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The Dark Lord looked upon his subordinates with a cold and contemplative stare as he paced in front of them.

He was as ready as he ever would be for the impending confrontation. His planning had been meticulous and his methods calculated to the finest degree to ensure that the battlefield would be in his favour.

Much time had been spent retrieving his inferi from the coastal cave and had fortunately only cost him the lives of 6 of his men. Considering he had secured another 200 bodies to fight for him, he saw the loss to be of no consequence.

He had stored the monstrosities within the caves hidden in the mountain range just north of the village, where he could access them easily to join the fight immediately and when he needed them.

He had attempted to secure a dragon or two or perhaps even a group of nundu's, but locating such a force had not been possible in the small window of time he had given himself; the inferi would simply have to suffice. Besides, he had managed to gather a few more allies of use, known only to himself of course that would have a significant impact on the battle when called forward.

"Just shy of 600 men" he mumbled to himself. "I will definitely have the numbers," he concluded with a smirk.

Stopping his pacing and standing front and centre of his gathered force, he allowed a wider grin to make its way onto his lips before he addressed them.

"My most loyal followers" he began loudly to ensure he had their undivided attention. "In 3 days time we take back what is rightfully ours" he announced, holding out his arms wide with his proclamation.

A loud and victorious cheer erupted from his followers so the Dark Lord waited for them to fall silent before he continued.

"For too long our world has been plagued by mudblood's, muggle-lovers and those unworthy to carry magic, but that will be no more" he added promisingly. "It is time for us to take our place back to where we belong and that is above all other beings and creatures that will live under the mighty foot of us that are worthy" he continued passionately. "We will seize control of our world and then we will pull the muggles to heel, where they should always have been." He explained while beginning to pace impatiently once more. "No longer will we hide in the shadows like scared rats but we will become the shadows that those who have basked in the light of freedom will flee from" he concluded firmly.

He looked upon his now very eager followers one last time.

"I urge you all to rest while you can because in three days time we fight for everything we hold in our hearts and we fight with everything we have," he shouted triumphantly.

His followers again began to cheer wildly for their exulted leader and took his advice after a few moments of applause.

They all left leaving the Dark Lord with his ever-dwindling inner circle of his longest and most loyal followers.

Voldemort looked upon them and couldn't help but grimace at the last vestiges of his most trusted men. Potter had eliminated most, or so the Dark Lord could only assume, and some had just simply vanished without a trace, most likely due to the boy in some fashion.

"You all have your assignments", he stated simply. "Do not fail me", he instructed firmly as he left the group to go to his private chambers.

The inner circle members waited until their master had left the room before they begun speaking amongst themselves.

"So Bella" Lucius broke the silence heatedly. "Have you heard from my errant wife yet?" he asked with a glare.

Bellatrix simply looked at the man impassively for a moment before she answered.

"If I had heard from my sister then that is my business Lucy" she replied casually. "It is hardly surprising that she did leave you, you are nothing more than a bootlicking spineless shit-for-brains after all" she added coldly. "Definitely not worthy of marrying a Black in the first place" she concluded with her nose wrinkled in disgust at the man.

"You dare" the blonde hissed angrily as he withdrew his wand only to find one aimed between his eyes before he could even point it in the direction of the now grinning woman.

"Bring your wand any higher and I will kill you where you stand" she happily threatened the blonde with a challenging tone.

The two just stared at each other for a minute until Dolohov stepped behind Malfoy and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Lucius" he said warningly. "Go and calm down, we will find your wife when this is over" he explained.

Malfoy growled before he lowered his wand and stormed from the room, slamming the door as he left.

"Why do you have to push him?" Dolohov questioned the woman with a sigh.

"He is a moron" Bellatrix shrugged.

Dolohov just shook his head and sighed again.

"And why is it that you will not be joining us in battle?" he asked with a frown. "Surely as the most capable fighter the Dark Lord will need you there" he finished confusedly.

"The Dark Lord has a more important job for me Antonin" Bellatrix answered simply. "As his most trusted follower it falls to me to carry out such important tasks, as much as I would like to kill some of the unworthy in our world" she added convincingly.

Dolohov just shrugged. It was not his place to question his master's motives and reasons behind his instructions.

Bellatrix left the rest of the inner circle in favour of heading to her own quarters for some much needed privacy.

"3 more days" she mumbled. "3 more days and I can have a cozy cell away from all of this," she said, relief evident in her voice as she entered her chamber and closed the door behind her.

(BREAK)

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Hedwig fly off into the distance carrying his now completed work for his mastery in both dueling and defense against the dark arts. He had been determined to finish it before the battle; if he fell he wanted to leave some form of legacy behind. It would not do for the last Potter to die as only a sixteen year old who had not lived up to the family titles he carried in some way.

The last few months had changed Harry in a way that the young man couldn't describe.

He had thought of little else than the impending battle and had prepared for every possible eventuality to the best of his ability.

When he wasn't completing his work he was adding new spells to his already impressive arsenal and helping his godfather train the auror's on a daily basis. This in itself had major benefits to his development. Day in and day out he would train with different witches and wizards in an effort to perfect every aspect of his fighting prowess.

Those who watched were simply in awe of the teen.

He was already a very talented fighter but he had improved beyond what anyone would deem possible. Those who trained with him saw him complete feats that left them with mouth agape, staring at the young man in awe. They all knew that Voldemort was in for the fight of his life when the two finally met.

He would of course speak to Daphne daily and visit her when Hogsmeade visits were allowed for the students. She had become a much-needed escape from the pressure that had mounted on him. He found that no matter how stressed he was or how difficult a day had been, just speaking to the blonde would immediately relax him.

She had become something of a saviour for the teen and he appreciated the calming effect more than he could even comprehend. The fact was that he knew he would be lost without her. She gave him a sense of normality that he sorely needed during these trying times, though what he felt for the girl was far more than what he would consider normal.

Things had really changed when the couple had spent the day together on Valentine's Day.

Knowing that this could be the one and only chance he would get to spend the day with the girl he had made a real effort, with a little help from Sirius of course.

Never having had a real relationship before he had no idea where to even begin with making the day special, thus an awkward conversation with Sirius had ensued.

The man himself was delighted that he had some pearls of wisdom to offer his godson, who so far, had needed him for very little in regards to anything other than training.

The marauder had recommended that the younger man keeps it simple by sending flowers and chocolates in the morning and getting her a nice piece of jewelry as a gift.

" And for Merlin sake do not forget a card, that is the thing that she will keep" the man had instructed vehemently.

The day had been a complete success and the girl had appreciated the effort he had gone to very much.

The truth is Harry just wanted her to see how much he appreciated her.

After he had returned home he kicked himself mentally as he came to a realization; he shouldn't need a specific day a year to show how much he appreciated her.

He vowed that he would show her how much she truly meant to him without needing the excuse of an allocated day. Something he would be proud to say that he had achieved.

He wouldn't send her expensive gifts but he would make sure that he wrote to her as well as having their evening conversations over the mirror.

He also sent her small gifts, usually things that were sentimental and would remind the girl of things they had done together and memories they shared; the things that meant the most to him.

He hadn't yet been able to bring himself to tell her about the battle.

He knew that she would just worry and would have spent the last few months panicking and being stressed; something he didn't want to place on her. He did feel guilty for keeping something as important from her but he planned on changing that today. Today was a scheduled Hogsmeade trip and he knew he had to tell her today.

But first he had his daily duties to attend to.

The auror's had been given the next few days off to be rested and ready, though they had not been informed of the battle on Moody's advice.

He thought that most would panic and it would have a detrimental affect on their training causing them to perform poorly when they needed to be at their peak, something that Harry did not entirely agree with but he did not question the grizzled man. They were his auror's and he knew more about them than Harry did and the teen was very much aware of that.

He could only hope that they would take the fight in their stride and use what they had been taught by the combined efforts of Himself, Sirius, Moody and Robards.

The daily duty he had to attend to was that of the Griffins and Thestrals that he fed and spent time with each morning before training and studying.

After he had returned the young female to the group of griffins they had become much more welcoming to him and had even bonded with him beyond what he had expected and he had found them to be much more intelligent than he had initially believed possible.

Through a difficult and arduous task of naming letters of the alphabet he had even managed to learn their names much to his delight.

Tristan, the lead golden griffin was the most hesitant to befriend him at first but after Harry had spent time with them, brought them food and made an effort to ensure they were all happy, the usually ferocious beast had warmed to him considerably and would, along with the newest edition to the group, be the first to greet him each morning with some affectionate pinching.

The Thestrals were always as welcoming as ever, particularly Druella who insisted that Harry would ride her regularly.

The creatures did however keep themselves separate. They weren't hostile towards each other but they were clearly wary; the Thestrals because of the size difference and the Griffins because of the much larger number of the other herd.

Harry was pleased however that they seemed content to share him between the two groups.

After a conversation with the portrait of his grandparents he had learnt that Charlus had a similar relationship with the Griffins and the man was very pleased that his grandson was able to establish a similar bond with them.

Dorea seemed to be even more so that the Thestrals had accepted him. She had explained that they were not very welcoming under most circumstances and that he should feel privileged to be able to spend time with them how he had been.

They had spoken about how both herds would chase his father away when he was younger, they did not take to him well and both of his grandparents had had to intervene on several occasions to ensure that the beasts had not harmed their son.

