OK. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -

Harry Potter and the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers. I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be J) and I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.

There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it and let the story begin :).

Note: US English has been used here.

Note: This is the sequel to Harry Potter & The Power Of Hogwarts. Please read it before moving on with this story.

HARRY POTTER & THE NEW DAWN

Chapter 12 – The Night Of The Vampires

"What is happening?" Harry asked Mr. Horatio who looked to have changed into battle robes. As Harry looked around, the very shadows of Hogwarts seemed to be moving. Vampires were all around them.

"Look up" he said and pointed towards a great bank of cloud starting to cover the moon. Slowly but surely the area seemed to get flooded by darkness. Harry turned to stare once again at Mr. Horatio who smiled in return.

"Tonight is the night of the vampires"

& & &

"Harry, we should hurry back" Hermione Granger whispered in the dark. She was with Ron and Harry and they were on their way to the Gryffindor tower.

"I suggest we get back and fight those vampires" Ron said in an angry whisper. They did not dare to raise their voices because of the vampires moving along near them.

"Don't be a fool Ron" Hermione replied in a similar tone. "You will only get yourself killed". Harry did not make any comments and continued leading the way. They were coming to the end of the secret corridor they were in and it was necessary for them to be on their highest alert. Harry paused a couple of meters from the opening and motioned his two other friends to stop as well. He took out the wizard radar and activated it. Once it was activated, Harry sucked his breath in sharply in astonishment. If the radar was to be believed, there were innumerable vampires in Hogwarts...probably in the region of a thousand.

"What is the matter Harry?" Hermione asked with a puzzled look on his face. The wizard radar was only visible to Harry and not to the others ever since he had activated it's privacy feature at the time of purchase. Hence, Hermione had no idea as to what Harry was looking at.

"Nothing" Harry said absent-mindedly. Harry was more concerned with what he had seen. The wizard radar had shown that there were about twenty vampires just near the exit of the hidden passage they were in and Harry couldn't help but believe the radar.

"We should keep moving" Hermione insisted.

"We should wait a bit here" Harry said to her. "I have a hunch that it might be dangerous to move out right now". Harry did not want to mention the wizard radar to his friends and hence this was the best excuse he could come up with.

"You sure?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "Maybe I should have a peek to see if all is clear or not"

"No" Harry said urgently. "Don't do something absurd"

"Don't worry Harry" Hermione said. "No one will be able to see me. Remember, we are in the invisibility tunnel"

"Yeah" Ron agreed. "No one will be able to see her. Go and have a look Hermione and see if you can find some vampires to kill or not"

"Shut up Ron" Hermione told her boyfriend and proceeded towards the opening. Moving her head ever so slightly, she peeked out at the corridor at an angle. What she saw almost left her speechless.

"I think you guys should see this" Hermione said in a low whisper, all the while keeping her gaze fixed at what was going on in the corridor. There was something in her voice and the way in which she was looking outside which made both Harry and Ron alert. Both of them edged forward slowly and positioned themselves around Hermione. Harry peeked out from beneath her while Ron, the tallest of them all, looked out from above. For the next few minutes, no one dared to say even a single word.

& & &

"Everyone here?" Professor McGonagall asked once the counting had been completed. In the rush, Colin Creevy had been given the job to see that everyone had returned safely to the Gryffindor tower.

"Hmmm...Professor..." Colin Creevy looked slightly uncertain as he checked his list and looked over towards the back of the common room. He glanced at the dormitory stairs also before looking back at McGonagall.

"What is the matter Mr. Creevy?" McGonagall asked.

"I can't seem to find three students Professor" Colin said as he looked at the dormitory stairs again.

"What?!" Professor McGonagall looked thunderstruck at this news. "Who are missing?"

"Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and..."

"Hermione Granger" Professor McGonagall finished off in a hoarse voice as she started to understand the meaning of what she had just heard. She quickly took out a piece of parchment and wrote down something on it. Minerva McGonagall then cast a spell on it and the parchment vanished.

"What was that Professor?" one of the students asked curiously.

"I just asked one of Harry's friends if Harry is with them or not" McGonagall said. She did not mention the name of Tonks in front of the students but those who knew about the couple could understand very well who the 'friend' was. McGonagall stood there clasping and unclasping her hands as the seconds passed. After what seemed like an eternity, a golden sparkle appeared in front of her and a parchement slowly floated down. The golden sparkle vanished as the Professor caught hold of the parchment and read it's contents. After finishing reading it, she crushed the parchment in her hand in frustration.

"What is the matter Ma'am?" a little girl asked. "Is Harry Potter there?"

"No dear" McGonagall said in a quavering voice. "He is not with his friend"

"Are you going to go and look for him?" Katie asked from the top of the girls staircase. "I will come with you". Many other voices voiced their opinions about starting a search but Professor McGonagall would hear none of it.

"There are vampires out there" Professor McGonagall said in a very strict voice. "If you want to live then we all have to remain here. This is the only place where you all will be safe"

"What about you Professor?" Katie asked again.

"Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to keep you all safe" McGonagall said. "I will have to wait too". With that everyone turned their eyes towards the potrait hole. Maybe Harry and his friends would walk in any moment now...maybe not. Right now, all the Gryffindor house members could do was wait and hope!

& & &

A young teenaged girl was out in the corridors of Hogwarts all on her own. As she came to a stop in one of the shadowed corners of a corridor, thoughts flashed through her mind and she remembered that evening which changed her life forever.

&

"Mom, I am going out to play"

"Not now, it's getting dark outside" a lady in her late twenties told her six year old daughter.

"But mom!" her daughter looked very upset. "You promised I can play after I finished my home work"

"I know" her mom replied. "But you took a long time in finishing your home work. I had told you you had to finish it before dark"

"It's not dark yet" the little girl said as she ran towards the nearest window and saw all the little boys and girls playing in the nearby fields. Turning around, she saw the back of her mom vanishing through the door. Quickly she ran behind her. "Mom, it is not dark yet!"

"It is getting darker" her mom said as she kept gathering clothes in the laundry basket. She did not like washing clothes in the evenings but her hectic schedule had left her no choice today. If she did not do the laundry now, she would have nothing to wear to her office tomorrow.

"I will be back before it gets dark" the little girl said. "Please let me go...please". Her mother turned to look at her daughter's pleading. If she ever wanted her to give her something, all she had to do was plead for it in her most innocent voice and her mother always let her have it. Her mother tried to project herself as a strict mom but the reality was she would do anything to keep her daughter happy.

"Ok" the little girl's mom said much to her delight. "I expect you to be back in thirty minutes"

"Ok" the girl said as she ran outside. She did not dare to wait a second longer in case her mother changed her mind.

The girl had a great time with her friends. She played many a game with them and seemed very happy. But, as it was every day, her fun time had to come to an end. As soon as the sun started setting, she knew she had to leave.

"Hey Jimmy, I am going home" the girl said to her closest friend.

"Can't you stay for five more minutes?" Jimmy asked.

"No" the girl replied. "Mom will be angry"

"Ok, go on then"

"Bye bye everyone". With that, the little girl started skipping her way towards home. As she got nearer to her home, she saw a number of people dressed in black suits entering her home. She did not like the look of them and hence she decided to enter via the back entrance. As she entered through the back door, she heard some raised voices.

"I don't know what you are talking about" her mother seemed to be shouting. In the past, every time she had heard his mother's angry voice it had been due to her breaking some item or not doing her home work properly. This time, she was relieved that her mother was not shouting at her since she seemed really angry.

