A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed this story. Your input is valued as always.  Once again I must warn that there are spoilers for the entire Harry Potter series and up to Knife of Dreams for the Wheel of Time series.

A huge thanks to Sree, Willow26 and the rest who commented on this chapter over at the DLP forums.

Enjoy the story!

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Lord Voldemort stared at the parchment in front of him, studying the notes he had taken.  Eight times now in the past twenty-four hours he had visited the most recent memory in his Pensieve.  Each visit brought forth even more intriguing details of the incredible use of magic he had witnessed.

 

A glance at his surroundings brought a satisfied smirk to his face.  For nearly fifty years now this room had served as his personal study. House elves kept the maroon carpet and furniture in pristine condition.  His oak bookshelves that covered three of the walls, and his maple desk stood in stark contrast to the rest of the room; books and sheaves of parchment that covered nearly every subject conceivable covered every surface stacked in a half-hazard manner.  Those heady years after Hogwarts in pursuing the knowledge they dared not teach had been some of the finest in his life.  He had his back to the fourth wall, magically reinforced glass displaying the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  On the north end of the window a bare construct resembling a tree trunk and branches stood.  He would often enter the room to see Nagini lounging on it in the dawn sun to absorb heat.

 

All three individuals who he had let into this sanctuary had expressed surprise at this pedestrian vista.  Visiting the ocean was one of the few pleasant memories he had from his days in the orphanage. He himself emulated the ocean, battering and whittling away at his opponents until they eroded into dust.  They were even apparently accomplishing the same goal.  While joined with Quirrell they resorted to muggle transportation to go from Romania to Prague. On board that horrid cramped steel contraption the Czechs insisted was a train, they sat next to two westerners who kept bemoaning the phenomenon of global warming, which apparently consisted of the ocean levels rising and destroying muggle cities.  It would be quite...lovely if that were to occur.

 

A sharp gasp drew his attention as Antonin Dolohov withdrew his head from the Pensieve resting upon his desk. He exercised patience as he waited for his vassal to collect himself and his thoughts.

 

"My Lord," Dolohov started in an unsteady tone, "What did I just witness?"

 

"An incredible feat of intelligence from a most loyal servant. He saw that his brethren were being slaughtered and instead of running or losing his head, he simply observed so that I could learn from their mistakes.  It appears that dealing with the Order will not be as simple as I had assumed."

 

"The Order? What did they have to do with this My Lord?  That fool Dumbledore would never allow for them to use lethal force. Hell, even during the 70's when their ranks were swelled with veterans from the fight against Grindelwald Dumbledore had them so neutered that the worst we had to deal with was a stunner."

 

A smirk came to life across Voldemort's face.  It never failed to amuse him how an upstart like him was able to kill so many skilled witches and wizards simply because their leader grew queasy at taking a life.  The fact that Grindelwald had lived for fifty years now in confinement was simply appalling.  Death would be a mercy to him.

 

"Didn't you see our good friend Moody in the middle shooting at anything that moved?  That bastard is nearly synonymous with the Order.  No, I suspect someone is taking advantage of the absence of Dumbledore to change the stakes."

 

He could see Dolohov's fists clench the wood of arms of the chair he was seated in. "What of Severus? Surely he would shine some light on this situation."

 

"I believe him to be dead," Voldemort said in a low tone.  "Unless that mysterious couple have found some way to overcome my Dark Mark. It is a small loss.  Thanks to your capture our intelligence of the Order is...most excellent.  Has Bella reported back yet as to the success of her mission last night?"

 

An irritated tremble that went through Dolohov told Voldemort all that he needed to know. "Yes my Lord.  She took herself and three others to the muggle residence.  To their surprise there were no operational bloodwards as we had been told there were.  She immediately proceeded to go to the room we had been told was Potter's while her cohorts eliminated his relatives.  Upon reaching his room she found no sign of him or anything that could be his belongings.  She estimated that no one had been in the room for at least a week." Most likely two weeks. His connection with Potter had been somehow severed then.

 

"Interesting, it appears that our werewolf guest's information is no longer current.  See to it that he is eliminated."

 

"Yes my Lord."

 

Voldemort began to tap his fingers idly upon his desk as his attention returned to the parchment. Every note of this encounter he took simply raised more questions.  He identified every spell that had been cast by a wand. Yet that couple that stood in the middle of that Order formation used no wands.  Wherever that man seemingly focused his attention his Death Eaters would die in an applaudingly efficient manner.

 

"Antonin, you have stood by my side for nearly three decades. You of all my Death Eaters have maintained your loyalty and intelligence the best.  Tell me, what is your impression of the unknown man and woman you saw?"

 

Dolohov reached up and stroked his beard idly, his face comically scrunched up in deep thought.  "They used no wands.  I couldn't tell their age either.  From a certain angle they looked like they could be twenty yet a moment later I thought they were in their forties.  I recognize Moody now. He was taking orders from that man.  Whatever the man did, he killed with at least three types of attacks with no visible hand movements. I would really like to know who they are."

 

Voldemort quickly weighed the pros and cons of further confiding in Dolohov.  He and Rosier had been with him since the beginning.  Bella was the young spark whose skill with the dark arts and a wand far exceeded her age.  He had played all three against one another, using them to push each other further along.  Now Rosier was dead and Bella was more insane than not.  Azkaban had not been kind to his precious little Lestrange.  He would simply have to work with what he had until the new generation proved their worth.

 

"Tonight you will meet with Coxhill.  He is currently an aide to our good Minister. Hired by Lucius when he was still of use." A grimace flittered across Voldemort's face.  Lucius had failed in so many ways.  "It is thanks to Coxhill that we were so easily able to take Azkaban.  He convinced Fudge to foolishly cut the budget for that prison, allowing us to easily subdue the Aurors that were stationed there.  Bones must be ready to kill Fudge herself with his interference in her department. Anyways, I digress. Describe to Coxhill the people you saw and the type of magic they wield.  See if the Minister can do our work for us by uncovering the identity of our new opponent."

 

Dolohov stood abruptly knowing that he was being dismissed.  He hesitated to leave however. "My Lord, what of the knowledge of the Order members involved?  Our good Minister and the Wizenmagot will not take kindly to the death of so many Purebloods."

Voldemort drew satisfaction from unnerving his most competent Death Eater with a simple look. "Say nothing of them.  If the Ministry overplays its hand too quickly the Order may decide to take it for themselves, giving them all of its resources.  Better for now to have the Minister focused on two people while giving us free reign to counter this newest threat."

He put his face back down to the parchment and opened another tome on his desk, effectively dismissing Dolohov.  He waited for Dolohov's footsteps to reach the edge of the Anti-Apparition wards before he lost himself again in studying.  An answer to the magic he witnessed had to be somewhere.  He just had to be patient enough to find it.  Then he would teach these new opponents a lesson they wouldn't survive to forget.

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To the east the sun was slowly rising above the London skyline.  Haze clung to the sky as the temperature began to slowly rise. The sound of motors running and the smell of exhaust from the morning rush hour permeated the late July air.

Upon the flat roof of number twelve Grimmauld Place Harry stood soaked in sweat.  Light! The heat and humidity of London was nearly as bad as Fal Dara, bordering the Blight.  It was nice to exercise outside instead of inside Grimmauld Place with its dearth of lighting and stale air, but he was going to have to start earlier if he didn't wish to feel as if he was practicing his forms in a soup.  He could of course simply trick his mind into ignoring the heat, but that cheapened the exercise.

It had been an odd few days since the battle of Pickering.  Eleven of the Order members had promptly decided to join Shen an Ellisande, including Mad Eye Moody, Bill Weasley and Hestia Jones.  Hestia was a particularly unexpected gem in the rough.  Holding a high-ranking position in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, she had access to confidential internal memos that explained in excruciating details the rationale for the positions of the Ministry.  It would be enlightening to see if the Minister would be able to keep any secrets.

