It should be mentioned that I do not own Harry Potter. I can only thank Rowling for this sandbox that so many individuals, myself included, get to dream in. I write only because I have read so many fanfics that I've begun having my own ideas that refuse to get out of my head.

Andromeda Tonks sat to the right of Harry in the Black family box while the wizengamot that had erupted into chaos was pushing on its tenth minute of noisy chaos. Through that whole time she, her sister, daughter, and nephew had remained seated and had remained calm and silent. With the exception of Narcissa spending much of the time leaned forward to whisper into her son's ear as she pointed out the many visible political intricacies at work. Regardless of the political wisdom of revealing so many secrets and throwing the gauntlet down at Voldemort, Narcissa was using this as an opportunity to show just how the various players and factions of the Wizengamot reacted and interacted.

With almost the entirety of the English Wizarding Society's governing body on its feat and at each other's throats alliances and hatreds were very visible in such an emotional state. By and large the Light and Dark were hurling accusations back and forth while the Neutrals were fractured, but even inside of the larger actions there was clearly old issues rising to the surface as inside of their own factions sides were clearly being drawn. The Dark was particularly fractured in this regard but the Light was not exempt either.

The issues causing each of the schisms varied from group to group. In the Light faction judging by known political players squaring off and shouting at one another it had more to do with the fact that certainly families had been complicit or supportive of the Ministry's efforts to deny Voldemort's return. Others were arguing over Sirius Black's innocence. Across the chamber by and large the schisms were along the lines of Dark families that had supported Voldemort in the previous war against those that had not. As for the neutrals they were torn with every argument imaginable even some that clearly hadn't been addressed by Harry's address but instead were older grievances that had never been forgotten.

Through it all spells hadn't yet flown although wands were being waved in threats. There was no real danger as the boxes all were warded and shielded to protect the occupants within. Andromeda watched as one particularly rabid neutral head of house threw a crumpled ball of parchment at the head of another family only for the family to deflect off the box wards to land in the aisles. Her eyes glanced from one feud and argument to another all around the room before her eyes finally stopped momentarily on Dumbledore who was sitting at the Chief Warlock's post waiting for the uproar to tire clearly looking his years. Her eyes shifted continued to scan the room stopping on one of the few boxes that wasn't occupied with someone on their feet throwing accusations.

Three boxes to the left and row down but still safely in the heart of the Light sat Susan Bones. Andromeda's hard expression softly seeing the orphaned girl. It was not even three weeks ago her Aunt and last living relative had died during a Death Eater raid and her family home put to the torch. Rumor held that Voldemort himself had participated in the attack on the previous head of the DMLE's residence. What was whispered was that young Susan had only survived by using an escape tunnel while her aunt had fought the Death Eaters buying her niece time to escape and live.

Susan much like her nephew Draco on the other side of the room had a lawyer serving as her proxy lacking any family members to serve as a proxy until she was of age. The girl simply looked sad and tired and ignored all the people arguing. Though when she took a moment to glance to the side at the Black box and Harry, Andromeda's brow visibly rose for a moment as she watched the young girl out of the corner of her eye. Andromeda's trained eye studied the girl and saw she had clearly been trained in pureblood politics given her family but she was clearly not ready yet for the full burden.

As the tone of arguments shifted ever so slightly Albus Dumbledore finally took to his feat once more at the Chief Warlock's position. A single cannon blast from the aged wizard's wand brought a halting silence. "Gentlemen and Ladies. Enough. There will be time for discussion and argument later but I will remind you that we are still in session, and we have yet two more houses under fresh leadership." He turned his gaze to the Light's side of the chamber and gazed softly on the late Amelia Bones's niece who was silent still. "Miss Bones. Would you like to address the chamber?"

In the House Bones box Susan quietly listened to the lawyer that sat next to her. As a legal minor still she like Draco and Harry could not directly vote and required a proxy. Still before she named a proxy like Harry she was allowed to address the Wizengamot, in fact due to a quirk of law as the last of House Bones she was allowed to address the legislative body as often as she liked, she simply needed a proxy to cast a vote. As the young woman stood but did not immediately speak Andromeda scanned the room again. Though many were now looking to Susan Bones, there were still plenty of eyes on the Black box. Andromeda had no doubt that Harry's near unrecognizable appearance had a bit to do with the continued attention though she had to wonder how many had noticed how Harry had called her his Aunt. Given a flash from the press box up amidst the spectator's balcony she spotted a cameraman sitting next to Rita Skeeter and Andromeda had no doubt a great many articles the following day's Prophet would be devoted to Harry.