"Look, we require shelter for a few days" a deep booming voice said.

"This is not a guest house. You leave my house right now" her mother shouted again. For the first time, the girl thought her mother sounded slightly...afraid. It was like the times when she knew something was about to go wrong.

"It is not really an option for you" the booming voice said again. The girl slowly crept inside till she could see the people in the living room clearly from behind a cupboard. The guy with the booming voice seemed to be the bearded guy in the front. He was accompanied by four men and a couple of women. One of the women was now looking outside as if she was searching for something.

"What do you mean it is not an option?" the girl's mother asked in panic. "This is my husband's house...my house!"

"I think I see him" the woman near the window said, her gaze fixed on something outside. Hearing this, the others became very alert. One of the men waved his hand and all the window curtains got drawn by themselves.

"How...how did you do that?" the girl's mother looked frightened as her gaze fell on the curtains. She was now trembling from head to toe. The girl wanted to rush out and help her mother but somehow she felt she had no strength in herself. Something inside her said that these men and women were very bad people...just like the people her mom had warned her to stay away from. As her eyes fell on her mother, she saw that her mother had turned a ghastly white.

"HELP" all of a sudden the girl's mother made a rush for the door but was caught by the second woman.

"You muggle, keep your mouth shut" the woman said fiercely and pushed her against the wall behind. She raised a stick-like-thing at the girl's mother and ropes flew out and bound her. The little girl in the corner could only watch in horror as her mother started crying inconsolably.

"Everyone keep quiet" the bearded man with the booming voice said again. He cast a silencing charm around the woman they were holding captive. A tense silence fell upon the room as a group of people passed outside led by a tall, frail looking man in a black hooded dress. After the man was fully out of the view the occupants of this room visibly relaxed.

"We have to careful from now on" one of the men said. The bearded looking man agreed. It was then that one of the women said the words which changed the life of the kid forever.

"I am hungry"

&

"Today I will have my revenge" the teenaged girl said to herself, her body still hidden in the shadows of the corridor she was in. She could not forget the scene she had seen that un-fateful evening. The woman who had said she was hungry...she opened her mouth and bit one of the men present there and drank blood. Soon everyone had turned wild and absolute mayhem had prevailed. Her mother had started screaming but due to the silencing charm no one could hear her. At last, one of the men had said he wanted to taste some fresh, warm blood. What followed next had remained embedded in the girl's mind to this day and would remain so for the rest of her life.

As the girl made her way out of the shadows, she remembered the promise she had made on her mother's grave. She had promised her that she would kill any dark vampire she could find and, if she found any of her killers, she would take care of them too. The final moments of her mother's life flashed in front of her eyes as she started running towards the pack of vampires fighting. She knew which were the good one's and which were the bad ones. The only thing which she cared about right now was to kill as many rogue vampires as possible. With a deafening shriek, she jumped into the fray and started blasting her way into the maze of vampires.

& & &

Harry, Ron and Hermione kept looking in wonder at the fight going on between the vampires. It was something they had never seen. The vampires seemed to use the darkness to their advantage. The lights on the walls of the castle was not enough to lift the dark blanket covering the castle. Yes, the lights were able to provide visibility in the corridors but still there were lots of dark areas in them for cover.

It was while Harry was watching two vampires fighting each other that he first noticed something moving in one of the dark corridors. Initially he thought it was one of the vampires but then the movement stopped. He stopped giving it importance after the movement did not happen over the next five minutes. What he did not know what that the person in the shadows was biding time to launch an attack.

"Do you think we should still remain here?" Hermione asked in a tense whisper.

"Let's wait till those guys finish" Harry said as he pointed out the group fighting nearest to them. "Once they move away a bit, we can sneak in...". Harry could not finish his sentence. All of a sudden he noticed the movement again out of the corner of his eyes. Before he could turn his head around to have a clear look, a person rushed past him. The back of the person seemed known. It was only when the person passed the next torchlight that Harry recognize the hair, the robe, the back of the head...everything. He did not expect this...he did not expect her.

"Soha!" was all Harry could whisper.

& & &

Soha Mentieva knew no limits today. No one at Hogwarts knew that her mother had been killed by vampires. This was because she did not like all the attention it had got her back in Russia. But that had not changed the truth. She had been waiting for the day when she would have completed her studies so that she could go out to hunt down vampires. Today's opportunity was something she had not anticipated and she was not going to let go of this opportunity.

"Phoebus Coma" a concentrated jet of sunlight emitted from Soha's wand and flew towards two vampires advancing from the far end of the corridor. They scampered to safety as the light crashed into the wall and fizzled out.

"Get out of here" one of Mr. Horatio's royal guard vampires shouted at Soha.

"I will fight" Soha shouted back. "I want revenge for my mother's murder" Soha added so that there was no further interruptions from the royal guard vampires. However, she was mistaken.

"Girl, you will get killed. Take your revenge some other time" the vampire said as he avoided a blow from one of his opponents.

"Shut up and fight your own fight. I will fight mine" Soha said and turned towards another group of vampires approaching.

"Stupid girl" the royal guard vampire said and turned his full attention to the fight on his hand.

& & &

"We need to do something" Harry said as he saw Soha shouting at one of the royal guard vampires.

"You should stay here" Hermione said. "It is too risky for you out there"

"She is my friend" Harry said through gritted teeth.

"You are too precious to the light side" Hermione commented back, her eyes fixed on Soha. "You cannot sacrifice everything for one person"

"She has a point Harry" Ron said hesitantly. He did not want to back Hermione fully in case Harry got upset with him again.

"I don't care" Harry said and jumped up straight. He said the magic words and his pants and jacket revealed the many hidden pockets they had. He took out the largest knife he had and jumped out in the open. Wand in right hand and a knife almost as big as a butcher's in the left, Harry was ready for battle.

& & &

The royal guard vampires had quite a task on their hand. The number of vampires on the opposite side was more than they had anticipated. There were over eight hundred vampires on the dark side compared to three hundred odd on their side. The royal guard knew that if Hogwarts was to survive then they had to defeat the dark vampires. Their king had given his word that Hogwarts would survive to see another day and the royal guard had pledged to keep their king's word.

One group of royal guard vampires moved towards a group of dark vampires. Both the groups moved through the shadows of Hogwarts in such a manner that it seemed that the very shadows of Hogwarts was moving. Two very dark shadows moved at each other at high speeds before the vampires separated. To Ron and Hermione, it looked as if a huge shadow had broken into many small shadows.

Finally, in their battle stances, the royal guard vampires stood in front of the dark vampires, waiting for them to make the first move. Hermione and Ron saw that the vampires were spread out over numerous corridors. Because the corridors were next to the staircases, they could see each other from one corridor to another. Everyone waited with bated breath to see what was going to happen.

"We don't want to kill you Supa" one of the royal guard vampires said to his opponent.

"But we want to kill you Gurap" the dark vampire named Supa replied with an evil grin on his face. He drew his favorite weapon - a feet long shiny knife. To muggles, it would look like an oversized knife similar to the one used in the Rambo movies. Seeing this, the other vampires drew their weapons too. Each of them now had a knife in one hand. Vampires were said to be the most skillful beings with knives and today Hogwarts was about to get it's proof.

"Are you ready to die Gurap?" Supa asked as he positioned himself in an attacking position, his knife in his right hand. Others followed suit.

