Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

A/N: Sorry, another long AN but I make up for it in chapter length.

I have yet to decide upon the pairing but I have noticed that many have expressed concern that the HarryxDaphne wouldn't work out as she is too sheltered and wouldn't be able to understand Harry and how he works.

I agree.

She wouldn't be able to understand him since she doesn't know him yet and she is admittedly not as mature as Harry (But still more mature than most her age). Let me tell you now that I do not intend for Harry to simply fall for a student and for her to immediately be okay with his life and choices. If Harry and Daphne DO get together, it will be after a long time of getting to know one another. They would talk quite a bit and start to understand each other more before any romance happens.

Many have also said that since she is not a fighter, Patience or Tonks would be a better choice. That because they are both fighters, Harry and one of these ladies would get along more. I am both for and against this but I have another thing to point out. At one point in their lives, Tonks, Patience and even Harry were innocent. They didn't grow up surrounded by fighting (Although Harry was trained from an early age for it). Circumstances change people and they learn to adapt to those changes. If, and I'm not saying I will, but if Harry and Daphne DO get together, circumstances will change Daphne. She will have to grow both mentally and physically if she wants to be in Harry's life and he would tell her so before even thinking about committing himself to her. There would be ups and downs at many points along the way but eventually, she would become just as mature as Harry, Patience or Tonks are.

For those of you who have written off the HarryxDaphne pairing on the grounds that she is too sheltered/immature/innocent or any other variation, I ask that you think about what I have said here. I know I may sound like I'm rooting for the pairing but I simply want to point out that the characters in this story will be constantly evolving and changing, meaning that nothing is impossible. Just think about it.

Anyway, I've taken up enough of your valuable time. Onward, good reader!

Back at the carriage sight, Harry found Bruce talking to a haggard looking Patience who sat on the steps of one of the carriages. Her leather pants looked a little scorched and there was a pink tint around her hands and mouth, a faint trace of the blood that had once been there but other than this she looked fine, if a little tired. They turned as they heard him approach.

"Trouble?" He asked, his eyes taking Patience in.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." She said simply.

"Did you kill her?"

She shook her head. "No, I managed to hurt her some but she cast some sort of flash Charm that blinded me for a few seconds just as the Death Eaters began to Apparate away and fled herself. Nearly nailed me with a Killing Cure on her way out though." She looked rather annoyed. "Next time I see her, I'm to tear her apart." She growled.

Harry could understand that. Vampires were predators by nature, proud ones at that, and the prospect of their prey escaping always succeeded in making them more than a little violent. He wasn't complaining. If she wanted to take down Bellatrix Lestrange he was all for it but he'd be sure to remind her not to do something stupid. Like get herself killed.

He turned from the undead beauty to face his gunman. "Prisoners?"

Bruce tapped Patience's shoulder to get her to move, which she did with a small huff at him interrupting her thoughts of disembowelling a certain former Black, and opened the carriage door. There, ruffed up like a Christmas turkey, was an unconscious Death Eater, his mask removed and his outer robe shed, leaving him in his black shirt and pants, his arms and legs tied. Bruce had even taken the man's shoes.

"Where'd you find him?" Harry asked as he pushed the man's sleeve back, revealing the Dark Mark branded onto his right forearm.

Bruce flicked his head towards Patience. "She knocked him out just before tangling with Lestrange."

Patience glowered. "I was about to feed off him. Fighting that Bella bitch took more out of me than it should have."

Harry said nothing but removed two small phials from the dispenser attached to his belt and tossed them to her.

Patience caught the bottles of blood and with a wave of her hand, restored them to their original size and downed them quickly. "Ahh." She sighed in content. "B positive. Always good for winding down. Did I taste horse?"

"Centaur." Harry replied, now rifling through the Death Eater's pockets.

"Here." Bruce said, handing him a small sack.

