Normally re-entering Britain would have been a monumental task. One would have to get past the war infested hell France was once again turning into as the Death Eaters found their march on Paris rather more difficult than expected. If you survived that you'd then reach England's everlasting defense, the English channel. And as a magical you would then need to bypass The Cliffs.

The Cliffs was the name given to the national lock down war wards of Britannia, so named in honor of the white cliffs of Dover.
First set up during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I under the advice of her magical aide Cassius Malfoy to warn off the Spanish Wizards travelling on board the armada. The Cliffs were a set of heavy duty protections that every Ancient and Noble Lord is required by law to bolster upon claiming their head of house, therefore layered on top of the normal anti-Apperation, anti-portkey and anti-Broom warding every Wizarding nation had. Britain enjoyed the powerful physical barrier wards of the Macmillans, the early detection and identity revealing wards of the Malfoys, a mass thief's downfall provided by the London Goblins after they lost a rebellion and of course, the highly illegal blood wards of the Black Family, among many others.

Since the Stature of Secrecy was implemented in 1692 only two people in the world know all the wards implemented in The Cliffs, the Minister of Magic for Great Britain and the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Voldermort had Killed the last Minister before extracting this information, indeed the only thing Scrimgeour had time to do was raise the Cliffs before his brutal last stand under the statue of magical brethren. Therefore only living man with the knowledge of the wards and the ability to raise, or lower them, was Albus Dumbledore. Just one more reason why Voldermort wanted him dead.

"So, how are we doing this then?" Harry asked, staring out across the channel.

"Well" Sirius Began, "While I am as of this moment family-less, you will need to apparated us across the most dangerous waterway in the world while hopefully not getting us either fried by the Black wards in the Cliffs that my Grandfather added in, the demented bastard, nor getting us splinched. If you can manage all that I'm pretty sure I could get us to Davensport, easy really."

'is that all' Harry thought. "And what is Davensport?" He said aloud.

"It's the Longbottom family manor, somewhere on the south coast I should think. If Augusta is still alive we can relay a message through her to Dumbledore."

"I'm hearing a lot of If's here Padfoot."

Sirius waved him away. "We're trying to break into Death Eater infested Britain Harry no one said it was going to be easy."

"You just d-"

"Now," He interrupted quickly. "To bypass the Cliffs you're going to need this."

Sirius reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a rather bulky ring.

"This Harry, is the Potter signet ring. I pulled it off James's finger myself." he swallowed the lump in his throat and handed the ring to his godson.

Harry weighed the gold ring in his hand. The crest of House Potter was proudly displayed in the center, the Gold Lion of England and the Ruby Dragon of Wales held up a small obsidian shield emblazoned with a wand crossing with a sword, representing both the magical and the muggle aspects of war. He took the ring into his left hand, blew out a shaky breath, and slowly pushed it onto his right middle finger. With a shock and flash of green light Harry jerked back blinked rapidly as he felt the Old Family magic accept him as the rightful Lord of House Potter.

"I'm glad that worked, your parents would have killed me if you died." Sirius commented.

Harry sent him a harsh look and grabbed him firmly by the arm. Before Sirius could even yelp, the duo disappeared with a sharp Crack. The only evidence they had been there was the soft shimmering of light as they passed through the Cliffs.

"Dear Merlin." Sirius whispered.

In front of them stood the Proud family manor of House Longbottom. Its sweeping archways and its ivy covered marble Corinthian columns. The great tower at its eastern most extension shooting up into the sky was the great showing of Longbottom strength and wealth to all those who would appose them.

Or it would have, had the place not been in total and complete ruin.

Sirius walked forward toward the rubble near where the door used to be. He kicked around some of the stone and with a flick of his wand levitated one of the larger blocks towards them, as it grew closer Harry noticed the damage. The stone had been deeply gouged with smaller cuts through the stone seemingly at random.

"Only Dark magic leaves this sort of damage behind." Sirius remarked, going into Auror mode. "I've no idea the spell, but its heavy duty at least and with some power behind it." He banished the block off to the left and grimaced as fully took in the scene.

Harry looked at the moss and wild flowers growing around the stones. The way huge magical plants had overtaken the ruined greenhouses, indeed there was a nest of Devils snare crawling over in the shadowed remains of the clock tower

"This happened awhile go." Harry mentioned. "Look at all the growth."

Sirius nodded at that and replied. "Must have been after the initial takeover, Augusta must have told the new regime exactly what she thought of them. A bold move really, she must have thought she and Neville were safe behind Davensport's wards. And why not? Nothing had ever breached them, not Cromwell, not the Goblins and not even Grindelwald's Blitz."

