The potion had finally been released and had been a money maker as was expected. The ministry had worked rapidly on the registry and at the last count there were 500 werewolves in Britain. The Registry was now being well maintained and looked after by Amos Diggory with three wizards working under him.
The potion had been an instant hit and Remus was getting requests from abroad to export the product. Remus had asked Ted to obtain the export license from the Ministry which was issued on the same day and Remus had not wasted a moment to contract with companies suggested by Cyrus Greengrass using the prices fixed by Harry.
So far, they had started to export the product to all of Europe and were considering partners for other parts of the world. The coffers of House Potter were getting filled faster than Remus could count but he knew Harry would not waste a moment to spend it where the gold was needed. In the meanwhile sales of Wolfsbane had plummeted. It was expected that within a month or two, the product would be taken off the market.
The inventor of Wolfsbane Democles Belby had written a letter to Harry congratulating him on his achievement. Harry had invited him to the New Year ball being hosted by him.
For the ball, Sirius had opened the Black Manor which contained a Ball Room almost as big as the ball room at Potter Manor. He had also told Harry to personally invite whoever he wanted to the ball and sent him port-keys to the place for those who were not getting the invitations which Sirius was sending to others. Harry had invited almost all of his friends from his inner circle for the ball and many from those who participated in the training sessions in the Room of Requirement. There were a few muggle-born among them who were given port-keys because they needed a way to come while others who belonged to Wizarding families could floo in directly to the manor (the floo address was in their invitations or Harry could tell it to them). The floo room for the manor was in a little building set aside from the main manor so that if any unwanted guest came along, they could be dealt with before they caused any trouble.
Hogwarts
Susan and Harry had not talked about the kiss which happened in Hogsmeade the other day. While Harry still grinned when he thought of that moment, his face adopting a pleasant expression, he was trying not to raise the topic again because he was not comfortable talking about these things. Susan had done it because she had been wishing he would try again after that night when they had been disturbed by Neville but as people always said, he was clueless. So she had to take the initiative but now she was waiting for him to make a move.
Since the last prank, Harry had not pranked a single student or caused any more mayhem. Instead, he was spending his time in the Chamber of Secrets practicing arcane magics or in the Room of Requirement facing his friends and dueling with them. He was delighted that he had retained his speed and accuracy. He was waiting for the confrontation which was just a few days away.
Dumbledore had briefed him about the last Horcrux and told him that it was the lost diadem of Ravenclaw since it was the only relic belonging to a founder which was missing and they knew about its existence. He asked Harry if he had any idea about where it was and Harry told him that he did not know about it but would try to find out. He was already planning to ask someone who could point him in the right direction.
He had promised Susan that they will do their Yule shopping together when they were in London. There were not so many shops in Hogsmeade and therefore not much choice while Diagon Alley was suitable for their choices. He would have to go to muggle London to get something for Arthur though. The Weasley patriarch was wildly enthusiastic about everything muggle.
Will you be my girl friend?
Today, the students were ready to leave for London. While most of them were taking the train home but Harry had decided to floo there from the Cottage on the Hill. It was within walking distance and he would be home in no time. As it was, there was too much to do and too little time.
Susan had agreed to join him with Neville. It was easy enough for them to go to their own residences once they were in London. Harry had wanted to ask others to join him but Hannah, Hermione and Ron were prefects while Ginny had recently started seeing Colin Creevey and they hit it off at once. For all Harry knew, they were planning more for the infamous Harry Potter Fan Club. For the twins, it was one of the last times that they would be taking the train back home. They might not have agreed.
By the time the Hogwarts Express was pulling out of the station, they were already home. He had not told anyone that he would be coming home this way and was ready to surprise Sirius but the marauder was away at work.
After lunch and being fed to their heart's content, Neville flooed to Green Hues while Susan had deliberately stayed behind. When they were alone at last, Harry decided to tackle the issue head on. It was no use to try avoiding it anymore. He asked her, "Sue why did you kiss me that day?".
She eyed him skeptically, "Did you not like it?"
He immediately backtracked, "No, no it's nothing like that. It is just that I have heard that generally the guy takes the initiative".
She said to him coyly, "I waited for you to get the hint after the day when Neville had interrupted us but you did not seem to get it".
Harry blushed, "Umm. I. I am not good with feelings and things as such. I suppose I need lessons of my own for these sorts of things".
She chuckled, "Don't worry, Harry. Boys generally don't get these things and we girls seem to make it hard for them deliberately".
Harry had been looking at Susan while she spoke. Lately he had started noticing how she bit her lower lip at times when she was thinking about something or how her eyes would spread in surprise or her smile was actually pleasant or that her laughter was a melody in ears and her blue eyes were captivating. Her full pouty lips only enhanced her beauty. He remembered how she had looked absolutely gorgeous at the start of the summer and with all the training that they had done, she looked like a celestial now. She was beautiful then and now she was like a goddess born as a mortal. Things had been a bit difficult when he had learned of the contract but she was giving him enough room to breathe and not stifling him with affection and that was what he liked about her. She would let him make his decisions and not try to impose her will on him.
He also remembered how devastated he had been at the start when he first learned of the contract because it took away his liberty to choose. All the thoughts about dating a witch or two before he settled down were gone in a moment. He had been miserable about it. But then he thought about Susan and how she might have made plans if the contract had not happened. Neither of them had the right to choose but they could have all the other joys which any other couples did.
"Sue, I just had a thought", he said earnestly.
"I noticed that has been happening a lot lately", she said playfully.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Sue, I do try to think about everything. I just had a thought that the contract may have taken away our right to choose but we can have other things like every other normal couple, right?"
"What do you mean?" she asked while inwardly she had a good idea exactly what he wanted to say.
"What I mean Sue is that just because we are betrothed by contract but that does not mean that we cannot have other joys like dating?" he said seriously.
"I suppose that is true", she said, "however, I would ask your pardon if I do not understand what you want to actually say?"
He huffed, "You are not that daft, Sue. You know what I want to say and yet you want me to say it loud and clear?"
She chuckled, "Well I am not supposed to make it easy for you, am I? If we are doing this then I get the whole package with the bells and whistles. So, I am not exactly going to make it easy for you".
Harry scowled, "You are a really hard task-master. Alright Susan Amelia Bones, would you give me the honour of becoming my girl-friend?"
She immediately replied, "Of course I will".
As she said this, Harry pulled her up close and kissed her. That was the best kiss that they had and they kept at it for a minute or maybe it was a month or a year. Harry had lost all sense of time in that moment. He could only think how soft her lips actually were or of her fragrance which smelled like roses and Night-flowering Jasmine. A warm feeling arose in his chest like sunlight in the early hours of the morning that he had often experienced in the Himalayas.
