Chapter 17

At Hogwarts and later at the Order's Headquarters at Grimmauld Place in the morning

Dumbledore and Moody had gone to Hogwarts and from there Dumbledore had messaged everyone and had once again paced the floor to and fro, worried as he discussed the latest with Moody.

"Who can it be Alastor? Who knows the ancient magic of our forefathers so well that they were able to deploy it against the death eaters so efficiently? Who are they? For it has to be more than one and if this or these persons are coming into our fight Alastor, I do not like it."

"What does it matter Albus?" Alastor's voice was gruff. "Thanks to them today we are six death eaters short and one of them is Rabastan Lestrange. That alone shows that this is not a petty fight between the death eaters, but a war against them. Whoever it is should have our gratitude a they are fighting for us."

"But who?" asked Dumbledore as he paced the floor sipping his hot spiced tea. "Who has the knowledge of the forgotten arts? We must know that and use them to our advantage."

"I think you should simply sit tight on this one Albus. These persons are doing only too well and until they do something that warrants this agitation from you, I think we should be calm."

Moody watched as his friend paced the floor trying to comprehend all that had happened. While it had baffled him as well, he was not perturbed as only death eaters had been apprehended and so what if they did die. The Wizarding World would be a better place for it.

But Dumbledore was not as easily satisfied as he really did not know anyone in the Wizarding World who knew the ancient arts, not him, not anyone in the Order and definitely not anyone among the death eaters as if they had Voldemort would have won the war long ago.

Not convinced, Dumbledore and Moody flood to Grimmauld Place to find the place bustling with people. The Weasleys were there and so were McGonagall, Remus, Tonks and Shaklebolt. And Kingsley and Tonks had apparently informed the others about what had happened at the Ministry early in the morning.

There were loud cries as Dumbledore stepped into the kitchen and smiling accepted a cup of tea from Molly Weasley.

"What happened Albus? Is what Tonks and Shaklebolt say true? I, for one was not able to find anything and I left after sometime." Arthur Weasley who was already sipping a cup of tea asked him. He had also been there but had been unable to find anything. He knew an outline of what had happened from Tonks and Shaklebolt though.

Albus Dumbledore sighed and related everything he knew and asked all of them to keep an eye on anyone they knew who could tap into the ancient arts. McGonagall was listening with an amazed look on her face as she too queried Dumbledore about just who could have the power to cast such magic.

"I really do not know Minerva." Dumbledore told her heavily. "Who ever it was we must be careful as they seem to have sprouted up all of a sudden and that is never good."

As they sat there discussing Snape flood in sneering at one and all. "Severus! Were you called by Voldemort?" Dumbledore actually stood up as Snape walked in, wanting to know if Voldemort knew of this as Lucius Malfoy had been there.

Snape nodded as he refused a cup of tea from Molly.

"Apparently Lucius Malfoy was in the Ministry today morning and Rabastan Lestrange was as good as dead. The Dark Lord was livid and today he has ordered an attack all over the country both magical and muggle. When he told me not to reveal this to you, I told him that you had already called for an Order meeting and that you want all of us to patrol all over the country as the Dark Lord may try and enact revenge. He was angrier about that and wants all his death eaters to do maximum damage."

Dumbledore beamed, "That was quick thinking Severus."

Snape inclined his head sharply, "Yes it was. You see, the Dark Lord has seen it fit to include me in his Inner Circle to replace Rabastan."

"Well that is one good thing that has come out of the capture." Dumbledore sighed in relief as this would mean that Snape would have more access to information that would do a world of good. In fact it had already started as Severus had come with not only valuable information, but had improvised so well that the Order could actually do something about it.

"The Dark Lord has asked me not to participate in the raids to day as that would raise suspicions and Albus I think it would be wise if I refrained from being seen with the Order as well."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes you may go back to the cottage Severus, but be alert."

"How is Harry Severus?" Remus asked him softly, something no one else had asked, not even Molly, Snape noted bitterly as he sneered at Remus.

"He is as disobedient and disrespectful as ever. What else would you expect of Gryffindor's Golden Boy Lupin?" He remarked scathingly as he studied Remus. He seemed to have shriveled inside. Good, Snape thought with satisfaction. The bloody wolf deserved it for his cruel remarks about Harry. He must be thankful the dog wasn't there else, friend or not Black would have killed this man for isolating and ignoring Harry.

Remus snarled and then subsided guiltily as Snape raised an eyebrow, "Feeling very affectionate are we? Then why Lupin, did you not take boy with you? He must surely prefer your training to mine." Dumbledore clapped his hands to defuse the situation.