"We are ready to defeat you Supa" Gurap said and drew an eight inch long knife in his right hand.

"Let's begin" Supa said and gave a battle shriek. Next moment, a fight between the two biggest vampire groups broke out.

& & &

Soha had not seen the groups of vampires starting their clash near her. She had been busy taking on a lone vampire on her own. Soha knew vampires fought with knives and sometimes with swords and had come prepared. She did not know sword fight. What she knew was to how to use a knife efficiently. Harry had taught the older members of the D.A. as to how to fight using knives and she had given special attention to it. Today she just could not afford to forget those lessons.

"Phoebus Coma" Soha said the sunlight spell again which was the only universal defense wizards and witches had against vampires. The vampire opposite to her dodged the spell and leapt towards her. Just when it seemed like the vampire would pounce on her, Soha moved aside and moved her left hand in the vampire's path. The vampire just about managed to move out of the way but could not avoid the long knife in Soha's left hand. The vampire let out a squeal as a deep gash became visible on it's left shoulder. Before Soha could do anything more, the vampire vanished into the shadows of the castle.

Soha cursed under her breath as the vampire raced away. She thought about following it but was stopped by a deep voice from behind.

"Hey kid, looking for someone?". Looking around, Soha found herself facing five full grown vampires.

& & &

The two largest groups of vampires clashed with each other like two dark clouds merging. Knives flashed everywhere as one strike was followed by another, as one strike was blocked by another. The agility of the vampires was what separated the better warriors than the others as one vampire strived to strike the other down. And when it came to agility, the royal guard was proving more than a handful for the dark vampires. After all, they were not the royal guard for nothing!

Gurap was leading his own group of eight vampires against Supa and his group of twenty odd vampires. Gurap went head to head with Supa and an enthralling fight started. Gurap knew that Supa was a really powerful dark vampire, one whose powers even his king respected. However, he was not going to let the powers of Supa win this night.

Gurap and Supa crossed knives with hatred for each other in their eyes. Gurap had his royal guard shield on his left arm while Supa had a knife in each hand. Supa's left hand aimed for Gurap's left shoulder only for Gurap to block it with his shield at the last moment. Gurap jumped back and aimed for Supa's chest but the dark vampire turned sideways at the last moment and the blade missed him by centimeters. At the same time, he slashed his blade at Gurap only to find the light vampire's shield in the way again.

"You have learnt fast Gurap. I am impressed" Supa said with hatred lacing each word carefully. He had moved back a few steps and both the vampires were circling each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Give up Supa" the royal guard vampire said again. "Be on the king's side"

"Never" said Supa and attacked Gurap with a renewed sense of hatred.

Even as Supa and Gurap continued fighting, different groups of vampires were carrying on their own fights. Groups of eight to ten light vampires clashed with groups of twenty odd dark vampires. In some places the light vampires were winning but in most places the dark forces were having the upper hand. Slowly but surely, the fight was turning one sided due to the sheer number of dark vampires.

& & &

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione looked frightened as she saw Harry rush off into the corridor after Soha.

"We can't wait here" Ron said in a determined voice. One thing he knew for sure was that he was not going to waste time thinking. Harry did not think before going to help his friend, and neither was he going to think before going to help Harry. "I will fight". Ron turned around to look at Hermione who looked quiet nervous. He then saw Hermione close her eyes for a couple of seconds and then, when she opened her eyes again, there was a fire in them.

"OK, this is what we need then" Hermione said as she started conjuring up a couple of knives which had a slight blackish glow to them. "These are poison tipped" Hermione explained to Ron the reason for the blackish glow. "One for you, one for me". Both of them took one knife each and took a deep breath. Fighting vampires was scarier than fighting wizards and witches. However, they had no choice. Taking a final deep breath, they stepped out in the open, a knife in one hand and a wand in the other.

& & &

Soha had not heard the five vampires close in on her. Then again, you could not hear vampires moving. Now, faced with five vampires in front of her, Soha knew that the time had come for her to take down as many as possible, even if it meant that she might die in the process.

"Looking for someone?" one of the vampires asked again.

"Yes. I was looking for vampires to kill" Soha replied in a strangely calm voice. This made the five vampires in front of her chuckle.

"And we are looking for fresh human blood" one of the vampires from the group stepped forward menacingly. Soha spread her legs wide and took a battle stance. No sooner had she done that, the vampires broke up. One vampire moved almost vanished into the shadows of the wall on her left side while the other vanished in the shadows of the wall on the right. The other three came straight towards her.

Since the corridor was small, Soha knew her only chance was to get more space. She remembered a spell Harry had told them. "Andron Prolixus". No sooner has Soha uttered the spell that the section of the corridor they were in expanded tenfold times. The vampires looked slightly taken aback at this but continued to proceed in any case.

"Phoebus Coma" Soha said and a jet of sunlight shot towards the oncoming vampires from the front. They easily managed to dodge it. However, Soha was prepared. She conjured up a mirror behind the vampires and the sunlight ray bounced back. A grim smile spread on her lips as she saw one of the vampires about to be hit from behind. Next moment, the vampire vanished in a ball of flame.

"One down, four to go" Soha said to the other vampires who had stopped in their tracks. Everything had happened too quickly but there was no denying that one of them was dead. One of the vampires got enraged and rushed at Soha at full speed. Soha shot off another jet of sunlight towards the oncoming vampire which he dodged easily and leaped towards her. However, with still a feet left to go, his teeth brandishing in a devilish sort of way, the vampire disappeared in a ball of flame. Someone had shot off the sun ray spell from behind Soha and had come up to join her.

"Four on one is not right, is it?" Harry Potter said as lightning tore apart the sky outside and made him look like an eerie figure. However, the vampires did not recognize him as his scar was hidden.

"Three on two is more equal" Soha said as a grim smile spread on her lips. She knew now that there was a chance...a hope. Harry gave everyone hope...all the time.

"Let's fight" Harry said as he rushed towards the vampires with Soha beside him!

& & &

Ron and Hermione had a split second's time before the scene in front of them exploded. They had seen how Soha had just been saved by Harry and how both of them had then rushed forward to fight the vampires. It looked fascinating and horrifying at the same time since, if either Soha or Harry got bit, their fate would be worse than that of the dead! As they looked on for a couple of seconds, many things happened in a flash!

& & &

Harry rushed straight for the vampires. One of the vampires jumped on Harry from the front while another came in from the side. Harry shot off a spell at vampire in front of him and rolled over. Even as that vampire disappeared in a ball of flame, Harry slashed his left hand across the other vampire's front, ripping his flesh. The vampire fell to the floor squealing in pain. Harry did not wait for him to recover. Instead, the vampire's body started burning as a huge ray of sunlight hit him squarely in the chest from Harry's wand.

Harry did not wait after killing the two vampires. He turned around to see Soha wrestling the remaining vampire. The vampire had got hold of her wand arm and hence she could not aim at him. The vampire tried to bite her but he had overlooked the knife in Soha's left hand. As he lurched towards her to bite her, Soha drove the poison tipped knife deep into his body and the vampire stumbled back. Soha took this opportunity to aim her wand at the vampire and blast him with a ray of sunlight.

& & &

Hermione was shocked to see Harry act so ruthlessly. Yes, she knew this was war but it seemed like a lot had changed in Harry. What she did not know was that Harry did not want any of his friends hurt. He did not want to see more deaths. And he knew that now it was a choice between his life and that of the fighters of the dark side. And if the light side was to win, he would have to be ruthless.