He grimaced slightly at the thought of that battle.  It was frustrating to be so constrained in his dealings with the Death Eaters. At least Trollocs or the Seanchan had the courtesy to line up in formations that provided easy targets.  Here the Death Eaters were so few in numbers, and the innocents in such great numbers he had to wield saidin like a scalpel, only making quick surgical slashes at them.

Egwene since the battle was oddly subdued, no longer carrying herself as if she still had the entire White Tower at her command. This unnerved him considerably.  From demanding to leave with him after Winternight to reunifying the White Tower, she had shown no outward hesitation in her actions.  He couldn't speculate as to what had set her off balance. Even worse, she kept giving him indecipherable looks. It made the hairs on his neck stand up whenever he tried to think of what she may be viewing him for.

The Daily Prophet was truly entertaining in its covering of the events of Pickering.  Yesterday the story broke that the remains of several Purebloods were found amongst the numerous casualties in the West Ward. Outrage was the response.  It was unsurprising to see the Minister blame Voldemort for their deaths.  He wasn't sure whether Voldemort was more dangerous due to his propensity to kill or the Minister for his sheer incompetence.

A squeak signaled that someone had opened the door to the roof.  He turned to find Egwene approaching him, albeit reluctantly.  This did nothing to reassure him. "Morning," he greeted her gruffly, not looking forward to dealing with whatever she was going to send his way.

"Light Rand! Why are you sweating so much?  Why don't you just ignore the heat?" Egwene said as she approached him.

Harry shrugged before turning away to look back at the street below him.  The street was partly obscured due to the leafy expanses of trees planted below, their leaves a healthy bright green.  It was curious how Egwene had aborted all attempts to call him Harry and now referred to him exclusively as Rand.

"I have a request," Egwene said in a wary tone. "It's awkward and you won't like it.  Just know that I will only perform it with your explicit permission."

Harry spun back to face her.  Her face was closed to him, her eyes betraying none of the nervousness he knew she had.  Her hand absently played at her hair.  It would be a sure bet that if she had it braided she would be giving it tugs.  "Egwene, just spit it before this roof becomes a true sweat tent," Harry stated impatiently.  If she was going to complicate his life, best she do it quickly instead of dragging it out.

"I want to bond you as my Warder," Egwene said.  His mouth dropped.  That he did not expect.  "You're all that I really have left.  In that skirmish wherever we were, I immediately went to link into a circle after we went through your gateway.  It shocked me a bit to find no other saidar users around.  It wasn't until then that it really hit me that everything I knew is gone.  My parents, friends, Gawyn…my Aes Sedai.  There's no point in being the Amyrlin if I'm the only Aes Sedai." Her voice choked and Harry looked up to see to his horror that her eyes were suspiciously bright.  Blood and ashes, Egwene simply did not have breakdowns.  "I can't lose you as well.  You simply mean too much to me, no matter how much I wish to throttle you at times. You show all the concern of a child poking at a bear in your dealings with this Voldemort.  You may very well be correct that he is of no threat, but I would feel better if I could at least track you.  Your odds of survival do increase with the bond you know.  I'll even swear to release you whenever you want.  I have no intentions to bind you against your will.  Just consider it, please.  And I do know better than to try to command you," she said in a wry tone.  Thankfully her control reasserted itself and no tears dropped.

Harry promptly closed his mouth to hide his shock. She wanted to bind with him? Madness.  He knew he shouldn't be so surprised.  There was a time long ago that he yearned to be her Warder, serving her much as Lan would serve Nynaeve.   There would never be a return to those days. They both knew that sooner or later they would oppose one another on a subject and neither would be tempted to trip into bed to resolve the tensions.  He loathed her capacity to scheme while she thought he was a headstrong foolish man who needed to be leashed.  

They did need one another though. He did not doubt the veracity of her feelings.  She was alone except for him in a strange world.  Egwene needed him simply to anchor her.  It helped that she could recall fondness for him every time the urge to strap him grew strong.  Harry's need for her required less effort.  Her presence by itself was proof alone that Aviendha, Elayne and Min were all real and existed.  That was all he needed.

Her oath to release him if desired definitely sweetened the pot.  She would keep her word.  He would gain the ability to heal quicker from damage, have greater stamina and faster reflexes.  Since he channeled saidin he did not have to worry about her being able to control him through the bond.  

It came down to the simple issue of was it worth it for him to be bonded to her simply so she could track his health and mental status.  His body felt fresh, no longer suffering from the pain that wracked his body ceaselessly.  That was a plus since she wouldn't feel the pain that initially overwhelmed his wives when they bonded him.  Egwene kept her emotions so tightly reined that he doubted he would feel much from her.  He wouldn't cherish this bond like that he had with wives, but she never intended to usurp their position.

That clenched it for him.  Looking her in the eyes, he nodded once to signal his consent.  His skin tingled as he felt the use of saidar.  Moments later Egwene flared in his mind, her presence initially overwhelming him due to her close proximity.  

He could feel her mood.  Every thought was tinged with pain at being torn out of the Third Age.  Yet every thought also contained a steely determination to persevere. It was amusing how affection and ire dueled one another when she thought of him.  He felt her hunger which reinforced his own.  He hoped that she wouldn't start to nag him over forgotten meals.

No! Light burn us! What have you done! Lews Therin railed. Death and madness lies down this path!

"You're so different," Egwene stated with wonder. "Gawyn's emotions were all over, coursing from rage to love.  You're just …Light! How can you stand the pain those markings give you?"

Harry gave her half a smile. "Be thankful that is all you feel."

Egwene smiled sadly at him before turning around and heading back towards the door downstairs.  He heard her call to him to come down for breakfast, but he chose to ignore it.  

She was right. It was different.  

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Minister Fudge tumbled out of the floo into his personal office.  Red and purple blotted his face as he harshly strode towards his desk.  

The desk was large, eight feet long by four feet wide made from English Oak.  It was bare save for an inbox, outbox, and an ink bottle with a quill sticking out.  A wooden framed chair with opulent cushions sat behind the desk.  Two stiff-framed chairs sat in front of the desk, as if to deliberately put his guests at a disadvantage.  The portraits of past Ministers of Magic adorned the walls, shifting restlessly as they felt the rage from Fudge.

"Weasley! I need that Unspeakable report! Get me Dolores and Coxhill while you're at it!" Fudge yelled out as he took his seat.

The past two months had been catastrophe piled upon catastrophe.  Voldemort had actually returned. Potter disappears into the Department of Mysteries, only to apparently return older.  His pulse raced as he thought of Dumbledore withholding the information of Potter's new identity.  And now there was apparently a massacre of purebloods in Pickering.  Only scant details had been forwarded to him while in Shanghai, yet the only conclusion he could reach was that Voldemort had for some reason cleaned house.  Only he could be responsible for such brutality.  Now in mid-August, his poll ratings were in the low tens.  He was going to have to spend the next few weeks making concessions on legislation to prevent the Wizenmagot from impeaching him when they reconvened after their summer recess.

Weatherby…no Weasley - damn those polls for making him learn the names of his staff - scampered into his room with a tea set and a folder.  At least the Chinese could make proper tea.  No one could butcher it like those colonists. If he could only export Voldemort to them.

"Minister! Welcome back!" Weasley crooned as he handed Fudge the folder before setting down the tea. "Madam Umbridge will be here shortly.  Mr. Coxhill is still at his residence since he was here until four in the morning last night working away."

"Good good," Fudge muttered irritably as he began skimming the folder.  "Have you read this report by chance yet?"