Harry closed the window and showered before he apparated to Potter Manor as he still spent most of his nights in the Black house.

He arrived at his ancestral home and immediately went to the large shed where the meat for the animals was stored before making his way firstly to the Thestrals. As usual he could see the Griffins on the other side of the pasture waiting patiently for him to come to them with their breakfast.

"Hello girl" he greeted Druella with a smile as she forced her way to the front of the herd and began nuzzling him lovingly.

The rest of the Thestrals always allowed her to be the first to approach the young man, she became quite agitated with them if they tried to intrude on her time with Harry.

She had gotten into the habit of resting her head on his shoulder and he would wrap his arms around her neck and pull her into a hug which the creature clearly loved as she would growl contentedly.

"Should we get you all fed?" he asked with a chuckle causing the animal to growl again and move away reluctantly.

He happily handed them the meat and blood that they would feed on before he sat down amongst them and simply watched as they devoured the food.

"You know I will miss this" he whispered sadly. "If things go wrong on Tuesday then this will be one of the things I miss the most" he added while he absentmindedly stroked the female that he had grown very fond of.

Druella growled comfortingly and butted him gently with her head and snorted at him as he looked into her blood-red eyes.

"Don't be like that" he said with a gentle laugh. "You know it's something I have to do" he explained for the hundredth time.

The Thestral growled again and licked him affectionately before turning away and heading back into the thicker trees.

"No ride today then?" Harry called after her with a raised eyebrow.

She turned to look at him briefly before hanging her head and walking away.

Harry sighed and dragged his hand through his hair; he just hoped that she wouldn't stay mad at him for the next few days.

He shook his head and left the wooded area to greet the other creatures.

When the griffins became aware that he was approaching Tristan and Lhysa, as Harry had been honoured to name, charged towards him in their usual fashion.

"Hey guys" he said with a gentle smile as he began petting them and receiving his nibbling. "I brought you lots of chicken today" he explained while gesturing to the large bucket of carcasses he held.

The griffins all screeched happily causing the young man to laugh as he began handing out the food in the order that they had insisted they were served.

"And this last one is for you" he spoke to the lead griffin who always insisted that the rest of them were fed before him.

Harry had grown to respect Tristan very much. Beyond his fierce exterior he was a very caring creature and very protective of those he cared about.

It was easy to see why he was the leader of the group. It wasn't just because he was the biggest or strongest; but he was gentle, he was their protector and he was as noble as any man or creature that Harry had ever met.

When they had finished feeding Harry began petting him and as usual found himself lost in the bright yellow eyes of the creature. He felt as though the beast was reading his very thoughts and feelings when he looked at him this way.

It didn't feel at all invasive, it was in fact a comfortable feeling and he would feel his worries and stresses begin to melt away as the griffin stared at him with his penetrating eyes.

Harry couldn't be sure if it was just the affect they had on him or it was one of the gifts that they possessed but he found that he appreciated it very much.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the beast narrowed its eyes and screeched questioningly at him.

Harry just shook his head.

"You are a lot more intelligent than people think aren't you?" he asked.

The griffin just nodded firmly causing Harry chuckle.

"You want to know what's bothering me?" he questioned his feathered friend further who just nodded and continued to stare at the teen.

Harry sighed and dragged his hand through his hair again before he spoke.

"I might not be coming back soon" he said sadly.

All of the griffins looked at him and began screeching indignantly and pawing the ground irritably.

"It's not that I don't want to" he explained hurriedly, attempting to placate the clearly irate animals.

He sighed again when he saw they were waiting for him to speak again.

"Remember when I told you about the man who killed my parents?" he asked.

The griffins began screeching angrily again and Harry waited for it to pass before he continued.

"Well he and his followers are going to attack Hogsmeade in 3 days time and I have to stop them, I'm going to fight him" he explained.

The griffins began screeching again but Tristan looked at him calculatingly before screeching very loudly, causing the rest to fall silent.

He approached Harry and looked at him calculatingly for a moment before nodding once and screeching loudly again.

The rest of the herd approached him and began pecking at him gently.

"You're not mad at me?" Harry questioned them, relief evident in his voice.

They all shook their heads firmly and nestled closer to the teen who simply enjoyed the comfort he felt from the creatures.

Tristan stood away and began screeching in what Harry could only decipher as a good luck call, even the Thestrals appeared amongst the tree line to watch the spectacle.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the tribute he was receiving from the proud male griffin.

"Thank you" he said sincerely to the beast who nodded once more before taking off in flight with the rest of the herd following soon after.

Harry watched them flying laps around the property before he headed in to get ready for thing he was looking forward to least to least of all; telling Daphne that the battle would be happening in only a few short days.

He just hoped that she would understand his reasons for not having told her thus far.

(BREAK)

Sirius sat at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place staring into the dregs of what remained of his morning coffee, lost in thought.

He knew that the battle was fast approaching and his mind was on his wife and the daughter that he may be leaving behind.

A difficult conversation was about to be had and the marauder knew that Marlene was not going to e entirely happy about it but he would be firm. He had never commanded the woman to do anything, but this was different. To him this was non-negotiable and he would not take no for an answer.

"Morning love" the lady on his mind interrupted his thoughts. "Why are you not training the auror's?" she asked while she poured herself a drink.

"We gave them a few days off so they're ready for the fight" Sirius explained as he pulled her into a hug. "And that is something we need to talk about" he added with a sigh.

Marlene frowned and sat opposite her husband.

"Is this the part that you forbid me from being there?" she asked seriously.

"It is" Sirius replied simply.

Marlene raised an eyebrow at the man, willing him to continue.

"You can't be there Marlene" he began with a sigh.

"And what gives you the right to decide that for me?" she retorted hotly.

"Because if you are then I won't be able to concentrate, I will just be worried about you and that alone will get us both killed" he explained taking the woman's hands in his own.

"You need all the wands you can get, I can make a difference" Marlene pointed out.

Sirius had to concede that point to her. She was a very gifted witch and he was aware that they would be outnumbered.

"Harry has ideas that will make the difference" he replied seriously having being the only one privy to the teen's plans. He was confident that they would win but he couldn't guarantee that he would survive.

The two remained silent for a moment before Sirius sighed and spoke again.

"One of us need to make it through this Marlene, for Natalie" he said pleadingly. "If both of us die then she will have to go back to the orphanage, we can't do that to her" he added sadly at the thought of such a thing happening.

"And what if you die Sirius?" Marlene asked desperately.

"Then you will at least have each other", he answered with a sad smile.

"But I want you too you fool" she cried, tears forming in her eyes as she squeezed his hands painfully hard.

"And you have much more of a chance of that happening if you're not there" he explained.

Marlene swallowed deeply and nodded reluctantly.

Sirius pulled the distraught woman into a hug and she melted into his chest and sobbed silently.

"You better come back to me Sirius Black" she choked warningly.

Sirius just pulled her closer to him and enjoyed the warmth and love he felt when she was in his arms.

He had to be there to fight for the family he had only just gotten and he didn't trust anyone other than Harry to do that. He didn't trust anyone else to watch Harry's back when he needed it most and he certainly didn't trust anyone to watch his own back other than his godson.

If he died he knew that all those he loved would be cared for beyond necessity. If he died then he would be dying fulfilling the oath he had given to his best friend; being there for his godson and protecting him at all costs, something that Sirius felt that he had failed to do for most of the boy's life.

(BREAK)

Albus Dumbledore was stroking his familiar's plumage, waiting for the Hogwarts staff to arrive for the meting he had called.

He didn't have to wait long as they began to file in wearing looks of concern and confusion. When they were seated he looked upon his colleagues and smiled warmly at them.

"Those of you in the order are aware that Tuesday Lord Voldemort will be attacking Hogsmeade with the weight of his full force behind him" he began gravely.

Those who were aware nodded worriedly while those who were not wore looks of shock and fear.

"If that is so Albus then should we not keep the children in the castle today?" Slughorn asked eliciting many nods from several members of staff.

"Alas, if that were possible then I would be doing just that" Dumbledore answered the rotund man. "However, everything must appear to be normal, if we cancelled the trip then Tom would certainly become suspicious and may change his tact, something we do not want to happen" he explained. "But fear not, the students are safe" he finished confidently.

"How can you be sure?" Professor Sprout questioned with a frown.

"Because myself, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black will all be in the village today" the old man responded. simply

"You put too much faith in the boy Albus" Slughorn stated worriedly.

"You should have the same faith in Harry that I do Horace" Dumbledore implored. "All of our lives are in his hands, if he fails then we lose" he finished seriously.

Slughorn just shook his head. By all accounts of what he had heard and read the boy was very gifted, but he just could not bring himself to willingly place his life in his hands.

"I did call you here for a reason" Dumbledore began again. "As I will be in the village on Tuesday along with Minerva and Filius I must hand over control of the wards so the school can be secured after we have left" he explained.

"Who will take control Albus?" Professor Sinistra asked.

"It will fall to Pomona to ensure that the correct wards are erected when necessary and I hope that Argus, you will secure every possible entrance in and out of the castle" he added to the caretaker who nodded while stroking his cat.

"Horace, I would like you to secure the Slytherin students within their common room, I will not take any chances of the fight spilling within these walls and amongst our students" he instructed the man firmly.