& & &

"Thanks for coming Harry" Soha said upon regaining her composure.

"The night is not over yet" Harry said in a grim voice as he viewed the scene around him. Hordes of dark shadows were moving around all over the castle and he knew better than to think of them as just shadows. He could not cast a phoebus coma charm on the whole castle because then he would end up killing all the light vampires too. Also, it would require a level of magical energy which he didn't think he had reached yet. All he could hope for is that the light vampires would be able to defeat the dark ones tonight.

"Yes" Soha agreed. "The night is not over yet and I have more vampires to kill"

"You should go back to the Ravenclaw tower Soha" Harry said in a grim voice as some of the dark vampires looked at them. He knew it was going to get messy soon.

"Don't stop me tonight Harry" Soha said in a determined voice. There was a finality in her tone which Harry did not dare challenge. He knew that tone. One could be so sure of something only when they were desperate to have their revenge. And if luck was on his side, he would have his revenge on Voldemort, not only for killing his parents but also for all the pain he had caused to so many innocent people.

"Then we are in this together" Harry said as he took a battle stance. A group of about thirty vampires was starting to approach them. They seemed to have defeated a group of light vampires and now needed a fresh prey. Soha nodded her head in agreement and got ready.

"Count us in too!" Harry heard a nervous voice from behind, closing up on them. He knew who it was from. Hermione and Ron had come up to fight with them. Harry was not going to stop anyone now. This was war and they had to win.

"Best of luck" he whispered under his breath for his friends. If they were to survive this night, they really did need all the luck they could get.

& & &

In most places the dark vampires were winning. Many light vampires had been literally torn into pieces by the dark vampires. The situation was starting to look bleak for the light vampires and their main source of inspiration right now was Gurap who was fighting Supa bravely. However, everyone could see that Supa was superior to Gurap and it was only a matter of time before the fittest survived. And when it happened, it happened in the cruellest possible manner.

After a fight lasting almost ten minutes, Supa had at last been able to strike down Gurap with his knife. But that was not enough for him. He proceeded to drive the knife into Gurap again and again and again until his rage was satisfied. After that, he drank all the remaining blood in Gurap's body. The scene looked so terrifying that if there had been wizards or witches present, then they would surely have run away. But to the credit of the royal guard vampires, they kept fighting on.

& & &

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione asked Harry in a small whisper as the group of vampires came to a stop about twenty feet from them. It seemed like they were contemplating something. A group of sixteen vampires broke away from the group and started approaching Harry and his friends. Suddenly, without any warning the group of vampires divided into four separate groups of four vampires each and rushed towards Soha, Harry, Ron and Hermione respectively.

Harry and his friends were prepared for the attack and set up shields in front of them. Hermione set up a shield which had strains of sunlight flowing through them. With that she covered both herself and Ron. A couple of vampires jumped towards Hermione and Ron without noticing the shield and paid the price. The moment they hit the shield their bodies started melting and they died before they could do any harm. This caused the other vampires to stop in their tracks and both Ron and Hermione instinctively backed away a few paces. They shot off a couple of spells at the vampires which they dodged easily. As the vampire pack kept approaching, Ron and Hermione kept backing off slowly but surely and the distance between them and their friends kept growing.

Harry was doing his best to ward off the four vampires and keep an eye on his friends at the same time. As a vampire jumped towards him from the side, Harry rolled over and moved back. He also setup a shield similar to Hermione's but the vampires were watchful this time around. Even as Harry kept throwing spells at them and kept the vampires at bay, he saw first Hermione and Ron vanish from his view and then Soha. Even though he wanted to rush to their aid and see whether they were ok or not, he couldn't. He already had four vampires to take care of at the very least, not counting the others standing there and watching the "show". As he was contemplating his next move, he could see the slight indecision on the face of the vampires all around him. They seemed to be bothered by a fight going on near them and from the looks of it they were not happy with the way it was going. Harry felt the vibrations of the battle going on somewhere near to him when, all of a sudden, the scream of a girl rang out in the night.

"Hermione" Harry's voice got caught in his throat as he feared for the worst before an ear shattering scream was heard throughout the corridors of Hogwarts. The vampires attacking him backed away upon hearing the scream. It was unmistakable. The king of vampires was angry and ready to fight till death if needed. Mr. Horatio had joined the fight.

& & &

Mr. Horatio was late! Too late to save an innocent girl from getting bitten. He had been busy marshaling his forces elsewhere and he never knew that humans had got involved in this fight! When he saw the girl lying near the feet of Supa, his anger knew no bounds. He gave out a shriek which rang throughout the castle. Even Dumbledore's face bore a sign of concern when he heard that roar of a shriek.

"Supa, you have just written your death sentence" the vampire king said in a loathing voice, his cape flying behind him. He held a long sword in his right hand which gave off an eerie shine. Also he noticed that the girl lying near Supa's feet had regained consciousness and was slowly dragging herself away from the battleground and he was thankful for that.

"My king...at last we meet" Supa replied in a mocking voice, followed with a slight bow. The next moment he jumped towards Mr. Horatio with a fierce scream, his knives aiming for the vampire king's chest.

The two vampires clashed with each other in the middle of the corridor with Mr. Horatio easily brushing off the initial challenge. The corridor was the same one which Soha had enlarged previously and hence there was a lot of room in it. Mr. Horatio and Supa were in the middle, locked in a fight which was going to last till death.

& & &

Harry, angry at himself for being unable to save whoever was bitten, blasted away a couple of vampires and entered the corridor where Mr. Horatio and Supa were fighting. Even as he entered, he could feel the shivers of two might forces colliding, hitting out at each other. However, he could not move in too close as another couple of vampires lunged towards him. Harry backed away quickly, and started shooting off spells at the vampires. He had no idea what was happening in that main corridor, and from the looks of it he would have to wait for a while to know what was going on.

& & &

The corridor in which Mr. Horatio and Supa were fighting had turned darker than usual. It looked as if the very clouds on the sky had become denser over that section of the castle. As the vampire king and Supa collided, ripples of energy could be felt coming off them. Many of the vampires stood still, knowing this fight was going to be one which would go down in the history books of the magical world.

Supa's initial attack was easily stopped by Mr. Horatio but the rest was not so easy. Supa's left knife flashed at the king who blocked it with his sword. At the same moment, he swung his right knife at the king. Mr. Horatio got a hold of Supa's right wrist with his left hand and, in a flash, dug his teeth into Supa's wrist and started sucking off blood. Supa tried to break free...and started struggling but the grip of the king was too much for him. Seeing no other way Supa bent down a bit and did a back flip, kicking the king on his chest as he turned in mid air. The king was thrown back by a few paces as Supa landed on his feet. Blood was dripping from the king's elongated vampire teeth, and an eerie smile was on his lips.

"You have forgotten the old ways Supa" Mr. Horatio smirked. "Not all wars were won with knives". Supa said nothing but it was for all to see that he was still recovering from the shock. The king had really drained off a lot of blood from his body in those three to four seconds and Supa knew he couldn't allow such a thing to happen again. With a war cry, Supa made another attack, but this time he used his full array of tricks and strengths.

Supa took a couple of steps towards the king and then vanished in a puff of black smoke! Mr. Horatio knew this was an ancient battle trick used by vampires and was not unnerved. Rather, he let his senses do the work for him. Being the vampire king, he could "feel" the presence of each of his subjects. And this is what he was going to use against Supa.