"Oh yes.  I got it last night from the Unspeakables.  It's incredible, I think for once the papers got it wrong."

This stopped Fudge short.  It was his office that leaked the fact that Voldemort was responsible.  While it was attributed to unnamed Ministry sources…it would be just his luck if it got traced back to him. "Oh, what exactly did the papers get wrong?"

Percy finished pouring the tea and handed Fudge a cup and saucer. He then pressed his horn-rimmed glasses against his forehead, as if he was about to deliver a dissertation. "It's quite amazing.  Remember that strange groove found in the room with that doorway after that mystery man escaped?" Fudge's stomach began to drop. "Two grooves exactly like it…except longer across were found in Pickering.  That means the man from the Department of Mysteries is most likely responsible for all those dead."

Oh Merlin. Harry Potter killed all those people in Pickering.  Potter had apparently snapped and decided he was above the law.  Oh Morgana, was Potter going to target him next?  Potter wasn't going to forget a year of slandering him. Fudge knew that he wouldn't forget that himself.  That man used wandless magic!  Not even Dumbledore was that skilled without a wand.  "Potter is going to be the death of me," Fudge moaned as his hands wringed his lime green top hat.

"Potter? What does he have to do with Pickering?" Percy asked in a confused tone.

"Potter! He's involved with Pickering!?" Dolores inquired as she waddled into the room.  "What does Potter have to do with that tragedy?"

Fudge held up his hand as he opened up one of the drawers to his desk.  He blindly groped around until he found a small loose vial.  Headache Suppressor Potion.  He was going to need at least one of these today.  He popped off the cork and swiftly downed it.  Looking up Percy had sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk while Dolores had moved to stand behind his shoulder.  That woman really needed to learn to give him personal space. "Potter was the mystery man from the Department of Mysteries four weeks ago.  Not even Dumbledore knew the identity or origin of the woman though."

Weasley gasped as he connected the dots and turned pale. No doubt he was recalling his own actions against Potter.  

Dolores just looked confused.  "Wait, how did Potter get so old? Curses! I thought we had seen the last of him after he suffered the same fate as that blasted criminal Black!"

Fudge massaged his temple before answering, "It's beyond me and apparently Dumbledore what happened.  All that I do know is that Potter is now apparently of age, the most capable user of wandless magic I have ever seen, and was at Pickering."

A paper airplane emerged from a small hole near the doorway before Dolores could reply.  Fudge tracked it as it flew towards Weasley.  He was thankful that Dolores stayed her mouth while they waited to see what warranted an airplane to follow Weasley into his office.  The pallor of Weasley's face grew even paler.  Did he have any Stomach Smoother Potion in his desk?

"There was another incident last night," Percy started in a timid voice. "It was the Carrow residence.  No survivors.  One groove present on the driveway, within the wards."

Fudge moaned.  It looked like England now had the courtesy to host two dueling Dark Lords.  "Merlin.  Did Potter leave any distinctive signs behind?"

"Potter!" Dolores exclaimed clasping her hands together in excitement. "Potter was responsible for Pickering and the murder of the Carrows? We finally have him! That brat is going to suffer like none other for what he and that bitch Granger did to me! Weasley, go schedule a press conference!"

Fudge sighed as he gave Dolores an incredulous glance.  Didn't she recall the last year they spent vilifying Potter? Any blatant move they made against Potter now would be met with derision from the press as an attempt to blame Potter for his own poll problems.  "Weasley, stay where you are.  Dolores, if we call out Potter right now we'll be laughed into impeachment. The press and the public will remember us lying about Potter and think that I'm trying to blame him again to save my own hide."

"Very wise decision Minister," a smooth voice drawled out as a non-descript man in his mid-twenties entered.

"Brian my lad! Good to see you've arrived." Fudge beamed as he greeted his Legislative Aide, Brian Coxhill.  "This morning has gone properly down the shitter and I haven't even been here for thirty minutes."

"I presumed as much since you rang on me so early," Brian said as he took the seat next to Percy.  "What has Potter done now that warrants your ire?"

"He's our mystery man from the Department of Mysteries!" Fudge explained once again. "We now have proof that places him at Pickering and last night's attack on the Carrows."

A 'hmm' came from Brian as he pondered the information.  Fudge interpreted this as a reason to continue. "Now as I was telling Dolores, if we simply told the press that Potter had gained a decade and was out killing purebloods, we'd be laughed out of office.  I say that we have that chap you know in The Daily Prophet Dolores…Bac...no…Bitt…no…Bowerman! That's his name.  Get Bowerman, have him to start running a series of articles about how if Voldemort is targeting Potter, Potter should be working with the Ministry in the fight.  Start focusing the public's attention from me to Potter."

"Before you set out for your task Dolores, may I recommend a modification to your idea Minister?" Brian interjected. Fudge waved for him to continue. "Leak part of the doorway incident. Let it be known that an Auror, now fired, let Potter play with an unknown artifact that aged him a decade.  Get the public used to Potter being older.  We wait patiently, gathering evidence of the crimes of Potter.  When the time is right, Potter will suffer the full wrath of the law and be prosecuted as an adult."

This was the course of action Fudge wanted to hear!  If he could shift the media and public's attention on Potter just enough before they nabbed him he would be hailed as a hero for stopping a prospective Dark Lord while being vindicated for vilifying him a year ago.  "Do it! Brian my lad, I see a big promotion coming your way."

A soft smile was Brian's only response.  "Thank you Minister. Sir, I realize this may be inconvenient, but I'm afraid I left my eggs on the stove to rush over here.  Would it be possible to take the Unspeakable reports on the doorway incident, Pickering attack and the Carrow attack home with me to review while I have my breakfast?"

Fudge smiled gratefully as he handed the reports over to Brian. "If we only had more employees like you. Go enjoy your breakfast.  Take all the time with those reports that you want."

"You're too kind Minister," Brian said as he stood up to leave. "Dolores, Percy, Minister.  I wish you all a good morning and I'll see you in a short while."

Fudge was quick to dismiss the other two, Percy off to do whatever and Dolores to her contact at The Daily Prophet.  This morning sure improved fast.  It was going to be a glorious end to summer.

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Light what have I done! I deserve to die for my actions. I was promised oblivion. Where is it?

Harry rubbed his brow as he walked down Diagon Alley.  Lews Therin hadn't shut up for nearly a month since he bonded with Egwene.  There would be no reasoning with him.  

"Headache Ha…err sorry, Rand?" Tonks asked in a concerned tone walking to his left.  

He had weaved a Mask of Mirrors and now resembled his old self, albeit shorter.  His hair had a reddish tint to it and his eyes were a cloudy blue.  His skin was tanned as if he had been out in the Waste for the past month.  Wearing jeans with a brown leather jacket he figured he could pass off as a muggle-born as he walked through Diagon Alley.  Praise the Light that he could ignore the heat.  Tonks had adopted a slim figure with long brown hair.  Both seemed please with the anonymity as they made their way to the newly opened Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

"Nice catch there 'Kate.'  And I suppose I have a headache of a sort.  Too bad there is no cure for it…trust me," Harry answered in a wry tone.

"Hmph.  Are you saying we can't magic you up a cure?" Tonks said in a playful tone.

Harry just shook his head.  "Those…with thousands of years of experience in healing were unable to cure this headache. I'll be taking this to the grave."

Fools! Acting as if they don't have a care. Don't they know that death is coming? Don't they know that I am here? Oh Ilyena, wait for me.

The mood swings of Lews Therin were getting worse as well.  Thankfully he had managed to shield Egwene from feeling them through the bond.  He could feel her, back roughly two hundred meters.  She was probably at Flourish and Botts, looking for more information to whatever tickled her fancy.  She had been rather cross at his recent insistence on saying that if she had ever taken the Oath she would be in the Brown Ajah.