Harry opened it to see the Death Eater's possessions inside. A wallet containing three Galleons, six Sickles and three Knuts as well as a picture of the Death Eater next to his wife. A small folding knife. A set of keys. A receipt from a Wizarding news agents for a copy of Teen Witches Uncovered. A syringe filled with obscura; a highly addictive Wizarding narcotic. A wand. Absolutely nothing to give an indication of where Tom was or what his plans were.

Harry cinched the sack closed and tucked it into a pocket just as Albus Dumbledore came striding up to them, the Director of the DMLE, Auror Scrimgeour and Cornelius Fudge right behind him.

"Harry!" He called as they approached. "What happened here?"

Harry raised a brow and looked towards the battered village, pillars of smoke still rising from some areas. "Well, Albus, it appears the village has been attacked. Oh, wait…yes, it has indeed been attacked."

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't think this is the time for sarcasm, Harry."

"What do you want from me, Dumbledore, I warned you this would happen but you refused to listen!" He snapped. He paused for a moment before asking. "What's the tally?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Fortunately, the students returned from the village mostly either unscathed or with superficial injuries. Only Mr Zabini of Slytherin and Mr Combs and Ms Ambers of Ravenclaw require an overnight stay in the Hospital Wing."

Amelia spoke up next. "Twelve of my Aurors are dead and there may be more by the end of the day. Thirty one were wounded and six will never be fit for active service again." Harry could see the pain behind her eyes. She really cared for those under her command it seemed.

Finally, Scrimgeour spoke. "We counted the bodies. Most of the civilians were in their homes at the time of the attack, not wanting to get caught up in the Hogwarts rush, but of the ones that were out, twenty nine are dead, forty four wounded. Of the approximately one-hundred Death Eaters that attacked, we've found the bodies of fifty seven with various causes of death but none wounded or Stunned. They managed to cast Enervate on the ones we did Stun before they Disapperated out. The attack happened too fast and there were simply too many to properly detain them." He shook his head with a sigh.

"So we have no prisoners?" The Minister asked.

"Well, it appears Harry has taken care of that." Dumbledore said with a smile, nodding towards the bound man in the carriage.

Fudge started, having not seen the criminal a few feet in front of him but the sight of the ropes assured him he'd be safe. "Excellent!" He said, his face lighting up. "We should have him taken into custody immediately. Scrimgeour, see to it."

"Not so fast." Harry said, stepping between the prisoner and the Ministry officials. "He is currently in my custody and therefore in the custody of the Inquisition. He goes where I say he goes. I still need to question him."

"O-Of course but don't you want us to take him someplace you can interview him at your own leisure?" Fudge asked. He sneered at the unconscious man. "I shouldn't think you'd want this criminal following you everywhere."

"Don't worry about that." Harry assured him. "I plan to question him up at the castle."

Dumbledore's head snapped round at the mention of his school. "I don't believe I'm too comfortable with that idea, Harry." He said, a frown stretching his face. "You're speaking of bringing a dangerous criminal into a school full of children. It could prove dangerous."

Harry's eyebrow arched. "Didn't you bring three fully grown female Dragons into the school then have students compete to steal an egg from their nests?"

Dumbledore had the grace to look minutely sheepish. "Yes. But we had the strictest security procedures in place to ensure nothing would endanger the student population."

"The man is unconscious, wandless, restrained and under guard. He'll be no more a threat to the students that Mrs Norris." He assured the old teacher. He turned towards the carriage when Amelia's voice spoke out.

"Would you mind if we witnessed the interview? If we do, it could provide and insight into the Death Eater organisation." She asked.

Harry paused for a moment before saying, "I see no reason why not. Shall we?"

He hauled himself into the carriage as Patience settled herself on the driver's seat next to Bruce. They were to act as guards and lookouts for the carriage containing pretty much the entire leadership of the 'Light' side in this war. Not that they really needed to with Harry and Dumbledore present and Amelia and Scrimgeour were no slouches either.

"Shacklebolt!" Scrimgeour barked to a tall, powerfully built black man clad in Auror robes. "You're in charge here until either myself or the Director release you." With that, he followed Director Bones and Minister Fudge into the carriage, followed closely by Dumbledore.