"Now, now let us concentrate on the matter at hand. Severus, please return to Voldemort and tell him that not only the Order but also the aurors will be patrolling everyday from now on. The war has truly begun. Alastor, please go to the Ministry and tell Amelia that our spies have got intelligence that Voldemort will be attacking from tonight onwards. Harry is safe at the cottage is he not?"

Snape nodded his head and stood up to leave. "I will Patronus you if I have any more information on the Dark Lord."

"Oh and bring back Harry to the School with you when you come for the new School year and take care Severus. Be very careful." Dumbledore cautioned him and then Snape left.

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The Ministry too, had on the information of Mad-Eye Moody acted promptly and that night there were many small but furious and deadly battles taking place at various places all through the night. Many flashes of light were reported from the muggles as an extraordinary phenomenon except those muggles who were involved in the muggle baiting and had only terror in their eyes until they died or were mercifully oblivated by the Ministry wizards.

Two aurors lost their lives in action against the death eaters and three more were seriously injured. About twenty muggles too, lost their lives, very few compared to the number that would have been lost if it weren't for Snape's actions.

The death eaters lost heavily as both Boot and Nott thanks to the dark curses thrown by Pansy, Harry and Draco who had fought four death eaters and had managed to kill the two who succumbed to their injuries infuriating Voldemort.

An invisible Snape had killed yet another death eater while a heavily disguised Arran had made sure that the four he had met head on would take a good while before they could be involved in active combat. While the Order had not managed to capture any death eater, the aurors managed to get three of them, two wizards and one witch from the outer ranks.

Voldemort did not attack after that night though he was raging at his recent losses and was reeling under them. He had lost more than ten death eaters in the last two days and three horcruxes and one familiar. He was now recuperating and would not try anything for at least some time. He more than anything wanted to find out the identity of the man who had taken the horcruxes and had infiltrated into his hideout to kill Nagini.

Fortunately he came to a wrong decision that Peter Pettigrew must have given some Black magic potion to Nagini before he died, though it sat very uneasy on his mind. He kept brooding over the loss of horcruxes and his death eaters.

What was to be a night of terror for the muggles and the Ministry became a night of horror for Voldemort. He would be careful before he tried something like this again.

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Harry, Draco and Pansy portkeyed back to the cottage exhausted and with many cuts and bruises and after healing them Ria, Draco and Pansy left for their homes and came back the next day with almost no information about all those who had died or suffered massive injuries. Their parents had been summoned and there was no news except bad news from the death eaters' point of view.

As that naturally meant good news from their side all of them were happy. McGonagall was yet to come as she was busy with the Order and the School that would begin in a few days. Harry, Draco and Pansy who had fought furiously with Nott Sr. and Boot Sr. and two other death eaters were waiting for news about them, as all three of them had managed to get a variety of dark curses at them, before they had portkeyed out of the village.

Harry was still in two minds about cursing to bring death and though he had cast dark curses the curses that killed came from Draco and Pansy. They did not tell Harry anything as this was something Harry had to work out on his own.

Snape did not come until evening as he had to attend an Inner Circle meeting and after that talk to Dumbledore and the Order and so it was nearly night before he came to give the news that the Boot and the Nott families had new Heads and he had killed a death eater who had an imperious on a muggle lady and was forcing her to rape her son.

Harry was horrified, "I hope they are all right Severus. What must she be feeling now and how will she be able to look at her son in the face after this. Good you killed him." He said viciously, feeling for the poor muggle, unconsciously deciding his thoughts on killing those who killed or hurt for fun or just because they could.

Snape smiled sadly at that, "No she will not remember and nor will he. I oblivated her and her small son, he would not have been more than six Harry, after I killed Tucson." He said maliciously as he thought of the death eater he had killed without any remorse whatsoever.

Harry and Hermione shuddered as Snape told the small boy's age. And to make his mother rape him, Harry gritted his teeth at the muggle baiting games that the death eaters indulged in.

"You are right Severus, you and Arran. It is not wrong to kill such horrible persons, persons who spoil families for fun." He said sadly.

Snape nodded briskly and then they turned their attention to other things as in three days time Harry and Snape would be leaving for Hogwarts. Hermione would meet Harry only on the first of September. Harry, Hermione and the others stopped work and for the next three days just lazed around and had fun.

Arran, Draco and the others were at the cottage almost full time not even going to their homes at night and McGonagall arranged for the girls to spend their nights with Hermione in her room. Their parents were furious and had suffered at Voldemort's hand about the losses they had suffered and it was safer to stay away from their homes.