"Of course" Slughorn agreed immediately.

He was aware that there were a number of students that had close family with questionable loyalties.

"In fact, I believe that it would be most safe to secure all of their students within their common rooms" Dumbledore added thoughtfully. "Just to be sure" he finished with a nod.

The meeting concluded shortly afterwards and Dumbledore found himself stroking the plumage of his phoenix.

"Into battle we go again my friend" he intoned sadly.

Fawkes trilled mournfully at the declaration.

"I know" Dumbledore sympathized. "But we have to be there for Harry, he will need us" he explained. "As much as I hate to admit it but they will all need us" he finished sadly.

Fawkes trilled again causing his companion to smile gently.

"Well if we don't make it Fawkes I was very pleased to have you with me for a century of my life also" he said sincerely, his eyes twinkling madly once.

Fawkes trilled once more and rubbed his head into the old man's hand lovingly.

(BREAK)

Harry and Daphne had just taken their seats at a table in the Three Broomsticks after having placed their orders at the bar with Madame Rosmerta.

They had spent the day as they would spend most days in the village. They had shopped a little for various things, school supplies for Daphne and books and such for Harry.

Daphne noticed immediately that Harry was distracted. This wasn't entirely unusual but he was much more distracted than he would normally be.

"So, are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Harry was shaken from his thoughts by the girl's question and he released a deep breath before he spoke.

"Tuesday" he sighed simply.

"Tuesday?" She questioned confusedly.

"Tom is going to attack on Tuesday with his whole army" Harry explained after he quickly erected a privacy ward around the pair.

Daphne closed her eyes, swallowed deeply and simply nodded at the announcement.

"You seem to be taking it better than I thought you would" Harry remarked thoughtfully.

"What can I do?" Daphne asked desperately opening her eyes.

Harry could see that they were already filled with unshed tears so he took her hand and squeezed it gently in a futile attempt to comfort the girl.

"I knew this was inevitable and I thought I'd come to terms with it" she shrugged. "But I haven't" she added quietly.

"I'm sorry" Harry tried weakly.

"What, for being yourself?" the girl asked rhetorically. "You don't have to apologise for that" she explained with a shake of her head. "I knew this day was coming Harry" she continued with a sigh of her own. "I just didn't expect it to be so soon" she finished sadly.

The two sat in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet" Daphne sobbed suddenly.

"You think that I'm going to die then" Harry stated flatly.

Daphne shook her head firmly.

"I know you will do what it takes to make sure he does though, even if it does cost you your life" she replied knowingly.

Harry had nothing to say to that. She spoke the truth and they both knew it.

"You've said enough times that you aren't afraid to die and I know that if it's necessary to end him then that is exactly what you will do" the blonde pointed out.

"You're right" Harry admitted. "But I think you're missing something" he added.

"What's that?" Daphne questioned with a frown.

"I have something worth staying for now" Harry answered with a gentle smile.

Daphne continued to frown and Harry sighed before he spoke again.

"The night I was kidnapped after the tournament I was content to die" he began casually. "I had nothing and no one worth sticking around for, I could have been back with my family where I always wanted to be" he explained. "But things have changed since then" he added with a shake of his head.

"What's changed?" Daphne asked quietly.

"You" Harry stated simply. "I was ready to just let it all be over but then you came along and changed that", he said giving her hand another squeeze. "I'm not ready for this to be over either", he continued sincerely gesturing between the two. "I don't want this to end when it's only just begun" he finished.

"You really mean that?" Daphne asked emotionally.

"More than I can put into words" Harry answered truthfully. "I've completely fallen in love with you" he added quietly. "I'm not ready to die yet".

Daphne launched herself into his arms and held him tightly. She had waited for what felt like an eternity for him to say that to her and nothing could feel as special as this moment despite the difficulties that were coming.

"Then you better come back to me Harry" she begged emotionally. "I love you", she said simply. "What would I do without you?" she asked him desperately.

Harry pulled her in tighter before he spoke.

"I will do everything I can to come back", he promised. "I have something to fight for now, believe me, Tom has no idea what he has done" Harry ground out. "He ruined my past and I'll be damned if he's going to take my future away from me too".

The two just spent time in each other's arms while they could. Neither spoke much for the rest of the day but maintained some form of affectionate contact, both were simply content with this; words were simply not necessary.

(BREAK)

Narcissa Black, for she was a Black once again, had spent the past few months living a rather peaceful and stress-free life. She had taken the opportunity to reflect back on the last decade of her life and come to several realisations.

The first thing she became aware of was how lonely she had truly been living with Lucius. Life in the house she now resided in had not been much different to how things were when she was living in Malfoy manor. In fact, she saw more of Harry here than she saw of her former husband when they had been married.

The young man would visit a couple of times a week to ensure that she was ok and had everything she needed despite the fact she had elves to fetch any necessities for her.

She had been very surprised by the attentiveness the teen had shown towards her. He was certainly taking his family responsibilities seriously and he, much to her surprise, treated her with much more respect than she had expected.

She had assumed that she would be little more than a prisoner under his care but she quickly realized that she had been wrong.

He did not expect her to simply remain in the home and even encouraged her to spend time away from the house and enjoy the pleasant weather here. He had even given her a very useful book on glamour charms that she could use when she wished to leave the property to shop so that she would not be noticed by anyone.

The fact that he gave her an allowance every week so that she could live a similar lifestyle that she had become accustomed to was another surprise for the blonde woman.

She learnt a lot about the teen from being under his care but the thing that stood out the most to her was how good of a person he truly was.

She had absolutely no doubt that he was fearsome with a wand and that within a second he would kill her if she gave him a reason but she also knew that he was one of the most caring and gentle people she had ever met.

She was the mother of his former school rival and the ex-wife of a very prominent Death Eater, yet he treated her better than she had been treated before by anyone who was supposed to care for her.

The only down side to this arrangement, as far as she could see, was that she missed her sister terribly and wished for nothing more than to have her with her.

She knew that it wasn't possible and she knew that Bella would soon be back in Azkaban if Potter were to win the war. But other than the desire to have her sister with her where it was safe life was finally being kind to the youngest Black sister and she certainly was not taking it for granted.

(BREAK)

Alastor Moody looked at both Sirius and Harry calculatingly before allowing a sinister grin to form on his heavily scarred face.

"I like it" he growled pointing to the map of Hogsmeade they had laid on the table before them.

"It's risky" Robards cut in uncertainly. "But I have to agree that it is the best strategy in this case" he concluded a little reluctantly.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and dragged his hand through his hair.

"There is no way Tom will allow his people to risk being surrounded, it makes sense that he would surround the village" he pointed out. "He is not expecting us to be prepared for his attack and keeping one large force in the centre of the village will be much better for us. We are quite outnumbered but this way we can work together and deal with any unexpected surprises he might throw at us" he finished confidently.

The other three men nodded their agreement of the younger man's observations.

"The Death Eaters like to fight in chaotic conditions" Sirius began. "If we take the chaos away from them then they will have to fight strategically, something they don't do well at all and if we fight the way we have trained then they won't stand a chance" he explained.

"Then we have our groups of four" Robards agreed with a nod. "Two strictly defending and two firing spells, that will minimize our casualties" he observed feeling much more comfortable with the plan.

"Then let's go break the news" Moody suggested with another grin.

The four men entered the training room to find the auror's already standing in their ranks waiting to be addressed.

"At ease men" Moody commanded as they filed in.

The auror's physically relaxed their stances but the apprehension could felt throughout the room.

"Tomorrow we fight" Moody announced simply. "As long as you do what you've been taught and do as you're told then we will win, I have no doubt" he growled firmly.

There was some uncomfortable shifting heard throughout the room at the news of the impending fight.

"I am not a man easily impressed" Mood began again as he paced the breadth of the ranks looking at individuals as he passed. "But you bastards have impressed me" he admitted sincerely.

A few smiles could be seen amongst the men and women at the praise from their leader.

"3 months ago you were a sorry shower of shit" he proclaimed. "Those days are behind us now" he continued. "You are a team and a damn good one at that, there hasn't been a team of auror's like you in many decades" he praised. "Now lets prove it to those bastards that want to take our lives away, our families lives away and let's end these pricks once and for all" he finished passionately.

"Yes sir" the assembled auror's roared causing the man to give them a genuine smile.

"Head auror Robards will explain the plan to you but remember, more than anything else, to avoid the Dark Lord" he warned. "We all know for damn sure that there is only one man in this room capable of taking that shit down" he added with a look towards Harry who just nodded darkly towards them.

He, along with Sirius and Moody made their way to the exit when they were stopped by the voice of Gawain Robards.

"Potter, Black" he called in a commanding tone causing the pair to turn towards the man.

"We thank you for your service, it has been an honour to have you with us these past few months" he said sincerely. "Auror's" he commanded.

The auror's stood smartly to attention, awaiting further instructions from their leader.

"Salute" he instructed simply.

The gathered men and women along with Moody and Robards held their wands in front of them and fired off an array of different coloured sparks in tribute to the two men that had trained them.

Harry and Sirius mimicked their action in a show of respect.

"It has been our honour to be here" Sirius said with a bow towards the auror's.

"We got there" Harry cut in with a grin. "I have every bit of faith that we will be successful tomorrow" he added confidently.