"Rotten that," Tonks muttered before her attention returned to her surroundings. He withheld a sigh as he saw her scanning the people they walked past for threats.  She had been far too anxious over his safety ever since his new appearance became public.

Damn Dumbledore. He was not pleased when McGonagall had flooed over to tell him that Dumbledore had revealed Harry's identity to Fudge.  At least Dumbledore had kept his side of the bargain and not revealed additional pertinent information about him.  In two weeks Harry would meet with him.  He would prefer to meet with him sooner, but Dumbledore wouldn't arrive back in England until September First and claimed to need a week to get everything at Hogwarts settled down.

"Oi Rand.  So you haven't commented on the new uniform that me and Elena made.  What do you think of them?"

"You don't exactly get points for creativity," Harry noted with an amused lilt.  They were virtually the same as the Asha'man uniform.  Dark blue instead of black.  Silver pins of a rose and a wand replaced those of the dragon and sword.  Tonks to his ire had cut her coat to accentuate her breasts.  He was simply thankful that she had yet to catch on to his frequent glances.

"Pfft.  If it's not broke why fix it." Tonks said with a dismissing wave of her hand. She turned to him and waggled her eyebrows, "Besides, I think you appreciate me wearing it just as much as I appreciate you wearing yours."

Bloody hell. All women were far too observant.

Tonks was fitting in nicely though to her command with Shen an Ellisande.  Twice a week she led her wizards on training exercises to work as a cohesive fighting force.   She had wisely retained Moody as her second in command.  While too far past his prime to fight in a prolonged combat situation, he knew how to give and take orders and make decisions on the fly.  For the raids on the Carrows and the Parkinsons Harry and Egwene simply provided transportation via Traveling while letting Tonks's forces get their feet wet.

There it was. Up to the left was a garish building, coated with salmon pink paint. Letters attached above the window displays advertised "Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes" in varying colors, all neon.  A crowd throbbed around the building. If the twins considered him a partial owner for his investment, his coffers certainly wouldn't be hurting.

"Merlin!  Those two are certainly doing well.  Molly must be eating crow," Tonks said as she took his hand and began to pull Harry towards the entrance. "Make way! Make way! Sensitive supplies being delivered!" Tonks shouted at the crowd gathered around to watch the window displays.  It was quite amusing how they automatically cleared a path for the two of them despite the fact that neither one carried a parcel.

Entering the shop Harry felt Tonks's hand go slack and let it fall out of his own.  The shop itself was a shrine to chaos.  Shoppers of all ages cluttered shelves stacked to the brim with pranks.  A shadow on one wall tried to fight the shadow of a small boy.  Harry nearly seized saidin before realizing that it was just a product, not a bubble of evil from the Dark One.  Carnivalesque music that was already getting on his nerves blared from an unseen source.  He scanned the customers looking for red hair. Naturally one of the twins could be seen on the opposite side near the storeroom.

This time he led the charge through the mob. Grabbing Tonks he dragged her through the sea of people.  A sword would have been handy to clear a path.  After nearly a minute of pushing people aside he finally reached Fred, who was instructing a young buxom woman with golden-red hair how to operate a register.  At least the twins had style.

He snapped his fingers towards Fred, drawing an irritated glare at being so rudely interrupted. "Fred," Harry sighed in an exaggerated manner. "What would the chasers think of your new employee?" He then leaned in to whisper, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Fred's eyes went wide.  "Har-" was all Fred said before his mouth went silent.  Harry didn't need to look to know that Tonks had silenced him with her wand.

"C'mon Fred. Nod your head once if George is in the back." Fred nodded. "Good, let's head back there. I’m in need of your services."

"Mr. Weasley. Are you alright? Who are these people?" the woman asked. It was nice to see that she recognized a potential threat to her boss.

Harry gave Tonks a nudge and pointed at Fred. She smirked before she flicked her wand again.

"Good to see you mate. Who's the bird? No matter, I'll find out.  Head on back to greet George. I'll be there in a 'mo," Fred said as he pointed to the door.

Harry walked into the storeroom, smiling slightly as he heard Fred assure his employee that she was capable of performing her job without him.  He wouldn't bet a knut against Fred taking a tumble with her within a week.  

Her hair…like my Ilyena's. How dare he touch her? She is mine and I am hers.

That was the third time this week he had claimed a woman as his Ilyena. Once it had been the hair, once he swore some woman had her nose.  There was no reasoning with the mad.

"Hey! Customers aren't allowed back here," George warned as he saw Harry and Tonks approach.

Seizing saidin, Harry dropped the weaves for his Mask of Mirrors while Tonks morphed into her favorite form with bubblegum pink hair.  He was distracted from George's reaction by a growing mixture of curiosity and tension coming from Egwene.  He had yet to feel anything like this from her so far.  Oh well, he was sure she'd let him know somehow if she needed him.

A thwack on his arm from Tonks brought his attention back to George.  "Sorry about spacing out, I felt something unexpected.  Nothing bad so no need to concern yourselves," Harry said addressing the concerned looks on their faces. "Now George, let's just wait a second for Fred so we can get our business over with and you can return to minding your shop."

George just smiled as he absently stirred his cauldron.  "No worries benefactor of ours. We know you wouldn't brave the no longer adoring public just to see our pretty faces."

Harry snorted.  It was worthless to be concerned with the opinion of the public with the rate it changed.  The door opened to let in Fred, with a noticeable red smudge over his lips. "So desperate that you need to take advantage of your employees?"

"Harry mate, I should really be offended," Fred said smugly as he shut the door. Harry took the opportunity to channel air to block any potential eavesdroppers.  "But I acknowledge that I will never accomplish what you have. I mean…with three women at once! And you stayed married to them!"  There was nothing but the void. The only thing in the void was the flame. There was only a flame.

"Fred, if you don't shut up I think George will be scraping you off the wall with a spatula into a trash bin," Tonks bit off, shooting a nervous glance at Harry.  "Calm down Harry. Fred's an emotional cripple who doesn't understand what he's saying.  Ignore him and lets tell them what we came for."

Harry reluctantly released his hold on saidin.  "Very well.  As George pointed out, the Minister and The Daily Prophet are trying to rally public opinion against me.  Sources inside the Ministry have informed me that the Unspeakables have now linked me to Pickering and the attack on the Carrows.  I need to…distract the Ministry. That's where you two come in."

Fred and George shared a glance and looked back at him expectantly.  "How may this humble servant make up for his transgression?" Fred asked.

"Can you two get your hands on the equipment that the Ministry uses to produce its official literature?"

"Of course we can! It may take a bit of time though.  I've only seen them once and they do tend to be under heavy guard," George assured him. He left his cauldron and approached Harry. "What do you want printed?"

Harry reached into his jacket and withdrew a manila envelope.  "Here, this is what I need printed.  We contacted Hermione and had her proof the content and layout."

George took the envelope and withdrew the sheet from inside.  A low whistle came from his mouth as he passed it off to Fred. "Mate, this is going to draw Voldemort down upon the Ministry like my lesser half to our new employee.  What about the workers there?"

An arched eyebrow was all the response George got. Blasted society, making your subordinates question your actions. "If you're going to fight a battle, who better to pay the butcher's bill than people who want you dead? The Ministry is gunning for me.  They're displaying unusual subtlety right now, but eventually they plan to draw and quarter me for my tactics against the Death Eaters.  We'll just have to have Voldemort go after them before the Ministry goes after us."

"Harry," Fred said hesitantly.  "What about the employees of the Ministry. Like Dad?"