They went to Diagon Alley and walked into Gringotts, all in various disguises and there Pansy, Blaise and Draco, opened new accounts and transferred some money into the personal vaults they opened, though not in their original names.

They took two secure pouches from Gringotts one to periodically remove money from their vaults and the other to send it to their new accounts. They spent the rest of the day lazing around the Alley and buying last minute stuff they needed.

The next day saw Harry packing with a long face as he had to leave for Hogwarts and for the first time since he started School, he did not wish to leave the cottage and the new friends and Hermione to go to his beloved School that until now was a home away from his home with the Dursleys.

They were all watching Harry pack flicking his wand here and there and were discussing as was usual these days the war that had already started. The Slytherins, Harry, Hermione and Arran and Ria ha developed a friendship that had the capacity to deepen, a friendship that had developed after fighting together against death eaters and recovering horcruxes.

"You know we have to get at the root of our problems instead of just fighting against those who oppose us." Harry told them as he was shrinking his luggage, after applying various charms textbook by textbook to make it look different from the Dark Arts, Blood Magic he had with him and also disguised the books he had received from Canogahn.

"How so? And what problems Potter, if you mean the house elves," with a grin at Hermione who responded with an indignant glare, "They want to be enslaved. Pay them and treat them well is fine, that is personal, but don't say they should not be bound. You will be making a whole race unhappy."

Draco laughed out aloud as Hermione took a deep breath to launch into the defense of one of her pet projects. Before she could start and take the conversation away from the point Harry was trying to make, Harry hastily put up a hand and a pleading expression, "Wait Hermione," and turning to glare slightly at Draco who was still chuckling, "I was thinking about the after effects of the war once Voldemort is gone. I am assuming of course that he will be gone."

Draco sobered up at once as did the others who were until then smiling at the arguments that Hermione and Draco would have endlessly on elves. "It would be horrible Potter. Our population is at an all time low as you know and to rebuild a world that is on the brink of shattering completely is not going to be just difficult but near impossible."

"There are so few of us and out of all of us, still fewer come forward for formal education. Hogwarts is the only School in all of Britain and that should tell you just how many of us are literate." Arran told him.

Harry was horrified and so was Hermione, surprisingly. "But Arran I thought those who did not come to Hogwarts were home schooled like you and Ria." She protested as she thought of so many students who were not educated.

"Not persons like Stan Shaunpike Hermione," Harry told her deep in thought, "and you know there is no wizarding university, I wonder how Bill, Bill Weasley you know," he said looking at the others and added for Arran's and Ria's benefit, "Ron Weasley's eldest brother Arran, I wonder how he became a curse breaker, I mean where did he study for it and who gave him the necessary certificate that said he was a good curse breaker."

"Nothing, he probably studied a few texts and answered a few questions at his interview and got the job when the goblins decided he had a natural aptitude for it. That is all." Draco told him.

Harry was stunned though Hermione was not surprised as she probably knew all about it. Then Snape came to Harry and sped up the packing process by packing almost everything else for him as he was standing by his trunk and pondering deeply.

"What happens to kids whose parents have died and have no other relations to be foisted on?" he asked Snape softly.

"They are put in muggle orphanages Harry, until they receive their letter. There is no wizarding orphanage. But usually it is the muggleborn children or those who are squibs that are shunned the former because they are magical and their muggle parents don't want them, the latter because they don't have magic and the magical parents are ashamed of them." Snape told him packing and shrinking everything.

Harry was simply dumbfounded. But there was no time to discuss all this in length as it was time to go. Harry decided to research more on these subjects once he got to Hogwarts.

Then there were a flurry of goodbyes and a lot of 'be careful and don't do anything dumb' and hugs from Hermione, Pansy and Ria and Arran. Draco and Blaise patted him and then Harry was off with Snape to Hogwarts.

They portkeyed to Hogsmeade and from there walked briskly to the School and went to the Headmaster's office.

"Come in Severus, Harry." Albus called out softly.

Snape came in looking very relieved and Harry came in behind him looking equally relieved and happy that he was in Hogwarts.

"Here Albus, Potter is here. May I go now to at least enjoy three days of the summer now that Potter is here safe and sound?" he asked sarcastically receiving a glare from Harry and a smile from Albus.

"May I go to the Tower Professor?" Harry asked Dumbledore quietly.

Dumbledore nodded his head smiling, "Yes you may of course Harry. How have you been doing and are you now confident about your Occlumency skills?"