The three men exited the room and Moody immediately clapped the other two on their shoulders firmly.

"You earned their respect" he explained. "It's not often that you see that salute, they trust you" he finished knowingly.

Harry and Sirius both nodded humbly.

The last few months had been difficult but they knew that it had been worth it. Not only had they helped the auror's improve they had both certainly become better wizard's and fighters from the experience.

"Now if you'll excuse me I have a few surprises to leave for Tom and his followers" Harry announced coyly.

Sirius eyes suddenly became alight with mischief and mirth.

"Pranks?" he asked with more than a little hope in his voice.

"More than pranks" Harry replied warningly but was grinning nonetheless.

"Please you have to let me help" Sirius pleaded. "I haven't pranked anyone in years and this will make up for it" he said excitedly.

Harry sighed and shook his head at his childlike godfather, but grinned again at the idea that formed in his head.

"OK" he agreed simply. "But there is one condition".

Sirius's face fell and he frowned at his godson questioningly.

"You have to come and visit the portrait of my grandparent's, you've put it off for too long" Harry chided.

Sirius was clearly torn between his need to take part in a prank and not wanting to be scolded by Charlus and Dorea.

After a few moments he nodded reluctantly. Clearly the man needed a little respite in the form of some kind of prank from the seriousness of the day and task ahead.

"At least they can't curse me" he grumbled.

Moody just shook his head at the two.

"Anything we should be aware of?" he asked with a frown.

Harry shook his head.

"No, just a few things for Tom and his friends" he answered with a grin. "They won't be anywhere near us" he assured the man.

Moody nodded.

"Make sure you sleep well, a tired fighter is a useless fighter", he instructed firmly.

The two men nodded their understanding before apparating away.

Moody just grinned at the thought of the impending battle.

"It's been too long" he growled to himself.

(BREAK)

Hermione and Neville were making their way up the winding stone staircase that led to the owlery so they could send letters home.

They entered the room to find a very pensive and worried looking Daphne who clearly had not heard the duo coming in.

"Daphne?" Hermione called out causing the girl to startle at the voice.

"Oh hello Granger, Longbottom" the blonde greeted the pair distractedly.

"What's wrong" Neville asked with a frown.

He was aware that the girl was not fazed easily so whatever was bothering her must be quite significant.

Daphne looked at them and sighed sadly.

"I'm not ready" she said simply and swallowed deeply.

"For what?" Hermione asked gently.

Daphne looked at the two critically before she sighed again.

"Tomorrow" she answered weakly. "I'm not ready to say goodbye to him" she reaffirmed.

"To who?" Neville inquired confusedly.

"You don't know then?" Daphne returned with a frown.

Neville and Hermione looked at each other uncertainly.

"You-Know-Who is attacking tomorrow, it will all be over" she explained in a choked whisper.

Both of the Gryffindor's were shocked by the information.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked urgently.

"Harry told me, he's going to fight him" Daphne replied worriedly.

"Shit" Neville intoned.

"I need to find Hannah" Hermione announced in a panic. "They will definitely lock the castle down" she added knowingly.

"She'll be in the greenhouses" Neville said as he took the girls arm and began leading her out of the tower.

"What are you doing?" Daphne asked the two.

"We've been preparing" Hermione answered sheepishly. "They'll need healers" she explained as she was pulled away by her classmate.

Daphne shook her head at the retreating pair.

Harry had made her promise that she wouldn't attempt to involve herself and she had reluctantly agreed.

She wouldn't break her promise to him, no matter how awful it felt just waiting around for whatever will happen to happen.

(BREAK)

Hermione and Neville burst into the greenhouse where Hannah was working.

"Tomorrow" Hermione said breathlessly. "They're attacking the village tomorrow" she added after catching her breath a little.

"How do you know? Hannah asked skeptically.

"Harry told Daphne" Neville explained.

"That means we need to go now" Hermione said impatiently and began pulling the blonde out of the greenhouse.

"How will we get out?" Hannah asked.

"I know a way" Hermione answered. "I need to get my bag and cat, he will let us into the tunnel under the whomping willow" she explained. "It leads to the shrieking shack" she added when she saw the confused expressions of her companions.

"The shrieking shack?" Hannah questioned fearfully.

"It's not haunted" Hermione responded exasperatedly. "There's no time to explain, meet me in the entrance hall in 20 minutes" she instructed as they entered the castle.

"Us you mean" Neville cut in firmly.

"Neville, you haven't done the healing training" Hermione replied, shaking her head.

"No" Neville agreed. "But I have been practicing from the book Harry sent and you two will need someone to watch your backs" he pointed out.

"I didn't think of that" Hermione conceded biting her lip worriedly.

"Then it's settled, 20 minutes it is" he said with a grin.

They separated to fetch what they needed for the unexpected day ahead of them, none knowing what it was they were getting themselves in to.

(BREAK)

"Are you really going to make me do this?" Sirius questioned Harry worriedly as they were stood at the door to the library.

"Yep" Harry answered and pushed the man into the room, following him and sealing the door behind him to prevent his godfather from fleeing.

He took Sirius by the arm and led him to where his Grandparent's portrait was situated and placed him in front.

Sirius glanced at the pair and hung his head in anticipation for the scolding of a lifetime.

"So you finally came to visit us" Charlus stated casually.

"Yes sir" Sirius replied and swallowed deeply.

"Stand up straight boy" the man in the portrait commanded.

Sirius immediately postured and slowly looked at the man and was surprised to see him smiling.

"You've grown into a fine young man Sirius" Charlus praised warmly.

"You're not angry with me?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"I have no right to be" Charlus shrugged. "I too made mistakes that I always regretted, I'm sure you carry enough guilt without me adding to it" he observed.

Sirius just nodded his agreement and swallowed again.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Charlus asked the marauder and his grandson.

"As ready as we ever will be" Harry answered, sharing a look with his godfather.

"Good" Charlus responded sincerely. "You two go and show those bastards why you shouldn't mess with the Potters and the Blacks" he instructed firmly.

The duo nodded.

"And Sirius?" Dorea spoke up causing the man to look towards his great aunt. "Do come and see us when it's all over, we have a lot of catching up to do" she explained gently.

Sirius nodded and gave the woman a smile.

"I will" he promised.

"And you had better bring that young lady to see us Harry, we have waited long enough to meet her" Charlus added to his grandson with a raised eyebrow.

Harry nodded his agreement.

"You will both be fine" Charlus assured them. "Trust each other and look out for each other then there will be nothing that can stop you" he said encouragingly.

Harry and Sirius shared a smile and a nod.

"Can we go prank now?" Sirius asked petulantly causing Harry to frown.

"Come on then" he sighed. "Let's get it over with".

Sirius chuckled gleefully and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Oh this will be fun" he mused aloud.

(BREAK)

The morning of April 1st dawned as any typical morning would. The sun rose and the birds chirped their tuneful song; there was no indication that today would see the spilling of blood and the loss of life that came with glorious battle.

Harry awoke from his slumber in a mood that could only be described as ready and willing. He neither felt excited nor scared or nervous; he was just ready.

It felt as though his whole life had led to this day; an inevitable confrontation with the temptress that was fate, though Harry despised the idea of an already determined path laid about before him. He had known for almost two years that this fight was going to take place and he was simply ready for it. He had done everything possible to prepare for it and he would have no regrets regardless of the outcome.

In some ways he was tired of life, the life he had been given certainly. But he knew that he could change that today, it was in his own hands and he wasn't about to forfeit his right to a peaceful existence without fighting with every fibre of his being. He had goals and aspirations to fulfill now and a future that was worth living for and as much as he wanted to be with his family once more he knew that they would prefer much more for him to survive and live a full life. The other side after all was an eternal condemnation and he would only be here for a mere blink of an eye.

He got out of bed and glimpsed the pictures on his bedside table. He picked them up and smiled at the sight of his parents and grandparent's happiness as they were gathered in the hospital room he had been born in.

"For you" he whispered and placed a kiss on each picture before placing them back where they belonged and left his room.

He showered and dressed in loose fitted khaki combat trousers, a fitted black t-shirt and white trainers, his preferred attire for a fight. He decided to not wear body armour as it inhibited his movement, something he would not risk despite the added protection it offered; he had more than enough faith in his own ability that he felt comfortable without it.

He apparated in to the kitchen of Potter Manor to find a very subdued Maisie already preparing his breakfast.

Though he didn't feel particularly hungry he knew he had to eat; he would certainly be needing the energy today.

Maisie served him the food with a sorrowful look towards the young man she had come to both respect and admire over the past many months and Harry smiled gently at the creature.

"Don't be sad Maisie" he tried, rubbing the elf comfortingly on the shoulder. "If things end badly today you will be cared for, I promise".

"Maisie just wants Master Harry backs in one piece" the elf said emotionally. "Maisie will miss her Master Harry" she added sadly.

Harry pulled the elf into a hug.

"Well Maisie I promise you will see me again, no matter what" Harry promised knowingly. "You are family after all" he added sincerely.

The elf choked back a sob and held the teen closer to her.

"Yous needs to be eating your breakfast Master Harry" she instructed firmly. "Yous can't be beating bad wizard's with and empty stomach" she finished knowingly.