Reaching into his jacket once more he withdrew another envelope. "Here are the requirements we need for one-way emergency Portkeys.  Can you make them?"

"Nope, but Angie has a friend who works in the Department of Magical Transportation.  She gives him a bit of sugar and he'll be all over her explaining the ins and outs of Portkey creation."

"Good," Harry stated. "Apparition is not going to work with me and Egwene in the field. We'll have to rely on Portkeys to get people in and out."

Fred grunted in agreement while he looked back at the first sheet Harry had distributed.  "Harry, this shop is crazy with the pre-Hogwarts rush.  Even then, it's going to take us a while to get through to the actual Ministry.  We can't give you a timeline for this."

"Don't worry," Harry assured Fred.  "Just try to get them out before we all get warrants on our heads.  Try to get upwards of a thousand copies.  Post them liberally on the walls here in the Alley and I'll take the rest to get them distributed at Hogwarts and the Ministry.  Is there any-" Harry stopped.  Shock flared out from Egwene over the bond.  Last time he had felt this level of shock was when that Darkfriend Guardsman-Lieutenant Doilin Mellar betrayed Elayne and tried to assassinate her. "Tonks, on me!" Harry ordered as he embraced saidin and quickly rewove his Mask of Mirrors.

He ignored Fred and George as he quickly strode out of the storeroom, into the shop proper.  He quickly wove air to push a path through confused shoppers.  Thankfully most scowled towards Fred and George as they emerged from the storeroom behind him, blaming them for their inconvenience.

Just as he broke through the crowd surrounding the shop, the shock became joy.  He sighed, as he stopped to wait for Tonks to catch up. Bloody Egwene. Make a fool out of him for Light knows what reason.  Tonks caught up to him and they made their way silently to Egwene's position.

Egwene was sitting by herself at a table in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, daintily eating ice cream.  He just panicked over her discovering ice cream.  If anyone found out he'd never hear the end of it.  

Wait. She was staring at something, not just eating absent-mindedly.  He tracked to what she was looking and found - Daphne Greengrass? He barely knew the girl, why would she elicit such a reaction from Egwene.

"Find someone interesting?" Harry asked in an irritated tone as he sat down next to her.

"Oh yes. You wouldn't by chance know who that young woman is over there?" Egwene said pointing at Greengrass with her spoon.

"Daphne Greengrass.  She was in my class. Slytherin," he added, his own curiosity growing as he felt the feedback from his bond.  Tonks simply stood behind him confused.

"Interesting.  Hogwarts starts in a week, does it not? How quickly can we get her withdrawn?" Egwene inquired before she returned to the ice cream.

What in the nine hells was Egwene playing at?  Greengrass was just going to be a sixth year at Hogwarts. The only reason he could imagine her leaving was if…"No, she -"

"Yes," Egwene interrupted smugly. "She has the spark.  It matters not who I have to go through.  She will be trained."

Light help him.  After a short month and a half, the Aes Sedai were once more on the rise.

______________________________________________________________________________

Harry tumbled out the floo of Dumbledore's office into an unruly sprawl to his frustration.  Rough landings seemed to be a constant for him with magical transportation.  Just as he stood up, Egwene tumbled out of the fireplace into Harry, knocking him over once more. Perhaps magical transportation simply didn't agree with channelers. He'd have to question Greengrass about her experiences with floo and Portkeys once Egwene managed to extract her from Hogwarts.

A quick glance at the office displayed vacancies on the shelves from the various knick-knacks Harry had destroyed the night Dumbledore revealed to him the prophecy. Dumbledore truly must have had a busy summer for him to not replace his belongings.

Standing up he idly gave Egwene a hand as Tonks gracefully popped out of the floo to land smoothly on her feet. That clenched it for him. If the floo didn't trip up a klutz like Tonks, there had to be something else at work.

"Well, at least we won't be accused of being early," Tonks noted as she looked around the empty office.  "I thought we were meeting with Dumbledore's Order here?"

Harry gave Tonks an amused look. "We are.  I just decided to come early to view a DA meeting.  Plus this way Egwene can work on Dumbledore to acquire her student before the meeting starts." He pulled up the sleeve of his coat and glanced at his watch. "Good, they should have started twenty minutes ago. I'll see you two in a bit."

It felt nostalgic to walk through the stone halls of Hogwarts.  Disguised once more as Rand he gathered curious looks from the few students in the halls as he made his way to the seventh floor.  It was hard for him to imagine himself attending this year.  It was laughable that he would put up with teachers insisting on completing their assignments and girls trying to flirt with him.  

The doorway was already conjured as he approached the tapestry of Barabas the Barmy, so he quietly teased the door open and slid into the room unnoticed.

"-frin-go. It's con-frin-go. Remember all to enunciate the three syllables clearly," Hermione lectured as a desk was conjured by the room. "Now watch while I demonstrate the effects of the spell." She quickly flicked her wand before saying "Confringo!"  The desk instantly shattered into several shards.

Harry slowly clapped his hands in appreciation of Hermione's spellwork.  Within seconds upwards of twenty wands were pointed at him.  He stood his ground as he released the Mask of Mirrors.

"Harry! You made it!" Hermione beamed as she waved him forward. "So what do you think?"

He walked up to the front, committing to memory the students in attendance. All the students from last year who didn't graduate were present sans Chang, Corner and Edgecombe.  There were a few new faces, presumably fifth years.  At the front of the students stood Hermione along with Susan Bones and Katie Bell.  A glance for Ron saw him back amongst the pack of students with the rest of the Gryffindor contingent.  "You've done well," he said warmly. "It's good to see all of you again."

"What in the name of Merlin happened to you Harry?"  Dean asked hesitantly.  The gathered students echoed the same question repeatedly.

"My usual luck."  They weren't getting more out of him.  None except Hermione and Ron were truly his friends, although Ginny, Luna and Neville almost qualified.  With a simple thought a chair materialized beneath him as he sat down.  "Now I believe Hermione just taught you a new spell. Pair up, with one person casting the spell while the other observes. Alternate between casts.  Those of you observing note what your partner did right or wrong and inform them so they can master the spell."

The students lined up in a row perpendicular to where he was sitting, slightly to his left.  Eleven crates materialized to his far right.  A minute later, shouts could be heard as the students worked on the Confringo spell.

"It's like herding wet cats when I try to get them to follow me, but you just stroll in and they all fall in line," Hermione griped as she walked up to him. "Honestly, I wish I could pull it off like you.  How have you been?"

"Well enough.  How was the sorting?"

"Typical.  The hat gave us a cryptic warning. This time involving a creation from Jewish culture. Not sure why it warned us about something made of clay, but I figured I'd start off with this spell so we could dispatch it."

Harry nodded. Leave it to Hermione to find a quick and practical way to overcome a potential obstacle.  "How is leading the DA going?" Harry asked genuinely curious to Hermione's leadership skills.

"It is only the second meeting, but it helps to have Susan and Katie.  Susan, thanks to her aunt has been learning Auror class spells and tactics all summer. That gives me tons of material to work with for planning future lessons.  Katie makes for a good enforcer.  She helped rein in the twins for the past six years, plus she's practicing her yelling skills for the Quidditch Pitch. She made captain by the way."

He gave Hermione a quick smile before focusing back on the Defense Association members. Neville still struggled to learn the basics as Hannah was slowly guiding him through the wand movements.  Susan and Ginny both looked bored watching their respective partners having quickly mastered the spell themselves.  

Light he prayed that this Voldemort business wouldn't last long enough that he'd have to use them.  All he needed was a clear shot and it would be over.  It was frustrating how nobody knew where Voldemort was. Neither the Carrows nor the Parkinsons could shed any light on his location, even under veritaserum.