"Not really Sir. But yes better than I was before." Snape snarled at him and muttered something that sounded like 'no application of brains whatsoever' and earned a glare from Harry who had heard it as had Dumbledore who smiled at Harry, his eyes twinkling.

After he was dismissed, Snape had stayed back to discuss other matters with Dumbledore, Harry walked swiftly to Gryffindor tower and plonked his trunk by his bed and taking his wand started a systematic search of the entire room, starting with his bed. There was nothing by his bed or his desk that was by his bed, but at the extreme corner of the room showed a disturbance.

Harry slowly chanted non-verbally in the ancient magic he had memorized from Canogahn's books and had also verified with Snape and saw the spells that were there at that corner. There were about four spells, Harry knew all of them. A listening charm, a compulsion charm, a distraction charm and a loyalty charm.

To say Harry was mad was an understatement. He cast a silencing charm around him and spoke into his earring. "Sev call me a soon as you are alone and make sure that no one hears." He waited for a moment and Snape just said a soft hmm, just like McGonagall the other day and Harry cut that connection off and activated his earring once more.

Then Harry called Arran and all the others except Snape and spoke directly to Arran after saying hi to everyone. "Arran can I ask you something?"

"Of course Harry, Severus is fine is he not?" Arran's voice sounded worried.

"Yeah, he is with Dumbledore, that's why I called you guys."

"Oh," Arran sounded relieved, "What is it Harry?"

Harry told him what he had found and there were indignant cries and Hermione and Draco simultaneously wondered if they would find the same spells in their dorms.

"Harry search your common room as well, especially if you have a place where you sit all the time." Draco told him.

"Yeah, I was going to, but you see I need some thing to make these spells ineffective and at the same time make sure Dumbledore does not find out. Is there something like that in the Dark Arts? I don't want you to tell me to do it by ancient magic Arran as then Dumbledore would know in a jiffy that all this ancient magic is connected to me."

There was a pause as Arran tried to think if he could find a way out of it without the Headmaster's knowledge. He could not come up with anything that he could hide from Dumbledore.

"Harry anything you do will be detected by Dumbledore. So be careful and don't say anything that could give you away and if you want to speak to us or to Hermione once School starts make sure you place a silencing charm before you speak. I will try and think of something that you can do in the meantime and I will speak to Severus as well."

"Be careful Harry." Came a chorus of voices after that and Harry turned off the connection and started unpacking. He soon finished and went down meaning to go to the library, but on a sudden thought went up to the dorm again and armed with a lot of parchment went up to the seventh floor to the Room of Requirement and walked swiftly three times, thinking intently.

Soon a door appeared and Harry walked in to find a table with a chair set in the middle and book shelves all around. He placed his parchment, ink and quill on the table and walked around the shelves. There were books on squibs and their position today, orphans, wizarding studies and how one could become the most accomplished in any magical subject, books to find your aptitude, Ministry rules and regulations regarding orphans and last of all ancient magic.

Harry went to work. He first set charms that would tell him if anyone came into the corridor and he requested the Room to change all the books to his sixth year curriculum if anyone did. He included witches, wizards, elves and anyone in short.

Then Harry started looking through the shelves and taking down books. Soon he was immersed in his studies. Once and only once did the Room change the books and Harry stretching at the moment the Room changed the books saw quite clearly the aura of his Headmaster.

Dumbledore ambled into the room and as Harry bent down frowning to seemingly check something, he peered at the books on the shelves and went away satisfied. Harry was not disturbed after that.

The next three days went in the same fashion. At dinner the first day Harry walked in a little late. He rushed into the Great Hall to find all the others seated and about to begin.

Snape glowered at him and McGonagall glared at Snape and smiled at Harry. Both of them had warned Harry not to go near the charms as Dumbledore was Headmaster here and he was in control and he would know the second Harry tried anything. So Harry had let that place alone and anyway until Ron came Harry would not be talking to anyone in the dorm.

He had also scanned the common room but was relieved when there were no spells there. "Albus would have gone mad with the noise and the chatter that he would be privy to had he tried that." Snape had snorted and that was that.

Now Harry came and awkwardly sat down among his Professors and his Headmaster. Albus smiled kindly at him, "Why Harry, you seem busy already. Where have you been?"

"To the Room of Requirement Sir. I thought I would try and get a head start on Hermione this year. I am going to study well in all my subjects." Dumbledore nodded his head approvingly as did McGonagall but Snape had predictably snorted. "That would be the day." He muttered as he ate.