"How long do you reckon the two of them have been at it, Moony?" said Sirius who was standing in the doorway. Harry and Susan hastily parted when they heard the Marauder's voice. They both seemed to realize then that they were in the meeting room of the Black Townhouse and Sirius and Remus were at the door to the meeting room, looking at the two of them and sharing a smug grin.
"When did you two arrive?" Harry asked them, "I did not hear the two of you come in."
"Of course not", said Sirius, "You were busy melting her brain out of her head".
"I was not that bad", Harry protested and then shut up as he realized what he had said.
Sirius was laughing and Remus was fighting a losing battle to stop himself from guffawing at the expression on Harry's face. Susan in the meanwhile had hidden her face in her hands muttering about the consequences if Auntie heard about it.
"What are you two doing here anyhow?" Harry asked them, "As I remember, you are supposed to be at work at the ministry and Moony should be either at the Rosier Estate or in the office".
"As it happened Pup, Hermione sent a letter to the Head Master and she was absolutely hysterical that you three had disappeared mid-ride. Dumbledore informed Frank who wanted to send a team of Aurors to look for you but Dumbledore told him that you three were seen walking towards the village after school was let out. It was not hard to put the pieces together from there. However I will give you fair warning that Amelia is absolutely furious that you did not inform her. Sadly it seems she has been doing that a lot lately whenever a Hogwarts owl comes to her to complain about one more detention that Susan has been put into".
Remus added, "So Amelia has entrusted me with the responsibility to bring her back and to make sure that she does not get lost along the way".
Susan sighed, "I suppose I better get going before she shows up here, looking for me".
She pecked Harry on the cheek and walked out of the room with Remus following her. Sirius watched Harry deflate a bit as Susan went out and asked him, "Something the matter, pup?"
"Nothing father, I had just asked her out officially", Harry replied. "We thought we would do things like a normal couple does and enjoy every bit of it before it is time to marry".
Longbottom Manor
As he was invited to, Harry went to Longbottom manor that evening for dinner. He did not want to make Alice angry because he feared that she would come over then. He had a whim that she was definitely angry with the prank.
As he stepped out of the floo, Alice hugged him, "Here comes my wayward son".
Frank chuckled, "Let him breathe Alice. I am sure that he is worried that you are going to reprimand him for the prank that they pulled on the school".
She guided him to the dining table where Augusta was already sitting and she hugged him. Frank gave him a warm hand-shake.
After Harry was seated, Frank started speaking, "Harry, I may be the minister of Magic but I do not mind when children are acting their age. You both are children yet and it is perfectly normal for you to engage in pranks and chase after witches and have fun in general. I do not mind the detentions either but I am peeved about you three disappearing without informing anyone. None of your prefect friends noticed that you three were missing because they had to go to the Prefect's meeting. It was only when the meeting was over that your absence was noticed and a letter was sent to me. Please never do that again and we will be fine".
Alice turned to him, "Now that Frank has it all out of the way, let me ask how things are going with Susan?"
Harry took some time to answer, "At the start, I felt some resentment but now things are fine between us. In fact, she can understand me in ways that no one else can".
Alice was giving Frank a sly smile, "Of course son, of course. James said something like that about Lily once".
Frank nodded, "That is good that you feel this way towards her however, I just realized Harry that I never asked what you would like to do after Voldemort is gone for good".
"I have thought of a lot of things. Being a potioneer sometime in the distant future is definitely on the list. I would like to play Quidditch professionally for a couple of years if some team would find me competent enough to play for them in some capacity. Maybe if I am feeling adventurous enough I would apply to the Aurors".
Neville snorted, "Are you mental? You should have heard the scouts at the last match. Their eyes were the size of galleons when they saw you dangling upside down on your broom. If you were in your last year of your education, they would have signed you up on the spot".
Frank smiled, "You have James's talent and more. He wanted to go professional before his OWL year and was even ready to apply to Puddlemere United but something happened in his 6th year which changed everything and he joined the Aurors".
Harry had a smile on his face, "Thank you for telling me that. Sirius has not told me anything about this. All he ever talks about is how he and my father terrorized the hell out of Hogwarts".
Alice chuckled, "Of course he does. They were the pranksters in residence for 7 years and unchallenged except perhaps by the Prewett twins".
Frank asked him to report to his office in the ministry the next day early in the morning under Glamour charms because Moody wanted to see his preparations and to brief him about the plans. Harry in his turn invited all of them to Yule celebrations at Potter Manor by passing a piece of parchment to them which contained the secret to the manor and told them that the extended family of Harry Potter would be there.
Hogwarts
Harry may have appeared to leave the school peacefully but he had ensured chaos during his absence from the castle. Since most of the teachers did not have a family most of them stayed there during their winter vacations. Many muggle borns and half-bloods had decided to stay at the castle too because Albus had announced that they would be celebrating both Christmas and Yule and the muggle borns had wanted to see for themselves what Yule celebrations were like.
Harry working with the twins had laid traps in the castle for people to walk into. He had left a swamp in the middle of the Great Hall which was one of the twins' products. He had just tweaked it enough so it would be activated at dinner time in front of the teachers. Just so that he did not miss it, he had asked Vikram to take photos of it. There were also fire-crackers which he had obtained courtesy of the twins and he had made arrangements for them to be placed in the Great Hall to go off when Vikram sent a wordless wandless finite at the crate of firecrackers. There was also the stuff that the twins had perfected like Ton Tongue Toffee, Braying Butterbeer and Canary Creams which would be mixed in with the Christmas Dinner Party by an accomplice Harry had asked to act in his absence.
When dinner was well under way, suddenly a swamp opened in the middle of the Great Hall. It had formed between the Ravenclaw table and the Slytherin table. A few students had fallen into it but were quickly retrieved and dried off by Madam Pomfrey. The swamp was not deep. One could hardly be more than up to their knees in it so there was no harm done. Dumbledore chuckled, "The Pranksters have sent their compliments".
Flitwick vanished it in a trice but not before Vikram had been able to capture photos of it.
The next day
Hermione Granger dragged her parents to Diagon Alley in the morning. She had returned home worried about Harry but had been told that he flooed to London from Hogsmeade and she had gone home. Since the end of her third year, she had spent little time at her own home but lived more at the Burrow in the last two years. The summer also had been abruptly cut short when she had to return to England via the phoenix express to train with the others. Her parents were already going to France this year for skiing a day before Christmas. She wanted to join them but she was torn. She also wanted to be at the Manor House of the Weasleys where Arthur had invited her, so, she had decided to spend the little time she had with her parents enjoying their company and then joining the Weasleys or going to the Black Townhouse where there was a room always available for her.
This morning, she was on a mission with her parents in tow because she wanted to get the inheritance ritual done. Harry had written a letter to Griphook telling him to help her with the ritual and even if no magical ancestry was found, he would pay the costs of the test. She had tried to make him accept money from her but he told her that it was an early gift for Yule to her. He had given her a ring with the Potter crest and asked her to show it to the teller Ironjaw who would take her to Griphook promptly.