Harry simply chuckled at the little elf. He knew perfectly well that she had been through war before and had cared for hi grandfather the same way she was now caring for him.

'I guess it doesn't get easier the more you face it' he thought to himself.

He was pulled from his musings by the arrival of his godfather who was looking very grave indeed, the amusement from last night being long forgotten. Harry could see that Sirius meant business.

He was dressed similarly to Harry though he wore all black and had tied his long hair into a ponytail.

"Ready?" the marauder asked.

Harry nodded.

"I've done everything I can think of" he responded certainly.

"Me too" Sirius confirmed.

The two remained silent for a moment just looking each other speculatively.

"Promise me something" Sirius suddenly spoke up.

"Anything" Harry answered genuinely.

"Please be there for Marlene and Natalie if I don't make it" he pleaded.

Harry shook his head disbelievingly.

"You don't even have to ask, you know that" Harry replied with a soft smile.

"I just had to make sure" Sirius explained, choking on his words a little.

Harry pulled his godfather into a tight hug.

"How about we don't let these bastards take anything else from us" he stated coldly.

Sirius gave a watery chuckle.

"How is it you can be so strong?" Sirius asked, shaking his head.

"I've always had to be" Harry shrugged "And right now I have to be more than ever" he explained.

Sirius wiped his eyes and stood stiffly.

"You're right, we need to be today if we want to get out of this alive" he agreed readily.

"No holding back today and no hesitating, if in doubt fire first and we handle the rest later" Harry said with a decisive nod.

Sirius just nodded, his expression darkening considerably.

It was almost time to fight and both men were as ready as they ever would be for the coming battle.

(BREAK)

Marlene woke alone in the bed she shared with her husband and immediately felt herself overcome with fear. She knew that he had gone to Harry's to wait for the signal to indicate the attack had begun yet she knew he had not been gone long as warmth could still be felt from where he had been lying only moments ago.

She sighed and looked towards his pillow to see a letter that the man had clearly written to her. She understood that a conversation before the inevitable would be unbearable for them both and she found herself grateful they he had the initiative to go because she could not trust herself to allow him to had he waited for her to wake.

She wiped away the tears that had begun to fall, picked up the parchment and began to read.

To my beautiful wife,

I know this is not easy for you but I have to do it for us all, for myself, for you and our daughter.

I couldn't face the conversation we would undoubtedly have so I put everything important I wanted to say in this letter, please forgive me for my cowardice, I wouldn't be able to leave today if I had to look you in the eyes and then walk away.

Remember that I love you more than life itself and there is nothing that will change that. I only hope that today unfolds the way we want it to and that I will be back with you soon enough. If that is not to be then I want you to know that there will be a day that we see each other again and I will be waiting for you and Natalie on the other side.

Take care of our daughter, you have everything you will both ever need and I will see you either soon or later once you have lived a life you deserve.

I have no doubt that Harry will win today but I cannot promise that I will make it. He will be there for you if you need anything.

All my love and so much more,

Your idiot Husband, Sirius

Marlene choked back a sob as she finished the letter and pulled it to her chest in attempt to feel closer to the man.

"Come back to me Sirius" she begged.

(BREAK)

Albus Dumbledore stood in front of the assembled members of the order of the phoenix looking as grave as any had ever seen him.

"I have been instructed by Alastor to tell you all to only defend the auror's and shield them as best you can, he will not tolerate Death Eaters being stunned, they are aiming to kill so do not get in their way" he explained seriously.

"What if we are willing to kill them?" Bill Weasley asked with a frown.

"Then I am sure your efforts will be appreciated" Dumbledore answered.

Bill nodded towards his father and brother's with the exception of Ron who would be remaining in the castle.

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned to see Remus Lupin giving him a hard stare followed by a resolute nod.

"You too?" Bill asked uncertainly.

"The last two people I consider family are out there, I've lost everyone else and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I don't lose anyone else" Remus explained firmly, the wolf within him making it's presence known through the amber glow in the man's eyes.

"It looks like you are with us then" Fred intoned pulling the werewolf into the huddle of redheads.

"An honorary Weasley for the day" George added with a grin.

"Welcome to the family" the twin's chorused together causing the man to grin.

"You're all insane" Doge cut in disbelievingly.

"Were your wife and daughter murdered by those bastards?" Arthur asked the man coldly. "No, so shut up Doge, we will take what action we please and you can stuff it" he spat uncharacteristically.

Elphias Doge remained silent. He could see the Weasley patriarch was on the edge and he did not want to be the man to push him.

"How will we know when to go?" Emmeline Vance questioned the headmaster.

"Alastor will send us the signal" Dumbledore answered.

"Then we wait" Charlie piped up and sunk into a nearby chair waiting for the go ahead from their leader.

The rest of the group just nodded and followed suit.

(BREAK)

Daphne entered the Great Hall along with her sister and Tracey to find that the day appeared to be as normal as ever, though she knew it wasn't and that notion was made even more clear by the absence of the more prominent members of staff from the table.

Those who were absent were clearly very tense and looking apprehensive.

"What's going on?" Tracey asked having been aware of Daphne's lack of attention for the past few days.

She had at first put it down to the fact that the girl was lovesick but noticing her stiffening posture as she entered the room made it very clear to the girl that something was certainly amiss.

"It's happening today?" Daphne whispered worriedly to her friend.

Tracey's eyebrows rose significantly.

"Today?" she hissed incredulously. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"I had to keep it as quiet as possible" the blonde explained.

Tracey nodded her understanding. There were certainly a few people in the castle of questionable morals and character, this she knew for sure.

The trio sat and began eating their breakfast and it wasn't long after that Professor Sprout stood and addresses the room.

"The castle is under an indefinite lockdown" she announced. "When breakfast is over you will be confined to your common rooms for your own safety" she added. "Anyone who refuses will be detained using necessary force" she finished sternly.

A lot of speculative chatter broke out within the room with several people trying to guess what the reason could be for the lockdown, though it was obvious to most.

"But Neville and Hermione aren't here" Ron called out to the Herbology Professor worriedly.

"Hannah is missing too" Susan Bones broke in clearly concerned about her friend.

"I'm guessing they somehow became aware of todays happenings" Madame Pomfrey whispered to Sprout who swallowed deeply.

"Are you sure?" she asked the matron quietly.

"I've been teaching the girls and I'm guessing Mr. Longbottom decided to be a foolish Gryffindor and tag along" Pomfrey replied, sure of her deductions.

"Are any other students missing?" Sprout asked those in the hall.

When none came forward she sighed in relief.

"Hufflepuff's will follow me to the dormitory, Ravenclaw students will follow Professor Sinistra, Gryffindor's will follow Professor Grubbly-Plank and Slytherin will follow Professor Slughorn" she explained firmly.

"And what if we want to fight?" a seventh year Ravenclaw asked, standing up to be recognised. "My father is an auror and will be out there I want to be with him" he stated angrily.

"Your father is a trained auror Mr. Mitchell, it is his job and you are still a student" Sprout answered. "We have been instructed to not allow anyone to leave" she explained further.

"Your mudblood father is history Mitchell" Marcus Belby shouted from the Slytherin table gleefully.

"Moron" Blaise Zabini muttered. "How stupid can you be to announce your allegiance right now" he added shaking his head ruefully.

The Ravenclaw boy chuckled darkly at the Slytherin who frowned at him irritably.

"What's so funny?" Belby asked confusedly.

"Well if your father is fighting for You-know-who then he is the one that is history" Mitchell answered. "My father and the rest of the auror's have been trained by Potter and Black" he finished with a smirk.

An eruption of chatter began in the room again at that revelation.

"Liar" Belby snarled.

"Not at all" Mitchell shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find out when they are using a mop to clean up your father's remains off of the pavement" he finished, taking his seat again.

Belby visibly paled and made to run from the room but was stopped as the doors slammed shut before he could leave.

"Sit down Belby" Slughorn commanded.

"But my father" the teen whined.

"You were happy enough to mock another student for the same thing, now sit down you idiot boy" the potions master commanded angrily drawing his wand.

Belby eyed the wand warily and swallowed deeply before taking his seat.

"Has Harry and Sirius really been training the auror's?" Astoria asked her sister.

"Since January" Daphne replied.

Blaise Zabini chuckled amusedly.

"Looks as though the Dark Lord has no idea what he's getting himself in for" he mused aloud with a smirk.

Belby gave him a venomous glare, which Blaise returned equally.

The room was suddenly filled with the sound of explosions sounding from the village in the distance.

"So it begins" Daphne said weakly.

Tracey and Astoria both put a comforting arm around the girl and Blaise sat vigilantly by them.

The group was joined by a teary-eyed Natalie who was quickly pulled into Daphne's arms by the older girl.

All they could do was comfort each other for the time being and hope that those they loved and cared for came out on the other side, alive and as unharmed as possible.

(BREAK)

Harry and Sirius had been waiting around for almost two hours, the desire to fight growing with each passing moment. To them the wait was worse than any fight could possibly be.

They became restless and irritable because of the anticipation they felt so both chose to remain silent, lost in their own thoughts.

Harry had been preparing by reminding him why he was fighting and what it was he was fighting for.

'Family, vengeance, freedom, peace, a future, Daphne' he repeated to himself over and over again.

His eyes had been glowing dangerously for some time as his magic readied itself to be used liberally.