Supa vanished from the king's front to appear behind him. He thrust his knife into the back of the king but all he could do was penetrate black smoke. The king had vanished from his spot only to reappear behind Supa. And the next moment Supa felt a thunder like force hit him the back. Mr. Horatio had punched Supa with his free hand - a punch so powerful that it sent Supa crashing half way along the corridor!

Even as Supa was sliding down the corridor, he threw the knife in his left hand towards his opponent. Mr. Horatio had not expected the speed of the attack, and was slightly late in his reaction. The knife grazed his shoulders as he moved at the last second possible. In the meantime, Supa had vanished in a puff of black smoke and appeared right in front of Mr. Horatio. He thrust his right knife into the stomach of the king, but Mr. Horatio had vanished from his position. The next moment a sharp pain cut through the side of Supa and he stumbled for a millisecond. Mr. Horatio had appeared on his right side and slashed his sword across Supa's arm. However, Supa recovered quickly and threw the knife in his right arm towards Mr. Horatio. Mr. Horatio evaded it easily and the knife passed him harmlessly. He stood with a smirk on his face, only to see Supa smirking too. The next moment the knife, which was a boomerang knife, dug itself deep into the king's back.

& & &

At other places the light vampires were falling thick and fast. Even though the royal guard were highly skilled, they were losing out due to the sheer number of the opposition strength. Groups of three to four dark vampires were taking down each tired royal guard vampire in an unfair fight. At times, groups of ten to fifteen vampires would savagely tear apart one single royal guard vampire. There was no question of taking a prisoner. It was a fight till death.

& & &

Harry watched as more and more royal guard vampires were getting killed. The two vampires who had attacked him had left the fight midway. They seemed more interested in bringing down the light vampires down. After all, a lone wizard would be no match for all the dark vampires once they had won.

As Harry moved along the shadows of the empty corridor he was in, he saw a couple of shadows coming nearer and nearer from across the turning in front of him. His wand ready in one hand, and the knife in the other, he took a battle stance. With a spell ready on his lips, Harry waited for the right moment to strike a fatal blow.

& & &

The smile faltered on the face of the king as he felt a sharp pain in his back. He had not expected the knife to be of the boomerang variety. With a grimace, he pulled out the knife from his back with his left hand. His gaze shifted from the knife to the astonished look on Supa's face and he laughed. Supa had no idea how strong he really was!

"Do you really think your toys are going to hurt me Supa?" the vampire king said as he threw away the knife in disdain. The poison tipped knife would have been enough to kill a normal vampire right away, but he had undergone many rituals to enhance his tolerance to such poisons. He could feel the poison was strong...but if treated in time, he would be able to recover from it.

"You have hidden strengths" Supa conceded, looking thoughtful. For the first time Supa knew that he could not defeat the king. His brain was fast at work. The king had to lose, by hook or by crook. "But my king, you strength diminishes your thinking" Supa shouted out with a renewed energy. "You forget that you are one...and we are hundreds". King Horatio looked around as a roar went up amongst the dark vampires. He could feel about thirty odd royal guard vampires still alive, fighting with their opponents nearby. He knew that they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer and it would be up to him to finish this fight.

Supa gave a fiercer shriek and the other dark vampires screamed out in delight. They were going to take down the great Horatio themselves, and then put in place a new king. This new king would never stop them from feeding on warm blood whenever they needed. This new king would allow them to go on a rampage. This new king would be Supa.

However, they knew that the fight was far from over as the thirty odd royal guard vampires were summoned by Mr. Horatio. No word was spoken between anyone, but they knew what had to be done. They had come to protect their king, and give him a chance to draw on all remaining power of the vampire world. The king raised his sword towards the sky, and Hogwarts parted in the middle. Even Hogwarts dared not come between the king and his powers at this time.

The dark vampires looked on in amazement at the sky above, and the massive hole in the middle of the great castle. And then a battle cry from Supa brought them back to the present. He recognized what the king was doing. He was drawing on the power of the elders, the last source of power in the vampiring world. This was accessible only to the king, and now he was drawing on it. It had been said that kings in the past had used it only in dire circumstances, and Mr. Horatio was no different. He was going to give it his all.

Even as Mr. Horatio started concentrating on the power with all his might, humming an ancient chant, the dark vampires descended on the royal guard. The royal guard had formed two circular rings around their king. They knew they would not survive, but they also knew that if the dark forces were defeated today then their names would be remembered throughout ages. They held their positions as the dark vampires literally tore into them. They fought with all their might, till the last drop of blood left their bodies. The outer circle fell even as the king had almost finished his chant. The inner circle moved ahead and started fighting. They were too few in number...fifteen against five hundred. They were taken apart into pieces within a few seconds. Even as the last of the royal guard fell, an eerie power could be felt all around as Hogwarts rejoined itself. As all eyes fell on the lone figure in the middle, there was no mistaking a dark glow of the blackest black which had appeared around him. There was something scary about the calmness on his face. There was something scary about the power which was emitting from him. There was something scary about the king of the vampiring nation who had finished his chant, and had drawn on all the powers of the elders.

Mr. Horatio opened his eyes, which had turned completely black, and took a battle stance. He looked around and saw his friends, the royal guard, had fallen. He was ready to avenge them. With a calm energy surging through him, he gave a battle cry and launched the final attack, one which was going to decide the fate of Hogwarts that night.

& & &

"Albus!" Professor McGonagall was relieved to see the head of the Headmaster appear in the fire. She had been really tense ever since she found Harry and his friends were missing.

"Minerva, I need you in my office right now". Dumbledore's voice seemed very serious and he almost seemed pained.

"What is it Albus?" McGonagall could feel that Dumbledore had something on his mind. However, the head of the headmaster vanished from the fireplace at that instant. McGonagall knew something really bad had happened for Dumbledore to act like this and she quickly turned to face the students.

"Everyone stay inside. No one, and I mean no one, will leave this room, is that understood?" the graveness in McGonagall's voice was reciprocated only by the stillness in the room. She knew that her message had been properly conveyed.

"Katie, you are in charge here". With that, Professor McGonagall went out of the room and proceeded towards the headmaster's room. It was when she turned a corner that she heard something chilling.

"Can you believe it..." one painting said to it's neighboring one. "One of the students got bit by a vampire!"

& & &

"OH MY GOD!" Harry gasped as Ron emerged supporting a limp figure on his shoulders. Harry rushed forward...he could not believe all this was happening. He knew one of his friends was bitten...but seeing her in that manner just threw his guts in a twist. The neck was ravaged! There had been only one bite, but then the teeth had been dragged right across to the back of the neck. Someone had done this intentionally to cause pain. Someone had been savage with a sixteen year old girl. And from the battle cry of the vampire king, that someone was going to pay for that with his life.

"Thank god I found her just in time" Ron said even as their remaining friend joined them. She looked horrified at the scene on hand! "Let's take her to the hospital wing". Ron said and started moving. Harry agreed since he knew that Mr. Horatio would end the battle on his own terms rather than the dark side's. It was now all in his hands.