Hermione had asked one of the guards about the said teller and he pointed to one teller sitting behind a counter. She approached him cautiously and said respectfully, "Excuse me. I am here to see Griphook".
The Goblin did not look up from his register and sneered, "Griphook is not an ordinary goblin, human. He does not see every human who walks through that door demanding to see him".
Hermione remembered the ring and tossed it on the counter before the Goblin, "I am told he is expecting me".
The Goblin initially wanted to snarl at the insolent witch before her but controlled his tongue when he saw the crest and internally shuddered. Hastily closing his register, he climbed down and motioned for her to take a seat in the lobby, "Please take a seat. Griphook will be here to see you shortly".
Griphook came in about 2 minutes later and motioned for them to follow him to a room at the other end of the hall. The room was simple with the walls being bare and there were some chairs on either side of a table.
As they made themselves comfortable, Griphook started talking, "As I understand from the instructions I received from Lord Peverell, you are here for an inheritance test. Is that right?"
Hermione nodded and he continued, "There are a few things that I want to explain to you before we get to it, Miss Granger. The first is do you know of Wizarding customs, in particular the system of Vassals of houses, cadet lines etc.?"
Hermione nodded, "I have the basic idea about them".
"Very good. Now the thing is that the tests may reveal something about your magical heritage and there may be inheritance tied to it or there may be nothing. Since Lord Potter has sent you here and is bearing the costs of the test it implies that you are under his protection and if you are revealed to have magical heritage then you would be considered as a Vassal to the House of Potter no matter what your magical heritage might be. Is that agreeable?"
Hermione took her time to think about it. Molly had told her about vassals but she had not told her about anything like this. Also she was certain that if she had some magical inheritance then Hermione would be the only descendant alive which meant she would have to seek the protection of one of the houses. If it came down to it, there was only one choice. She turned to the goblin, "I understand what you have told me and agree to it. Please proceed to the ritual".
The goblin produced a parchment and a blood quill, "Please write your name on this parchment with this quill".
She took the quill and wrote her name upon it and grimaced while the quill drew her blood to write. After she was done, words started to appear.
Name: Hermione Jean Granger
Father's name: Daniel Hector Granger
Mother's name: Anne Granger nee Paxton
Prospective heir to: House of Granger
She read the parchment once and then read it again and turned it to see if something else was written on the other side but there was nothing. She handed the parchment to the goblin who took a look at it, pulled out a stamp and returned it to Hermione after properly stamping it.
"Congratulations Hermione Jean Granger, heir to House of Granger", he intoned and then pressed a rune on his table. A goblin entered and he barked orders to him.
After the goblin was on his way, Griphook turned to her, "I have sent him to fetch the relevant documents related to the House of Granger and we will be able to answer any questions that you might have within a few moments about the status of your vaults and estates etc. If you have a question other than that, feel free to ask".
Hermione had a lot of questions and she did not know how many she could ask before the Goblin would refuse to tell her more. She decided to take the cautious approach, "What can you tell me about the House of Granger?"
The goblin gathered his thoughts for a few moments before he started saying, "The family had broken off from one of the ancient families, though I do not remember which one, sometime in the middle of the 16th century. The family lasted for 8 generations during which they made their name with feats in potions though nothing like the Potters. The family was supposed to be ennobled sometime at the start of this century and would have got the status of Noble House of Granger in the next generation however the last lord Hector Dagworth-Granger who founded The Extraordinary Society of Potioneers was heirless. He had a brother Jonathan who was a squib so he could not take the title of Lord. Jonathan moved away from the family sometime during his teenage years and sired his own family. That is the information available to us right now. The family tree might be able to tell us more".
Just then, the goblin who had gone to fetch the documents returned and placed them on the table before Griphook. He dug up the family tree and studied it for a long time. Then he turned to Hermione, "As it turns out Jonathan had a son who was named Hector after his brother. Hector who was a squib like his father who being a second generation squib, he likely knew nothing about magic". He turned to Mr. Granger, "I trust he was your father?"
Daniel Granger nodded, "So, what does it mean?"
"It means Mr. Granger that you come from a family of wizards and your ancestors were magical. Since she was born within 5 generations from the last magical ancestor, your daughter is a half-blood witch. She is the heir to the house of Granger. She will become the Head of House when she reaches the age of majority on her 17th birthday".
He picked up a wooden box, carved with intricate designs, opened it and presented a ring to Hermione, "This is your heir ring, Heiress Granger".
She accepted the ring and placed it on her finger. After scanning her for quite some time, the ring was satisfied and fit itself to her finger. The goblin was looking into a ledger, "Your family vault has gold just shy of 2 million Galleons since Hector Dagworth-Granger did not think to invest it at that time. He also sold off all the estates of the family since there was no one to take care of them. The family home is still in Plymouth under stasis charms. Your heir ring can take you to it when twisted rightwards".
He tossed the ledger to her, "your family vault number 250 is in the deeper levels of the bank. You can access it according to the wishes of the last Head of House. You will need to appoint a manager for your accounts however and I would recommend Ironjaw. While he is young, he has enough experience to deal with accounts such as yours. Is there anything more you want to ask?"
Ministry of Magic
Harry had arrived at the Ministry with Sirius this morning. Sirius had gone to his job while he went to meet with the minister. As Frank had asked, he had done Glamour on himself. He had brown hair falling down to his shoulders, a broad nose, beetle black eyes, short stature and a dense beard to rival Hagrid's.
Frank welcomed him warmly, "Harry welcome to the office of the Minister of Magic".
"Thank-you Minister. What may I do for you?"
Just then Frank's secretary brought in tea for them and after some idle chit-chat about the daily business of the ministry and efforts being made to ready the Aurors for Voldemort Frank sent for his Senior Under-Secretary.
His under-secretary walked in after a few minutes, "Mr. Weasley please take Mr. Peverell here to the Head of the Aurors, Alastor Moody and tell him that I will join him shortly".
Percy accompanied him to the Auror floor, "Lord Black" he started to say but Harry interrupted him, "I am always Harry to you and your family Percy".
Percy shook his head, "I want a favor from Lord Black and not Harry Potter".
Harry understood at that moment why Frank had sent for his Under-secretary to take him to Alastor Moody when it was clearly a job belonging to a secretary or to one of the guards of his office. He wanted Harry to hear out Percy while it was upon to honour his request or not to.
He straightened a bit and looking at Percy in his eyes authoritatively said, "If it relates to Family business, then you should come meet me in the current seat of Residence of House Black this evening at 7:00. You will receive the address this after-noon. However be warned, I do not tolerate insubordination under my roof or callous behavior either".
Percy nodded and by that time, they had arrived at the Auror Floor where Moody was in his office. Percy informed the grizzled old auror that Frank would join them shortly and left.