He could feel it thrumming through his blood, itching to be used, itching to cut down those that were threatening everything he held in his heart.

He began pacing becoming more and more furious at the thoughts of his parents being murdered, watching Cedric be murdered right in front of him and being useless in that moment. He thought of all the problems Tom had caused him and the life he had been condemned to because of him.

He thought of the childhood he had and the one he should have. He pondered what Tom would do to those who refused under his regime but most of all, he thought of what Tom would do to Daphne if he were to lose.

His eyes became alight with a new fire and his magic positively pounded throughout him and he growled angrily.

He was both furious and excited at the prospect of both revenge and preventing any further pain.

He simply could not wait to kill Tom Riddle and he would damn well enjoy it.

He would allow no man to threaten his life or those that were making it worth living. People and Tom in particular had taken liberties with the young man for too long and something had finally snapped within him as he recollected every last injustice that had befallen him throughout his life.

Sirius looked towards his godson after he heard him growl and felt a trickle of fear make its way down his spine as he saw the expression the younger man wore and the eerie glow of his eyes the became more apparent and began pulsing brighter and brighter.

He was about to place a hand on Harry's shoulder in an attempt to calm him when they were intruded upon by a patronus in the form of a coyote.

"NOW" the voice of Moody roared.

The two men locked eyes and Harry vanished instantly.

Sirius couldn't miss the look of pain and anger his godson wore; he simply looked deranged.

He followed the teen only a split second later and appeared in the middle of the village by Harry's side, as planned.

The moment he landed Harry sent off a barrage of blasting and explosion curses, tearing large chunks of stone from the surrounding buildings and sending several Death Eaters fleeing from the onslaught of the debris that flew towards them.

Sirius stood shoulder to shoulder with his godson and began firing the most devastating spells in his arsenal at the cloaked men killing several of them in quick succession.

The two worked in perfect harmony and synchronicity as they had trained; completely unaware of their allies behind them who were fighting for everything they were worth. It was them and only them; Sirius and Harry against the world, just the way it should always have been.

Many paused to watch the duo for a few seconds and were completely blown away by the devastation the two wands caused in the hands of the two men.

If battle and war could be considered beautiful then what they created was a live and ongoing masterpiece of death and destruction for those that stood behind the wands of the artists.

For those that stood in front of them it was simply hell on earth. There was no beauty or grim artistic appreciation; only fear and pain could be experienced from this perspective.

The pair quickly settled into their usual rhythm and defended each other when necessary and rained deadly spells down on their enemies with speed and precision, killing, maiming and destroying indiscriminately.

(BREAK)

At Moody's signal Dumbledore and the rest of the order activated their portkeys and arrived amongst the contingency of auror's.

The headmaster immediately began conjuring heavy, thick slabs of granite in front of their ranks, his mastery of transfiguration being demonstrated by the speed and quality in which he produced the barriers.

Remus and the Weasley's began forcing their way through the crowd to be at the forefront of the action. They heard the explosions and screams coming from their left and headed in that direction, making an educated guess that Harry and Sirius were the cause of the spells that were wreaking so much havoc amongst the Death Eaters.

Bill began twirling his wand and muttering under his breath.

"Anti-apparition wards" he explained with a grin to his companions. "We don't want any of them escaping do we?" he asked with a dark laugh.

Remus spotted by Harry and Sirius ahead and made his way to them simply bumping anyone aside who hindered his progress.

The Weasley's followed the werewolf and soon found themselves in the thick of the action where they could see Death Eater upon Death Eater being cut down ruthlessly by the duo.

They added their own spells to the mix, cutting down their enemies without hesitation.

"For my wife" Arthur growled, his eyes full of tears as he felled a cloaked figure with a cutting hex. "And for my daughter" he sobbed as he brought down another in a similar fashion.

The men fought for all they were worth. If they were going to die today then they would die knowing that they fought for what they believed in.

(BREAK)

Hermione, Neville and Hannah were woken by the sound of loud explosions as they slept in the shrieking shack.

The trio immediately jumped to their feet, confused and on edge. It took them a moment to remember why they were here.

"We should have stayed in the castle" Hannah said simply as several screams of pain were heard from outside.

"We have to help" Hermione responded pulling her magically altered messenger bag onto her shoulder.

Hannah swallowed deeply and nodded reluctantly.

"Let's go then" Neville sighed as he drew his wand and opened the door.

The two Gryffindor's and the Hufflepuff left the shack cautiously and began scanning the area.

They could see cloaked figures everywhere but they were not paying attention to the three students, they were all focused on a large cluster of men in the centre of the village where hundreds of spells were impacting into the ranks of the Death Eaters that had them surrounded.

"That way" Neville instructed pointing towards a small gap.

He moved forward carefully, closely followed by his companions.

The reason for the gap in the circle of men soon became apparent.

The ground was littered with the bodies of those that had failed to defend themselves. Dismembered limbs and various parts of the human anatomy were strewn about the ground as nothing more than offal that a butcher would discard after he had taken anything worthy from a carcass.

Hannah doubled over and vomited at the gory sight and the smell of blood, urine and excrement that permeated the usually fresh and crisp air of the village.

Neville patted the girl on the back and looked up to see a familiar young man firing off hexes towards somewhere on their left.

"Harry" he whispered.

Hermione and Hannah both looked towards where Neville was staring and blanched at the sight of the teen.

Harry was firing off spell after spell in quick succession into the hoards of Death Eaters but that was not what caught them off guard. It was the sight of the teen that shocked them.

The young man was covered from head to toe in blood and they could tell by the way he was still moving and firing off spells that the blood wasn't his.

He was simply terrifying and his eyes were visibly glowing as he rained down destruction. He looked positively feral and the expression on his face gave his former classmates chills.

They watched in awe as the various jets of light erupted from his wand with power and precision.

They were snapped from their awestruck state as they saw a cloaked figure charge towards the teen that was quickly rendered into nothing but a spatter of blood and sinew on the pavement. The body exploded into a mist of blood and guts as the green-eyed teen's spell hit true.

Hannah proceeded to vomit again and both Neville and Hermione paled considerably at what they had just seen.

"We should have stayed in the castle" Neville echoed the blonde's previous sentiments.

Before any reply could be given a moan was heard from their right and Hermione immediately headed towards the sound with her wand drawn; she didn't want to come across a Death Eater after all.

Fortunately for the trio it was an auror whose robes were soaked in blood from a deep wound in his back.

The man groaned again and tried to move but was stopped by Hermione as she sprung into action.

Looking up and seeing the Hogwarts robes the girl was wearing the auror frowned.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he ground out.

Hermione raised her eyebrow at the man.

"Do you want my help?" she asked indicating the bag of potions she carried.

"What is that?" the auror questioned confusedly.

"Potions" Hermione answered simply as she opened the bag. "Hannah can you start knitting the wound" she asked.

After a moment of hesitation the Hufflepuff stepped forward drawing her wand and began the spell work on the man's injury.

"Blood replenisher" Hermione mumbled and she reached into her bag immediately and pulled out the vial of red liquid. "Pain potion" she muttered and removed the potion and began administering them to the man.

"That is quite a handy bag" the auror observed through a grimace. "My wife is a healer and would love that" he added.

"Told you" Hannah said triumphantly to the bushy-haired brunette.

"Did you make it?" the man asked as he swallowed the potions given to him.

Hermione just nodded shyly.

"You must be damn clever" he praised as he winced in pain once again.

"Done" Hannah proclaimed as she stepped back to admire her work.

The auror stood and stretched, noticing that the pain had subsided and he did not feel so nauseous and dizzy from the blood loss.

"Not bad" he praised, surprised by the skill of teens. "But you should get the hell out of here, this is no place for kids" he advised firmly.

Before she could respond Hermione heard a bang louder than any she had heard before and felt herself being hurtled through the air.

She felt herself impact on to the ground with a loud thud and felt pain shoot through her whole body. The pain overwhelmed her and she instantly felt very sick and dizzy.

Within moments she knew no more as she lost consciousness, her last coherent thought being on the two friends that had accompanied her here.

(BREAK)

The Dark Lord watched from the relative safety of the mountains north of the village as his followers began their attack.

In a matter of seconds all hell broke loose as the entire auror force of the ministry arrived followed by several others including Dumbledore and his ilk. Even from this distance the Dark Lord recognized the telltale silver hair and beard that his former transfiguration professor adorned.

He watched as his ranks were being decimated by the combined efforts of the auror's and those that had accompanied them here.

"They knew" he realized with a growl. "They must have found out" he whispered angrily as he witnessed how organized his foes were.

He shook with anger and was about to sound a command of withdrawal but felt the presence of an anti-apparition ward being put in place.

"Damn" he roared as he pointed his wand at a boulder behind him causing it to disintegrate into dust. "Lucius, Antonin, Alecto, Amycus" he called. "Lead the inferi into the enemy ranks" he commanded.

"Yes my Lord" the group replied in unison as they began herding the animated corpses towards their target.

Voldemort knew that the bodies needed to be guided or they would simply attack his own men as they made their journey; they were mindless after all and had one trail of thought and that was to maim and kill any living person they come into contact with.

The Dark Lord watched as his followers led the 200 or so creatures into the fray and smiled maliciously.