Finally though after Susan Bones had been standing in her family's ancestral box for more than two minutes Dumbledore finally raised his wand and brought about silence and order to allow the young woman to speak. Like Harry she was not yet at her majority and the lawyer beside her remained seated to allow her to address the assembly as she finally spoke.

"Honored Warlocks and Sorceresses. I am the last of the House of Bones. If I am honest in all likelihood my line's name will end with me. This is a fact I have known and been forced to recognize even before my aunt's murder at the wands of Death Eaters and You-Know-Who. Harry Potter has already spoken of how we need to face him. My aunt was facing him since his return. She spoke to me of how she doubted events and while she didn't necessarily believe him without evidence, neither did she dismiss it out of hand. So she prepared what she could just in case. But in the end even with preparation she was cut down trying to buy time to allow for me to escape. Voldemort killed my Aunt and Death Eaters burned my home. Many of you knew her and knew how powerful a witch she was. And yet her strength and her preparations were not enough. I can only urge everyone to gather together. Standing alone is not enough no matter how strong you are. You-Know-Who is stronger. Only together unified can we have a hope of beating him. I ask everyone to stand together against him as one."

And with that she sat and there was quiet murmuring throughout the chamber. Unlike Harry there had been no phenomenal bombshells dropped. The news of the burning of the Bones Estate and the murder of Amelia Bones had made the prophet and already been well covered. Supposedly Susan was now living in hiding under Auror protection but Andromeda hadn't paid much attention to that. While her proxy would vote how the young girl instructed she was still only one vote, Andromeda had paid far more attention to the swing neutral votes and the Dark faction in preparation to her duties as the proxy of House Black.

Dumbledore gave the murmuring a few seconds to continue before speaking loudly, this time at least he did not need a cannon blast from his wand to bring order to the room. "Finally we have a message from Mr. Draco Malfoy on behalf of his father Mr. Lucius Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy you are free to address the assembly."

Across the chamber Andromeda's niece stood and she watched as he instinctively smoothed his robes free of wrinkles with his hands. Beside her Narcissa had gone momentarily silent midway through whispering to Harry feeding him information as Andromeda's sister focused on her elder son across the way. After a final moment of glaring at his family across the way Draco finally composed himself and looked over the rest of the assembled chamber before speaking.

"Many of you know my father. You have heard him speak for years. Many of you know him to be a reasonable figure willing to listen." Draco went silent for a moment. "I am not my father however. Neither is the Dark Lord." The chamber suddenly erupted into angry noises as the Light was outraged that anyone would address them on behalf of Voldemort. "My Lord has been silent these last two weeks because of him." Draco pointed across the way to the Black box and all four occupants stiffened. "The Dark Lord wants you all to know who you raise up as your hero. That is not the son of James Potter and the mudblood. He's a pureblood and my little brother."

Draco smiled cruelly as the chamber by now was on its feet on all sides. It didn't matter if they were Dark, Gray, or Light, the lie just thrown into the light was almost as big a bombshell as Voldemort's own halfblood status. "Come on Potter." Draco shouted continuing to taunt even as he had to shout over the mass of wizards and witches on their feet, a glance up if anyone looked would show even the visitor's box was in pandemonium. "Why don't you tell them your real name. Why don't you tell them your name is Leo Castor Malfoy. You revealed things about my Lord so I'll reveal things about you."

Across the chamber Harry was one of the only people still seated, behind him Andromeda, Narcissa, and Tonks were all on their feet watching the crowd in wary nervousness. Harry simply sat in his chair as still as stone his gaze fixed on Draco. Andromeda glanced down at her nephew even as she could see her daughter drawing her wand out of the sleeve of her robes as she stood to one side of Harry shielding him with her body from the gaze of those to the side. Andromeda glanced to the Chief Warlock's podium and saw Dumbledore sitting ashen faced clearly in shock. She wondered what part was the cause. Was it that someone had broken his magical binding on Draco allowing him to report on the meeting at Gringots? It hadn't been Narcissa, her sister hadn't returned home to Malfoy Manor once since the meeting instead spending her nights at Andromeda's humble home to remain in London to be closer to her long lost and only newly rediscovered son.