Moody offered a seat to him, "Take a seat, lad. A few more people will be joining us".
10 minutes later, Sirius Black, Frank Longbottom, Proudfoot and Rufus Scrimgeour had arrived. When they were all seated, Moody started addressing them, "You are all here because you believe the rumours and reports which have been coming in these last six months in addition to what Albus Dumbledore had said in June that you-know-who (Harry wanted to tell him to call him Tom Riddle but held is tongue) is back from the dead. As of now he is hiding so we cannot do anything actively against him or half the Wizengamot would be after our hides. You all know about the plan and this lad here will play a crucial role in it. He is the bait that will bring You-know-who out in the open. As we have discussed, we will keep the skirmish contained in the Atrium. We will not let it spill out through the lifts or to the floo entrances. We have about 50 Aurors with us under your command with each of you leading 10 of them except Proudfoot and Rufus who will have 15 each. Proudfoot will be in the back and would join it happens that we find ourselves on the losing side. I want to keep the backup as a surprise for him. I will be there and I will over-see the execution of the plan. We are to take as many of them captive as we can. Also, we are authorized to use lethal force because you can be sure that they will. Don't take any chances and kill them if they won't be subdued but I do not need to remind you that use of the unforgivable curses will still get you a one-way trip to Azkaban. Anyone who fails to follow my orders will be drummed out of the Aurors promptly. Any questions?"
Proudfoot asked, "Are we going to use a child as bait? Are you out of your mind Alastor? He would not be able to hold his own against him for a moment. We do not use children as bait".
Harry, who found it hard to resist a prank, did his best to look completely gormless while suppressing his urge to laugh out loud.
Alastor turned to Proudfoot, "'The child' is more than his match and no mere child. If you aren't willing to take my word for it, then why don't you duel with him, Proudfoot? You just might learn something".
Proudfoot was scowling, "I do not fight children".
Sirius looked amused and baited him, "What's the matter Proudfoot? Are you afraid of being shown up by a child? Don't you think you can beat him? You don't have to hurt him, disarming him will do".
Proudfoot looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "Alright, I will duel with him and if I win, he is going home".
Sirius readily agreed, "Of course. You win and you will be calling the shots".
The duel was set in the practice ring. By the time they arrived for the duel, all the Aurors who were there had arrived to witness it. Alice who had just come in hissed to Frank, "Have you warned him about what Harry can do?"
Frank shook his head, "No. Moody tried and Proudfoot would not believe him. I suppose that Harry will have to convince him".
Duelling the Auror
The two duellists took their stances and bowed to each other. Proudfoot, thinking that he could settle this before Harry made a move, did not waste a moment in lashing out with a disarming jinx at Harry which Harry sidestepped easily. Having seen his first spell miss, he started sending stunning spell, petrification hex, banishing charms at him. Harry side-stepped all of them effortlessly.
Moody who was watching, said to Frank in an undertone, "Proudfoot is about to embarrass himself badly today". Frank just nodded in response.
Proudfoot had started sending every non-lethal spell that he knew of like banishing charm, stunning spell, incendio, stunners but nothing could touch Harry who had yet to cast a spell. Harry, wanting to egg Proudfoot on, raised his left hand to his mouth and yawned. In response, Proudfoot sent a spell chain at Harry which Harry dodged with ease as if he was walking in a garden. Proudfoot was one of the best Aurors in the ministry but he was nowhere near to the level that Harry was used to.
"Is that the best you can do?" Harry taunted him, "Your aim seems to be off. Even my best-mate can cast better than that".
That was enough to get Proudfoot's dander up and he started using some lethal spells at him mixed with non-lethal spells and Harry kept side-stepping them like he was dancing. It had been 10 minutes since the duel started and Proudfoot was beginning to sweat and he was breathing hard. Harry didn't want the auror worn out before the real battle, so he decided that it was time to end this.
Finally he raised his wand and said, "Now, it is my turn, Auror warrior".
He sent a very powerful bludgeoner at Proudfoot which knocked the wind out of him. He was thrown back a few feet with the force of the spell. But to his credit, he tumbled and landed back on his feet instantly and sent an incendio which Harry caught on his wand and with a subtle flick of his wand, it was turned into a fire whip which he brandished to lasso the Auror. The Auror ducked and rolled to avoid getting ensnared. As he stood, he was met with the Glacius which he shielded and Harry shot a bone breaker at him which he dodged. Harry started sending fire bolts at him making him dodge without giving him a chance to retaliate.
Proudfoot was frustrated with a child keeping him on his toes and when he sensed a lull in casting, he sent an over-powered bone breaker at Harry which to his horror was sent back towards him however, having been trained by Moody in the last war, he had not lost his wits and raised a shield in time which stopped the bone breaker from disfiguring his face. Before he could decide what he was to do next, a spell chain of reducto-shield breaker-confrigno was rushing at him and he threw himself to the floor to save himself. The spells whizzed past the space where he had been a moment ago. Then he had to roll away to save himself from a stag galloping through the middle of the ring. He could not even begin to think where the stag had come from. After he was clear of the hooves, he stood up and found chains travelling towards him. He raised a shield to protect himself. While he was rendering the incarcerous ineffective, Harry sent arrows at him. Proudfoot had to raise a wall between them to take the arrows. There he made the fatal mistake. As the arrows embedded themselves into the wall, it suddenly came alive, grasping Proudfoot in its hold and even gagging his mouth. Harry lazily sent a disarming spell at him and his wand flew to Harry's outstretched hand. Harry released him from the bonds and returned his wand to him, "It was an honour to have dueled you, Auror Warrior".
Proudfoot hung his head low and said to him, "I am honoured to have crossed wands with you, Mr. Peverell and I take back my words which were said in ignorance of your prowess".
After that, they all talked some more about the plan and it was decided that they would meet on the day of Yule for the skirmish. Moody invited him to come over any day to practice or have a duel with Alastor. With the viciousness that Harry had shown towards Proudfoot, Moody was itching for a duel like that.
Black Town House
When he returned to the Townhouse, he remembered to ask Dumbledore to send the Fidelius Secret to Percy and floo called Susan, "Bones manor".
Susan was sitting in a chair in front of the fire. She perked up when she saw his head sitting in the flames. She bent at the rug in front of the fire, "Now you remember me, my handsome boyfriend?"
"I was caught up at the Ministry, my gorgeous girlfriend and when I came home I was expecting that you would be here waiting for me".
She shook her head, "Sorry Harry, I cannot come over".
"Why?" he asked. "Are you breaking up with me?" he asked raising an eye-brow at her.
She groaned, "Hardly. Auntie did not like the fact that we failed to inform her that we were not taking the train and she has me grounded till further notice".
"What?" he almost shouted, "But what about our plans for Yule? What about the holidays we were planning?"