"Jugson, Selwyn" he called to his final two companions. "Send in the Dementors and the rest of our friends" he instructed. "We need to see where the patronus's come from" he explained.

He wanted to know exactly where Potter was. He did not want to have to waste energy by fighting through the crowd as he sought the boy.

He would need all the reserves he had. There would be no underestimating Harry Potter this time.

But before he confronted the boy he would overwhelm him and his allies with his superior numbers, tire him as much as possible and then end him quickly.

"Let's see how you handle that Potter" he spat angrily as he narrowed his red eyes in disgust as he watched his men being dismantled by his enemies.

(BREAK)

Harry and Sirius became aware that they had been joined by others. They noticed the Weasley's and' Remus assembled behind them, firing their own spells into the advancing Death Eaters and they noticed both Robards and Moody to their right following their own example of working in tandem with one another, doing so effectively.

The other thing they noticed was that their own numbers were beginning to dwindle and reduce fairly rapidly. They were outnumbered considerably and knew their losses would be felt much more than Tom's.

Harry growled and began firing off spells with more vigour but was distracted by a frantic shouting coming from an auror to his left who was pointing in the direction of the mountains.

"Inferi" the man warned worriedly.

Harry turned and saw the mass of pale corpses making their way towards them and he released a breath of frustration.

He sent off a patronus and began fighting again hoping that one of his contingency plans would come into effect quickly.

"A patronus?" Sirius asked confusedly.

"You'll see" Harry answered simply and began fighting once more.

Sirius just shook his head and continued firing a salvo of spells into a group of Death Eaters to his left.

It was only a short minute later that the auror's and members of the order were disturbed by the arrival of dozens of men and women in light blue robes who immediately began helping them by attacking the Death Eaters and inferi that were quickly closing the distance between them.

"It's nice of you to join us Jean" Harry greeted the head of the French DMLE.

"I wouldn't miss eet for the world 'Arry" the man responded as he clapped the teen on the shoulder before sending a stream of fire into the inferi.

"Damn Potter" Moody growled approvingly. "You know how to make the right friends" he praised as he fired of a killing curse towards the Death Eaters that were leading the dead towards them.

Harry just nodded and continued his own efforts to prevent them from being overrun.

(BREAK)

Lord Voldemort looked on with glee as his men started to gain the upper hand as the auror numbers began reducing at a satisfactory pace.

'Perhaps I won't even need to fight him' he mused happily.

His joy quickly turned to shock and anger once more as the number of the auror's was bolstered significantly by the arrival of a hundred or so men and women in light blue robes.

The Dark Lord growled angrily but allowed a cruel smirk to cross his distorted features as he witnessed the last of his men and followers heading towards the fray.

"Not bad" he admitted grudgingly. "But not good enough" he added confidently as he focused once more on the fight waiting for Potter to reveal his location, just in case.

(BREAK)

With the addition of the French auror's things started to look up as the progress made by the corpses in their advance were hindered greatly.

The arrival of the French gave the English auror's a moment of respite so they could take a breath and heal any injuries they had received.

Their respite was short-lived however as several shouts rang out within their group at once.

"Giants" a female voice sounded.

"Trolls" another followed.

"Dementors" a gruff male voice finished as each new enemy was identified and indicated by which way they were approaching.

"Shit" Moody growled.

A roar of pain and anguish sounded from where the giants were approaching. The noise rose above all other audible happenings in the village and many stopped what they were doing as the chilling sound began.

"Looks like one of them fell into one of your traps" Sirius said in explanation.

"Looks like it worked then" Moody mumbled.

"Traps?" Robards questioned the trio.

"We gouged a few trenches into the ground and filled them with spikes" Harry explained with a shrug.

"And put a few curses on them before hiding them with illusion spells" Sirius explained further with a proud grin.

"Nice work lads" Moody praised. "Now can we get on with it?" he asked irritably as another roar of anger could be heard.

"Sirius, you go with Gawain and deal with the giants, lure them into the trenches if you can" Harry instructed.

"I'm not leaving you" Sirius responded adamantly.

Harry sighed.

"Look what is heading this way" he pointed out. "Dementors are not your strong point if you remember correctly and those with the trolls is not a good mix for you" he returned heatedly.

"Go on lad" Moody encouraged him. "I've got his back" he said promisingly.

Sirius nodded reluctantly and pulled his godson into a hug.

"I'll be back as soon as possible" Sirius whispered and headed of quickly with the head of the auror's to tackle the giants that were descending on them.

Harry turned back towards the advancing enemy and shook his head knowingly.

"This is not going to go well" he stated to Moody.

"Aye lad, the men are getting tired" he pointed out. "And there are too many" he growled as a large crowd of Vampires and un-transformed werewolves headed towards them.

"Fuck" Harry gritted out and pulled Moody forwards with him as he leveled his wand at the advancing inferi.

"FIENDFYRE" he roared and looked on as a chimera erupted from his wand and began reducing the corpses to ash.

Moody nodded approvingly and followed suit, sending the Death Eaters controlling them scattering in several directions.

They new their efforts were in vain however.

They would soon be overrun by: the trolls, vampires, werewolves, dementors and the rest of the Death Eaters.

All that was left was to fight until they could no longer.

Harry felt a wave of anger overcome him as he felt his chance at vengeance and redemption slipping from his fingers the closer Tom's army got.

He shook his head as he realized that the trolls leading the charge were only a dozen or so metre's from them and he braced himself for the fight of a lifetime.

"Pull back" a man behind them shouted but both Moody and Harry ignored the advice; neither man would retreat now.

The trolls made it to around 20 feet away when several loud and indignant screeches could be heard coming from the direction of the forbidden forest.

Harry frowned at the familiar sound but his eyebrows quickly rose in recognition as he spotted a large collection of beasts flying towards them.

"Tristan" he whispered knowingly.

"What?" Moody asked, clearly on edge by the new arrivals.

"My griffins and Thestrals" Harry pointed out gratefully as the mass of beasts collided with the trolls, vampires and trolls.

A loud cheer erupted from within their ranks as they dispatched of the trolls in only a few moments and sent the werewolves and vampires retreating in panic at the sight of the unexpected cavalry.

"You have griffins?" Moody asked Harry disbelievingly.

Harry just nodded and grinned.

"Must be damn loyal to you" he observed as he witnessed the creatures tearing the trolls limb from limb.

"They are" Harry replied in just above a whisper.

He quickly fired a spell over Moody's shoulder as he caught a glimpse of blonde hair attempting to retreat.

The main screamed in pain as the curse collided with him and he fell to the ground.

"Oh Lucy, I have been waiting for this" Harry spoke in a dangerous tone as he approached the down man.

"Potter" Malfoy spat distastefully. "The Dark Lord is looking forward to killing you" he added but the fear he felt was evident in his voice.

"He can't be that excited" Harry shrugged. "He's sending his arse-lickers in first to try and weaken me" he concluded thoughtfully.

Malfoy just growled but did nothing and Harry wanted him to fight. He smirked at the idea that formed in his mind.

"Your ex-wife sends her regards" he goaded and was pleased to see Malfoy stiffen at his words.

"She's with you?" the blonde asked incredulously.

"She is family" Harry happily pointed out.

Malfoy growled at the younger man but was saved from the need to curse him as Dolohov appeared and fired a curse towards the teen that he batted aside casually.

"I don't know who you are but you can't be worth shit if you're licking Tom's arse too" Harry said to the newcomer casually.

"Very cocky for a man surrounded Potter" Dolohov replied as he indicated a few others emerging all with singed robes.

"I think you will find Dolohov that he isn't" the voice of Moody cut in as he, Remus and Professor McGonagall entered and took a defensive stance around the teen.

"Mad-eye Moody" Dolohov intoned casually. "It's been a long time" he mused aloud.

"Aye" Moody agreed. "When Carrow there cursed me in the back while we were fighting" he spat angrily as he pointed to one of the other men.

"Doesn't he fuck his sister?" Remus asked causing Harry to splutter at the unusually crude language of the werewolf.

"Aye, that's what I heard" Moody chuckled gleefully as the man in question began shaking in rage.

"Fuck you half-breed" the man spat as he fired a curse towards Remus.

Moody immediately fired back and Harry sent several curses towards Malfoy as he tried to retreat once again.

Remus ended up battling with the short and ugly female that was definitely related to Carrow and McGonagall began dueling with Dolohov.

The fight on this front was coming to a conclusion; Harry just hoped that Sirius was fairing as well as he.

He saw that the griffins and Thestrals were still battling the remaining Death Eaters but noticed that the Dementors were now heading towards where the giants could still be seen.

A very powerful explosion was heard from the direction they were heading in and Harry just knew that he was needed there. He had a gut feeling and his gut had never let him down yet.

"Sirius" he whispered worriedly as he looked upon Malfoy.

He was torn between punishing the blonde and finding his godfather.

Making his mind up quickly he fired a string of curses at the man and knew he had landed a few at least and that the man was not for this world much longer.

He had to get to Sirius, that was what was most important to him now.

He used his wand to levitate himself and took control of the spell wandlessly, something he had witnessed his grandfather do in the pensieve many moons ago.

He used his wand to fire of a powerful stream of wind and aimed it behind him propelling him forward at great speed towards where he knew the man he sought would be.

