c18

Mid-January found Harry at one of two places he now spent almost all of his waking time, those being his training room in Potter Manor and his desk in the Black house. He was currently sat at his desk immersed in the work he had to complete for Mad-eye Moody, a man he equally loved and hated as it went.

He loved the man for the challenge he had given him with this particular workload but hated him also for the very same reason. There was no doubt that it was quite the task he had been set and the young man had a very good understanding of obtaining a mastery entailed. The study hours were long and the ones spent writing even longer but he found that he enjoyed it overall and it truly gave him a much better understanding of magic; he even felt more bonded and in control of his own through the understanding he was gaining.

Since Christmas day he had found that he had a new determination to succeed. Not that he hadn't been motivated before, but something had awoken within him after spending a day such as the one he had with them all; Sirius, Natalie, Marlene and the Greengrass's.

But it was the final member of the group that had given him something that he had sorely needed and always had when he came to ponder it; complete utter care and unwavering faith.

Yes, he had gotten that from Arcturus but the man had expectations and he certainly let them be known regularly.

What he had from Daphne was different. It was as though there was nothing he couldn't do that would disappoint her if he failed at it but had given it his all, and that was the difference.

She expected nothing from him other than for him to be himself and she just wanted to be with him for who he was. She had said so herself many times but Harry had always had expectations thrust upon him, even by those that he knew did care for him so had found it difficult to take the words of the girl to heart.

Both Ron and Hermione had been guilty of it as had Sirius and even Dumbledore and Arcturus. But Daphne had never once had expectations other than for him to try his best at whatever he was doing and it was a much change in his life.

It was because of this that he found that he could open himself up to the girl. He could speak his mind and speak about his insecurities and be confident that she would help him in any way she could, expecting nothing in return.

She truly cared for Harry, just Harry and not what everyone thought of him or expected from their hero and saviour, as he was often referred to.

It was this understanding and realisation about the girl that had made a few subtle but noteworthy changes within the teen, something he was both very happy and nervous about.

He no longer had such a blasé attitude towards death and it was quite the revelation to the young man.

He certainly had no fear of it, of that he could be sure. But he no longer secretly found himself wishing for it as he had done often enough since the night in the graveyard.

He had been given hope in some form for a future after Riddle had been ended; something he hadn't allowed himself to look into much because he knew there was a chance that he would never have it.

He now had a new sense of determination in his fight and that determination was to live and share more days with those he cared for such as the Christmas that had just passed.

It was no longer about vengeance by any means necessary, but vengeance with added goals that could only be achieved if he was successful and lived.

The determination manifested itself in the way that Harry now worked and spent his life.

He would train as he usually would but much more vigorously in every aspect and then study and soak up as much knowledge about his two best subjects. He had even brought the Dark Arts library for the office in Potter Manor so he could read through it after he had had a conversation with his grandfather about the collection.

Charlus had assured him that he was not in fact a Dark wizard in disguise but explained that he wanted as much knowledge as possible in what he could potentially be facing one day, thus his collection was born through serious monetary expenditure and effort in finding the books.

Harry found that he agreed with the man and decided that most of these spells would not be his usual practice by any means, but when it came to Riddle; he would throw every last spell at him regardless of how dark it was to ensure his victory.

Harry had thought about this long and hard and decided that he would use every spell available to him in his final confrontation. Riddle would not be holding back and Harry realised he shouldn't either. It was a fight to the death and the young man was determined that he would not be falling on that day, no matter what magic he had to use, he was going to win.

He rubbed his eyes and saw that it was late but was pleased with the progress he had made. He knew with his current pace that he would be finished with both of the projects by Easter, much faster than expected or anticipated.

He readied himself for bed and made his nightly call to the young blonde that seemed to be occupying much more of his thoughts recently before turning in for the night, sleeping and repeating the day's activities over again.

He was however disturbed before sleep came by a tapping on the window.

He opened it and a crow entered carrying an envelope in its beak. It simply deposited the letter on the desk, glared at the teen with clear contempt before exiting with a loud and ear-splitting screech.

Harry opened the missive and frowned as he read it shaking his head irritably.

The frown quickly turned into a scowl and his eyes glowed dangerously.

He picked up a quill and some parchment before scratching out a reply to the sender.

"We will see about that" he growled angrily as he sent Hedwig off with the note.

(BREAK)

Life for Narcissa Malfoy had become nothing short of unbearable since Lucius had been marked as a wanted for his part in the death of Cornelius Fudge.

He had not physically attacked her again but she could see knew that chances of it happening again increased more each day that passed.

He now spent his days brooding the manor in a foul mood taking his ire out on all of those he knew he could push around and get away with it. She had seen and heard him several times torturing lower level members of the Dark Lord's followers and soon started to feel quite disdainful towards the man; it was as though she was seeing who he truly was for the time.

Ever since her sister had confirmed that it was in fact Lucius that led the attack on the orphanage during the summer, the sight of the man she had married made her feel rather sick and she knew the day was fast approaching when she would have to make a decision on whether she remained in her home or sought shelter within the confines of her family; something she couldn't be assured of, even if Potter had promised her sanctuary.

The truth was that she feared the unknown. This had been her home for many years and had been largely happy here. She had her son and a husband that she did love once upon a time but now, even though it was more full than it ever had been, it felt empty.

She merely existed here. There was no longer love to be found in this house; it had become nothing more than a den of debauchery and sin of the most foul kind.

Narcissa had never been an evil person. She had wanted to be a healer, something she knew she was good at. But Lucius had been adamant that she would have his children and insisted that no woman with the name Malfoy would bring shame to him by working amongst the dregs of society. She was above this and above working for what he saw as a pittance, soiling her hands with the blood and filth of the unworthy.

So her dream had died, even before it had begun. Narcissa Black, the caring and gifted young witch had become Narcissa Malfoy; stay at home mother and trophy.

She cried gently at what had become of her life and for her own foolishness.

She had always wanted to see the best in her husband and had clearly achieved that. To her he had always been confident and strong, handsome even. But to the rest of the world he was scum; blackmailing his way to the top and pandering to those that he thought had power. It had been the Dark Lord at first, and then Fudge and now the Dark Lord once again.

She now saw the man for what he truly was; a coward, an opportunist and that made him rather ugly. He was no longer the handsome blonde man that had wooed her all those years ago, but a conniving conman and his greatest trick had been having the young girl she once was believe that he was anything but.

She knew she needed to leave but did she dare? Could she place her fate in the hands of the young man that had caused her son's imprisonment? Could she trust her life to the man that wanted to destroy everything she had once lived for?

'What choice do I have?' she thought to herself morosely.

She had to think or she had to plan. She couldn't be sure.

(BREAK)

Hermione Granger was stood in the potions dungeon, tending to several bubbling cauldrons at once.

Ever since she had seen the duel between Harry and Nott Senior she had been working tirelessly on her potions and healing spells. Her realisation that she simply did not have the physical ability or mind-set to duel or battle the way she had seen had spurred her into the studies of potions and healing with vigour.

She had spent time with Madame Pomfrey, along with Hannah Abbott of all people, learning as much as she possibly could from the matron who was delighted to tutor and teach the two teens everything she could.

To her delight, it was a branch of magic that she and her Hufflepuff companion excelled at. They quickly realised that healing was not a craft forged through power, but was one of delicacy and finesse, something they both had, whereas their power was certainly no more than average.

Hannah was not particularly gifted with potions however so left Hermione to that aspect of things. She was rather good at Herbology though and, with the help of Neville, had been growing her own supply of various plants that were used in healing potions. She would then harvest them and hand the ingredients to the Gryffindor who would brew the potions they would need.

The two had formed rather a close bond of the last several months and worked together well, something they knew would be needed when the time came.

Hermione was secretly grateful that Snape had gone missing or she certainly would not be allowed to be in the potion rooms outside of planned lesson time.

Slughorn was very accommodating and had an open door policy to all students who wished to work on their brewing. He would often come in and offer invaluable advice and observations when he knew students were in there. On a few occasions he had even brewed more of the potions that Hermione was working on to bolster their stores further, something that was certainly appreciated.

She had encountered a small issue once the potion stores they had built became impossible to store in hers and Hannah's trunks.

She searched and searched for a charm or a spell that could help and had been successful in her efforts a few weeks later.

She had her parents send her several muggle messenger bags and began experimenting with several spell combinations to see which would work the best and was very pleased with the final outcome of her work.

She showed her creation to her friend who was simply amazed by what the bushy-haired girl had created.

"These are incredible Hermione" the girl praised as she inspected the bag she had been handed.