"But they weren't Voldermort were they." Harry grimaced.

"Apparently not-" Sirius broke off. He snapped his head round to the right. "Didn't you feel that?"

"What?" Harry frowned, scanning the tree line wondering what his Godfather thought he had heard.

"Wands out Harry we mustn't linger, I think someone's watching."

Drawing his wand with a little more force that was really necessary Harry looked around the area with growing alarm. "Where?"

"Doesn't matter" Sirius shook his head and offered his arm. "Grab my arm, we're out of here."

Harry complied and with another crack they were gone.

Albus was in deep thought as he sat behind his desk. He hadn't heard from Gellret for some time, it was approaching a good week now, and it troubled him. He had known releasing him had been a massive risk, a risk he had still not told the Order about. He knew none would approve and would likely assume his mental faculties compromised. Of course they'd never say it openly but they'd talk and question behind his back, perhaps miss Granger would research his past find his long ago connections to Gellret and share it with the group, who would then force him to stand aside while another took his place. For the Greater Good of the war effort maybe..

Dumbledore shook his mind clear as one of his trinkets alerted him to people outside his door. He cleared his throat and ushered them in.

One by one the Order's inner circle took their seats around his desk. His old Friend retired master auror Alastor Moody, His deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, a rather battered looking William Weasley, the Hogwarts Healer Poppy Pomfrey, the steadfast presence of Lord Neville Longbottom and finally on the far left head researcher Hermione Granger. Though there was still a seat free...

"Shall we wait for Severus or shall we begin?"

"Bah," Moody barked, "Lets get it over with, he's properly been called in again."

"Very well, first things first as always William, are the Hogwarts wards as secure as ever?"

"The war wards are still at full strength Headmaster." Bill confirmed.

"Exultant news. Now does any of you have some urgent news to bring to light?"

the group shook their head and young Longbottom simply referred to the supply letter he and Poppy had delivered the last week and confirmed the situation had not improved.

From there the meeting continued as they normally would, however different they might have been in the first war or the early days of this one. No longer did they plan attacks or erect protections over important locations, now it was security reports from Alastor and Bill, medical drafts from Poppy, food management from Neville and every once in awhile Hermione would liven things up with a new report or theory on tighter wards or a potential weakness in Tom's logistics.

So suffice to say even with his prodigious patience, the meetings bored him to death.

Albus stared at Minerva as she gave her report on schooling the children that lived in the castle and he marveled once again at the resilience of them all. This war was long over, all that was left was for Tom to find away around the powerful war wards and storm the castle. And yet looking at his friends and colleges it was almost as if he was the only one who saw it. This tedious grip of life they clung to within Hogwarts was the reason he had sort out Grindelwald. Any chance to turn this tsunami he'd grasp with both hands.

Albus noted that his headmistress had stopped talking and thanked her for her report, thought it was mostly the same every meeting. He was about to the call the meeting finished when his trinket whirled and the door was thrown open.

The figure swept through the room and took his seat.

"My apologies headmaster, there was an important matter discussed at the latest inner circle meeting." Severus Snape explained as he studiously avoided the gazes of the other members.

"Indeed?" Albus stroked his beard in thought, it was not often Severus came baring important news. Death Eater meetings had too been growing stale as they realised running a state was not as glamorous as fighting to take one over. What truly interested him however was the term 'inner circle' meeting. Voldermort's true inner circle had not met in person for over two years, each had his or her own part of Britain to run and with their master more concerned on breaking European resistance, presumably to buy himself more time to find way to down Hogwarts wards, these inner circle members ran their provinces like personal kingdoms. He nodded for Snape to continue.

"The Dark Lord was not present, the meeting was called by Theodore Nott Jr who as I'm sure you know has been running the Department of Mysteries since Rookwood's death."

He paused to collect himself.

"Someone activated the Taboo."

There was a short silence in the room before it was broken by Neville.

"And, why is that of import? Surely people slip up all the time, even here the only reason the taboo hasn't caught us out is because the Hogwarts wards overpower it. I hear people say his name every now and again."

Scowling Severus glowered at the young Gryffindor and Albus noted with a no small amount of pride that Neville the man never flinched or turned away as Neville the boy would have done. But before the potions master tear into the lad Hermione cut in, tucking a lock of hair behind her left ear, a nervous tick he had noticed.

"Because Nev everyone in the country knows about the taboo. While people here can slip up like you say, anyone outside the grounds would have been conditioned to never utter the word. Despite what you may think the taboo hasn't been broken in," she frowned, " four years? Right Professor?" She turned to Snape.