& & &

The king of vampires rushed into his subjects who had turned to the dark side. The first wave of dark vampires had about hundred of them coming from all sides, and from above too. He swung his sword to kill the vampires nearest to him, and thrust his left palm outward at another group of vampires approaching him from the left side. A surge of energy emitted from his left hand and ripped right through them, killing all vampires in it's path, finally dissipating in the walls of Hogwarts. More vampires attacked him from behind. He rolled over and swung his sword at them and killed them. Even as he finished killing them, he saw ten odd vampires descend on him from the ceiling. He knew he could not move out and hence let a surge of power out of his left palm again which ripped them into tiny pieces.

The circle of vampires was closing in on the king. He skillfully swung his sword with one hand while letting out energy beams with the other. Every beam left him weaker than before. Even as he killed his hundredth vampire of that final fight, he knew he was down to his half strength. Also, the posion was beginning to affect him more and more. Through all this he could see Supa standing back and enjoying this fight. Mr. Horatio knew he had to stop Supa at all costs!

Without caring for which vampires were attacking him, Mr. Horatio started to fight his way towards Supa. The smirk on Supa's face started to falter as he saw vampire after vampire fall as their king started to clear up a path towards him. He saw a couple of vampire finally reach Mr. Horatio and bite him, but Mr. Horatio did not care. His sword slashed them away in a split second and another beam of power shot out of his left hand. At the same time, a vampire landed just in front of him. Without waiting, Mr. Horatio bit him on the neck and pushed him away. The vampire stumbled back, and was dead before one whole second had passed. The other vampires looked on in astonishment and then understood the meaning - even Mr. Horatio's fangs were poisoned now. The powers of the vampire king never ceased.

Mr. Horatio's sword cut through seven more vampires in one swipe, and he bit three who wear nearest to him, but more and more were closing in on him. He felt ten pair of fangs go through his back, as well as a couple of stab wounds. Without even looking behind, he swung his sword behind his back as much as he could and let out an energy blast at the same time. The vampires behind him were dead before they even knew what hit them.

Mr. Horatio had lost count as to how many vampires he had killed. But he knew he had halved their strength at least even though the remaining ones had really closed in on him. He knew it was only moments before he would be unable to protect all his sides. Even as more and more vampires bit and stabbed him, he kept on moving towards Supa. As he let out another beam from his left hand, he screamed out in agony. Around hundred pairs of knives had been driven into his back and side by his opponents!

Mr. Horatio turned around with blazing eyes and swung his sword at his attackers. Many fell, many screamed, and he screamed too as more and more poison tipped knives went deep into him. One vampire had climbed onto his back and bit him. Mr. Horatio did not care. His sword took out many vampires to his right, while the power beam took out several on his left. At the same time, he bit whoever he could. He then grabbed the vampire on his back with his left hand and pulled it off. Even as the vampires body was flying in the air, the king drove his sword right through the vampires body and killed him.

By this time Mr. Horatio knew he had to act soon. Even as some more vampires lunged at him, he let out a ray of energy and killed more of them. At the same time, he let go of his sword with careful aim. The attack was so sudden than most vampires were taken off guard as they had not thought that he would let go of the sword. The sword, rotating in a circular manner, killed everything in it's path before it reached it's target - Supa. Supa had not seen the sword released due to the many vampires in front of him...and it was too late when he finally saw the sword. The next moment, his body had been sliced into two!

Most of the vampires had not seen Supa fall. All they knew was that the vampire king was at their mercy and they wanted to kill him. But the vampire king had seen the look of astonishment on Supa's face, and his death. He was finally satisfied that Supa would not be able to win. As more and more vampires stabbed him and bit him he closed his eyes and said a final short chant. As he finished it the dark glow from around his body glowed white for a while, before it exploded! The energy spread to all corners of that corridor which had all the dark vampires present in it at that moment...and the energy cut right through them! Vampire after vampire was disseminated by that power which finally died out at the edge of the corridor all of a sudden. The fight was over, the dark forces had fallen, as had the light forces. And the king lay in the middle of the huge enlarged corridor in a sprawled position, encircled by the dead bodies of friends and foes alike.

Mr. Horatio closed his eyes with a smile on his lips. That final chant was the last weapon a vampire king had but alas, it was only possible to call upon that power at the very last. The power had the ability to wipe out the entire vampiring population, and it was a testimony to Mr. Horatio's control that he had limited it to the occupants of that corridor only. Mr. Horatio slipped into unconsciousness as silence fell on the castle. He did not notice the teachers peeking around tentatively after the fight had been over for fifteen minutes. He did not notice Fluer putting him on a stretcher and taking him to the hospital ward. But what everyone noticed was that he had a look of calm on his face, and an unmistakable smile.

& & &

"Albus!" Professor McGonagall looked very flustered as she entered the headmaster's office. "Is it true?"

"It is" Albus Dumbledore said in a grave voice. Seldom had Professor McGonagall seen failure written all over Dumbledore's face. At this moment, he looked an aged man, one who had been unable to protect one of his student's safety.

"Who is it?" McGonagall asked in a trembling voice. She had no idea who could have been bitten and she feared for the worst.

"It is Ms. Mentieva, our transfer student". Hearing these words Professor McGonagall did not know how to react. On one side she was happy that it had not been one of either Harry, Ron or Hermione. However, there was no denying the pain she felt for the Russian girl who had become very dear to all the teachers in the past few months.

"Oh my god" Professor McGonagall put her hands over her mouth. A seventeen year old girl had been condemned forever to being a vampire and there was no one who could help her. Unable to stand any longer, Professor McGonagall sat down on one of the many chairs in the headmaster's office.

"I will take up the responsibility for the this accident" Dumbledore said from his chair. He looked very tired at this moment.

"This is war Albus" McGonagall tried to counter. "You cannot take responsibility for everything that happens"

"But this happening could have been prevented" Dumbledore said. "Anyway, Ms. Mentieva is in the next room and I want you and Poppy to look after her"

"Poppy knows about this?" McGonagall was still trying to stabilize her voice but was failing miserably.

"She is already in the next room, tending to Ms. Mentieva's wounds" Dumbledore said as he took out a parchment and began writing something in it. "She has already given first aid to Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger and released them"

"I will take care of this situation" McGonagall said in a slightly more controlled voice before proceeding to ask "What about the vampires?"

"We have managed to hold on to Hogwarts for tonight" Dumbledore said in a grim voice. "Many lives have been lost but King Horatio has kept his word"

"Thank god" McGonagall said in a relieved voice. "I had thought they would have attacked the towers also"

"They had tried to but Professor Flitwickand I managed to keep them away from the towers" Dumbledore clarified. McGonagall nodded her head in understanding and, without saying anything more, proceeded into the attached room where the bloodied, unconcious body of Soha Mentieva was being treated by a teary eyed Poppy Pomfrey. Outside, the rays of the rising sun slowly started to penetrate the windows of Hogwarts, bringing to a close the bloodiest night Hogwarts had ever seen.

& & &

"Hello Ginny"

"Bellatrix" Ginny Weasley acknowledged the person who had entered her tent. They knew the battle had started but they were not really interested in knowing what was going on at the moment. Ginny did not like to have any visitors apart from Bellatrix Lestrange because they both had one common factor - Harry.

"How are you doing Ginny?" Bellatrix asked in a soft voice which was seldom heard by anyone.

"I am fine" Ginny sighed and turned her attention back to what she was doing - polishing her wand.

"Let's hope he comes around this time" Bellatrix said in obvious reference to Harry.