"It's just a few charms" Hermione replied with a blush.

"No, these are complete genius, even the healers at St. Mungo's don't have things as good as these" Hannah explained. "You could sell these things, any healer would buy them" she added excitedly.

She had managed to compartmentalise the bags into separate sections in which different potions could be stored. Expansion charms were added to these sections and she had managed to add a voice command spell to them separately. All the owner had to do was open the bag and call out the potion they wanted and it would appear at the top of the bag without having to search through it.

"They're not perfect" Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "But I can make them better if we had more time" she finished confidently.

"You should definitely think about selling them" Hannah suggested.

"Something to think about later I guess" Hermione shrugged.

Things really had changed for the girl considerably over the past year. The main thing that had become different, much to her sadness, was her friendship with Ron.

It seemed that he had finally realised that he needed to study and work hard but since school had resumed in September he had settled in to his previous habits of laziness and mediocrity that were now more prominent due to the fact he was only studying three subjects, leaving him with a lot of free time in which he could procrastinate and be even more slovenly.

She hadn't stopped being his friend entirely but could no longer stand his negligent stance towards anything other than chess or quidditch. She had long since refused to help him with his work deciding that if he didn't care about his future then why should she?

Hermione Granger had done something she never had before; she had given up on helping someone better themselves but it was a relief more than a burden.

There was only so much she knew she could do because the fact was; Ron's life was in his own hands and she would not always be there to guide him or in some cases, do everything for him that needed to be done.

It was a harsh lesson, but one the boy needed to learn and for now; Hermione had much more important things to do. She had potions to brew and more healing spells to learn. She would be useful in this war, even though she knew she couldn't fight but she would keep those who could alive and healthy, to the best of her abilities.

(BREAK)

Albus Dumbledore sat at the head of the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place ready to start a meeting of the order of the phoenix. Seeing that his entire group had assembled he cleared his throat and began.

"Does anyone have anything to report?" he asked.

Silence reigned in the room until Moody spoke.

"It's quiet Albus, too quiet" he said knowingly.

Dumbledore nodded, he was thinking the same thing as his long-time friend.

"Indeed" he mused aloud. "I believe Tom is assembling his forces for a final push" he surmised causing looks of concern to flicker around the room.

"Surely it won't be so soon?" Arthur Weasley asked worriedly.

"Significant damage has been done to his ranks largely due to the work of both Harry and Sirius" Dumbledore explained. "It is not a war of attrition we are in but a conflict I imagine will end much sooner than later" he added.

"Is Potter ready?" Elphias Doge questioned.

"Voldemort has no idea what he is getting himself into if he chooses to fight Harry, and we all know his ego wouldn't allow it to be any other way" Sirius cut in gravely.

"You believe in the boy that much?" Doge retorted.

"I have seen Harry do things that astound me" Sirius explained with a shake of his head. "None of you have seen what he is capable, hell I doubt even I have and I train with him every day".

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly at this.

"It is not Tom that concerns me" he announced, surprising most in the room. "Harry is more than capable of defeating him, it is his followers that need to be our concern" he said darkly. "Alastor, how may capable aurors do you have?" he asked the heavily scarred man who wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"There is no doubt that we are outnumbered" he intoned seriously. "I have 220 men and I would only say around half are worth their salt with a wand" he added with a grimace. "But we will fight with everything we have" he finished with a sinister grin.

Dumbledore knew they would be outnumbered. He estimated that Tom's numbers were probably around 400 strong with the werewolves, not including the Dementors.

"There is no time to train more men" Dumbledore replied with a shake of his head. "Do the best you can with the men you have Alastor" he instructed.

"Aye" Moody agreed. "I will get them whipped into shape old school" he muttered darkly.

He knew just the two men he needed to help him. He gave a knowing smirk towards Sirius who grinned, clearly knowing what the man was thinking.

"Anything else?" Dumbledore asked.

No one spoke and Dumbledore was about to dismiss them when the kitchen door banged open to reveal a very intense looking Harry Potter, his eyes glowing with a reigned in fury.

"Harry?" Dumbledore questioned.

Harry ignored him and approached Sirius, handing him the letter he had received the previous night.

Mr Potter,

I believe a conversation between us is necessary. You murdered three of my son's and I demand recompense.

I urge you not to ignore this letter as I currently have three of your countrymen in my care that I will execute should you do so. I even took the care to use their blood for the ink of which you are now reading.

Name a time and place and I will come so long as it is public.

You may bring one associate and I shall do the same.

Do not keep me waiting,

Count Denislav III

Sirius sighed.

"When?" he questioned his godson.

"Now" Harry growled.

Sirius stood and placed a kiss on his wife's cheek before nodding his readiness.

"What has happened Harry?" Dumbledore asked worriedly.

Harry just took the letter from Sirius and handed it to the older man who read it with an expression of apprehension.

"Oh dear" he muttered shaking his head. "What do you intend on doing?" he asked.

"I will not negotiate with him, I told him to leave and he has refused" Harry gritted out.

Dumbledore swallowed.

"Vampires are not known for diplomacy" he explained gravely. "This will get messy" he said knowingly.

"Vampires?" Marlene questioned wide-eyed.

"I'm not going in as a diplomat" Harry cut in with a dark grin.

"Do you need another wand?" Moody asked eagerly.

"Actually, I could use you and Shacklebolt, if you don't mind" he replied questioningly.

"Aye come Kingsley" Moody commanded and the man followed a little reluctantly.

Harry led the men from the house as he informed them of his plan.

He knew the Vampire would not come with just one other and he certainly did not trust the man so he would have Kingsley and Moody there as back-up that he would likely need.

(BREAK)

Count Deinslav was young for one of his kind. His 200 year old body was well-built and lean, his hair still the light brown he had been born with and his skin unblemished and smooth.

He had ascended to his position of power through the calculated murder of his father who had become weak and too pliable to the wizards that governed Russia. The man disgusted his son and he had to be replaced, it was that simple.

The coven had not hunted legally for over a century and Denislav loved to hunt and feed on blood straight from the source be it muggle or magical blood, but laws had been introduced to stop that but concessions had been made for his kind.

The wizarding government would provide them with blood willingly given as long as the vampires agreed to stop hunting or they themselves would be mercilessly hunted.

The vampires at first had refused the bargain and continued to hunt regardless of the laws and the threat made against them; a huge mistake on their part.

True to the proclamation the wizards began hunting and killing them mercilessly and their numbers began to dwindle significantly so his father had negotiated a deal and the hunting had to stop much to the disgust of the now leader of his people.

For 85 years he fed on nothing but blood that was provided for them and it sickened him. It did not taste the same and was very lacklustre without the hunt that would come before the feed. This was unacceptable and Denislav knew something had to be done to reconvene their way of life, thus his plot to take over was born.

He and a few cohorts had simply killed his father while he slept and immediately took his place as head of the coven.

For a few years they had managed to feed without consequence until the wizards became aware of what they were doing and again began hunting them down and killing them with extreme prejudice.

Denislav and his people retreated once more to the safety of their community where he ruled them with an iron fist. He became cocky, arrogant and very boorish in his place of power and none dared to challenge or question his authority and if they did, they would be brutally dealt with and paraded around the streets to demonstrate what would happen to any who did, something he had done on many occasions to his own people.

He drank the blood provided for him and his people reluctantly but the desire to hunt could not be quashed and he did not want it to but he knew they could not hunt because his people numbered so few.

And then came along an Englishman claiming to be one of darkness who would soon seize control of the land he came from. He offered Denislav and his people the chance to hunt unhindered for their aide in battle when the time came.

Denislav jumped at the chance. Not only would he be able to hunt again but he would get to sample some new blood and fresh blood at that, straight from the source as he liked.

But things had taken quite a turn within hours of being in the country.

Three of his son's had been killed by what he learnt was a mere boy who dared threaten him and his people, something that the vampire did not take kindly to.

The son who returned clearly feared the boy but he was weak and Denislav would not take the word of a coward to heart.

He made enquiries into the name Potter, the name his son had given him, and found that the boy was a hero to the people.

He had learnt much from the newspapers spanning the last 15 years and found that the boy was mildly impressive. But again he knew that newspapers were exaggerated mostly and did not believe that a boy of sixteen could be capable of what he had read.

He decided that he would meet the boy and teach him a lesson; no one got away with attacking his people and threatening him without consequence.

He was currently sat in a bar called the Leaky Cauldron sipping on a goblet of blood that he had brought himself.

The boy had instructed him to wait for him in a private parlour that he had already reserved and he would meet him here.