A sharp whistle from Hermione brought him out of his musings.  "Alright everyone! Great job tonight.  You've all made terrific progress.  It's going to be curfew in fifteen minutes, so we need to head out.  Once I talk to the Quidditch captains I'll send you the next meeting date."

He waited patiently as students slowly filed out, waving bye to those who called out to him.  Soon it was just Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Susan.  He knew that the first three stayed back to follow him back to the Order meeting, but he was uncertain as to why Susan remained. "It was good to see you out there Ginny, Ron. You as well Susan. I hear you got some good lessons over summer."

Susan surprised him by ducking in and giving him a quick hug. "It's good to see you're alright.  Auntie nearly stressed herself into a new shade of grey this summer thinking that one of her Aurors had been responsible for your death.  She decided to teach me since we couldn't rely upon you to attract all the weird at this school," Susan said wryly.

Harry smiled ruefully at that comment. He was a magnet for everything abnormal at Hogwarts.  "Tell your aunt she doesn't need to worry on my behalf.  Still, good job out there."

"Well, it's not hard to cast when you've known how to do the spell for over a month. Oh! Before I forget. I was to give you a message if I saw you at Hogwarts. Auntie wanted to let you know that you're doing a 'good job' whatever that means and that she's been locked out of the loop with all things concerning you.  What have you done to warrant that response from her and why is the Minister going after you again?"

It looked like he had a new potential ally in the Ministry. He'd have to approach her when he had time.  "This and that. I would tell you, but lives depend on me keeping my mouth shut."

Susan moaned. "You're just like Auntie.  'I'd tell you Susie, but the lives of my men are at stake.' Sheesh, you two make it sound so dramatic.  Oh well, I'll just work on her. I gotta go to make it back before curfew, later guys!"

As Susan jogged towards the door, he felt a pull through the bond from Egwene. "Come on you three, the meeting is about to start."

Like a dog following his master. I bow to no one!

Harry ignored Lews Therin as he walked out of the Room of Requirement towards the Headmaster's office. The walk went quickly and silently.  He was thankful that Hermione had somehow convinced Ginny and Ron to stop asking questions about him.  It allowed him to contemplate the best way to approach Dumbledore to apply pressure on the Minister.  He was loathe to meet with the entire Order, but this had been the soonest opportunity Dumbledore had offered to speak with him.

Walking up the steps towards the office he could hear the murmur of voices.  He wondered if Dumbledore was aware of how many of his Order members Harry had co-opted.  His head peaked over the edge of the top stair to see a changed office.  The dimensions had been expanded, easily allowing upwards of fifty people to gather in comfort. While Dumbledore's desk remained opposite of him, a long table dominated the room.  Order members, many of whom he recognized mingled amongst one another as they waited to start.

"Harry! You're down here," Tonks shouted while pulling one of two chairs out from the head of the table.  At once conversation stopped as he entered.  He briefly greeted people as he made his way down to where Tonks was chatting with Moody.  Where did Egwene go off to?

Just as he reached Tonks, the door to Dumbledore's private chambers swung open, admitting Dumbledore and Egwene.  Hopefully Egwene persuaded Dumbledore to allow Greengrass to leave Hogwarts.  He really wasn't looking forward to covering for Egwene if she decided to abduct her.

"Splendid. I see Harry and our student members have arrived at last.  Harry, I apologize for being out of touch for nearly two months, but it is truly a pleasure to see you again."

"I made do," Harry commented with a neutral tone. "Shall we start?"

"Yes. Everyone to your seats," Dumbledore instructed as he approached the seat next to Harry.  It struck Harry odd to see a few members of Shen an Ellisande glance at him first for permission to take their own seats.  Egwene took the seat on the corner to his left, with Tonks next to her.  "I'll begin.  While I spent nearly all my time and effort performing my duties for the IWC in Shanghai, I did take time to seek aid from our allied nations.  While no firm commitments were offered without an official request from Minister Fudge, I believe that once the request comes from the Ministry we will be pleasantly surprised at the number of allies we have."

A smattering of applause could be heard at the end of Dumbledore's pronouncement.  Harry scoffed internally.  Good luck getting the Minister to do anything productive.

"Now I've heard all about the events that have occurred hear since I headed to Shanghai.  I would like to thank Harry and his companion Mistress al'Vere for their assistance in stopping the revel in Pickering." More applause could be heard, this time more enthusiastically.  "Harry, you have truly become a force to reckon with." Dumbledore withdrew his wand and flicked it.  In front of him stood a Pensieve, completely unlike the one he had seen earlier.  It was shaped like a globe, a lattice of stone that held a gravity defying glob of liquid.  

"This is a most rare Pensieve.  It projects memories externally, so that several can view it at once.  To my knowledge it is the only one of its kind." Dumbledore stopped, turning to his side to gaze at Harry.  "I do respect your privacy Harry, but I feel that more assurances will be needed if the Order is to condone the manner in which you deal with the Death Eaters.  Could you possibly lend me a memory to display, which would demonstrate the philosophy you adhere to in battle?"

For the first time in over a month Harry felt true anger.  Who did Dumbledore think he was to place such demands on him?  The meeting had just begun and Dumbledore was acting as if he was in the wrong.  Wait, he had a perfect memory.  He would comply. But not without exacting a price.

"Wouldn't it be more appropriate to view the memory privately?  I have many memories to choose from, none pleasant," Harry stated in an icy tone.  

"Harry, to work well together we must all know what standard you will hold us to," Dumbledore insisted.

"You demand much for one who produces so little.  Well done with your diplomacy.  I am sure you are aware that nothing will be done until Fudge removes his head from his ass, although that won't happen without the aid of a blade." Snickers were heard as Dumbledore frowned. "Very well, I can be reasonable.  I shall provide a memory.  But you shall address my concerns.  The Ministry has of recent decided that I am a threat to the wizarding public.  No thanks to your loose tongue. While you have safely retained your good standing with the Minister, you have practically fed information about me to Voldemort.  I want an oath from you that you shall do as I instruct in all future relations with the Ministry.  I provide you with context to how I fight, you become my proxy at the Ministry. A fair trade I say."

Approval sang from Egwene over the bond.  Harry knew that he had the old man over the stakes.  From the angry mutters of the members present, he knew that Dumbledore's selling out of Harry's new identity to the Minister hurt Dumbledore's position.  To retain their trust, he would have to agree to the bargain. Doing so secured Harry's dominance in the relationship.

"It would appear to be a fair trade," Dumbledore said softly moments later. "Shall I swear to you now or after the meeting?"

"Your word is enough," Harry stated. He already got what he wanted.

"I am glad you appear to retain some trust towards me.  May we see the memory now?" Dumbledore asked as he raised his wand towards Harry's head.

Harry scowled at Dumbledore. "Not you.  Tonks can extract it from me."  He focused on the appropriate memory as Tonks placed her wand to the side of his head, only to extract an ethereal silvery substance.

"How do I work this Albus?"  Tonks inquired as she held the memory in front of the Pensieve.

"Simply place the memory in and tap it with your wand when you're ready to play it.  Could you provide us with some context before we start Harry?"

"Very well.  You will see the conclusion to the battle of Dumai's Well. It will start with me freeing myself from captivity.  There you will see the conclusion to the battle, as my allies overcome two factions determined to either enslave or kill me," Harry said as he stood up. "Remember, I'm the tall red haired man with these markings on his arms," Harry said rolling up the sleeves to his coat. "Dumbledore, if you would banish the furniture to allow for an unobstructed viewing?"

The table and chairs vanished promptly once everyone had stood.  Looking once more at Harry for permission, Tonks placed the memory in the Pensieve and tapped it with her wand.