Still Draco was continuing to speak but by this point Andromeda could no longer hear her nephew's words over the roar of confusion and fury from the crowd. In fact it was only when it was too late that Andromeda noticed the black robed figures emerging from the chamber's entrance. The first flash of spells flying gleamed as the deadly light of half a dozen spells reflected on an equal number of skull faced masks. On the opposite side of the chamber Dumbledore at the podium managed to get to his feet and produce a gleaming barrier of magic to intercept two of the spells but the other four struck home striking causing chaos and unleashing anarchy and pandemonium in the chamber as explosions erupted. More spells quickly erupted as the Death Eaters unleashed spells in pairs overwhelming key barriers protecting key House Boxes. By the fourth pair of spells striking home the barriers protecting the boxes of the Houses Bones, Weasley, and McKinnon all came crashing down and a final set of spells raced into each through the gaps in magical defense to strike home.

After that the Death Eaters parted and in walked Voldemort himself in all hideous glory followed by many many more Death Eaters. Everyone throughout the chamber, even Dumbledore was seemingly paralyzed by the impossible sight before them. Voldemort here, in the heart of the Ministry, the beating heart of Magical England standing openly amidst them all. Where were the Aurors? Where were the guards? How had no alarm been sounded. Surely there would have been some warning before they could make their way this deep into the Ministry. But the impossible had occurred and the entire chamber was silent as they watched Voldemort move to the center of the chamber a smile on his face even as the Death Eaters spread out throughout the chamber. Andromeda drew her wand but kept it low it and her arm quite still while her sister did the same and Tonks shifted in the box to move closer to the front where she could attack or shield as needed.

After a moment of slowly turning looking at each of the shocked faces looking down at him from the assembly and the viewing box Voldemort began to laugh. It started low but slowly grew as he remained incredibly amused. "Well now. Isn't this a pleasant surprise. All of you here. Talking about me. I wonder how many of you would dare to say the same if I had been here from the start. Still I am here now. Come. Surely some of you have your precious words to say to me. Speak now." His voice was the kind that implied warm friendliness but that warmth failed to reach his read eyes even as he smiled cruelly at his captive audience. "My my my. So quiet. I almost hesitate to think that you were afraid of me. But that can't be true not with all those brave brave words you were shouting at one another earlier."

And then he turned to look finally at the Black family box. "Harry Harry Harry. I must admit when I first learned the truth about you I must admit I was shocked. Harry Potter a pureblood. Harry Potter the secret Malfoy. Harry Potter the lie." His gaze flicked up above Harry to Narcissa standing behind where Harry was still sitting frozen. "While I cannot fault you for choosing your family. It is a supposedly admirable quality or so I am told. You did choose the wrong son. I think a punishment is in order."

Suddenly Voldemort whirled his face loosing all mirth and shifting to reveal fury as his wand thrust at the opposite side of the chamber. "Avada Kedavra!" He roared and the near blinding green light, the same light that had until recently been the same shade as Harry's . The killing curse shattered its way through the barrier protecting a particular box and struck home at its target. For the briefest of moments Draco Malfoy's eyes were the same shade that the brother he had never known until the end but had hated for years. And then it was gone his eyes normal once more as he fell to the ground dead. The chamber was perfectly still as Voldemort slowly turned back to look at the House of Black. Narcissa stared in shock tears beginning to run down before she lifted an immaculate hand to wipe them clear and then narrowed her eyes in building fury and rage at the Dark Lord that had just killed her elder son before her very eyes while she had remained helpless to do anything to stop him.

Harry slowly rose up to his feet his hands tightly griping the armrests of his seat as he pushed himself upwards to stand at the front of the box and look at Voldemort. But Andromeda standing to his side could not help but feel nervousness as Harry's face was not filled with rage, or fury, or even fear. Infact he almost seemed resigned. Finally though someone spoke to challenge Voldemort's unchallenged dominance within the chamber. All eyes turned to the podium of the Chief Warlock as Dumbledore himself slowly walked down from it to stand on the chamber floor his wand in his hand at his side. "You should not have done this Tom." Dumbledore said in surprising calm. His face seemed expressionless almost as if he was contemplating the day's weather and not standing before Voldemort.