Denislav smirked at the thought of ripping the boy limb from limb for what he had done. He would show him why he headed the vampires of Russia and why he had a reputation of being a particularly vicious ruler.

Now all he had to do was wait for the boy to arrive.

(BREAK)

Harry entered the pub with Sirius in tow and entered the bar as he spotted Tom stood behind it, polishing glasses.

"Lord Potter" the barman greeted him with surprise. "What can I get for you?" he asked.

"As much privacy as you can please Tom" Harry replied placing a fair sized bag of gold on the counter. "I have quite an unsavoury guest waiting for me upstairs I believe" he explained.

"Ahh it is you he is meeting" he realised. "Yes he does seem rather uncouth" he added with a look of distaste.

He eyed the bag the young man had placed on the bar knowing that half a year's takings were within at the very least.

"You will have all the privacy you need Lord Potter" he acquiesced.

"Thank you" Harry said gratefully with a bow.

He gestured for Sirius to follow him and headed toward the stairs that led to the private rooms.

Sirius noticed the change in his godson's demeanour instantly and gripped the handle of his wand in anticipation.

Harry entered the room he had reserved and immediately saw the two vampires sat at the table facing the door, one he recognised as the man who had been at Amelia Bones' house and the other being completely unfamiliar to the teen.

"About time you j…." the other man began angrily but was immediately cut off as he was launched across the room and impacted against the wall with a loud crash.

Before he could catch his bearings he found himself stuck to the wall, completely unable to move any part of his body. He saw his son was in the same position with the other man pointing a wand in his face with a look of fury on his face. He realised he was in the same position and could see a brightly glowing pair of green eyes glaring into his own with venom.

"I told you and your people to leave" Harry hissed at the man. "Did you not get the message?" he asked.

Denislav looked at the whelp with complete disgust but couldn't help feeling awed by the amount of powerful magic he possessed. In all his years he had only met one other with magic like it and that was the man he had accompanied to this country.

"Vhy vould I listen to a mere boy?" he spat in a thick Russian accent. "I haf pissed for more years than you haf lived" he said with a defiant sneer.

"Because I have promised that any man who follows Riddle will be treated equally" Harry responded. "And that is with complete contempt" he added promisingly. "You have now cost yourself and your people your lives by failing to leave when I gave you the chance, instead you decide to kidnap, harm and embarrass three members of our society and that is something that we do not take kindly to" he finished quietly and dangerously, gesturing between himself and his godfather who nodded his agreement stiffly.

"You vill not find my people" Denislav growled clearly getting very angry by the boy. "You killed three of my sons and I vant justice".

"Is that so?" Harry questioned. "You will get no justice here" he informed the man. "I told your son there that you will only find death and suffering here and I am a man of my word" he declared sincerely.

"Vot can a boy do to 200 vampires?" Denislav asked disbelievingly.

Harry smirked.

"I'm glad you asked" he returned.

He began drawing runes into the air with his wand while muttering in German, a spell from one of his grandfather's acquired books.

Denislav frowned as he watched the wizard muttering in a different language while drawing strange shapes in the air with his wand. He had no idea what the boy was doing but could feel something changing within him, something that made him uncomfortable.

It was then that he felt something he hadn't felt in many, many years, not since his father had changed him.

He could feel a gentle rhythmic thudding in his chest and he felt the need of something he hadn't needed since that night also.

It took a few moments for his body to react to his need as it hadn't performed that function in so long. He thought he would faint from the lack of what he needed until his lungs sucked in the first breath he had taken for over a century and a half.

"What have you done to me?" he asked the boy breathlessly, clearly fearful as he could feel a cold creeping in to his skin.

"It's quite a handy spell isn't it?" the boy questioned with an amused smile. "I have made you mortal, to some extent" he explained with a smirk.

The Vampire's eyebrows rose at the implications at what had been done to him.

"It is quite reversible" Harry continued. "Though that spell is just as rare as this one and comes from the same handwritten book. You are essentially nothing more than a man again but your body will age much quicker" he said as he began pacing in front of the man.

"Why am I still thirsty?" Denislav asked, now panicking.

"You are?" Harry asked in surprise. "Well that is an unexpected side-effect" he said thoughtfully. "Well this spell wasn't specifically designed for vampires so it makes sense that it wouldn't work entirely" he finished scratching his chin.

"What was it designed for?" Sirius asked curiously.

"It was actually created for phoenixes" Harry answered. "It's not what you think" he added seeing the look of shock on his godfather's face. "A phoenix helped him create it for his kind" he explained.

"Why?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"The wizard who wrote the book was an expert in magical creatures and one his friends had a phoenix familiar" Harry began. "His friend and phoenix had such a powerful bond but the man grew old and the phoenix knew he would eventually die" he continued. "The phoenix did not want to live without his companion so begged the man to find a way that he could pass on with him and that is where the creator of the spell came in. He worked with his friend and the phoenix that gave him as much information as possible about the way in which his kind were reborn from their ashes and he eventually managed to create this spell so that the bird would be mortal and simply die on its next burning day" he finished.

"That's amazing" Sirius answered after a moment of thinking with a shake of his head.

"It used to be fairly common for a phoenix to find the man after their companion had passed on" Harry explained. "He performed the spell on five others in his lifetime" he shrugged.

"Wow" Sirius intoned. "How did you know it would work here?" he asked.

"I wasn't entirely sure it would" Harry admitted. "I changed a few of the runes and I guess that was enough".

"You just winged it then?" Sirius questioned disbelievingly. "You could have killed us all" he realised aloud with a yelp.

"Well I didn't" Harry shrugged casually.

Sirius just shook his head.

"Now Mr Denislav, are you going to take me to your people?" Harry asked firmly. "The more cooperative you are the more likely it is that I will reverse what I have done to you and then you can just go home and carry on with your life, I'm sure you won't be coming back here" he finished threateningly.

"Nott Manor" Denislav sighed in defeat. "It is under some fiddly spell or something" he explained hurriedly, not liking the feeling of breathing or being sensitive to the elements.

"Are you the secret keeper?" Harry asked to which the man nodded reluctantly.

"Write it down" Harry demanded conjuring some ink, a quill and some parchment before he unfroze one arm of the man so he could comply. "Sirius" he called after the man had written it down. "Check it out" he instructed.

Sirius nodded firmly and disaaparated after he read the note.

"If he is not back in two minutes, I promise you are going to suffer" Harry whispered dangerously to the man who just swallowed deeply.

Denislav knew the young wizard was not joking.

Sirius returned less than a minute later and just nodded.

Harry sent off a patronus to summon Moody and Shacklebolt who arrived a moment later, the younger man looking a little peaky and fearful.

"What have you done?" he asked worriedly.

"Negotiated" Harry replied simply causing Moody to roar in laughter.

"Vampires don't negotiate" Kingsley said with a disbelieving shake of his head.

"They do when they have the right encouragement" Harry responded casually. "We are taking a trip" he announced.

"Where?" Moody asked.

Sirius handed the parchment to the gnarled head of the DMLE who read it with a grin before passing it to his subordinate who paled considerably.

"You want us to confront an entire coven?" he asked weakly.

"Don't worry Kingsley" Moody said comfortingly. "I'm sure Potter knows what he is doing" he added excitedly clapping the dark skinned man on the shoulder jovially while barking out another laugh.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Kingsley asked his boss.

"Aye lad, it's been a long time since I've felt more alive" he explained gleefully.

Kingsley shook his head again.

"Looks like alive is something we won't be by the end of the night" he muttered.

Harry and Sirius bound the hands of their prisoners together before removing them from the wall and disapparating with them being followed shortly by an excited Moody and much more reluctant Kingsley.

(BREAK)

The group arrived outside a large manor house and Harry immediately grabbed Denislav by the scruff of his collar and dragged him towards the gate that was closed and clearly locked.

With a growl, Harry removed his wand and fired a powerful blasting curse at the large iron constructs and blew them clean off their hinges sending them crashing on to the path in front of them.

Without hesitation he entered the grounds of the manor to see several people staring at him and his companions, wide-eyed and in shock.

"Cover my back" he instructed Moody and Kingsley and began making his way to the house dragging his prisoner along with him.

He came to the front door and pushed it open. Stepping inside the large entrance hall he could hear a lot of activity coming from every discernible location in the house so he placed his wand to his throat and spoke out.

"Everyone in this house will come to the entrance hall immediately, you have 1 minute comply" he demanded in a booming voice that echoed around the walls of the property.

After only a few seconds people wearing looks of confusion followed quickly by fear began to appear in the room coming from within and the outside of the house.

"Everyone stand where I can see you" Harry commanded in a low yet authoritative voice.