Instantly the room turned pitch black.  Dull screams and the boom of thunder could be vaguely heard.  Suddenly the black shattered, revealing him in the middle of what had once been a chest.  He could hear Mrs. Weasley and Hermione's breath hitch as they saw his body, wearing tattered clothing with open wounds exposed and still bleeding.

Their attention shifted quickly to the screaming woman next to the remains of the chest surrounded by unconscious women. Lightning and fireballs could be glimpsed overhead, although not much else could be seen through the dense foliage.  Most ignored them, as they focused on him trying to stand with his tortured body.

He watched himself finally stand to rush towards Min. Oh Min.  She lived. She had to have survived.  The Order now stared in horror beyond him, as Aiel fought Aiel, Aes Sedai wove devastating attacks at their opponents and his Asha'man extracted their pound of flesh - and then some.  He noted Tonks ignoring the fight, paying rapt attention to him talk with Min.

He could hear someone get sick as he watched one green-coated man - one of Gawyn's Younglings - get impaled by a Maiden of the Spear.  He could feel Lews Therin's satisfaction as he watched himself systematically dispatch Elaida's Aes Sedai guarding the ringwall of wagons.

Soon, as he remembered, the Aiel - both his and Shaido - broke through, swarming through the wagons.  Shaido approached his position. He smiled as he saw himself shield Min with his body before using saidin to burn them to a crisp.  Order members who weren't at Pickering looked at him in horror.

Gawyn rode up, with twenty of his men.  Egwene glanced at Harry with a start before snapping her head back towards Gawyn longingly.  He could feel her anguish.  This was when she was leading her Aes Sedai rebellion in Salidar, it was quite possible she never knew of his role in this.  

As Gawyn and his men rode off, Harry braced himself.  There, right after that fool Asha'man attacked Gawyn, stood Mazrim Taim.

He lives!? screamed Lews Therin. Kill the Darkfriend! Better him than me. Or you I suppose.

Harry watched himself talk with Taim as the Asha'man formed their dome of air. Interesting. He couldn't see the weaves in a Pensieve.  His stomach clenched looking at Taim.  He had always known something was off about him, but to think that he had let that self-appointed Forsaken run amok with his Asha'man made his blood curl.  

This is the point he wanted Dumbledore to see.  This is how he would fight when what he treasured was threatened.  He heard himself say, "I told you to make weapons, Taim. Show me just how deadly they are. Disperse the Shaido. Break them."

Dumbledore gave him a sharp look at those words. Until this point, he had maintained a neutral look. No doubt his experiences from World War Two allowed him to stomach the violence, but now he focused on Harry with a disapproving gaze.

Harry ignored him to watch Taim shout out orders.  "Asha'man, kill!"

He now heard several people get violently ill as the front rank of Shaido exploded.  They simply broke apart into a mist of blood and flesh. Then the next row exploded. And the next.  It continued for nine more waves before Taim's voice could be heard once more, "Asha'man, rolling ring of Earth and Fire!"

Now explosions erupted from the ground in fountains of flame and dirt. Shaido were tossed into the air only to be incinerated by the next eruption of flame in expanding rings.

Finally, his own voice could be heard. "Stop! Stop it, Taim!"  The memory ended, restoring the view back to Dumbledore's office.

Vomit stained the floor and more than a few pairs of shoes.  The Order members looked pale as they stared aghast towards Harry.  Hermione was amongst a few women who were openly crying.  Ron looked shell-shocked as he stared at Harry with eyes wide open.

"See Dumbledore. I stopped the violence once it got excessive."

Dumbledore looked sadly at Harry, before softly calling out a name.  A house elf appeared, took a quick glance at the floor and set to work.  "Harry, what I have just seen…more people died in those violent minutes then there are wizards in England."

Harry gave Dumbledore a dry look.   "They wanted me dead.  Why should I give quarter to those who would damn all that I love with their actions?"

"Albus! Lay off the lad!" Moody interjected before Dumbledore could retort. "He knows what he's doing. I sure as hell approve of his actions.  He's taking the fight to the Death Eaters!  You of all people, especially after the way we fought against Grindelwald, know that you can't win a war by simply reacting. We pissed away the seventies and only got a thirteen year lull."

The members of Shen an Ellisande voiced their approval of Moody's statement.  Once again he wondered if Dumbledore truly realized how thoroughly his Order had been co-opted by him.  He had been careful to keep McGonagall at arms length during his full meetings to conceal the true numbers.

"Very well," Dumbledore stated after several moments of contemplation. "It looks as if the room is once more ready for furniture. Would everyone be so kind as to step back towards the wall?"

Seconds later the table and chairs had returned.  Dumbledore whispered to the House Elf again, and light foods popped into existence over the table.  "Now, shall we begin the meeting proper?"

It was amusing how…edited the reports were. Hestia Jones didn't even mention a quarter of the details she had fed Harry.  Every report from one of his men simply emphasized that Voldemort had lain low since Pickering.

At last the meeting came to an end. Harry waited with forced patience for the members to leave him alone with Dumbledore.  Egwene would only leave once she received assurance that she would be able to meet with Greengrass shortly.

"Dumbledore…" Harry stopped as he saw Dumbledore raise his hand.

"No, call me Albus."

"Very well, Albus," Harry said in a flat voice. "This is the last time I attend one of your meetings.  No longer will I play your games, being fast and loose with information as if we are part of a social club."

Dumbledore simply rubbed his beard. "Harry, I’m truly sorry you feel that way.  But it's for the best that -"

"No," Harry interrupted icily.  "Your way caused us to lose the first war with Voldemort. It is only due to sheer luck, or your machinations that I was able to cast Voldemort out of his body when I was a one year old.  You may be older - but I have far more experience in leading successful military campaigns."

Dumbledore nodded absently as he looked towards Fawkes's empty perch. "That may be Harry, but your way is also illegal.  The Ministry is in its full rights to prosecute you and whomever is working with you for your actions."

He simply stared at Dumbledore as if he was a small child. "The Ministry can't even demonstrate control of its own facilities.  I will not allow Voldemort and the Death Eaters to run rampant while tethering myself to a corrupt idiot."

"So you will simply choose to ignore the law?" Dumbledore asked in a disapproving tone.

Harry arched an eyebrow coolly as he leaned against the table. "There is no effective law. This is war.  People will die. It's either us or the Death Eaters. I choose the Death Eaters."

Dumbledore frowned. "You did not experience the horror of World War Two.  You -"

"I have seen far worse Albus.  Grindelwald's War was only fought between humans.  You would sing a different tune if there was a chance that your family would end up in the Trolloc's pot." Harry said with forced calmness.

Unwrapping a lemon drop, Dumbledore popped it in his mouth. Harry simply stared as he watched the man suck on the treat. "I can see that we will not agree. That is superfluous, seeing as how you apparently took command of the Order tonight.  I am no naïf getting his first glimpse at politics."

Now Harry had reason to smile.  "Nor did I believe you to be.  Your ability to…guide people is commendable.  Your capacity to be a General is where I find fault." He paused for a few seconds for Dumbledore to deal with the rebuke. "In regards to our bargain, I only have one simple instruction for now. Suppress all information about me.  I guarantee anything that passes through that idiot's desk will find its way to Voldemort. I will handle all combat against the Death Eaters."

With little hesitation Dumbledore nodded his agreement.  "This is quite vexing for me.  I abhor your methods but cannot find fault with the results you seek.  Perhaps your way is necessary." Dumbledore stopped to stroke his beard. "Forgive me for not saying earlier, but my most sincere condolences on the loss of your family."