"Indeed. When Nott's father pointed this out he claimed the taboo may have malfunctioned due to how long it had been active, the son quickly rebuffed him telling him to tread lightly when questioning the Dark Lord's power and telling the crowd that he had personally confirmed the Taboo's effectiveness. The meeting almost turned bloody however when Dolohov suggested Bellatrix was hiring outside mercenaries to help in controlling the Irish revolts. She refuted him claiming by questioning her power in Ireland he was questioning the authority of the Dark Lord himself. Nott calmed them all down by confirmed the taboo had not been in Ireland but on the south coast."

He hesitated slightly, Albus was sure he was the only one who saw it, having picked up all of Severus's mannerisms over the years.

"The breach was at the Davensport ruins."

Once again silence loomed over them. Hermione wasted no time to place her arm round Neville's shoulders as his face paled. The Battle at Longbottom manner had been ferocious, it had been the Orders last remaining forward operating base and the only base that still remained in England. The Longbottom wards were unique in their ability to wax and wane with the attacking force.

Created by Theseus Longbottom around 900 AD the Theseus ward move positions the closer a force came to it, and once the normal outer wards were broken, the time when a Wizarding force would charge forward to attack, the Theseus ward's effects would grow stronger. Namely more pain, more exhaustion and far less air to breach. There had been a report that a entire division of Cromwell's new model army had ran headlong into the ward only to be grasped by heavy vines and dragged into the ground. And while the outer wards could be taken down by skilled curse breakers in a month or two, any attempt to find the Theseus ward stone placements would drive a man insane. Then should the curse breaker indeed find them, the pain he would endure while attempting to break them would drive him over the edge. As with most major attacks of war all defences had held as planned, no less than thirty curse breakers had died trying to find the Theseus ward and over five hunderd Death Eaters had fallen to its defences. That however was before Voldermort himself would turn up and tear them apart like wet paper. Now the only Theseus ward that still existed was inside The Cliffs.

Augusta had been a formidable Witch, she had transfigured marble soldiers to slow the Death Eater advance after the wards fell. Personally leading the defence of her home. Even when the Theseus ward itself had fallen she held the line in order to buy time for the rest of the defenders to escape back to Hogwarts, her last words being that if she was to die that day she wouldn't give them the satisfaction that they'd gotten with Frank and Alice. That she'd die the Same way all Longbottom heroes died, straight backed, proud with a spell on their lips.

Having wait sometime, Severus continued.

"Nott Jr claimed he himself checked on the disturbance, he had apparated inside the tree line. He saw two figures, one looked middle aged and one was a young man, apart from one having long black hair and the other having shorter black hair he was too far away to ascertain any other features nor their identities." He looked around at the group heavily. "It must also be noted that with in seconds of Nott's near silent arrival the figures knew of his presence and swiftly apparated away. As well as the keen reactions and underlining magical power needed to detect Nott's arrival, the older man side-alonged the other so that may speak to a closer or even familial tie between them, rather than them being as Dolohov predicted, hired muscle."

Snape leaned back once again in his chair. "As for the rest of the meeting, the Malfoy's claimed Nott knew the identities of the intruders and as planning give the Dark Lord the information personally in order improve his own standing. The Carrows muttered something about a crisis in Newcastle and left as soon as was possible and soon enough the meeting dispersed.
It is therefore my belief that the Dark Lord is not yet aware of the breach and Nott does not wish to tell him until he finds out who they are. As he was not at the meeting today I'd say Nott Jr indeed does not know their identities as it claimed."

Dumbledore stepped his fingers on the desk.

"Thank you Severus, I belief we should go away to think in this new information and meet back at the usual time on Sunday. Thank you all." He gave them a reassuring smile and as they arrived one by one they all left.

He relaxed back into the faded golden throne of Hogwart's headmasters closed his eyes.

'Who could they be. Some of Grindelwald's new recruits perhaps? Though if he is recruiting again that is truly troubling, but would explain his lack of communication.'

Fawkes let out a shrill from his perch and Albus smiled as the soothing medley washed over him.

"Thank you my friend. I too wish our new arrivals could be a help to the war effort."

Fawkes let out another, deeper, cry. And this time Albus Dumbledore frowned, stood from his chair and rounded his desk.

"No Fawkes, it can't be them. Though certainly it being Sirius Black returning to his masters side."

Dumbledore slipped on his travelling cloak and it billowed out behind him as he walked toward the door, without turning back to his familiar.

"But I gave up on Harry Potter long ago."