"I do not know Harry", she sighed. "Auntie has asked Tweaky to ensure that I do not leave the manor and she has barred all the entrances and exits of the manor preventing me from going out. I have tried everything that I can think of but I cannot go out".
"Don't worry Sue", Harry said trying to calm her, "I will talk to Auntie. Has Hannah come over?"
Susan rolled her eyes, "She didn't. I expect she is giving an earful to Neville right now or may be mouthful".
Harry wrinkled his nose, "I do not need that image in my mind, Sue. I think I'll obliviate myself just to forget it".
She giggled at his facial expressions.
Percy arrived that evening in Black Townhouse and immediately went on his knee, "Lord Black, I have a boon to ask of you".
Harry authoritatively said, "State your wish, Percival of Weasley and I will grant it if it is just".
Percy took his time to form his words, "I had believed the words of the former Minister and acted under his authority against you and the Head Master. I even went so far as to defy my family and act against the patriarch of the family but he has been merciful towards me in not banishing me from the family tree. Lately I have been trying to ask forgiveness from my father after I realized the folly of my ways but he refuses to give me an audience. I beseech you to intervene on my behalf as patron of the family in your role of Lord Black and ask him to give me an audience so I can ask my forgiveness of him".
Harry thought for a while over his request before he acquiesced, "I will ask Arthur to hear you out but I will not command him. You will receive a portkey with an invitation to the Yule celebrations in a day or two where the extended family is invited. You may have your audience with him then".
Percy nodded and stayed for dinner after Harry insisted that he had dinner with him. Sirius had told him that he was going for a date with Emmeline today while Remus was surely busy in Rosier Estate so Harry was by himself in the townhouse. He could go to Bones Manor but he did not know how Amelia would react and he wanted to give Neville time alone with his parents. Weasley Manor was out because he knew Mrs. Weasley would have gone off on him for not taking the train and for failing to inform others that he was not taking the train.
Next day
Hermione arrived the next day saying that her parents had left for France. She also told them about having gone through the inheritance ritual and finding out that she was actually a half-blood and not a muggle-born. She had visited the family vault which was full of so many books that if her father had not dragged her out of there, she would have been there still. As it was, she was planning to visit again with a trunk with extension charms and get as many of them as she could manage.
Harry told her it would be a good idea if she waited to do that until she had an opportunity to see her family home when she could ensure that the house was in pristine condition. The house was sure to have a library and she could put all the books in there and then she should make a move to get those books out of the family vault. She had begrudgingly agreed to it and had asked Harry to take her in as a Vassal to House of Potter which he readily accepted.
He had also tried to talk with Amelia to convince her but she had not budged and told him in no uncertain terms that she would not change her decision. Harry could only wait for her to release his girl friend. In the meanwhile they had a long chat on the floo with each other. Seeing him in such desperate shape, Sirius handed him some hand-made notes about a product that the Marauders had made. Grinning from ear to ear, Harry had got on to make the said product.
Christmas
While Harry had learned the Wizarding customs and festivals and was celebrating Yule, he had sent gifts for Christmas to his friends and extended family like every year. In return he had received piles of gifts.
The morning started with a Snow-leopard ambling into Sirius's room and growling near his ear. Sirius opened his eyes a little, noticed the snow-leopard and jumped down from his bed yelping, "Merlin pup, you scared the hell out of me".
Harry changed back and hugged him, "Come down Padfoot, there are gifts waiting for us downstairs".
Hermione was already in the kitchen tearing through her substantially smaller pile while there was an enormous pile waiting for Sirius. To his surprise, Remus was also there with a mountain of gifts of his own.
The first one he opened was from Susan which she had probably ordered from Diagon Alley. It was a black dragon-hide jacket with red trimming and hints of gold thrown in between on the trims. Harry put the jacket on immediately. There was a pair of Dragon- hide boots from Amelia to go with it. Neville had sent him a dagger of goblin silver which he had taken out of the Longbottom vault and it could go through any kind of armour and cut through most of the major enchantments placed upon a door or a lock. Frank and Alice had sent him yet more books.
The next was from Sirius which was a grooming kit, something that he had not thought about. Emmeline had sent him a scarf of the finest wool. Remus had given him a set of books on defensive magic. Tonks had sent him a miniature version of his Firebolt. Hermione gave him a book on runes which was really ancient and she had found in her vault. Harry teased her as to why she did not send him a homework planner and she had scowled at him telling that they had come a long way from homework planners. Ron had sent him a big box of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans. Hannah sent him a big box of chocolates. Ernie sent him a book on defense. Terry sent him a book. Mandy too did the same. Justin had sent him a book. Professor Dumbledore sent him a pair of thick woolen socks, making him chuckle remembering the first year when he had asked Dumbledore about what he saw when he looked in the mirror of Erised. Professor McGonagall sent him a book on Animagus Transformation. Mrs. Weasley sent him the usual Weasley Jumper. This time, she had worked the Black crest into the right side on the chest and he had to smile at her thoughtfulness. There was a box of chocolates he assumed was from Mr. Weasley. There was also a framed photograph of his which was sent by the werewolves he had employed at the Rosier Estate. A silver bracelet with a radish which he suspected had come from one of Luna's ear-rings from Luna, a box of products bearing the mark of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had come from the twins while a bracelet with a ruby had come from Daphne Greengrass, and finally a pair of seeker gloves from Fay Dunbar which was a surprise because he had not thought she would have sent him a gift. He had also received a painting from his elves and a t-shirt which proclaimed him to be the best master ever.
He had bought a jacket for Sirius since he had no idea about what else to buy for him, a massive Honeydukes gift hamper for Remus. He found a rare book on Metamorphmagus which he had sent to Nymphadora. The book had tips about how to get comfortable with the transformation and how to use it effectively. Since there had been no metamorphmagus in Black family for at least 300 years, the book was on a shelf gathering dust. He had found it when he was running through a catalogue and kept it to send as a gift to Nymphadora later. He had found a book on Arithmancy in Flourish & Blotts which he had heard Hermione had been wanting for ages and sent it to her. Keeper's armour to Ronald, Chaser's gloves to Ginny, some products laced with pranks to the twins, a ladies coat he had found in muggle London for Mrs. Weasley, a complete set of wrenches and spark plugs he had picked up from a store for Mr. Weasley with a note to have fun enchanting, a pair of ear-rings he had picked up in Diagon alley to Hannah Abbott. A book on dueling to Ernie. A set of silver ear-rings with diamonds for Alice since he was clueless and Sirius told him to give her something that would not offend her. A golden necklace to Amelia. A book on defense to Ernie, on transfiguration to Terry, on runes to Mandy and on defense to Justin. A book to DuVant about charms. A pair of woollen socks to Dumbledore. He had given gold to his elves to buy gifts for them since he could not give clothes to them. A silver necklace for Daphne. A framed photo of Blizz to Professor McGonagall hoping that she will make the connection. He had also ordered a set of duelling robes for Frank and a hat with golden lace for Augusta. He had not already bought a gift for Fay but he sent Dobby to buy a Beater's bat and gloves and to deliver them to the Dunbar residence. He had ordered a set of duelling robes for Neville too since he knew there was no plant that he could gift Neville that was not already in his greenhouses. He had also requested the mystics to get him a Byangoma, a legendary bird portrayed as wise, fortune-telling birds and native to India and sent it as a gift to Luna. He had sent diamond ear-rings to Emmeline and thank you for the scarf.