When people stopped appearing he looked around the room at those that had joined them critically.

"Is this all of you?" he asked.

"Da, it is all of us" a pale blonde woman answered nervously.

"Good" harry replied. "Can you all understand English?" he questioned.

"Njet" the same woman replied. "I can translate for you" she offered.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the woman but nodded his consent.

"You had better say exactly what I do" he said warningly.

The woman swallowed deeply but nodded her compliance.

The room was silent for a moment until Harry began speaking once again.

"Four of your kind attempted to kill our minister of magic" he began causing looks of shock to resonate throughout the room. "I killed three of the attackers and sent this one back with instructions" he continued gesturing to the man that had accompanied Denislav. "I told you you should all leave because the next time I come across your kind here I wouldn't leave a single one of you alive" he finished dangerously.

A lot of murmuring and protests in Russian could be heard after the woman had fearfully translated what the young man had said to them.

"Njet, please ve do not vant to fight" the woman said deperately. "Ve did not even vant to come here, ve vanted to stay in our home" she explained hurriedly causing Harry to frown.

"Then why did you come?" he asked the woman.

She swallowed a nervous gulp and her eyes flickered to the man who Harry still clutched.

"He made you" Harry said in realisation, nodding towards Denislav.

The vampires looked very nervous and reluctant to answer, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Harry began to get an idea of the type of man Denislav was. He could see that the rest of the vampires were clearly terrified of the man.

"Explain" he implored much more gently than he had spoken so far. "Don't worry about him, I promise he will not hurt you" he reassured them.

The woman looked around her group as she explained and received a few nods.

"It has been illegal for us to hunt in Russia for close to two centuries now" she began with a sigh. "At first ve ignored this and continued hunting as ve did but then the government began hunting and killing us in large numbers" she said sadly. "Our numbers dropped considerably so our leader at the time, his father" she spoke pointing to Denislav, "agreed that ve vould stop hunting and the government vould provide us with blood" she explained.

"Seems fair" Harry observed.

"Ve Vere happy vith it" the woman declared. "Ve vere safe and ve had blood" she shrugged. "And then he killed his father and took his place" she added with another sigh pointing at a now nervously shaking Denislav. "Things changed quickly and he began hunting again" she elaborated shaking her head.

"And the government started hunting you again" Harry cut in knowingly.

"Da" the woman said sadly. "Ve once numbered in zhe thousands and zis all zhat is left of us" she explained gesturing around the room. "He stopped hunting from fear of being killed and instead began ruling us vis brutality. Many of us have been made vidows and orphans because of him and his regime" she continued emotionally. "Our lives have been miserable" she proclaimed. "And zhen he and his followers bought us here to feed and fight in something ve know nothing about" she finished sadly.

Harry took in everything that the woman had said and looked around to see a lot of scared people clearly waiting to see what fate had in store for them. He could see that the woman was being honest with him.

He growled angrily at what he had been told and turned Denislav round to face him before levelling the man with a solid punch to the jaw that sent the man sprawling.

"You dare treat your own people like that" he hissed angrily. "I hate bullies and tyrants like you" he spat angrily before kicking the man in the ribs causing a loud crunch to reverberate around the room and the man to whimper and moan in pain.

"Which of you are his followers?" he growled turning back towards the group of vampires that were looking even more nervous.

"Zhey are not here" the woman explained frantically. "Zhey stay vis zhe Dark Lord at a different home".

Harry nodded and took a deep breath before dragging his hand through his hair in an effort to calm down.

"If I told you all to go home, would you?" he asked.

"Da" the woman answered immediately. "Ve just vant to go home and live in peace" she added hopefully.

"Ok then I will let you go home" Harry said simply.

The woman translated what he said and a sigh of relief could be heard from many.

"You vill let us go just like zhat?" the woman questioned him sceptically.

Harry nodded.

"Yes" he confirmed. "You don't want to be here and were dragged here unwillingly" he conceded gratefully. "I can't hold that against you" he finished with a nod.

"Zhank you" the woman responded gratefully and pulled him into a tight hug much to his surprise. "But vill zhey not just come back also?" she asked worriedly.

"No" Harry answered confidently. "If they serve Riddle they will die" he explained.

"So you do not hate us because of vhat ve are and von't kill us?" a man in the crowd asked disbelevingly.

"No" Harry replied firmly. "I do not hate you because you are vampires, one of the men I respect the most in the world is a werewolf, and my godfather is married to one" he added. "I hate and treat any who serve Tom Riddle with equal disdain and those who harm innocent people the same way" he explained. "I don't hold prejudices like a lot of wizards some of my best friends have been of mixed blood and race" he finished.

"And vhat about him?" the same man asked pointing towards Denislav.

"He's mortal now" Harry shrugged causing many of the vampires to gasp.

"You can do zhat?" the woman asked fearfully.

"I can, but you don't have to worry" he assured her. "That knowledge will stay with myself and my family" he said promisingly.

The woman nodded and looked very relieved.

"So ve can just go home zhen?" she asked with a frown.

"Yes" Harry replied. "You do not have to worry about him or his followers they will leave you alone".

"How can you be sure?" she questioned.

"Because I am going to send him back to his followers as an example" Harry responded darkly. "They will see that he is mortal and he will tell them why and that you are protected by me. Isn't that right?" he asked the man firmly who nodded and whimpered again.

"You vould protect us if zhey came back?" she asked sceptically.

"I would if it keeps you peaceful and not attacking innocent people" he explained.

The woman and several vampires that could understand English nodded readily in agreement.

"There is one other thing" Harry stated. "He has taken three English people prisoner, are they here?" he asked.

"Ve have seen no prisoners" she responded confusedly.

Harry turned towards Denislav and raised a questioning eyebrow at the man.

"Zhe basement, I put zhem zhere zis morning" he revealed.

"Please ve did not know they vere zhere, ve are not allowed in zhe basement" the woman pleaded.

"Have them brought up please" Harry requested tiredly.

The woman nodded and instructed two men in the crowd to go and fetch them.

They returned a few moments later with the three men who were a little worse for wear but mostly unharmed.

"Muggles" Harry muttered to Moody who nodded.

"Aye, I will take them in and get them healed and obliviated" he replied.

"How long will it take you to get ready and leave?" Harry asked the woman.

"Ve can be gone in one hour" she answered with a nod.

"Ok" Harry agreed. "Get your things together and go" he instructed.

The woman translated to the group who split off in several directions to collect their things.

"Vhat is your name?" the woman asked. "In case ve need to write to you if zhey come back" she explained.

"Harry Potter" the young man answered causing the woman's eyebrows to rise. "What's yours?" he added.

"My name is Mila, I have heard of you Harry Potter, even in Russia you are famous" she returned with a soft smile. "You are a hero here and now you are a hero to my people also, zhank you" she finished and placed a kiss on the boy's cheek before exiting the room to collect her own belongings.

Sirius shook his head and mumbled amusedly at his godson.

"Do you have women of all species and race pining after you?" he asked with a smirk.

Harry just shook his head at the man and laughed.

It didn't take long for the vampires to return to the entrance hall clutching bags and other various forms of luggage.

"Ve are ready to leave now" the woman informed Harry.

He nodded and gestured to the front door where they immediately began to exit, most offering him words of gratitude as they passed.

After the last one had exited Harry, Sirius, Moody and Kingsley turned to Denislav who looked about ready to have a stroke.

"Can you portkey this man to Wiltshire?" Harry asked Moody. "I believe that is fairly close to where Tom is staying".

"Aye lad" Moody intoned obligingly and created the portkey.

The group watched as the man disappeared.

"What about this one?" Kingsley asked gesturing to the other vampire.

"Take him in" Harry decided after a moment. "He might have some useful information, accurate number of enemies and so on" he explained.

Kingsley took the man and apparated away.

Harry and Sirius were about to do the same when Moody spoke out.

"I need a favour from the two of you, if you don't mind?" he asked with a grin.

Harry and Sirius shared a look and shrugged.

It was not often, if ever, that Alastor Moody asked for a favour.

(BREAK)

Lord Voldemort was brooding and had been since he had returned.

Things were not going well at all for the Dark Lord and he knew he had to changes things.

His people had failed at almost every turn, well, been thwarted would be a much more accurate summary.

His first rise to power had been much smoother. He had not once felt the vulnerability that he was feeling now and he knew that a war of attrition would certainly see him fail.

Things were much more different this time. He did not have the element of surprise on his side in which he and his followers could hide in the shadows and strike when the time was right. No, that certainly was not the case.

Thanks to Potter the world was very much aware of his presence and had become vigilant.