Harry was about to say something very rude and land himself in a lot of trouble when Dumbledore intervened, "Now Severus, I think that is the right attitude. Keep it up my boy." He said beaming at Harry and then Harry was left to himself.

He ate and he kept a watch on everyone and tried to notice everything. He also amused himself by seeing their auras and telling himself about what they could mean.

As soon as dinner was over Harry excused himself and went back to the Room of Requirement and started working again after casting pretty much the same spells. He spent the rest of his time until the school carriages arrived, reading and taking copious notes of anything that he felt important except ancient magic.

That one subject Harry studied right there. He started with the very basics and went very slowly.

He finished his studied in all other subjects of interest by then and had a fair idea of how things worked. Harry walked out of the Room of Requirement and went to his dorm and put the papers in his trunk and locked it and went down, mask firmly in place.

The School carriages had not yet arrived and since he had been studying hard, he had not spoken much to the others and he had not spoken all day with Hermione, Draco, Blaise and Pansy once they had arrived at King's Cross. So Harry was waiting and watching with interest.

The Staff were already at their table talking softly with each other. Dumbledore and McGonagall smiled at him and Hagrid waved and Snape scowled. Harry smiled at that and waved back at Hagrid even as Snape and McGonagall started arguing about something.

Harry turned as the sound of the carriages reached him and waited with so many feelings swirling in him. Wishing him self luck, Harry went to the Gryffindor table and sat at his usual place. The students started coming in and Harry smiled or waved if they did and ignored it if they scowled as the Slytherins did.

He watched Terry Boot who was looking pale and very disturbed as was Nott. Boot had not looked at Harry but Nott had and had snarled at him on principle, had he known that his father had died because of fighting with Harry, Draco and Pansy he might have done a lot more. Now he was restrained by Millicent Bulstrode who whispered something placatory in his ears.

Draco, Pansy and Blaise followed by Crabbe and Goyle walked imperiously to the Slytherin table whispering among themselves and glaring around at everyone else.

Then Harry's attention was diverted by the arrival of Ron and Hermione followed by Neville, Seamus, Dean and Ginny.

All of them greeted him loudly and, "Hey mate, why didn't you come on the train?"

Harry hugged Hermione after he slapped Ron on his shoulders and also grinned at Neville, Dean and Seamus.

"Hey guys, hi Ron, hi Hermione, Dumbledore told me to come along with Snape three days before and here I am. The School was so quiet before all of you came I was going nuts. Now it will be fine."

Ron grinned back at him and so did Neville and the others.

"Harry have you finished your homework that Snape set you?" Hermione asked him and when he nodded she turned to Ron who laughed and put up his hands in surrender.

"Hermione I am not taking potions this year. Didn't get the required grades."

"Hey Harry. How have you been?" asked a soft voice beside him and Harry turned to see Ginny standing there smiling at him.

"Hi Ginny. I am fine and you? This is your OWL year isn't it?" and only waited for her to smile and nod before he turned to Ron and asked him about his scores and soon all of them were chatting away about their Owl grades. Harry sensed rather than saw Ginny's frown as she went to sit with her friends.

"I am going to specialize in Herbology." Neville told him shyly.

"Great Neville. You will be the best. You have such green thumbs, both of them. Did your gran scold you about the wand?" Harry asked him awkwardly hoping Neville had not got into much trouble for breaking his father's wand.

Neville grinned as he brought out his new wand and held it up proudly. "My gran was so pleased that I had fought the death eaters alongside with you. She said it was what my dad would have done and by fighting the death eaters I made them proud." His eyes shone with pride as he looked at Harry who smiled happily at him.

"Yes, Neville your dad and your mum would have been so proud of you." He said softly making Neville blush in happiness.

At that moment Dumbledore clapped his hands for silence and soon the sorting hat was brought into the Great Hall and after its customary song that once again stressed on unity among the four Houses if the Wizarding World would want for any kind of progress against the evil that was coming closer and closer.

The sorting started with McGonagall reading the names of each student and when the last had been sorted into Slytherin, the feast began and Harry and the others listened desultorily to Dumbledore's warning not to enter the Forbidden Forest and Flich's ban against the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

Then still chattering loudly and happily Harry and the others walked up to Gryffindor Tower and went to sleep. Harry slept like a log, happy and satisfied. He had said a quick hello to Snape, Hermione, McGonagall, Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Arran and Ria once he had got into bed. He drew the curtains around him and had placed a silencing charm on them. After chatting for sometime, Harry said his goodnights to everyone from Snape and Hermione to Draco and Arran, Harry went to sleep.