Voldemort smirked wheeling and lifting his wand made a gesture as if to dismiss Voldemort's words. "You should have known better than to try and hide the truth from me Old Fool." Then his face instantly twisted into a cruel and vicious snarl of rage as his wand shot out and with one movement three spells in rapid succession shot forth. Dumbledore brought his wand up in swift upper diagonal cut and in a single movement transfigured the floor of the chamber creating a barrier that rose up. As the trio of spells two red and one green slammed into the transfigured stone barrier the chamber erupted into frenzy as the occupants tried to escape while Dumbledore engaged Voldemort. The Death Eaters launched their spells but many were premature slamming into the barriers protecting the house boxes before their occupants had tried to escape. From the Dark dozens conjured skull masks and moved out to join the invading Death Eaters along with a handful of figures from the Neutral section. But not all did so. Almost a third of the heads of houses of the Dark moved out casting spells at the Death eaters next to them while the Light and the Neutrals unleashed spells back across the chamber at the barriers of the Dark boxes or at the Death Eaters on the chamber floor. Just as many of the Light were too hasty and their initial salvos of spells struck against the same barriers that protected their foes boxes as did their own.

Heads of houses made valiant stands to draw the wrath of Death Eaters as the chamber erupted into a near free for all while families and friends tried to make for the safety of the chamber's exit. The first that made it out were struck down by flashing spells of killing curse green by the Death Eaters waiting outside and the corpses of those that died trying to escape fell to join the bodies of the Aurors that lay on the floor where they had fallen attempting to defend the chamber. Inside frenzy quickly mounted as the chamber was filled with flashes of spellfire so thick that on both sides allies were cut down by friendly spellfire in all the confusion.

Andromeda didn't focus on the rest of the chamber. She didn't even focus on where Dumbledore dueled Voldemort in the center of the chamber in a visual display of spell casting so blindingly fast and so destructive that it might well become legend if any lived to survive the death trap the chamber had become. Instead her only focus was her sister, her daughter, and of course her nephew Harry. Harry's wand flicked again and again conjuring barriers to intercept spells coming their way and Andromeda did the same while by unspoken understanding Narcissa and Tonks both retaliated with ruthless offensive spells. Neither Auror or Matron were using anything less than lethal spells as the four of them worked as one to try and escape the chamber. Voldemort was too tied up in his duel to try and stop him and those of the Death Eaters that tried to directly stop them found their attacks deflected or stopped by Harry or Andromeda's shields and barriers to be cut down heartbeats later by Tonks or Andromeda. They were the first group to make it to the hallway outside of the chamber that was not instantly cut down although Andromeda felt her knees shaking under the heavy weight of spellfire that had been concentrated on the area immediately outside the chamber's exit where more Death Eaters were waiting for them.

It was Harry that broke a hole in the Death Eaters, not his aunt or cousin as a particularly powerful Bombarda that forced Death Eaters to throw themselves to the side passages of the hallway to stay alive. As one the four broke into a run forward and Andromeda found herself throwing spells backwards at the Death Eaters now behind them keeping them from mounting an effective retaliation. As they rounded a corner she could see others covered in spell burns and blood making it to the relative safety of the hallway behind them but she fought her healer's instincts to stop and help them. Her priority as a member of House Black was to get Harry to safety.

They made it safely to the lifts after encountering another group of Death Eaters that were still fighting a pair of Aurors. The Death Eaters caught up in their fight fell all three of them to the spells coming from the Blacks and left the pair of Aurors alive though winded. The two didn't stop though as they shouted orders at them. "Make for the Atrium. Moody is holding a defense of the fireplaces so people can escape but the Death Eaters attacked in force. Get out as quick as you can and don't stop." The Aurors clearly didn't recognize Harry for who he was, few did after all and even then they were only those that knew what he now looked like. Tonks was wearing Auror battle robes and while Narcissa might have been a known associate of a Death Eater the simple fact was she wasn't running around wearing a skull faced mask which meant that anything else about her went out the window.

The four moved past quickly and made it safely to the lifts and Tonks promptly pushed the button for the Atrium. Immediately the elevator began to move backwards before moving sideways and then upwards at an astounding speed. Finally it stopped at the Atrium and the doors opened to reveal the flash and glare of spellfire as Death Eaters attacked a conjured barricade guarding the path to the floo access fireplaces that were the path to safety for all within the Ministry. Volunteer Ministry workers stood the barricade casting spells at the force of Death Eaters already within the Ministry that were trying to retake the exit while half a dozen Aurors stood in the open area of the Atrium traded spells with Death Eaters.

