... That primal terror... so deep..." Luna also was struggling with words, her still existing difficulties with expressing emotions making her the one worst affected by this ordeal.

Hermione and Ron both had to sit down, the whole gravity of what had happened catching up with them. They had not been prepared for something like that and now looked scared and lost. And Ginny... she looked like she was wrestling with herself, having paled significantly and working hard not to have a meltdown.

Harry approached her carefully. "Ginny...?" Suddenly Ginny hugged him. "Eh?"

"Don't fight it, Harry... I need this... now." Ginny then to his surprise kissed him. It was not a deep kiss and a bit sloppy, due to neither of them having any experience with this, but that was not important in light of it happening.

When their lips parted again, Harry looked at Ginny in surprise. "That... that was... wow. But why?"

"Because I realized that life is too short; that we need to take the moment when it is there. I don't want to die with regrets because I was too afraid to act." Ginny did not let go of Harry, clearly needing his closeness to calm down from those horrible events.

Truth to be told, Harry didn't want to let go of her, either.

Sirius watched all of it from a distance. Today, Voldemort had taken even more from the Six, but as Ginny had just shown, there also was hope. But it was not only them. Everyone in their families would be scarred by what Voldemot had attempted to do today.

---

...later that day, King's Cross station...

The news of the incident with the Express had spread like wildfire and by the time the Hogwarts Express managed to reach King's Cross with a considerable delay - due to having to wait until the provisonal repairs to the viaduct allowed the train to pass - platform 9¾ was filled almost to capacity with frightened parents who had been shocked when being contacted by the school and told of what had transpired. The belief that the Express was a safe way of travel was shaken by those events.

However, it was noticeable that certain families looked much less emotional than the rest, yet due to the concern over their children, only few parents did notice. A few however did notice and had an idea what that was about, since those parents were known to be ones that had escaped punishment after the war. That alone was quite damning.

Arthur Weasley was one of those who noticed, but right now his thoughts were mostly elsewhere.

Their group was huge. Every single parent and guardian - apart of course from Sirius himself - was being present. Diane, Remus, Arthur, Molly, Thomas, Veronica, Frank, Alice, Ian, Jean, Xenophilius and Pandora. It was not only them however. Charlie Weasley was there as well, having quickly taken time off for this family emergency. Also present was Dora, who had been sent back to London and told to take some time off right after the Express had left Hogwarts. Jean was carrying little Jonathan around in a harness that kept him close to her chest. Mark was there as well, as were Steve and Kathleen.

Diane was concerned enough that she didn't any longer care about being seen with her children. Though, considering the complete chaos on the platform and no one being in any mood to snoop around, it would hardly make a difference. They had even spotted a very scared-looking Petunia, who was being busy talking with the Bulstrodes and Greengrasses. Seeing her looking like that showed that she truly cared for her son.

"Were it not for Sirius telling me over magical means that they got out of it without injury, though not without getting hurt, and that he's escorting the train back here, we would be wrecks by now," Diane admitted while they waited for the train to arrive.

"Yes, what you described was horrible enough. Sirius telling us how he heard Voldemort's voice over that mirror... I had no idea it would scare me that much." Frank admitted, the description alone giving him flashbacks to the war.

While Sirius had already known about Voldemort regaining his body due to Dumbledore spreading Snape's findings, actually hearing him was something entirely different. Sirius had made no secret of that fact when talking with Diane and clearly was needing time to recover from that experience.

"We were ready to punish our children for their previous stupidity, but after hearing what happened today..." Jean tried to express how scared she had been, but failed to express it.

Veronica grimaced then. "No way we can do that anymore. Alone hearing that Voldemort used that horrible torture spell on them..." She knew that she would be unable to let Harry out of her sight for some time, regardless how much it would annoy him.

"You have no idea..." Diane remembered Sirius telling her hearing over the mirror how Voldemort had mocked the bond of friendship before he and some others tortured the children with the Cruciatus Curse. The screams had sent a sword into his heart. Thank all goodness they somehow had managed to turn the tables and hold out until reinforcements arrived.

-tuuuuuut- That was the train finally arriving and the platform descended into complete chaos.

"Diane!" Sirius was literally the first person out of the train, looking a bit out of place in his police uniform. He however didn't care while he hugged his wife.

Diane saw he still looked a bit pale. "Sirius, it must have been horrible..."