After the gift opening ritual was over, the elves served them a huge breakfast. Thereafter, Harry left for Potter Manor to spend the day there. Padfoot and Moony tagged along with him saying that they wanted to revisit the place. Today Harry was going to unveil the portraits spread throughout the manor.
When they entered the manor, the Marauders had wandered off in different directions to their personal favorite spots in the manor. They had spent a major part of their school vacations in the manor with James Potter. It was natural that they wanted to relive the memories. They both however had gathered in the dining hall after around 20 minutes with their eyes red and faces blotchy. It was obvious that they had cried their eyes out.
The first portrait that he unveiled was of Charlus and Dorea in the Lord's study. Charlus looked up at him critically, "Who are you young man? You are not my James, are you?"
Dorea kindly said, "He is too young to be James. You are Harry, aren't you?"
It confused Harry for a moment that they did not remember him from their time in limbo but then he realized that the Portraits only remembered what their occupants had experienced in their lives and not what happened afterwards.
Harry had talked with them at length about everything that happened in the last few years and they had been proud of him for how he had conducted himself during all these years.
After a heavy lunch, he unveiled the rest of the portraits which were of his other ancestors and he made small talk with all of them for sometime before eventually taking his leave. They had spent the entire day in there.
Bones Manor
Susan Bones had all of her usual haul that she got every year at Christmas. But this year, she was looking for Harry's gift in particular. His gift was a mirror which was etched and cut with a beautiful design around the edges. There was a note which briefed her that the mirror was a communication mirror made courtesy of the marauders. She could use it to talk with Harry without going through a floo call. He also wrote that he would call her on the mirror later that night. He had some chores to do all day. There was also a golden necklace which he had selected for her interlaced with charms with a blue stone matching her eyes embedded in the middle of it.
Hannah had finally come over today and told her that Harry had sent a pair of silver ear-rings for her while Neville had brought her a necklace. Susan had received a silver necklace from Hermione and a jumper from the Weasleys. Harry had told her the story of how Mrs. Weasley used to send a jumper to him every year at Christmas and that having received a Weasley jumper meant that she had accepted the recipient as part of her family. Ronald had sent her a box of chocolates. Apart from them, it was the usual haul of every year past.
Harry called her that night. They had talked at length and made plans to follow. Susan told him that Auntie had given her consent to allow her to go to the Yule Celebrations next night.
Black Manor
The Yule celebrations were supposed to take place in the Black Manor where the New Year party would also be held later. He had already invited everyone for it. Harry, Sirius, Emmeline, Remus and Hermione had flooed there in the morning and the elves in the manor worked with vigour to make it habitable for the party. As it was, none of them were planning to stay at the manor after the celebrations.
People started to trickle into the manor when it was nearing evening. First came the Tonks family. Andromeda hugged him and gave him his gift which she had brought to give him personally instead. Nymphadora hugged him tightly thanking him profusely for the book which was a great help to her in stabilizing and having better control over her powers now. The next to come were the Weasleys. Arthur came first followed by Ginny, Ron, the twins and Charlie at last. The twins immediately started laying into him about how their room was practically destroyed by the gifts he had sent. Thankfully the Weasley elf had been able to save them from any harm. Molly as he had expected had immediately started telling him off for failing to inform her that he was not taking the train while fawning over him at the same time. He led the guests to the meeting room in the manor while his elves worked on making preparations for Yule.
Harry remembered Percy was supposed to be coming and took Arthur aside, "Mr. Weasley, can I have a word in private?"
"Sure Harry", he said and followed him to a little room.
He started saying nervously, "Mr. Weasley, a few days ago Percy met me when I was at the ministry and asked a boon of me as Lord Black. I could not refuse to hear him out. He wanted me to talk to you to give an audience to him. I told him I would tell you about it but I would not force you to agree to it".
Arthur nodded, "And you have invited him here today? I cannot honestly say that I am over what he said to us last summer but I can understand what made him do so. I will hear him out but I will only forgive him if I feel he is completely sincere".
"You might want to talk to the family beforehand lest they start to torment him?" Harry suggested.
"Oh Merlin!" he exclaimed, "That would escalate things quickly. I'll go and talk to them right now".
Harry gave the Weasleys a room to talk and put some strong silencing wards around it. He was thankful for it when they came out at last. By the way their emotions were pouring out, Harry was actually glad that Susan chose that moment to come and he rushed forward, picking her up in his arms in a hug and twirling her around.
After a minute or two of deliberately prolonged joy making when he was sure that the Weasleys may have cooled down, he returned to the table in meeting room.
Bill came sometime later with Fleur and Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley was not as warm towards her as she was towards Bill. That was so much out of character for her that Harry decided to ask her about it later.
He shook hands with Bill and Fleur kissed him on the cheeks asking how he was. Harry also noticed that her allure had weakened for him. Sure he could still feel it but he was not touched by it. Susan noticed how almost every other male had fallen before the allure but Harry was just slightly dazed by it and was rewarded with an ear to ear grin.
Percy came just before they started the celebrations. He bowed to Mr. Weasley, "Lord Weasley, I come to make amends for my foolishness and to seek your pardon".
Arthur said to him stiffly, "Speak Percival Ignatius of Weasley so we may know you carry no malice in your heart".
Percy spoke slowly and deliberately, "Father, I am ashamed of my conduct and of the words I said to you and the rest of our family in a time when I was blinded by my ambitions. I said some horrible things which I should not have even thought about and I do not know if you will forgive me or not. I would not be hurt if you chose not to forgive me but I thank you for hearing me either way".
Molly threw herself into his arms, "Oh Perce!"
But her other children were watching him sceptically.
Finally Bill asked, "What changed your opinion?"
"I was blinded by the idea of grandeur that Fudge wove around him and me. He tried to present himself as one who can never do anything wrong".
The twins said, "Why come back now? Is it because the family's social standing is higher than ever?"
Percy had the decency to look ashamed, "I can understand how you might believe that, since Lord Black has restored our family honour and fortune. But I alone carry the shame for the way I treated you. I am sorry to all of you for my words. I know I should not be forgiven for it and I am only presenting my apologies to you all. I will be going now".
However before he could go, the twins said, "While you were a git, a prat and thought of yourself like the Minister of Magic himself, how your head is always in the clouds yet you are our family..."