The Aurors all worked in pairs usually one shielding and casting defensively while the second was the offensive half against he Death Eaters. Sometimes midway through a spellcasting chain one would stop only to switch with the other as the Aurors worked in perfect practiced unison. In the center of the chamber Mad Eye Moody himself was dueling the unmistakable form of Belatrix Lestrange herself. Veteran Legendary Auror matched spell for spell with the Dark Lord's right hand lieutenant. Both already showed signs of a lengthy battle that had already gone on as blood was running from the side of his already scarred face and he was moving with a limp that was more than just the wooden leg. As for Belatrix her robes showed multiple burns from spells and blood was running down her left arm from beneath her robes flowing from an unseen wound but that did not stop her cackling shrieking laughter as she traded spells back and forth in a whirl of movement as she dueled one on one the greatest living Auror.

It was right as Narcissa, Harry, Tonks, and Andromeda made it away from the elevators and had just walked into the open area of the Atrium that a spell cast from the side by a freshly arrived Death Eater emerging from a side corridor caught Mad Eye in the side and he crumpled to the ground blood begining to run from his mouth. He retaliated with a spell back at the masked death Eater but his spell was late as the green of the killing curse from Belatrix's wand got to the interfeering Death Eater first. The sight of Belatrix killing one of her own allies momentarily halted the battle in the atrium and that was just long enough for Bleatrix to turn and notice her sisters, niece, and nephew all behind her she turned with a crazed smile on her lips.

"Can't take mine, can't take from me. They took what was mine, they took from me. No more shall not lie, all who interfere shall die." She cackled out in rhyming insanity and many of those watching in stiff shock glanced between Belatrix and the fresh group. Belatrix staggered forward her legs moving stiffly as she walked towards her estranged family. "Hello lovely sisters. Did you come to watch? It is so lovely so much red everywhere. I love to have it on me." Her eyes drifted to the side in hazy madness at where Harry stood behind Tonks watching his deranged aunt over his cousin's shoulder.

Making a dismissive movement with her wand to the side indicating for Tonks to move Belatrix staggered closer still. "Pottey Pottey Pottey. Why didn't you tell me I was your aunt. I would have held you close as I watched you die. We are family after all." She cackled madly in amusement as if she were privy to some great joke. "Another Black. Another Black. Another Black again. Keep going, keep killing watch the blood coat the walls. " Belatrix clearly lost in her own insanity suddenly slashed her wand to the side and with a powerful spell used a hurricane force gust of wind to scatter the women of the House of Black standing around Harry. Harry's wand arm came up but Belatrix's wand hand slashed again and a stray piece of debris shot in from the side to slam into Harry's side sending him to the floor.

To the side Andromeda's eyes widened as she scrambled for where her wand had rolled to trying to get to her feet and to her wand in time to stop her deranged sister. But there was no time. Her fingers barely closed on the wood as the dreaded words came from Belatrix's lips. "Avada Keda..."

Suddenly Bleatrix seemingly choked on the words and she gasped for air with an expression as if someone or something had just slammed into her driving all the air from her lungs. Pain erupted across her face for a moment as she gasped for air before she tried again. "Ava.." The expression repeated and Belatrix dropped to her knees in pain and shock as Andromeda scrambled to her feet pointing her wand at her insane murderous sibling in confused fury. Belatrix continued to gasp for air while all the Atrium, Aurors and Death Eaters alike watched in confusion and fear and more than a few noticed the look of dawning understanding on Belatrix's face as she continued to gasp for air.

A fresh bout of insane giggling laughter erupted from her as she tilted her head back and laughed not even picking up her fallen wand from where it had rolled a foot away from her. Unsure of what was occurring Andromeda, Narcissa, and Tonks now all once more on their feet formed protective ranks around Harry who like them watched in rapt attention at the insanity before them. As the laughter died Belatrix began to whisper words over and over. By the third time she was loud enough others could begin to hear the same words repeated over and over again.

"For the Black" she repeated as she lunged for her wand and Andromeda and Narcissa and Tonks all three cast shielding spells but their spells were untested as the killing curse green shot out to the side at a freshly arriving Death Eater. "For the Black." She repeated again whirling to her other side casting a sickly yellow light that cast three Death Eaters standing frozen to the side and then she whirled again and shrieking out a scream of "FOR THE BLACK!" She launched a purplish black spell against the barricade that erupted in deadly acid that quickly destroyed the barricade of debris from the walls and the golden statues that had once adorned the Atrium. Finally she whirled facing the frozen members of the House of Black and bowed low her wand far to her side as she bowed. "My Warlock of Black. Give me a command."

Those still alive in the chamber could only stare frozen as Belatrix still bowed low before Harry and the others giggled once more in insanity.