"I don't think he will" Ginny replied. "He is a very stubborn person"

"He is" Bellatrix replied as she remembered her fight at the Ministry of Magic building. "But you know that I always hoped for the best for you"

"Yes Bella" Ginny replied. "The first time I met you, I thought you were a bad woman"

"What do you think about me now?" Bellatrix asked with an evil smile on her lips.

"You had your reasons" Ginny replied without looking up.

"You never shared your reasons with me" Bellatrix said with a hopeful look in her eyes. She had always wanted to know what turned Ginny towards the dark side but Ginny had always been quiet about it.

"Come on Ginny, I really want to know" Bellatrix insisted once again.

"Well..." Ginny stopped her polishing and looked up at Bellatrix. "...it was Harry"

"How?" Bellatrix asked.

"I loved him...he knows that" Ginny continued. "I tried to make him jealous by going out with other guys. He did not respond. I fought with him in the Ministry of Magic building. Still he did not change his attitude towards me"

"Then?" Bellatrix asked again.

"Sirius died and Harry went into a shell. At that time, I decided that I would make my intentions clear to him. But first, I needed to get my own place to stay...someplace where there would be no Ron, no mum, no dad, no one. It may sound stupid but I wanted to have Harry all to myself"

"It's not stupid" Bellatrix said. "Who would want to live with so many brothers and parents?"

"Yeah" Ginny agreed. "But I did not have money. One day I found some items of my dad's and sold them at Knockturn Alley. It was there that I met Ade"

"I see" Bellatrix nodded her head in understand. Ade, or Ademaire, was the biggest black market trader in the whole of Knockturn Alley. He used to rope in young wizards and witches to sell smuggled materials in the muggle world and in return gave them a 30 profit. He had recruited many people in this manner.

"Ade told me how I could earn more money without too many risks" Ginny said. "Soon I started making a lot of money. I even opened my Gringotts account. Now I had money. I thought I could have Harry but...but..."

"But what?"

"The next time I saw him was with Tonks" her eyes were blazing as Ginny said this. "He shouted at others for Tonks. Initially I was not sure if they had a thing going on between them or not"

"When did you find out?" Bellatrix asked in a dramatic manner.

"I just assumed it. After all, two plus two is always four". Bellatrix nodded her head in agreement.

"From that day on, I decided I would have Harry, by hook or by crook. Alas, I failed" Ginny said in a downfallen manner.

"You will have your day dear" Bellatrix said with a pat on her head. "Otherwise, we will make each of them pay for hurting you"

"Yeah!" Ginny said through gritted teeth. "I am going to make them pay alright. If I can't have him, he cannot have anyone else either!"

& & &

"Mr. Potter, how can I help you?" Madam Pomfrey asked as Harry visited the hospital ward for the second time in ten minutes. The first time he had come was at around 7 AM to visit Soha.

"The Headmaster told me Mr. Horatio is here" Harry said as he glanced around. Harry had "felt" the intense battle Mr. Horatio had fought and he was worried about how critically the vampire king had been injured.

"He is here. Please follow me" Madam Pomfrey said to Harry as she cast a locking charm on the hospital ward entrance door. "I have permission to only allow Rowena and you to visit King Horatio"

"How is he doing?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Not too well" Madam Pomfrey replied in a tense voice.

"He will live, won't he?" Harry asked as a feeling of sudden panic started to surface within him.

"I don't know" Madam Pomfrey said as they entered another room. "I have given him some medication but I am afraid I don't know how to treat some of the wounds. He is in a better position to know what might happen to him because, technically, he is already dead". Even though this sounded weird, it was the truth. Harry followed Madam Pomfrey into another room which seemed to be shrouded in darkness except for one torchlight. Madam Pomfrey pointed out to a bed in the corner and headed out. As Harry slowly made his way towards the bed, he saw that Mrs. Horatio and Rowena were seated on either side of the bed while Rano was standing a couple of feet away from the edge of the bed.

"Harry, my friend" Mr. Horatio said in a hoarse voice as soon as he saw Harry. "Come closer"

"How are you doing Mr. Horatio?" Harry asked as he moved closer.

"Not too good Harry" Mr. Horatio said in a sad voice. "I am afraid I won't make it"

"Don't say that daddy" Rowena said in an angry but emotional voice. Her face seemed devoid of any expression at the moment.

"You can't die!" Harry said in an unbelieving voice. "You are the vampire king"

"Oh yes Harry, I can die" Mr. Horatio said. "Look at this". With that, Mr. Horatio lifted the cover off his left arm and Harry saw a purplish liquid flowing from it. Seeing Harry's questioning look, Mrs. Horatio clarified.

"He has been injected with a poison which makes the blood warm. We are cold blooded. We cannot live in this condition as the cut does not heal...ever. If he had been able to come back sooner then we may have had a chance. But alas!" with that, Mrs. Horatio started cleaning the wound but more and more purplish liquid started flowing.

"This cannot be happening" Harry said in a hoarse voice.

"Don't worry Harry, I have worked out everything" Mr. Horatio said with a pained look on his face. After all, at this moment, he was as susceptible to pain as any other person. "My wife will take over as the queen and rule. And you, my friend, you have to promise me that you will take care of my little girl while she studies here". Hearing this, Rowena could hold back her tears no longer. She ran over to her mom who consoled her.

Harry spent most of the day beside Mr. Horatio's deathbed. The Goblin King, the Hogwarts teachers, Headmaster Dumbledore and many other dignitaries residing at Hogwarts paid visits. After a while, Harry was left with Mr. Horatio, his family and Rano. Rano had suffered major injuries himself but Madam Pomfrey could not keep him in bed. He was one stubborn and loyal vampire. His family had served the vampire royal family through ages and he was not going to lie in the bed while his king died. He had to be there.

Slowly Mr. Horatio's strength started to diminish. In the late afternoon, he made a couple of final wishes to his wife who promised to carry them out. Rowena's eyes had dried by then. Harry wondered at the strength of this little first year old and thought what he would have done if he had been in her place. He could not even begin to fathom her feelings! At last, at about 4 PM in the afternoon, the vampire king was freed of all his pain. Harry stayed there for a while longer before leaving the royal family and Rano to grieve over their loss.

& & &

"He can't be dead" Remus said in astonishment when he heard the news from Harry. Remus had been busy getting the werewolves ready and hence he had not heard of how bravely Mr. Horatio had fought the previous night. Harry, who was standing in a corner of his trunk, did not say anything. Somehow, he could not believe that Mr. Horatio was dead and yet there could be no denying what he had seen.

"Oh god" Tonks, who was looking at Harry for some sort of a response, said after a few moments of silence. "I am so sorry Harry". Tonks walked quickly to Harry's side and took his right hand in her left and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Silence fell in the trunk for quite a while. At last Harry said "This is just the start". There was a certain emotion in his voice which told Remus that Harry was hardening himself. Harry knew this war would have losses and the sooner he accepted it, and did not blame himself for the deaths, the better.

"He died for a cause" Tonks said in a grave voice. "And we will fight for that cause...and win"

"We will" Remus agreed. "There is too much at stake". Another few minutes of silence passed between the trio only to be interrupted by their breathing sounds.

"They are waiting for the nightfall" Remus said after a while.

"What?" Tonks looked around with a questioning look on her face.

"They are waiting for the nightfall" Remus repeated the sentence in the same grave tone as he looked down at his hands. A cloud of deathly silence seemed to blanket the room as they looked at each other. The look on Remus's face told the whole story to the others. This fight was inevitable!