The ministry was no long full of easily manipulative fools that could be coerced into aiding him the way they had before. Amelia Bones as a minister was ruthless and her morality towards him and his men was completely non-existent.

The aurors of the first war could only stun his men, but those days were well and truly gone. His men were killed now with equal ferocity and brutality as they killed themselves and that did not sit well with them. His men were cowards evidently and Lord Voldemort could not abide cowards.

Alastor Moody being in charge of the DMLE was a real problem. The man had no morals and was clearly insane. The Dark Lord couldn't help but respect the man and his prowess with a wand; his reputation was well earned and deserve, there was only he and perhaps Bella and Antonin that could trade spells with the old auror and come out on top.

Dumbledore had always been a problem with those of the light placing themselves under his banner, but the old fool was just that; old. He himself was of no particular threat because of his aversion to killing but he was one of those very rare and powerful wizards's that had become a beacon of sorts to those who stood against the Dark Lord.

"He will have to be killed also" Voldemort mused.

One of the biggest surprises had been Sirius Black. He had grown from an immature fool into a man that was feared almost as much as his godson. He had become an exemplary wizard and the Dark Lord knew that he would also have to be killed to assure his victory and for the nation to fall into his hands completely. He was another man that those who opposed him would follow.

And then there was Harry Potter, the bane of Lord Voldemort's life. The boy had become much more than the Dark Lord had ever thought possible and anticipated. He had gotten a glimpse of the boy's potential in the graveyard and that itself had made him feel very uneasy. But the boy had gone far beyond of what Voldemort had thought was possible and he was now a true threat. He knew that none of his followers were capable of taking Potter out; it was just an absurd idea to think otherwise.

"He's no longer a boy" the Dark Lord muttered worriedly.

The young man had pushed him further than any other had in a fight and was ruthless in his attacks. He was fast, young and very powerful and commanded respect in a way Voldemort had never seen himself.

"Five people" Voldemort surmised. "Five people stand in my way. If they were to die then they would have none that could lead them" he concluded with a shake of his head.

He pondered how the death of these five could be achieved and shook his head at the difficulty of the task.

There was no doubt in his mind that all of them would be behind the most powerful wards available.

Both Bones and Moody had been attacked in the past couple of years and no doubt had their security upgraded considerably.

Black would be behind his family wards and they were extremely unpleasant to any who wished harm to those within according to both Bella and Narcissa.

Dumbledore was of course at Hogwarts, arguably the most powerfully warded place in Britain.

"It would be foolish to even think of attacking the school" Voldemort grumbled.

And he didn't have the faintest clue of where Potter even lived or what his wards were like but he knew they would be extensive and extremely dangerous to attack. The Potters after all were known fighters against the dark so they would no doubt be very well protected in their homes.

"They have to be lured out" the Dark Lord decided with a firm nod. "This war will have to be fought with one big battle" he added with a frown.

It was by no means the way in which he would choose to fight the war but every effort he had made to undermine the ministry had failed and every smaller scale attack he had tried had been dealt with quickly and efficiently by his enemies.

He knew that his followers outnumbered those of the opposition and also knew that if he were to keep losing men without gaining ground then it would soon be an even playing field, something that he would not allow to happen.

His thoughts wondered back to the amount of men he had and he smiled at a realisation.

"The cave" he whispered. "I have another 200 able bodies in there, but it will take time to transport and contain them" he added with a frown. "A few month's work at least" he decided. "But it gives me time to plan" he concluded with an agreeable nod.

His mind then wondered onto his Horcruxes and he shook his head violently. The thought of what had happened to them brought back the uncomfortable sense of nervousness he felt.

"I still have Nagini" he consoled himself.

If he and his men were to fail this time around then the wizarding world would believe that he was dead and he could simply start again from the shadows, as he preferred. It would certainly cause a stir if he were to rise from the dead for a second time.

"Then perhaps they will believe in my immortality" he said with a sinister smirk.

He was pulled from his musings by the entrance of a panic-stricken Denislav and he gave the man a distasteful sneer.

"You said myself and my people vere safe" the vampire spat angrily.

"You are" Voldemort replied casually.

"Potter" the vampire said simply causing the Dark Lord to flinch involuntarily. "You did not tell me about Potter, look vhat he has done to me" he finished fearfully.

"I see nothing wrong" Voldemort replied after a moment's observation of the man.

"He's made me mortal" Denislav cried. "Fix it" he demanded in a pleading tone.

"He did what?" the Dark Lord hissed worriedly.

"He took avay my immortality" Denislav reaffirmed beginning to tremble.

Voldemort approached the man, drew his wand and began waving it around the man, mumbling as he did so.

His eyebrows rose at the spell work he could sense on the man, it was certainly something he had never come across and that worried him.

"How did he do it?" he asked the man as calmly as possible.

"Some kind of chant, vith his vand" Denislav responded exasperatedly.

"I am not familiar with this magic" Voldemort admitted begrudgingly.

"So you can't fix it?" the Russian questioned irritably.

"No" the Dark Lord answered flatly.

He knew that he probably could fix it but it would take a lot of time to do so, time he was not willing to spend on something so trivial.

"Then myself and my people are leaving" Denislav announced angrily. "We will not place ourselves under a man who can be bested by a boy" he added heatedly.

The Dark Lord immediately became furious and banished the man across the room with a wave of his wand.

"You are going nowhere" Voldemort spat. "Well your people aren't" he added with a smirk.

"Wait" Denislav pleaded seeing that he was about to be cursed again. "The boy, he sent my people home" he revealed. "But if you help me bring them under foot then I will get them back" he tried desperately.

Voldemort roared in fury; he had yet again been thwarted by Potter.

He turned his gaze back towards the obviously scared Russian and smiled cruelly. "I have 40 of your men under this roof, they will be sufficient for the purpose I have in mind for them" he explained. "I neither have the time nor care for the rest of your people, it is your own foolishness that has placed you in the situation you are in now" he said to the man.

"My men will not follow you" Denislav retorted.

"They will" the Dark Lord responded dangerously.

Before Denislav could comprehend what was happening he saw a jet of green light fly towards him and he knew no more.

"Fool" Voldemort surmised with a shake of his head.

The Dark Lord had planning to do and he knew where he needed to start as much as it pained him to do so. He needed to bring his most loyal follower into the fold and explain everything for every eventuality.

He shook his head.

He hated relying on others but knew she was capable, and much more so than Wormtail ever had been. If he were to be killed he knew he would have a body within a matter of hours rather than months.

This time around he would make sure he had all the ingredients necessary for the ritual so it could be carried out immediately.

He sighed deeply while thinking about exactly what he was going to say to Bella. She may be insane but she was the only one he could rely on for this. He certainly did not wish to spend an inordinate number of years as a snake; no matter how much he enjoyed her company.

(BREAK)

It was a few days after his conversation with Potter and Black that found Alastor Moody heading towards the training room that he had instructed his auror's to meet in.

He had managed to convince the duo to help train his men and he couldn't be happier with their agreement. He had simply explained that they were not ready and needed help, pointing out that they were going to be fighting alongside them when the time came.

He knew that they were hesitant to do so but after he had given his reasons they had agreed so long they could train them in their own way, something that the grizzled auror was happy to comply with.

He entered the room with a smirk of anticipation that immediately put the 220 aurors on guard.

They knew something that made Alastor Moody smile the way he was could not be a good thing for them.

"Ranks" Moody shouted simply and several neat rows of men and women formed within seconds of his command.

He looked at those amongst his people critically daring any of them to even breathe out of turn. These auror's were soft and had not been trained the way they should have. They were hesitant and wet behind the ears, but this was going to change.

"Now listen up you sorry excuse for auror's" Moody began after a moment of staring. "With the permission of the Minister and the use of my contacts I have arranged for some special training for us all" he explained with a sickening grin that cause his scars to pull obscenely tight across his face.

He noticed that many of the assembled people swallowed deeply and began looking nervous; he was pleased to see that even some of them were perspiring.

"Now when our guests are here you will refer to them the same as you do myself and Head auror Robards, understood?" he asked loudly.

"Yes sir" the aurors replied in unison.

"Good" Moody answered. "Because if you don't they have permission to kick you arses from here to wherever they feel like" he informed them.

He began pacing in front of them making the group feel uncomfortable.

"The fact is most of you aren't worth piss" he suddenly broke in seriously. "You're green and you've had it far too easy" he continued. "Gawain" he called loudly getting the attention of his head auror.

"Yes sir" the man immediately responded, standing stiffly at attention.

"How would your day start in the academy?" Moody asked the man.