This time Charlie finished the twins' sentence for them, "And family never abandons one of its own."
That had been a tearful reunion which made Harry emotional. He felt a little longing to belong. Susan perhaps sensed that and hugged him a little more tightly and it was then Hermione noticed their hug, "Umm... when did that happen?"
Harry said cheekily in an undertone, "Perhaps when you were busy patrolling the inside of a broom closet with your fellow prefect". Hermione blushed and Ron who had heard the last part had his ears turn beet red.
Apart from the extended family, Neville had to refuse his invitation saying that he had his own celebrations to attend in addition to the invitation to a ball which the minister had received. As the heir it was his duty to respect the wishes of his lord. The said invitation was also received by Harry and refused to by his Steward saying that Lord Black was holding a family dinner that night and may be next year, he would be able to honour their wishes. It was the first such occasion for the Black Family in many-many years. Amelia also had excused herself but had agreed to send Susan.
Harry was also getting excited about the skirmish that was happening in a few hours. The minister had informed him that all those Aurors who had been selected for the task had been given leave for the last 2 days to have rest and to enjoy time with their families before they were to report back at the Ministry. It was planned that they would meet at 10:00 and news would be leaked to Tom Riddle's mole at 10:30. Just to be sure that news reached Voldemort, Frank had a couple of Aurors dressed like unspeakables saying something big was going to happen at the ministry that night. They would keep dropping hints and increased movements of the Unspeakables to and fro from the department would be enough to have his curiosity piqued.
For the celebration, they all went out of the manor house to the woods on the grounds. A huge birch log had been found and Dobby had it burning merrily when the guests gathered around it. There were mats around the log on the ground and everyone sat comfortably when Harry started distributing pieces of parchment and quills. After making sure that everyone had parchment and quill, he started addressing them, "I know that most of you are familiar with the celebrations of this day, I will still review them for your benefit and to make sure I am not forgetting something".
Sirius motioned for him to proceed and Harry started, "On this day, we thank Mother Magic for the previous year. We write about what we are thankful for on a piece of parchment no matter how little or how long. When you are done writing, drop the pieces in the fire of the Yule log. After that, take another piece of Parchment and write about what good you want in your life for the year to come while nibbling on bread which is made for this day and a specialty of the Potter Elves. When you are done writing what you want in the coming year, drop those parchments in the fire of the Yule log and take in a whiff of the scent emanating from the log. Then we would proceed to the feast soon thereafter. The tossing of parchments signifies that we are committing all our hopes and worries to mother magic. May she bless us with her mercy".
Everyone started writing things they were grateful for which had happened this year. Harry wrote about how he was thankful that he had a family now, had honorary siblings, a girl like Susan who loved him, a father in the form of Sirius, uncles like Remus and Frank, a grand-mother like Augusta, a brother like Neville, the new friends, for the mystics who showed him the path of his destiny and everything that had happened. Susan was thankful for the wonderful boy beside her who loved her and for all the good that he seemed to be doing in the world. Sirius had a lot to be thankful for like having a son, being free, living with his family which cared for him and Emmeline who had filled the void in his heart which had been left with Marlene's death. Remus like them gave thanks for the family which he had now. The werewolf's pack being intact and together and he was determined to keep it that way. Others had similar thoughts in their minds and they wrote them on papers. After they were done writing, they each walked up to the Yule log, tossed their parchments into the fire and then came back to write what they hoped to happen in the coming year.
While they contemplated, Dobby sent bread to all of them to nibble on. After they were done writing, they each tossed their parchment into the fire and took in a whiff of the fragrance while watching their parchment go up in flames. After everyone had done so, Bill wanted to ask him some personal favour but Harry told him to visit the Black Manor in three days time with Fleur and he would hear them out.
After a three course dinner which lasted for 2 hours, people started leaving. Nymphadora, who was part of the plan today and was in one of the groups led by Amelia which would wrap up any escapees, had left first telling Andromeda that she was being called into the office to patrol Diagon Alley. Harry also knew that if everything went well tonight then Frank would be calling an emergency session tomorrow.
Soon everyone had left except Susan who had been permitted by Amelia to visit Hannah and stay over tonight. Since it was really late by the time dinner was over, she opted to stay at Black Townhouse instead where Sirius had set aside a room for her. Harry was reluctant to let her know that he was going out so he decided to sneak out. Sirius and Remus had left at about 8:00 and Harry had to report to the headmaster at 09:45 and together they would enter the ministry from one of the floo entrances.
He went to get ready at 9:00. He wore the Duelling robes that Vari had gifted him on his birthday. He slipped the Elder Wand and the Sandalwood wand into his wand holsters. He strapped the sword on his back and put on his mask. He was just going to put the invisibility cloak on and go downstairs to disapparate to Hogsmeade when suddenly the door of his room opened with a bang and Susan entered, "Harry, where have you gone lea...?". Her words were caught in her throat as she looked at the formidable being in front of her, which she knew was her betrothed.
She put her hands on her hips and asked him, "Just where do you think you are going?"
Harry tried to be reasonable because it could erupt in a fight soon otherwise. "Sue, I have an appointment to keep today".
She seethed at him, "You are going to fight Voldemort, aren't you? This is your plan for him. You did not tell me that you will be participating in it".
Harry said to her a little sternly, "Sue, I have made it clear that I am destined to kill him. Our destinies are linked with each other. Please do not stop me today".
She resolutely said, "Either you are allowing me to come or I will holler for Hermione who will back me up. Together we will stop you".
Harry collected her in a hug and kissed her tenderly, "I am sorry, Sue. You are not ready to be in the middle of a fight like this yet. Don't worry. You haven't seen half of what I can do in a fight. I have 50 of the toughest Aurors in the ministry and Dumbledore backing me up. They will take care of his minions while I am supposed to duel him alone. I have to see where we stand in regards to each other but I promise that next time, you will be there. I will not march to meet his end without you at my side".
Susan had melted into his arms and the intensity of the kiss had her over-whelmed. Add his magic to it and she was on the verge of unconsciousness. He said to her in a soft and tender voice, "I promise you Sue that I will return to you".
With that he pulled on his Invisibility cloak disappearing beneath it and walked downstairs and out of the Townhouse. As soon as he was outside the wards of the house, he disappeared without a sound.
Hogsmeade
Harry arrived just outside of the door of the Hog's Head inn and there was Dumbledore, with fire in his eyes, his calm expression gone, and his silver hair tied back in a pony tail and reaching down his back. The usual grandfatherly demeanor was gone to be replaced by the vanquisher of Grindelwald, the victor of Bavaria. He took off his mask so Dumbledore could be sure that it was him. Seeing Dumbledore that way, Harry understood why death eaters had feared even his name in the last war.
He looked at Harry as if inspecting him and asked firmly, "Lord Peverell, is everything ready?"