"You have no idea. And I also had no idea it would bring up so many bad memories..." Sirius looked visibly shaken by the whole experience and the feeling of helplessness while still being too far away to help the children.

The children appeared soon enough and right away felt like they felt like were being hugged to death by their parents. True, there had been them sneaking after Harry only to be caught and land in the same situation, but that would be addressed at a later date. It was simply too big of a relief the children had come out of this alive and without permanent injury.

Though of course they had not come out of it without scars - though with the kind that was not visible. While the hours since the incident had helped them to regain some sort of control, it was obvious that they would need time to truly come to terms with all of it. Despite what they had already experienced, which included a number of horrible things, this was without doubt the worst thing they had ever experienced.

The chaos became so great soon enough, with countless scared parents fussing over their children, they didn't want to waste any time on the platform, instead needing a quieter place where they finally could let out their emotions. Penelope told Percy that since her parents were close to a meltdown, they should take care of their own families first, so they parted ways for the day. They also noticed Petunia hugging the life out of Dudley, letting out all of her worry and proving she did truly care for him.

"Good Lord, there is so much... We need to get out of London before we can unpack what happened." Xenophilius did look pale, the idea that he'd almost lost his daughter to a madman today making him feel like he's aged ten years.

"We were all there. Believe me, you had every right to feel scared for us." Harry still looked like he couldn't believe they had managed to get out of that alive. "I told Uncle Sirius, but all of us need to let it out..."

None of them were in any mood for anymore magical travel. They had parked the cars in a side street and while it would be a bit of a tight fit - especially with the entire Weasley family being present - the Weasley family car thankfully could magically expand its interior. Granted, it also could fly, but Molly had strictly forbidden her husband from ever using that feature. Right at the moment London felt suffocating however and they wanted out of it.

"Eh... Diane, am I in big trouble with the Chief Inspector? I mean... I left just calling I have an emergency and I'm still in uniform." Sirius wondered what consequences that would have for him.

"Surprisingly, there won't be any." Seeing the looks her husband gave her, she explained. "He called me at home and explained he got a call from the higher-ups. They confirmed you attended to a serious emergency and that everything will be correctly registered by them."

"Strange..." After Diane retaining her job and him being forced to take the promotion, that was the third incident.

The distance to their cars was not too far. However, when walking around the corner they were greeted with several men and women wearing dark business suits stating near their cars.

"I don't like the sight of that..." Dora reached for her wand, feeling something was up.

"Auror Tonks, please don't draw your wand. There is no reason for violence." The voice came from behind, and turning around they saw several more of these people blocking their way back.

"Who are you?! Getting ambushed like this by a bunch of people in suits, who all are packing heat, makes me highly nervous." Sirius had seen the telltale signs of gun shoulder holsters under the suit jackets and prepared himself to quick-draw his wand.

"Please calm down, Police Sergeant Black. We are working for Her Majesty's government. We are most certainly not here to attack or kidnap any of you. In the contrary, we are here on official business, though we do apologize for springing this on you after today's events," the man leading the group told him.

"What kind of business could the government have with us that you approach us in such a manner?" Ian asked, having a bad feeling about this.

The man actually addressed both him and his wife. "Ian and Jean Granger. Both of you have been in the employ of the crown. Now the crown is asking again for your services, together with those of the adults with you, for what lies ahead."

Ian gulped hard. All of a sudden our joking of how the government very well could again require our services one day now look like we tempted fate too much...

to be continued...

Next Episode:

"MI-X"

---

Notes:

Here the notes.

Now, considering that as said the story will go on hiatus until I've again written enough chapters to start posting Year 5, putting in this cliffhanger is outright EVIL of me. However, that at least gives you something to anticipate once the story continues.

Now to the chapter itself...

We do see the aftermath of the events, and it's quite unpleasant. Dumbledore is smarter about it and while essentially giving the same warning does not claim someone has returned from the dead. That actually will be important. Of course Fudge is in denial, though in a different way from canon.

Finally Snape's role in the story is growing. Also, what happened WAY back in Year 1 is now paying off.

Also, as I showed during the ceremony, for next year battle lines in Hogwarts are drawn. The ramifications of that will only be seen in Year 5.

Of course Umbridge gladly uses the services of someone like Skeeter. However, that developement also will only play out in Year 5 and have some consequences.

Of course the main attraction of the chapter is said ambush on the Express. I won't go into too much detail about that one, but I hope there is lots of interesting developments in that one. It certainly was difficult to write and gave me several headaches.