"We would arrive at 5am and spend 90 minutes physically exercising, sir" Robards answered.

Most of the auror's grimaced at the thought of such a thing.

"Tonks" Moody shouted. "Tell me how your day starts" he commanded.

Tonks stood to attention before speaking.

"We arrive at 8am and have a briefing, sir" she explained crisply.

"Pathetic" Moody said clearly disgusted. "Those days are over you lazy shits" he announced. "We are going back old school" he added with another smirk.

Again he could see most of his people swallowing deeply and looking apprehensive.

"You will report here every day at 5am" he instructed. "You will get your arses in peak physical condition or you will be out the door, no exceptions, understood?" he roared.

"Yes sir" the auror's replied hesitantly.

"Now these men will teach you everything you will need to know to not only survive, but kick the living shit out of any death eater you come across" he explained confidently. "They will teach you teamwork, they will teach you discipline and they will teach you to not be a bunch of useless, lay about bastards" he continued while pacing impatiently. "If you fuck with them then it is your arse that will be getting kicked, understood?" he asked again.

"Yes sir" the reply he received.

Moody just nodded. He was looking forward to see what Potter and Black had in store for the auror's. If they were anything like their grandfather's then it would be a hell of a show, he knew.

Tonks watched in horror as the door opened and admitted Harry and Sirius both looking very grave, even her cousin who was usually jovial, eyes alight with mischief, was looking as severe as she had ever seen him.

"Oh shit" she mumbled knowingly.

She had heard how Harry and Sirius trained together and knew this was not going to be good for her and her colleagues.

She watched as they placed several bags on the ground and removed their hooded jumpers to reveal their form fitting black t-shirts they wore; it was clear that they were both in incredible physical condition.

"You have to be joking" one of the men in the ranks shouted at Moody in disbelief. "You are going to let us be trained by a boy and a murderer?" he asked.

Before Moody could even speak Sirius walked forward and glared at the man.

"You step forward" he demanded in a low and dangerous voice.

The man gulped and complied reluctantly.

"What is your name?" Sirius questioned the man.

"Mitchell" he answered simply causing Sirius to raise an eyebrow at him. "Sir" the man added reluctantly.

"Well Mitchell you just earned yourself fifty press-ups, now get to it" he commanded. "And for every one you miss I will curse you" he added promisingly.

Mitchell looked wide-eyed at the man clearly thinking he was joking. When he saw that the man was serious he obliged by dropping to his front to begin his punishment.

"Now listen up" Sirius called getting the attention of the men and women. "Myself and Harry did not want to be here but Moody pointed out that when a big fight happens we will be fighting with you" he continued with a distasteful look towards them all. "I will not be killed because you are poorly trained and don't know your wands from your arses" he added with a shake of his head.

He took a moment to look at the assembled before shaking his head again.

"Let's get one thing straight" he began again. "There is only one man I trust on this planet" he said placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I personally couldn't give a shit if you are all killed, I don't know you and I don't want to" he added with a shrug. "We are here as a favour to Moody, but if you are going to fight with us then you had better be ready, any questions?" he finished.

No one spoke and Sirius fired a stinging hex at Mitchell seeing that he was beginning to slack, eliciting a yelp from the man.

"While you have been sat at your desks scratching your arses and stuffing your faces myself and Harry have been killing Death Eaters, werewolves, Giants and even vampires" he reeled off. "But I will say this once and once only, you will pull your weight or you will be out of here so quickly you'll feel like you were force apparated by Merlin himself, are we clear?" he asked.

"Yes sir" the auror's replied.

"I don't care if you knew me from years ago and I don't care if you are a friend" he added looking at Moody "or family" he said with a look at Tonks, "We will not tolerate laziness or mediocrity" he concluded gesturing between himself and his godson who was stood casually looking completely impassive.

Moody looked on with a sinister grin.

'Just like the old days' he thought to himself delightedly.

"Now we will forgo the physical training today" Sirius announced. "But you will be here at 5am sharp tomorrow" he added firmly after hearing a sigh of relief from many. "Now pair up, we want to see what you are all made of" he commanded.

The auror's complied and paired off. Harry and Sirius watched as they duelled with each other and were surprised by how poor they truly were.

"Enough" Harry commanded loudly with his wand placed at his throat.

The auror's stopped firing spells and looked at the young man curiously.

"You" he called pointing to a man. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Conrad sir" the man replied immediately standing to attention.

"Curse me" Harry commanded casually.

"Sir?" Conrad questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Curse me" Harry commanded again more firmly.

The man nodded and fired a silent stunner at the young man somewhat reluctantly that was simply batted aside.

"Good use of silent spells" Harry praised. "But what the hell was that?" he added angrily.

"A stunner sir" Conrad confirmed with a frown.

In the blink of an eye Harry stunned four of the auror's and looked at the man calculatingly.

"What would you do if you came across your comrades like this?" he asked.

The auror stepped forward and enervated his colleagues.

"And that is exactly what the Death Eaters will do" Harry explained. "What if I hit them with an entrail expelling curse?" he questioned while twirling his wand.

"They'd be dead" Conrad replied, blanching considerably.

"Exactly" Harry said casually. "They can't be enervated when they are dead" he pointed out. "Now curse me properly" he commanded.

The man looked towards Moody but did nothing.

Harry shook his head and dragged his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Moody, curse me" he requested.

The grizzled auror immediately fired a bone-breaker at the younger man followed by a blood-boiling curse which Harry absorbed into a shield not wanting to bat them away in case the spells were to hit one of the people in the room.

"They are the kind of spells you should be using" Harry said loudly to the assembled people. "The Death Eaters don't use stunners and you won't either, you fire to kill" he finished firmly.

The auror's had paled at the implications and the casual demeanour in which the teen dealt with the potentially fatal curses.

Harry could see that he wasn't getting through to them so he tried a different tact.

"Tell me Conrad" he demanded. "Do you have a wife?".

"Yes sir" the man answered with a frown.

"Children?" Harry followed up.

"A son and a daughter sir" the man answered a little hoarsely.

"So you are happy for them to become a widow and fatherless?" Harry asked.

"No sir" Conrad replied vehemently.

"Well what if I told you I was going to kill you?" Harry questioned coldly. "What would they do without you providing for them?" he added.

The man paled considerably and began to visibly shake.

"I would do whatever I had to do to make sure that didn't happen" he answered angrily.

"Well Conrad that's exactly what the Death Eaters want to do to your family, that is even if they let them live, which is doubtful" Harry explained. "Now imagine I am one of those bastards trying to take the food from your families mouth, take you away from them and leave them with no money or home to live in" he demanded. "I am going to kill you Conrad and leave your loved ones with nothing, what are you going to do?" Harry asked coldly.

The auror had turned red with rage and looked at the young man through narrowed eyes. He let out a guttural roar of anger and began firing the most lethal and dangerous curses he knew until he was exhausted and fell to his knees sobbing.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Harry looking at him with something akin to respect.

"That's exactly what I wanted from you" Harry said gently. "Use it" he commanded. "Whenever you are fighting, fight for them" he urged giving the man a squeeze on the shoulder.

"And that goes for all of you" he shouted, addressing the room again. "Think of those you love and what will happen to them if you are not there to protect them and provide for them, fight for them with everything you have and you will be fine" he assured them. "We can teach you a lot and get you in the best condition of your life" he promised pointing to himself and Sirius. "Now enough of the sentimental shit get your arses over there and fight" he demanded firmly. "And if I see one stunner I will personally curse you so badly you won't remember your own name" he warned.

"Yes sir" the auror's shouted obediently and began again with a new sense of purpose after having a fire lit underneath them.

"Well said Potter" Moody growled clapping him on the shoulder. "Just like the old days" he added happily.

Harry turned to see that he had been joined by Sirius and Robards along with Moody and grinned.

"Well Moody, since you like the old days so much you and Head Auror Robards can get your wrinkled old arses in there and show them how it's done" Harry commanded.

Moody only hesitated for a moment before sharing a grin with Robards who nodded.

"Aye sir" the heavily scarred man answered with a stiff salute before heading off with his head of department.

"Move your arse quicker Moody" Sirius shouted. "You've spent too long being an idle bastard too" he added with a smirk towards his godson who chuckled.

"Aye sir" was the loud and firm reply they got from the grizzled man.

The pair shared another chuckle before joining the men they were now training.

They had quite the task ahead of them but they knew they had already made progress; they had gotten the auror's in the right frame of mind, now it was just a little bit of knowledge and lots of practice they needed then they would be an efficient and dangerous force, just what the wizarding world needed.