The carriage lurched as the Thestrals began to pull it back towards Hogwarts, the uneven road making for a slightly bumpy trip. The Ministry personnel kept wary eyes on the unconscious man lying on the floor but neither Harry nor Dumbledore seemed concerned; the former sitting with his head bowed and the latter staring out the window at the passing scenery.

They sat in silence, only the crunching of dirt and stone under the carriage's wheels breaking the quiet. Twenty minutes later, they passed through the school's boar flanked gates and pulled into the large courtyard where the three carriages Bruce had sent the injured students back in sat unmanned.

They unloaded from the carriage with Bruce tossing the Death Eater over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Harry led the group through the great double doors where they met a haggard looking Professor McGonagall waiting for them.

"Minerva." Dumbledore greeted his second-in-command. "I trust things are well here?"

She nodded, the few hairs that had fallen out of their severe bun swaying slightly. "The students have been treated for their injuries and Poppy has dispensed Calming Draughts to them all as well as a dose of Dreamless Sleep to some of the more traumatised ones. They're in their common rooms now."

Dumbledore nodded his thanks.

Harry then led the group through the castle until they came to the Inquisitor's quarters. Giving the password, Harry made his way to one of the spare bedrooms. When he opened it, the Headmaster's eyes widened.

"This…isn't the room the House Elves set up, Harry." Dumbledore pointed out unnecessarily.

"No, it isn't but I knew I'd need one eventually." Harry agreed.

What was once a lavish bedroom had now been transformed into a bare cell. The floor, walls and ceiling had been replaced by solid concrete, lit by a single bulb hanging from the ceiling behind a grate. Apart from the one they entered from, there was only one other door; one made of dark steel, set near one of the walls. In the centre sat a single metal chair.

Harry directed Bruce to place the prisoner on the chair and back away. With a wave of his hand, the man's Death Eater garb disappeared, leaving him naked to the world and another wave Conjured heavy chains to bind him to the chair, their links biting into his skin uncomfortably.

The others, sans Bruce and Patience, were surprised at Harry's undressing of the man but said nothing as they were led through the other door into a small dark room. One wall was completely transparent, allowing them to see into the room where Harry stood before the bound Death Eater.

When the door to the observation room was closed, Harry began.

Taking out his wand, he gave it a wave, dropping the temperature to mach that outside, causing their breath to mist. Giving the spell a little time to take full effect, Harry aimed his wand at the Death Eater. "Enervate."

The man jerked slightly and gave a low groan as he was jarred into full awareness. His blurry eyes blinked open and when he saw his bland surroundings and felt the cold, making him acutely aware of his state of undress, everything came back to him. The attack, terrorising Hogsmeade and that black haired bitch knocking him out. He panicked slightly realising that he must have been captured but his indignation of his treatment quickly overrode it.

"What is this!?" He asked the boy before him angrily. "You can't treat me like this! I have rights!"

"You're in the custody of the Inquisition." Harry informed him. "You have no rights whatsoever."

The Death Eater froze at that and he began to sweat even in the cold of the room when he saw the distinctive lightning bolt on the boy's forehead. It was that Potter bastard! "You!" He gasped.

"Me." Harry said simply. He began to slowly circle the bound man, who's eyes followed him as best they could given that one of the chain was wrapped around his neck, restricting his movements. "You are in serious trouble. You were found during a Death Eater attack in full Death Eater garb, you caused massive damage to people and property, a simple test of your wand will most likely confirm use of at least one of the Unforgivables and you attacked one of my staff who just happens to be a recognised agent of the Inquisition. You face imprisonment at best, death at worst. If you answer my questions truthfully and freely, I will be lenient."

The Death Eater spat at Harry's feet. "Go to Hell. I know you can't authorise the use of Veritiserum without full Wizengamot approval and that would take weeks. Till then I say nothing."

Harry shook his head at the man, his face giving away nothing. "You're wrong. While it's true that Aurors cannot utilise Veritaserum without written consent, I am under no such constraints. I say again. Help us and I will be lenient."