& & &

"Harry" Tonks looked concernedly at her boyfriend. "Harry...what's wrong with you?". Harry had been trying hard to hide his discomfort from all those with whom he had been interacting with lately but he had not been able to get past Tonks. She had detected that there was something wrong with him.

"Nothing Tonks" Harry said as he started to butter a toast near him. It was around 5 in the evening and they had come down into the trunk to get something to eat.

"What are you hiding Harry?" Tonks said as she slowly followed Harry. She was not about to give up.

"Nothing" Harry repeated once again, all the while avoiding his girlfriend's penetrating gaze.

"So you don't want to share something with me, correct?" Tonks asked in a voice which showed the amount of anguish she was going through.

"It's nothing important Tonks" Harry said as he looked at Tonks for the first time that evening. He saw the expression in her eyes and felt his insides turn. "I am sorry if I have hurt you"

"You should be" Tonks said in the same low voice. "There is something important going on and you are not telling me about it"

"Oh well" Harry said as he took Tonks by her arm and seated her at the dining table. He then proceeded to take on the chair next to her. "It isn't anything too bad"

"I still want to know" Tonks said slowly. "I don't want to be nosy about your affairs but right now, I think I have a right to know what is going on"

"Yeah...maybe" Harry said. He slowly took Tonks's left hand in his hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "I am...just..."

"Just what?" Tonks asked as she placed her other hand on Harry's hand.

"It's...well..." Harry seemed to be struggling to say what was on his mind. It all came forth in a wave the next second "I feel Lord Voldemort's connection"

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked curiously, a hint of fear in her eyes. Now that the dark forces were just outside Hogwarts, anything to do with Lord Voldemort directly had to be given the highest level of concern.

"Here" Harry said as he pointed out his scar to Tonks. "I can feel his presence in my mind".

"WHAT!" Tonks shot up from her seat in panic. "It can't be. He can't be controlling you now!"

"Relax Tonks" Harry said as he got up and caught hold of Tonks left shoulder. "It's not that bad"

"Oh it's bad enough" Tonks's eyes grew bigger and rounder as she said this.

"Let me explain" Harry said as he slowly forced Tonks to sit down again. "I can feel his presence. It's not like he is controlling me"

"How do you know?" Tonks said in an apprehensive voice. "You might be having visions right now..."

"I am not having visions" Harry interrupted Tonks. Seeing the look on her face, he continued. "Trust me, I know what visions feel like now"

"But..." Tonks could not decide whether she could trust Harry on this or not. She knew she could trust Harry with her life but she was unsure as to whether she could trust Harry with his life or not.

"Look, the link was never closed permanently, right?" Harry queried. As Tonks nodded, he continued "When I practiced occlumency I was able to block out Lord Voldemort because he was so far away from me. But now, he is nearby. I can still block him out but that does not mean I can't feel him. If I let my shields down..."

"...then you could get possessed by him" Tonks ended off the sentence in a shivering voice. If she thought she could not feel anything more frightening then she was wrong. The look on Harry's face sent shivers through her spine.

"What are you thinking Harry?" Tonks asked in an unsure voice.

"What if I let my shields down?" Harry wondered aloud in a slow manner.

"What do you mean?" Tonks said in a panic stricken voice. "Are you mad?"

"No" Harry said. "But still, maybe I can view what Lord Voldemort is planning...maybe I can..."

"It's stupid!" Tonks said in a strict voice. "You won't do anything of the sort"

"I have to give in a try Tonks. I have to see his mind" Harry continued in the same slow, calm voice.

"No!"

"Listen Tonks" Harry said as he looked at her. "I will give it a try. It is up to you to decide whether you want to be there to help me out or whether I am forced to try it out alone". There was a tone of finality in Harry's voice which suggested that his mind was made up. For some reason, his eyes had a sparkle in them just like Dumbledore's.

"It's not correct" Tonks's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Trust me Tonks" Harry said as he took her hands in his. "We can't go wrong together". Tonks looked at Harry for a long minute before she finally nodded her head. She knew that Harry would try it once and it was better for her to stay beside him rather than no one at all.

"Good" Harry said as he slowly lifted his hand. "I will try it out now"

"What do I do if you go in a trance?" Tonks asked in a fearful voice.

"Talk to me about my parents, about Sirius, about us...and I will come back" Harry said with a smile on his lips. He moved towards the sofa and sat down in a meditating position. Tonks walked over to sit near him. She saw him close his eyes. Nothing happened for a minute or so. Tonks estimated that by this time Harry's mental shields were down and he was most probably trying to enter Voldemort's mind. She knew it was a stupid thing that Harry was doing but she knew Harry would have no other way. She watched him carefully for any signs of trouble.

A couple of minutes passed and nothing happened. Suddenly an odd expression appeared on Harry's face. It seemed like he was tense...and happy at the same time. Tonks watched even more closely now. She knew Harry had managed to identify Voldemort's mental link and was most probably trying out something to find more about it. As she watched, Harry's eyelids started to flicker, slowly at first but gaining in momentum with every passing secong. He started to sweat as the flickering increased. A look of intensity appeared on Harry's face as he seemed to be trying to fight something inside himself. Tonks was on the edge of her seat by now, biting her nails in anticipation. She did not know what to do now. What if Harry could not come out of his meditation? What if...

"Tonks" Harry said in a faint voice as he opened his eyelids in a feeble manner. He seemed to be frightened and happy at the same time. "I saw him...and he knew I was there"

Tonks looked frightened at this. However, her first question to him was the most obvious one "Are you OK?"

"Never better" Harry said with a smile as he slowly stood up on his feet. Now that Lord Voldemort knew that the connection was still active, he would definitely try to show him visions again. Or maybe, he would try to find out more about Harry's plans. For now, Harry had managed to set up his mental shields to stop the dark lord from accessing any important information. Also, as long as he was in the premises of Hogwarts, he would have a certain amount of Hogwarts's magic to protect him. But beyond that, it would be a cat and mouse game between Lord Voldemort and Harry, one whose rules had not been set this time around since Harry was more in control of his mind.

"Never better" Harry repeated slowly once more as he smiled at Tonks once more before turning to finish his food.

Somewhere nearby, a set of thin lips curled up in a horrendous smile. Lord Voldemort had felt his and Harry's connection stronger than ever and he planned to use this knowledge to reap the maximum benefit possible.

& & &

As the evening descended a sense of gloom approached the castle and it's inhabitants. All the doors and windows were closed tightly and the security enhanced by the teachers. As the final door was closed, a howl went up in the distance, the sound of which sent shivers down the body of all the students and teachers alike. More howls were heard both from both the outside and from the inside of the castle.

It was the night of the full moon and the werewolves were on the prowl.

& & &

A/N: Twelve'th chapter here. I know it has been around 17 months since my last chapter...and I am really sorry for taking so long. Lots of things happened in my professional and private life...including me meeting the one I always dreamt of :). And I got addicted to SecondLife in between :). Anyway, I am now getting my fanfic writing back on track and I would like to thank EVERYONE who has tolerated my absence for so long. I have not abandoned this fic, and never will :)

Also, I hope this chapter is up to the mark. Length wise I know it is 13K+ (3K more than my normal chapters). Quality wise, you guys have to let me know :). If some stuff is mismatched, it is because I have restarted after SO long!

Thanks for all those reviews. Every review which you people made is much appreciated. And to everyone who didn't review, thanks for taking time to read up to here at least.