(BREAK)

Augustus Rookwood was sat in his private box in the Falmouth Falcons stadium under the guise of an elderly muggle man he had murdered in the first war while he served the Dark Lord. The disguise was perfect and none could possibly suspect he was in fact the former unspeakable and wanted man.

He hadn't left his home in months as the Dark Lord had informed him that he would be away for some time so his services would not be needed for the foreseeable future, something that Augustus was content with.

He was not a fighter nor overtly powerful by his own admission but he was highly intelligent to a degree of absurdity, something that he coveted above brutality and force. Why fight a man when you can simply kill him while he slept?

Augustus was a practical man by all accounts and was happy to spend most of his time alone; he was after all very independent and could not abide the typical psychotic followers of the man he served so instead opted to spend as little time away from them as possible.

The one weakness he had was his love of Quidditch and the Falcons in particular. Wizarding technology did not stretch as far as being able to watch the matches from his home so for him to enjoy the sport to its full degree he was forced to attend them. Standing in the crowd amongst the boorish and loutish behaviour of regular attendees would not do for the man. He was not here on a social venture so he had secured a box for himself at great expense and would spend his time during the game here to avoid the typical fan and those not worthy of his company.

"Would you like some refreshments sir?" a voice sounded from the door.

Augustus turned to see two venders with a cart demonstrating their wares.

"Firewhiskey, leave the bottle" he instructed placing a handful of galleons on the cart and turning away from the men.

"Very good Mr Rookwood" one of the men said.

Augustus balked at the use of his name. How did they know who he was?

Thinking that it could only be an inner circle member of the Death Eaters, after all they were the only ones that knew of this place, he turned to feel something heavy impact the side of his head and heard glass shatter as he fell from his seat and crashed to the ground, his head spinning wildly as the smell of the whiskey filled his nose.

He blindly reached for his wand to find that it was missing. He looked up and saw two redheaded men looking at him with malicious intent etched on their faces.

"You killed my mother and sister" the taller of the men said casually. "You really should not have done that" he added darkly before kicking the man several times in the ribs.

Augustus felt several of them break and the air leave his lungs forcefully under the heavy blows he had received. He coughed violently and tasted blood in his mouth, feeling it expel from him with each wrack.

He was about to plead or attempt to bargain when he felt a spell hit him and his entire body tighten painfully, both inside and out, taking his ability to move or even talk.

"You are going to experience several hours of pain while each of your organs are slowly devoured by this curse" the taller explained with a sadistic grin. "By the time you die you will have felt pain like nothing you could have expected but I won't ruin the surprise for you" the man finished before placing a portkey on him.

August felt the very painful and disorientating pull of the portkey as it activated. When the world stopped spinning he found that he was somewhere very hot and dry. Without even being able to move he knew he was laying on sand.

The next few hours were horrific for the man before he succumbed to curse that had been placed on him. He was in excruciating pain and very thirsty. He could feel the moment that each of his organs simply failed him and eventually he just stopped breathing as he could feel his own brain starting to devour itself within his own skull.

(BREAK)

Bellatrix Black left the company of the Dark Lord feeling a mixture of self-pity and disappointment. The meeting with the man had revealed much about the man she had foolishly followed for many years.

The thing that struck her most was the fear the man was feeling; he was truly terrified of Harry Potter. Bellatrix had known that he was wary of the younger man but to see the fear for what it really was had been quite the surprise to the woman and the last vestige of respect she had for her master had vanished in that moment.

'He is weak' she thought to herself with a shake of her head. 'Magically he is powerful but he has already lost the battle'.

She knew that he had to be feeling particularly vulnerable for him to give her the instructions that he had. She didn't understand everything she had been told entirely but she understood enough that the snake had to die for him to truly be finished, something she would have to tell Potter about.

She didn't know if Potter was aware of the soul anchor that her master had created but it was something he would need to be told about if he were to be successful and she would get her wish of a comfortable cell away from the Dementors.

She also figured that the Dark Lord was acting in desperation to place the fate of his uprising on one battle. That was not the man's usual approach but she was aware of how little success the Death Eaters had had in the small attacks and skirmishes they had attempted.

She entered her room, locked the door and removed the book she always had concealed upon herself. She tapped the quill against her chin thoughtfully.

"Let's just hope Potter is as good as his word" she muttered to herself before beginning to scratch away.

(BREAK)

Harry was stood watching Robards and Sirius duel and had to admit that the auror was very skilled with his wand. As promised they had started the physical training with the group at 5am and found that the majority of them were in poor condition, but Harry could not fault the heart they had shown.

They had grumbled and protested a lot but powered through the workout nonetheless, with the help of a few stinging hexes for motivation.

There had been blood sweat and tears in abundance, but the exercise was only the beginning. They still had to practice their fighting skills where Harry and Sirius taught them a few, more frowned upon, spells to add to the arsenal.

They had set them off in groups of four to learn how to fight as a team would; shielding and firing spells alternatively and fighting in tandem the way Harry and Sirius did.

As an example of what could be achieved the duo paired up and fought against two teams of auror's and simply dismantled them within a couple of minutes, subduing and binding them with ease.

It served as a lesson for the men and women when they realised how easily the 8 men had been bested by two and any hesitation to be trained by the teen and former Azkaban inmate was put to rest after this.

"The order our meeting tonight" Alastor Moody growled in Harry's ear. "You should be there, Kingsley has finished with the Vampire" he suggested.

Harry nodded his agreement.

"What's Robards like?" he asked the man while resuming his watch over the auror and his godfather as they traded spells.

"Gawain should have been head of the auror's a long time ago" Moody began. "I trained him myself and as you can see he is very talented" he said proudly. "He's an old school man and that didn't sit well with Fudge, he didn't want a man in charge who took a firm stance against criminals like Gawain does" he continued. "You don't have to worry about him lad, he's a good man and will lead these sacks as best he can, you mark my words" he finished with an assuring tone.

"He's definitely the right man to do it" Harry agreed. "Now how about you and I have a rematch from my OWL exam?" he asked with a smirk.

"Aye lad" Moody replied with a dark grin. "It's been too long since I've had a good fight".

(BREAK)

Bellatrix finished penning her note to Potter and released a deep breath; She was as good as her word and had told him all he would need to know to finish the Dark Lord.

So far he had not steered her wrong in any way and had kept every promise he had made and she knew he would come through for her when all was said and done.

He had annulled her marriage as she had asked. She felt the magic binding her to Rudolphus break after only a couple of days since her least meeting with the young man meaning that she was finally free of the fool completely.

Even though he had been killed she still felt the stain of the vows of fealty she had been forced to give the man tarnishing her very being, making her feel nauseous at the mere thought of it.

She was once again Bellatrix Black by both name and blood and she could not be happier.

It was clear to the woman that Potter was taking his headship of the family seriously and abiding by the morals her grandfather had held.

'Family first' she thought to herself happily. 'It a shame that father did not share the same sentiment' she added bitterly.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the entrance of her sister who she noted was looking more depressed and gaunt than ever.

"Bella" Narcissa greeted her quietly and simply sat.

"What's wrong Cissy?" Bellatrix asked with a frown.

Narcissa sighed.

"I don't think I can do it anymore" She whispered her eyes filling with tears.

"Do what?" Bellatrix questioned feeling angry that her sister was so upset.

She was not angry at her sister; she had always been the sensitive one after all. But years of living with Lucius had toughened the blonde considerably and it took a significant amount to upset her the way that she clearly was now.

"I can't stay here anymore" Narcissa sobbed.

Bellatrix pulled the distraught woman into a hug. Despite her disposition towards affection she truly loved her sister and cared for her more than anyone else.

"Then leave" she answered simply. "Lucius will be killed and then you will have nothing, leave while you can" she implored the younger woman.

"And put my life in Potter's hands?" Narcissa asked sceptically through her tears.

Bellatrix nodded.

"He will see you right Cissy" she said firmly.

"How can you be sure?" Narcissa asked.

"Because he has kept every promise he has made me so far, he even annulled my marriage" she explained with a genuine smile.

"He did?" Narcissa questioned disbelievingly. "So you're a Black again?"

"Yes" the older woman answered seriously. "He could have handed me to Bones the night we attacked her house but he didn't" she added convincingly. "Like it or not he is the head of the family and he is your only hope of getting out of here and not going to prison" she finished.

"But what about you?" the blonde inquired worriedly.

"Potter is going to win, I have no doubt of that" Bellatrix replied. "I have one last thing to do here and then I will hand myself over to him" she explained with a shrug. "He has promised he will get me a low security cell and you can even come and visit me" she concluded hopefully.