It was only thanks to his training that Harry was able to maintain his disinterested expression. The Dursleys were dead?  He had heard no word of it, but "No tears will be shed by me over their fate.  I'll save them for those more deserving.  Speaking of the fallen, have you heard any word from Professor Lupin since you sent him out?" Too late. Dumbledore's eyes flared open before he could squelch his shock, telling Harry all that was necessary. "May the Light shine on his memory.  Now Headmaster, I'm afraid I have other obligations tonight.  I wish you a good evening."

Harry promptly seized saidin, boring a gateway back to the roof of Grimmauld Place.  Although he did not expect having to ever relive the memory of Dumai's Well, he had for the time firmly placed Dumbledore under his thumb. All in all he came out on top tonight.

______________________________________________________________________________

The streets of London were quiet near the entrance to the Ministry later that night.  Nothing living was in view of the phone booth, as litter tumbled by pushed by a wind from the North Sea.  

A series of sharp cracks penetrated the silence as an even dozen black robes materialized out of thin air.  A grim smile covered Walden Macnair's face underneath his mask as he scanned the surroundings, making sure no filthy muggles had seen them.  

"Pity," Bellatrix crooned as she stalked towards the phone booth.  "No appetizers. Oh well, Mummy will get her fill down down below."

McNair shivered. The woman was truly barkers.  While he wouldn't have minded getting a taste back in the good ol' days, now she had the body of a ghoul and the mind of a rabid bitch.  He started to follow her only to notice that all of his meat shields had stayed back.  "Come on you pussies, get a move on before I tell our Lord of your cowardice."

He smirked as all ten of them scampered about to comply.  The Dark Lord rarely punished his followers, but those who experienced it never forgot.  Once in '76 he took too long with some muggle trollop and didn't complete his objective.  His leg could now predict cold weather.  Never had he seen so many variations of the Bone Smashing Hex used.

He suppressed another shiver as Bellatrix took his side upon entering the lift.

"I'm jealous you know," she whispered as the lift descended. "You get to meet such great new playthings.  I'm stuck with the same old same old.  No chance we swap love?"

His stomach clenched at the suggestion. It was tempting.  The Dark Lord has been most explicit with his instructions however.  That fox-man creature killed all who brought a wand into his realm.  Bellatrix would bring one on purpose to goad it into a fight.  No, thanks to his experience with the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures he was in charge with meeting that creature. "No Bellatrix, the Dark Lord was most insistent. I alone go in. You and the others kill everything else."

"Oh poo," she replied while she drew her wand out. "Well, like mum said, you bake a pie with what you got." The door of the lift chimed, signaling they had reached the Ministry lobby.   Naturally the guard was asleep at his desk. A flash of green sprang from Bellatrix's wand killing him instantly.  "See? I am the picture of discretion."

Without waiting for a response she strode forward.  "Flint! Dispose of the body and take a Portkey back," Macnair ordered as he matched her pace.  He swiveled his head back and forth, but no other movement could be found.  

He had to restrain from laughing at how simple this was.  There were now eleven Death Eaters clumped around the lift to the Department of Mysteries and not a peep of resistance.  Fudge had virtually laid out the welcome mat for them.  

The doors opened at last. Still no resistance.  There better be some Unspeakables down below. Bellatrix was getting far too twitchy.  He bet one of the lambs on this milk run was going to piss his pants from her alone. They all stood quietly as they waited for the lift to reach the Department of Mysteries. Forty seconds later, the doors opened at their destination.

"Hey! Who are you-" exclaimed a man in a grey cloak reaching for his wand.

"Crucio!" yelled some brat who thought he had the bollocks to serve the Dark Lord.

Bellatrix simply flicked her wand emitting a yellow beam that sheared off the Unspeakable's head.  "E for effort dearie.  However the game is to kill as quickly and messily as possibly.  We don't want to tickle them into submission."

Macnair said nothing as he began the walk towards the room with the doorway.  This is where those damn kids had bested him. His blood worked into a frenzy as he overtook Bellatrix. Someone would die for what happened to him here in June.

A grey cloak emerged from a hallway, its back to Macnair.  Sometimes he had the luck of the devil himself. He flicked his wand up to send a Bludgeoning curse into the Unspeakable's back.  A red mist formed as the Unspeakable dropped, a quarter-meter wide crater in its back leaking blood. A gentle pat on Macnair's shoulder made him swerve around.

"So lovely," Bellatrix said as she gazed upon the dead Unspeakable. "I'll give you that one.  You best keep safe now.  You must complete the Dark Lord's task."

Who did she think she was to tell him to hide like a Hufflepuff?  She ignored him though, continuing at a manic pace towards their destination.

Up ahead he heard three strangled death cries.  Entering the chamber that held the doorway, he saw Bellatrix twisting her wand idly in her hand as she stood over three cooling corpses.

"Only five?" Bellatrix complained as she perched herself on top of a desk in the room. "I still say we should have attacked at noon."

"Unfortunately the Dark Lord commanded us to attack now," Macnair responded as he approached her. "Here is my wand, I trust you to keep it safe."

The white mask just gazed back at him as Bellatrix gently cradled his wand. "Of course I will.  Our Lord will need someone to dispatch all those unsavory creatures after all." Praise Merlin that she thought highly of him.

He raised his fist in acknowledgment as he marched to the doorway.  It hurt his eyes to look at the redstone frame, its corners meeting at impossible angles.  He took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.

It was as if he stepped through a sheet of white light.  Immediately he found himself in a forest of pillars. Just like the reports said.  It was a little creepy how they extended beyond his vision.  He turned slowly. Good the door was still there.  At least he wasn't cut off like that half-blood slut had been.

"Do you abide by the treaties and agreements? Do you carry iron, or instruments of music, or devices making light?"

Macnair whirled, reaching for the wand he didn't have.  In front of him stood the fox-man creature. What in the name of Merlin was he wearing? Seeing the creature waiting for a response, he shook his head in the negative.

"It is good that you adhered to the rules.  The penalty is now harsher to those who dare to transgress," the man stated as he began to walk through a five-sided doorway.

Seeing no other choice, Macnair followed him.  This creature was disgusting. He mimicked human form, like some mongrel centaur.  Turning to look behind him, he saw only a reflection of himself and the creature. How was he getting out of here? This was no time to lose his nerves. The Dark Lord would reward him greatly if he succeeded.

They walked for an indeterminate amount of time.  At last, the black glossy walls gave way to an eight-sided room with smooth gray walls. At the end of each point stood glassy black pedestals.  Those eerie yellow strips still covered every corner, emitting its dull light. He turned to look for his guide, but the creature had disappeared along with the entrance. He was sealed in the room.

Eight of the creatures appeared, standing atop a pedestal apiece, four men and four women.  The men wore longer skirts that concealed their feet and thankfully wider straps that covered their chests.  He cringed when he studied the women.  They dressed human, with their long white skirts and white blouses with lace at their necks and wrists, but their narrow jaws and pointy ears poking through their pale reddish hair accentuated their impurity.  

"Speak, by the ancient treaty, here is agreement made. What is your need? Speak, we may gift you three things," one of the bitches explained to him.

Three things!? The Dark Lord only wanted one wish. The other two were his to do with. Best that he do his duty first, then take his reward.

"I wish for the Dark Lord to be given the means to kill Harry Potter."

"Done."

"I wish for ten million galleons to be placed in my vault."

"Done."

"I wish to have my way with any woman I desire."

 

"Done."

He couldn't wait to get back.  Who would he start with? Perhaps Narcissa, before moving to the younger generation…wait. Why were they laughing?

"Yet fool not to first agree on price," said one of the males.

"We will set the price," said a female.

What price? They never mentioned a price! One by one, they began to fade until only a male and female remained.

"What was asked will be given," said the female.

"The price will be paid," said the male.

Pain spiked in his head, and he knew no more.