"Yes Lord Dumbledore, let's start this war", Harry said to the older wizard eliciting a chuckle from him which however was gone in a moment. "Harry, firstly we will be going to one of the safe houses of the ministry where Moody is ready to brief the troops. After he is done, we will be going to the Department of Mysteries".
With a whistle from Dumbledore, Fawkes the Phoenix soared into the air and they grabbed onto his tail. In a whoosh of flames, they were gone.
Unknown castle
Voldemort was feeling uneasy. In the last few days, he had received word from Severus that the old fool was planning something at the ministry. In response, Voldemort had alerted his spies to keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary.
When he received no new intelligence from his spy, he was beginning to think that perhaps his gut feeling was wrong for once. But today, one of his faithful had sent him word that the unspeakables were seen openly walking through the ministry, going to the offices of the Aurors or to the minister and talking about an impending visit of a sensitive nature.
This was enough to have evoked his suspicion. He ordered his spy to keep his eyes on the ministry. He could not risk missing the moment if the boy came to pick up the prophecy. Severus had confirmed his suspicions when he reported that Dumbledore had told him to keep Voldemort's attention away from the ministry till the New Year because he had an errand to run.
Voldemort ordered 60 of his followers to be ready to go and storm the ministry and to take the prophecy from the boy if and when he came up with it. He would not let the boy escape with it. If the boy picked up the prophecy, he would learn what was in it and then he would face his foe one final time to crush him to death.
Safe House
Moody was briefing the men under his command, "Boys, today you are gathered here for a special mission. Information has it that Voldemort is going to raid the ministry sometime around mid-night. We are going to attack him and whatever men he brings with him. Let it be clear to you all that I do not want even one of those scum to escape our clutches. If you need to then kill them but make sure that your opponent cannot join the battle again once he is downed by you. It is entirely possible that some of you may not return alive from the battle and I must tell you that I am proud of you all. I could not ask for better recruits than you. My orders for this mission- Stay alive, do your duty and return home safely. Now let's give them hell".
The aurors raised their wands as one and fired red sparks into the air as an ode to their leader. Moody was a gruesome task-master but they loved him because he loved each like his own son. They would do anything to make him proud of them and if it meant killing some death-eater scum, then so be it.
The Aurors formed into their assigned squads and took up their positions in the Atrium. Harry was at last left with Dumbledore who turned to Harry, "Let's go tempt the fates, my boy".
Harry grinned in response.
Ministry of Magic
Harry and Dumbledore flooed into the ministry Atrium and walked up to the wizard on the desk who's duty was to register visitor's wands. The man stood up at once and bowed to them, "Chief Warlock, Lord Peverell".
Dumbledore said to him, "Go home, Aleric. Yule is meant to be celebrated with family and friends".
He tried to protest, "But chief warlock, Master Auror Moody would be angry that I abandoned my post".
Dumbledore waved him off, "I will talk to Alastor. Go home now and stay safe".
The wizard walked out of one of the entrances and they took the lift to the level of The Department of Mysteries. Harry distinctly noticed the spy lurking under a disillusionment charm in the corridor and had to resist the urge to stun him. Instead, he walked past him nonchalantly as if they had not noticed the man at all. Thanks to the glamour charms, the spy could not see that they were dressed for war. The glamour charm was done on their clothes so their duelling robes, the sword would not be visible to the mole.
When he realized who they were and what was happening, he swore under his breath and ran to the lifts to go to the Atrium and floo to his lord. If he failed to inform him in time, the dark lord would flay him alive.
The man found that the floo network was turned off and panicked a little but then disapparated out of the Ministry. Sirius had been watching him from where he hid under the Fidelius with the men under his command. With the man gone, he sent a patronus to Dumbledore, "let's lay the trap".
Harry and Dumbledore were just inside the entrance to the Department of Mysteries with Croaker who gave Harry a replica of the orb, "This is a surprise for him, Lord Peverell. I suggest you let him take it after some struggle. If he escapes, he will get the shock of his life".
Harry grinned at the Unspeakable's line of thinking.
Dumbledore however was still looking grim, "My friend, are all preparations ready?"
The unspeakable nodded, "Just as soon as today's skirmish is over, we will activate the new wards around the ministry. Starting tomorrow morning, we will have caught as many of them as would dare to attempt to enter the ministry after tonight's action".
Just at that moment, the dog patronus walked into the room and said in Sirius's voice, "Let's lay the trap".
Harry took off running towards the lift while covering himself with his Invisibility Cloak. When they arrived in the atrium, he sealed the lifts so no one could use them and then waited for Tom to arrive.
Unknown Castle
The man appeared outside the castle and ran inside, wheezing but not daring to stop and catch a breath. Lucius tried to stop him but the man shoved him aside and burst into Voldemort's chamber. Voldemort was in his chair reading a letter which Severus had just sent. The letter said that Dumbledore was going to get the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries with the brat along side. He was already furious and as he reread each line to make sure there was no mistake and the interruption irked him. He raised his wand and roared in cold fury, "What is the meaning of this?"
The man immediately went on his knees before him, kissing the hem of his robes and wheezed, "My Lord, Peverell and Dumble... Dumbledore are going to the Department of Mysteries at this moment. I have seen them in the corridor which leads to the Department".
Voldemort understood what he wanted to say in a moment and roared, "LUCIUS!"
Lucius, who had just walked into the room fell on his knees, "My Lord?".
He said in his cold, high-pitch voice, "Gather the faithful, Lucius. We are going to the ministry". He turned to the other man, 'You have served me well today. Come see me tomorrow for your reward".
The man who was frightened of the ire of his Lord turned tail and walked quickly out of the chamber, not daring to break into a run while trying to do so.
5 minutes later, 60 wizards were ready to storm the ministry behind their Dark Lord.
Voldemort and his band of fools appeared in the ministry using portkeys that he had made for them. They were portkeys of wizard make, not the goblin made variety. What they did not know was that with the wards that went up the moment the last group landed, this was a one-way trip. Neither disapparation nor portkey would work anymore. The Floo network was re-routed so that anyone who tried to use it would land in front of Amelia Bones and her team. The lifts had all been brought up to the atrium level and locked down. Even opening the elevator shafts and levitating through them could not be done. Of course, Dumbledore could still apparate using his phoenix and Harry could still use mystic apparition, but that was something that tom and his followers did not need to know.
The snake faced man told his troops to take their positions while he started to walk towards the lifts.
Harry Potter appeared out of thin air in front of him, "Going somewhere, Tom?"
A/N- Sorry for the cliffhanger, guys. I know it is bad of me to do that but I promise you will have the next chapter within 48 hours. I am saying 48 hours because tomorrow I will be celebrating Deepawali, one of our biggest festivals so I am bit in the festive mood. This took long because I was busy with my other job and also *sigh* Iwasbusycleaningmyhome (Don't tell nobody),