"And you're fine with going to prison?" her sister asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's either that or I die in battle or end up back in Azkaban how it was before" Bellatrix shrugged. "I've made my mistakes Cissy but it's not too late for you, he will make sure you are ok" she reassured her sister.

Narcissa just nodded a little dejectedly.

"I'll help you get some things together" Bellatrix offered with a smile.

"What about Lucius?" Narcissa asked fearfully.

"He probably won't even notice you're gone" Bellatrix responded. "And even if he does, what can he do about it? It's not like the coward is going to ask Potter for you back is he?" she finished with a cackle.

Narcissa just shook her head and led her sister from the room so she could gather a few things.

(BREAK)

Harry and Sirius were sat at the table at Grimmauld Place with most of the order present. They were awaiting the arrival of Moody, Tonks and Shacklebolt so the meeting could begin.

"Harry" Dumbledore whispered getting the younger man's attention. "I believe I have figured out the final one" he informed him gravely.

Harry nodded his understanding.

"We can speak after" he assured the man who smiled gently.

The door opened to admit the three auror's who were all limping and grimacing in obvious pain and discomfort.

"Alastor, are you ok?" Dumbledore asked worriedly.

"Aye" Moody replied with a grin towards Harry. "Never better Albus" he assured his friend.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked the trio.

"I'll tell you what happened" Tonks cut in heatedly. "Those two are sadists" she whined pointing towards a grinning Harry and Sirius.

"Suck it up Tonks" Moody growled. "Potter and Black have kindly agreed to train my auror's" Moody explained to the room.

"Torture more like" Kingsley grumbled.

"Excellent" Dumbledore intoned, clapping his hand together gleefully. "We need them as ready as possible" he added with a firm nod.

"I'm sure my whole body is one big welt" Tonks complained. "Do you have to fire stinging hexes at us?" she asked irritably.

"It's fun" Sirius shrugged. "It keeps you motivated and on your toes" he continued smiling.

"What is your problem with Mitchell?" Kingsley asked Sirius with a frown. "You made the man vomit twice making him use that hammer thing".

"He's a damn good auror" Sirius answered sincerely. "But he's too arrogant and thinks he's above everyone else, he needs to be taken down and built back up" he shrugged again.

"And you two" Kingsley continued pointing at Harry and Moody. "Could have killed us all with the spells you were using" he said angrily.

"Aye" Moody agreed with a sinister grin. "Got you moving your arses though didn't it" he finished casually.

Kingsley just looked open mouthed at the man before shaking his head in disbelief.

"Can we start?" Elphias Doge asked impatiently.

"Lets" Dumbledore agreed. "Any news?" he asked.

"Rookwood is dead" Bill Weasley announced. "Charlie and I got him" he explained.

Arthur looked at his sons in disbelief that turned quickly to pride as his eyes began to water.

"You got them?" he asked weakly.

Bill nodded while smiling at his father.

"Charlie, Fred, George and myself got Rowle and Charlie and I got Rookwood" he replied. "Oh and Harry got Nott obviously".

Arthur stood and pulled his sons into a hug and cried silently between the four of them.

"I am so proud of you all" the oldest redhead praised with a watery smile.

"Anything else?" Dumbledore asked the group.

"I finished my interrogation of the vampire" Kingsley began, still wincing in discomfort. "He confirmed what we thought about numbers though his information can't be trusted completely" he finished firmly.

"Did he give anything else useful?" Harry asked.

"No, just that there are around 40 of his kind residing with the Dark Lord and a similar number of werewolves" the dark skinned man explained.

Dumbledore was about to speak again but was cut off by a soft crack as Elgar entered the room clutching Harry's book that was pulsing its gold colour to indicate he had received a message.

"Master Harry's book has been flashing for a long time now" the elf informed the teen as he handed Harry the book in question.

Harry frowned as he had not expected a message from Bellatrix but read what she had written.

Potter,

The Dark Lord has tasked me to guard his snake during the final battle, he says that it is paramount to his survival and has left me instructions for a ritual if he were to die.

"The snake" Harry whispered in realisation.

"My thoughts exactly" Dumbledore said darkly.

Harry looked to the man and gave him a grateful nod. If Dumbledore thought the same then the information was reliable.

I will of course kill the snake in the hope that you are a man of your word and secure what we spoke about. I will then hand myself to you so that you can personally take me to the auror's, I will not hand myself in to the ministry.

The Dark Lord is gathering his forces for one final push where he hopes to kill you, Dumbledore, cousin Sirius and Moody in one fight as he knows that he cannot get to any of you separately. He also plans on killing Bones but I am not sure how he will achieve it.

He is aiming for the battle to take place on April 1st in Hogsmeade. He knows that both you and Dumbledore will come if the village is attacked and Sirius and Moody will follow.

He is not foolish enough to attack Hogwarts because of the wards but needs to be close enough to the school to lure Dumbledore out.

If anything changes I will of course inform you.

Kisses.

Harry noticed that another note had been added underneath the one he had just finished and sighed at the content.

Narcissa will be joining you shortly, please take care of her.

"Sirius could you let your cousin in?" he asked his godfather as he felt the pulse from his ring indicating that the woman was trying to portkey to him.

Sirius frowned slightly but nodded and headed towards the door.

"His cousin?" Doge asked confusedly.

"Narcissa" Harry answered.

"You can't let her in here" Doge stated furiously.

"I think you will find Mr Doge that this house is owned by me" Harry reminded the man with a growl. "And Narcissa is a member of the Black family, she has more right to be here than you" he added. "It is my duty to protect those in my family and it is something I take very seriously" he finished, his eyes glowing dangerously.

"Are you sure that is wise Harry?" Dumbledore asked worriedly.

"She needs help and will take an oath, she won't be in the meeting or made aware of what is discussed here" he explained promisingly.

Dumbledore nodded agreeably at the explanation he had been given.

Sirius returned with a very nervous looking Narcissa who immediately headed to Harry and kneeled in front of him.

"Lord Black, I have come to seek refuge in your house as promised by yourself if the need were ever to arise" she prostrated quietly but formally.

"It's ok Mrs Malfoy" Harry assured her. "I already have a warded and secluded home ready for you and I will take you there when we are done, but for now why don't you get some tea, I'm sure Marlene will take care of you" he finished with a look towards the werewolf who nodded.

"Thank you" Narcissa said gratefully as she was escorted from the room.

She had expected that Potter would force her to live with him so he could keep an eye on her constantly. She was happy she would at least get her own house to live in.

"April 1st" Harry announced darkly. "He's going for a final push on April 1st at Hogsmeade" he explained.

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"My source hasn't been wrong yet" Harry responded waving the book in the headmasters direction. "The snake will also be dealt with" he informed the man as talking ensued around the room.

Dumbledore sighed.

"Are you sure it is wise to trust Ms Lestrange?" he questioned the teen.

Harry didn't even flinch; he knew that Dumbledore would figure it out sooner or later.

"We've made a deal and her information has been good, to be honest professor most of this wouldn't have been possible without her" he replied sincerely.

Dumbledore nodded.

"What is it she is asking in return?" he asked.

"A divorce and help from me to secure her a low security imprisonment when the war is over, if she survives of course" Harry answered truthfully.

"She believes that Tom will lose then" Dumbledore thought out loud.

"She does" Harry agreed.

"Then let us pray that she is as good as her word has been so far" Dumbledore intoned.

The group were continuing to argue and debate amongst themselves when Dumbledore clapped his hands to catch the attention of the room.

"We have a little under 3 months to prepare" he explained. "Let's not waste any of the time we have" he implored.

The meeting progressed and many ideas were discussed amongst the men and women. Little was achieved but Harry and Sirius agreed to continue with training the auror's; they knew they would be needed in the coming fight.

After the meeting had concluded Harry took Narcissa to one of the Black homes in southern Europe where he knew she would be safe. The house was more than a reasonable size and she even had an elf to serve her. He had taken on oath that she would in no way contact any of Tom's followers or associates until he gave her permission to do so. He knew that the only person she would contact would be Bellatrix, but he could not risk allowing that for the time being.

He laid in bed that night after speaking to Daphne feeling a sense of excitement at the thought of the war being over. He hadn't mentioned anything to the girl as yet knowing that she would just worry for the next few months, but he promised himself that he would speak to her before he went into battle. He didn't want to upset her but he knew he had to keep it to himself for now.

"April 1st" he muttered to himself. "It will be over on April 1st" he said more firmly and smiled.

One way or the other it would be finished and Harry Potter would finally be free of the burden that had plagued him all his life.