"Do your worst!" He snarled at the boy. "My Lord has had each of us trained to fight Veritaserum. I will give you nothing."

Harry tilted his head to the side, as if confused. "Who said anything about using Veritaserum? I have no such plans to use it today."

"What do you mean?" The Death Eater asked, distrusting the boy.

Harry twirled his wand absentmindedly. "There's a little saying I thought up during my early days as an Interrogator: "Sometimes you can get more with a kind word and a Cruciatus than you can with several kind words and a bottle of Veritaserum"." He brought his wand to bare on the bound man. "Let's test that theory. Crucio."

The eyes of those in the observation room widened in horror as the man's agonised screams cut the air like a knife and Dumbledore whirled around, fully intending to stop this only for the door to be blocked by Bruce and Patience. "You can't go in." Patience warned him.

"He is torturing a defenceless prisoner!" Dumbledore exclaimed. It was bad enough that Harry performed the spell on a spider in front of a class full of students but actually performing it on a person!? He'd been having some serious doubts about Harry for the last month since they first met and his fear of Harry falling to the Dark had only increased with each passing day. He'd hoped to convinced the boy to show some more humility and compassion through a few carefully thought out conversations but the boy had either shot down his arguments or snubbed him completely. If this continued, Harry could fall to the same seductive influences as Voldemort. This could not be allowed to happen!

"He is performing an interrogation." Bruce replied casually. "You should count your blessings, Headmaster. He's already shown a great deal of leniency by simply allowing you to view it. Don't push him or he'll push back. Hard."

Dumbledore thought hard for a few minutes before blowing out a frustrated sigh. There was no winning this battle. He was sure that he could subdue them both and get into the room but the biggest problem would be Harry's reaction once he was in there. He doubted very much that the young Inquisitor would react well to him attacking his staff and the kind of authority the teen could bring to bear would see him stripped of his titles and imprisoned before he could blink. If Harry didn't try to kill him first.

He could only sit and bear the Death Eater's screams for what felt like an eternity before Harry finally lifted the spell, leaving a shaking, panting, sweating prisoner shackled to the chair.

"Ready to cooperate yet?" Harry asked politely.

The man glared at him through bloodied lips which he had bitten through in a vain attempt to stifle his screams. "F-F-Fuck you, P-Potter!" The man shouted as tremors wracked his body.

Harry shrugged and pointed his wand at him again. "Crucio."

Harry had to give it to the man. It took four full Cruciatus' before he agreed to talk. While they weren't fully powered, they were still quite strong. Normally Harry would have saved time and tore into the man's mind but sometimes the target's thoughts were muddled, there were mental traps designed both to keep intruders out and, if they were only a servant like this guy, there could be traps set to kill the prisoner if they sensed a foreign presence, but most of all Harry was still a little winded from his Legilimency duel with Tom. His head was throbbing regularly, not helped at all by the Death Eater's ear splitting screams, and the first thing he planned to do after the interrogation was finished was to find a mental restorative.

"Wh…What do y-you want?" The prisoner panted, his head lolling forward on his heaving chest.

"How about your name to begin with?" Harry asked pleasantly.

The man glowered at Harry's casual tone, as if he weren't brutally torturing someone for information. Not that he could lecture anyone for torturing people. "Damian Kilpler."

"Okay, Damian. Can I call you Damian?"

"No." The man growled.

"I'm gonna call you Damian. So, Damian, why did you attack Hogsmeade?"

"The Dark Lord ordered us to."

"What was his goal?"

"To draw you out of the castle."

"So that was all there was to it." Harry said to himself. To Damian he asked, "Who recruited you?"

The man hesitated.

"I can always loosen your tongue if it'll help?" Harry said, giving his wand a twirl.

"Simon Elders; he's my supervisor at the Nimbus Broom Company, he recruited me a few weeks ago!" Damian said hastily, not relishing another go of the torture Curse.

"Exactly how long have you been a Death Eater?"

"Six or seven weeks."