To those on the battlefield it seemed as though Harry Potter was flying without a broom or any other magical aide. But to the teen himself, he knew that it was a combination of simple spells but he did now that it certainly looked impressive; there were very few who could even levitate a feather wandlessly, let alone their own body.

(BREAK)

Albus Dumbledore watched in awe as the griffins and Thestrals arrived and made quick work of the trolls.

He shook himself from his thoughts and immediately began defending the group he was a part of from the Dementors along with Filius who, as usual, had been a phenomenon with his wand.

The Weasley's were all surrounding young Percival who had unfortunately fallen victim to a rather nasty curse that was causing the young man considerable pain.

Albus was aware that his healing ability was rather poor and knew that his patronus was needed to help keep the former guards of Azkaban at bay.

He watched as the creatures began to head in the direction that the giants were still attacking from and was about to follow when his eye was caught by a sight he certainly did not expect to see.

Harry Potter was flying across the village, actually flying towards where the Dementors were heading.

The headmaster shook his head again and decided that he would try to locate Minerva who he had last seen with Remus Lupin.

His attention was caught once more, this time by the sight of spell-fire taking place in the vicinity to his left.

On closer inspection he could see Remus Lupin along with Alastor fighting a few more recognizable Death Eaters than those they had encountered so far.

He looked again and blanched at what he saw.

Minerva was fighting Antonin Dolohov, a formidable man with his wand, certainly one of the most skilled Death Eaters in Tom's ranks.

The aged wizard charged towards the fight and cursed the anti-apparition wards that had been placed.

He was only 30 feet away from the conflict when he was stopped in his tracks by what he saw.

Dolohov fired a purple bolt from his wand and it caught the transfiguration professor flush in the chest. She fell soundlessly to the ground and did not move even an inch.

Dumbledore paled.

He was not aware of the curse he had seen but he knew that it must be very unpleasant to bring Minerva down so quickly.

He noted that Dolohov was laughing maniacally at his achievement and felt an influx of pure, unadulterated rage invade his body.

He began to shake uncontrollably as he stalked towards the still laughing man and leveled his wand in his direction.

"Oh Dumbles wants to play does he" Dolohov sneered as he fired off the same purple spell that had taken down Professor McGonagall.

Dumbledore sidestepped the spell nimbly and fired off a blasting curse with all his might at the man.

Dolohov did not expect the leader of the light to fire such a curse and did not bother dodging having expected nothing more than a stunner from the man, as was his reputation. He was shocked however when he did recognize the spell but knew he did not have time to avoid it as it hurtled towards him with blistering speed.

He hurriedly erected a shield in an attempt to dampen the power of the curse but it simply was not enough.

Antonin Dolohov disappeared in a spray of red mist as he was reduced to nothing more than tiny fragments of flesh and bone.

Dumbledore balked at the effect his spell had had and the remaining Death Eaters froze in fear. They were dispatched by the members of the order they were fighting, who quickly gathered around their leader as he made his way to the fallen woman.

"Minerva?" he questioned desperately as he crouched beside her and attempted to gain some indication that she was alive.

"She's gone Albus" Moody said after a moment of observing the woman. "There's nothing you can do" he explained, placing a hand on the distraught man's shoulder.

"No" Dumbledore choked pleadingly. "Minerva" he begged as he took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

No matter how much he pleaded and begged his long-time friend was unresponsive. He knew that she was dead but he could not accept it, he wouldn't accept it.

He felt the first mournful tears escape his eyes as he clutched Minerva's hand, simply not being able to let go.

He felt a sudden warm weight land on his shoulder and looked to see to see that his familiar had arrived.

Fawkes began to sing a song in honour of the woman they had both become very fond of over the many decades they had shared together.

Albus just listened to the song as he held the hand of the woman and allowed the tears to continue to fall freely.

"Let's go" Moody ordered. "He will be ok" he assured Remus who was also weeping at the loss of his former professor.

The two were making their exit when they heard a cough sound from behind them. They turned to see a very sickly looking Lucius Malfoy sprawled on the ground, attempting to hide himself from view.

Moody approached him and chuckled darkly.

"You're dying" he stated simply. "One of Potter's curses" he added with a grin. "That will be very unpleasant" he concluded and removed the man's wand from his hand and snapped it in half. "Can't have you taking the easy way out can we" he finished and fired a bone-breaker at each of the man's legs eliciting a shrill scream for his effort.

He gave Malfoy a final smirk before leading Lupin away.

"He was already dead" he growled casually.

Remus just shrugged and followed the man.

The fighting on this side of the village had finished so the pair headed towards where spell-fire could bee seen further in front of them.

"Where's Harry?" emus suddenly asked worriedly.

"Saw the lad flying that way" Moody replied.

"Flying?" Remus spluttered.

"Aye" Moody confirmed. "I've learnt to just take what he does in my stride" he explained. "The lad is full of surprises, always" he finished with a shake of his head.

The pair began hurrying towards where they could see the fighting but paused suddenly as a large wall of flame formed around where there had been spells flying only moments ago.

They heard a series of loud screeches and saw the griffins that had attacked the trolls now attacking the giants, picking them apart with the help of spears and other lethal items being banished towards their foes.

"Looks like the main event has started" Moody growled pointing towards the fire. "Cursed fire" he grunted in explanation.

Remus looked towards the flames and noticed that they were not normal in a colour or appearance. They were mostly jet black and danced in a strangely enticing rhythm, not they way that regular flames were sporadic and unpredictable.

"What do we do?" he asked the grizzled auror who was adjusting his wooden leg.

"Let's head over" Moody instructed pointing towards the area that the flames had appeared in. "They might need us" he shrugged.

Remus nodded and again followed the man. He was keen to see for himself if Harry and Sirius were ok.

(BREAK)

Sirius and Gawain headed away from Harry and Moody in the direction that the giants had appeared. They could see four of the beasts and knew that one of them had fallen into one of the traps that he and Harry had created the night before.

"We should be able to lure three of them into the rest of the traps" Sirius explained. "That will leave only one we have to fight, we should be able to handle that" he added hopefully.

Gawain just nodded in reply.

He was not keen on the idea of fighting a giant but felt much safer in the presence of Sirius knowing that the man had experience battling them.

They reached their destination without being hindered much. There were bodies here and there of both enemies and allies alike but they ignored them for the time being, they had much more pressing issues to deal with.

"Start conjuring weapons, swords and spears" Sirius instructed to which Gawain immediately complied.

The marauder began banishing the conjured items towards one of the behemoths in an effort to gain its attention and it worked as intended.

A giant of close to 25 feet in height began lumbering towards the pair clumsily, roaring in anger and swinging a tree it had uprooted with the intention of pounding the duo into pulp.

"Black" Gawain called fearfully as the creature neared striking distance.

Sirius ignored the man and continued goading the monster.

"BLACK" Gawain screamed as the trunk whistled through the air in front of them.

The ground suddenly rumbled and the giant disappeared into a large pit.

There was a moment of utter silence before the air was ripped with a guttural shriek of pain emitting from the pit in which the creature had fallen down.

The screaming lasted only a moment and silence reigned in the pit once more as the giant perished.

"One more down" Sirius sighed as he released a long drawn out breath.

"You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack" Gawain responded weakly as he clutched his chest tightly.

"I knew what I was doing" Sirius replied though his voice was laced with uncertainty. "Come on, we have two more traps" he said as he began pulling the man towards their next location.

They managed to dispose of one more giant in a similar fashion before things took a turn for the worse.

"Dementors" Gawain muttered darkly as he felt the familiar cold and sense of dread set in.

"Fiendfyre" Sirius explained pointing to the other side of the village where the flames could be seen. "They obviously don't like it very much" he added thoughtfully.

"Expecto Patronum" both men cast in unison.

Sirius's grim and Gawain's eagle patronus began guarding their casters, waiting for the creatures they defended against to come nearer.

They heard a series of screeches and saw a large amount of flying creatures diving into to attack the trolls they could still see in the distance.

"Are they griffins?" Gawain asked, clearly in shock.

"Harry's" Sirius answered with a grin.

Gawain shook his head.

"How the hell do you make friends with griffins?" he asked incredulously.

"Harry has some kind of gift with animals" Sirius replied with a shrug. "I guess he won them over, they live on his property" he explained to the confused man.

"Always full of surprises that one" the auror mused.

"You have no idea" Sirius chuckled.

(BREAK)

The Dark Lord watched in fury as his inferi were reduced to ashes by the combined fiendfyre spells. He knew that there were very few people that could cast it with the level of control he was witnessing.

"Potter and Black" he growled angrily.

His rage only increased as he saw the arrival of the griffins and Thestrals. He watched in shock and concern as they tore through his ranks of trolls, vampires and werewolves as thought they were nothing. He had to admit that they were very impressive beasts.

"You are surprising Potter" he conceded bitterly.

He was pulled from his observations as he caught a glimpse of silvery light glistening in his peripheral vision to his left.

"Black" he gasped triumphantly as he made out the image of the grim.

He glanced at the other patronus he could see and knew that Potter's wasn't an eagle, he was sure that it was a stag as Pettigrew had pointed out helpfully.

The Dark Lord grinned evilly.

"You shouldn't have wandered off alone Black" he remarked happily as he made his way towards the area marked by the patronuses.

(BREAK)