"So that would be before the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort's return then, yes?" Harry asked to which Damian nodded. Harry glanced towards the one-way wall but said nothing. "Do you know the names of any other Death Eaters?"

"I can't tell you. They'll kill me."

"I'll kill you if you don't." Harry pointed out.

"You do and you get nothing!" Damian sneered.

"Fine, let me rephrase that. I'll tear the names from your skull with Legilimency then kill you." Harry said, adding a slightly menacing growl at the end.

Damian shuddered in his chair then sagged. "Dodge Hilton. Betty Dorson. Dave Morris…"

Harry jotted the names down in a little notebook he Conjured. There were only ten or so names but it was a good start. When he got them all, Harry flipped the notebook shut and tucked it away into his coat pocked before looking back to Damian, who was starting to shiver badly from the cold. Harry didn't do anything to help. It would all be over soon.

He continued to pace around the bound man. "How many Death Eaters does Voldemort have?"

"I don't know, he doesn't tell us." Damian muttered.

"What about Werewolves?"

"I don't know."

"Giants? Vampires? Where are his bases? Who supplies his forces? What attacks is he planning?"

"I don't know!" Damian shouted.

"Then what do you know?" Harry asked loudly.

"Nothing! I've told you everything!" The Death Eater roared in frustration.

The room fell silent, the only sound being Damien's ragged breathing. Harry stopped behind the man's back, deep in thought.

They were all startled when the prisoner began to laugh. It wasn't a joyful one or even a humorous one. It was a laugh filled with contempt and loathing.

"Care to tell me what it is that's so funny?" Harry asked the back of the man's head.

Without looking up from his feet, Damian said, "You. You strut in here, thinking your all powerful because of that little trinket you carry. You think that just by waving your rosette around and proclaiming your authority, that it means people will fall over themselves to follow your orders. Let me tell you something. You're nothing, boy, except a small nuisance that the Dark Lord will do away with soon enough. The Ministry will fall and soon after your pitiful Inquisition will follow. Put me in prison if you want. Eventually the Dark Lord will rule all and I'll be there by his side, ridding the world of Muggle and Mudblood filth!" He was beyond them now, his voice that of a devout fanatic.

He waited for a response but received none. He heard Potter sigh, the sound of something sliding against leather then a crisp click before Harry finally spoke, his voice cold and empty.

"No, Damian."

The Death Eater jumped as he felt cold metal pressed against the back of his skull.

"You won't."

Harry pulled the trigger.

He had just slid his gun back into it's holster when the door to the observation room was wrenched open and out stormed a very angry Albus Dumbledore, followed by a grim pair of Aurors and a pale Minister, as well as Patience and Bruce, who followed behind leisurely.

"Harry, what in Merlin's name have you done!?"

Harry turned to the Supreme Mugwump, unfaltering in the face of the old wizard's anger. While Dumbledore may have intimidated some, Harry had seen Alizabeth when she was angry and he could say without any doubt that his old mentor beat the Headmaster hands down in the intimidation department.

"I executed my prisoner, Headmaster." Harry said calmly while secretly admiring the red creeping up Dumbledore's neck.

Albus gawked at the completely natural way Harry had said it before his face once more became thunderous. "He was a prisoner." He said lowly. "You promised him you would show leniency."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I did. I was lenient enough to kill him instead of sentencing him to the Dementor's Kiss like I planned to if he didn't help. Now his soul is free to be dragged into whatever pit in Hell is reserved for Riddle and his men instead of slowly digesting in the stomach of a Dementor. I don't know about you but that seems pretty lenient to me, Headmaster."

"He should have been taken into custody! He should have been given a trial and charged with his crimes like every other Death Eater!" The elder wizard exclaimed.

Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "And just where, pray tell, would you have kept this prisoner? Unless you have forgotten, Azkaban has yet to be reinforced." He said, low and calmly.

"That doesn't matter! We would have worked something out until the reinforcements arrive. More needless death helps no one." Dumbledore said, trying to stifle his anger.

"What about the innocent people he would have tortured, raped and killed when he was inevitably freed from this hypothetical prison? I'd say that killing him has definitely benefited them." Harry challenged as he crossed his arms. He cocked his head slightly to the side. "Why are you so angry about this anyway?" He asked, honestly not knowing what the problem was.

Dumbledore blinked before saying incredulously, "Because it's wrong! By killing him you have robbed him of any chance of redemption."

"Redemption?" Harry laughed, looking at him like he was stupid. The others simply stood in the background, watching the drama unfold, knowing it probably wasn't wise to interfere. "Oh, I see." Harry said, eyes widening in sudden understanding. "You want to convince them to renounce Tom and bring them back to the 'Light'. Killing them would be meaningless if we can defeat Tom by turning his own men against him."

"Precisely." Dumbledore nodded, relieved that Harry was finally seeing things his way. Maybe he could even convince the boy to submit to a minor Blocking Ward to remove his ability to perform the Unforgivables and even some of the other Dark Arts Dumbledore feared he knew to remove any temptation he may have to use them again?

"You're even more of a fool than I gave you credit for."

"What!?" Dumbledore blundered, blindsided by the accusation.

Harry stared back at the man sternly. When he spoke, it was with firm conviction. "You heard him in there. He was firmly set in his belief that Riddle was right and that anything not pure by their standards has to be killed. No amount of preaching, even from you, would turn him from his path; one he willingly chose for himself. He was more than a simple follower, he was a fanatic. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought Riddle was some kind of Messiah or God sent to purge the world."

"And that is precisely why we must convince him and other potential followers of Voldemort otherwise." Dumbledore sighed, seemingly extremely weary. "Don't give us another enemy to fight, Harry. We must stand as one against the Dark and it would take a great deal of effort, manpower and resources to not only capture prisoners but hide them from you to prevent a slaughter."

Harry narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Dumbledore, getting in the man's face. When he spoke his voice was a low growl, almost a whisper, forcing the others to strain to hear it. "If you are implying, sir, that you would interfere with my investigation, then believe me when I say that I will not hesitate to rip you down from your high pedestal and bury you so deep that not even God himself would be able to find you. And believe me," Harry's eyes seemed to glow with unbridled malice. "I would gladly watch you burn."

"Are you threatening me, Harry." Dumbledore asked quietly, meeting that blazing gaze with his own glacial one.

Harry's grin was feral. "I'm promising you, Albus."

"If I may ask," Amelia interjected quietly, fearing that the two were coming dangerously close to trading blows. "What now?"

Harry's eyes stayed locked with Dumbledore's as he backed out of the old man's personal space before he looked over at the Director. "There was roughly one hundred Death Eaters in that attack. Just over fifty are dead. Judging by how much time Riddle has had to recruit and taking into account the fact that he's had to do his recruiting quietly for fear of tipping off the Ministry to his resurrection, I'd say he put a lot into that attack, maybe even using most of his Death Eaters. He probably wasn't expecting not getting them back. Most likely he thought that if you captured any you'd send them to Azkaban, even being as weak as it is, and he could simply mount another attack on the prison and reclaim them while killing more Aurors. With this setback the amount of Death Eater attacks should be low for a while. You should bring in teams to take any wounded to St Mungo's and restore the village. You might want to have someone look at Hogsmeade Square while you're at it." He finished slightly sheepishly.

Amelia nodded then glanced at the body in the room. "And him?"

Taking out his wand, Harry Vanished the gore and the chains then Transfigured the corpse into a bone before Levitating it into Scrimgeour's hand, who immediately Conjured a box to put it in. "Release his body to his widow. If she asks, tell her about his participation in the attack but not the interrogation. No need to be cruel to the woman."

"And killing her husband wasn't cruel?" Rufus asked incredulously.

"Making her think he suffered before he died is. Tell her he died quickly if you think it'll help." Harry told the grizzled Auror. "Anything else?"

The shook their heads and started to shuffle towards the door. All except Dumbledore who stared at Harry for a few long moments, seemingly searching for something, before saying, "Harry, if you would I would like you to join me in my office later this evening. It shouldn't take more than a few hours at most."

Harry though about it for a moment before nodding. He led the group to the portrait and sealed it shut behind them. With a sigh, Harry began to shed himself of his armour and weapons, not noticing Patience and Bruce watching him from the staircase to the Interrogation Room.

"Care to explain all that?"

Harry glanced at Bruce while he undid the straps of his holster from around his thigh. "What do you mean?"

"He means, what did Dumbledore do to make you so mad? I don't think I've ever seen you look at someone like that before." Patience said, frowning in confusion.

Harry paused as he undid his armour before shrugging it off. Without turning back at them, he said, "In my entire life I've only truly hated fifteen people. Albus Dumbledore just happens to be one of them."

"What do you mean."

"It's private."

"Business private or personal private?" Patience asked.

Harry gathered his things and began to walk towards his bedroom. "Personal private." He said quietly.

Patience and Bruce backed off at that. Harry was usually very open with them and if he withheld something, it was usually for a good reason. That, plus they never butted into each others' 'personal private' business.

They all had ghosts that haunted them, refusing to go away.

At nine o'clock that evening, Harry met Dumbledore in his office. The Headmaster was stood beside his fireplace alongside, surprisingly, McGonagall and Snape.

"Ah, Harry." The old man said jauntily. Apparently he had forgotten their confrontation in the Interrogation Room. Either that or he was hiding it from his two professors. "Now that everyone's here, let's be off."

"Hold on." Harry stopped them. "Could you tell me where we'll be off to? You didn't exactly fill me in earlier.

"Oh yes, my apologies. I just thought it time to introduce you to the other element in this war." He said, eyes twinkling merrily.

"Other element?" The Inquisitor asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see." Albus said teasingly, annoying Harry quite a bit. Grabbing a fistful of Floo Powder from the ornamental jar, he tossed it into his fire with the words, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

'Grimmauld Place?' Harry thought. Looking at Dumbledore questioningly, he said, "Haven't you mentioned that before?"

Dumbledore merely smiled and vanished into the flames. Snape followed with a brief scathing look at Harry and McGonagall gestured for Harry to go first.

Wearily, he stepped towards the fireplace, his hand resting on the handle of his gun, following his own rewritten version of the Scout's Code: "Always be prepared, paranoid and heavily armed" and the good old "Never walk into a strange Floo". They just made good sense.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the dancing green flames and his world spun.

He was disgorged on the other end and he immediately moved into the corner nearest him as McGonagall swept out of the Floo a moment later.

They had arrived into a rather dingy looking sitting room. The blinds on the windows were drawn and the lights were kept low. Silver ornaments of Goblin origin decorated the space but their splendour was hidden under a layer of grime and dust. Briefly he wondered if they were meeting Tom and his Death Eaters for a late dinner.

He tensed as the door opened and in walked two people.

The first was a tall, skinny, slightly drawn man with greying hair. His face bore a few scars and there seemed to be a slightly depressed aura about him. His robes were a little patched and he looked a little pale but other than that he looked fine.

The second one was far more recognisable.

Clad in fine black robes, his shaggy black hair tumbling around a handsome, if slightly haunted face, the man stopped in the doorway. He appeared to be strong in body and carried himself with confidence and walked with a bit of a swagger. He saw slightly taller than Harry but thinner than him. He was also looking directly at the young Inquisitor with a mix of hope, disbelief, happiness and relief in his eyes.

"Hello, Harry." Said Sirius Black.

Harry stood, his jaw slightly drooping and his eyes wide as he stared at the man. Here was his father's best friend, his own Godfather; a man he thought locked away in Azkaban for the last fifteen years. He looked the same, if a little older, from the one or two pictures Harry had seen of him. The room was quiet as Harry struggled to comprehend this revelation. Harry blinked once to make sure this was not an illusion. Then blinked again. Finally he did the only thing he could think to do.

He pulled his gun and fired.

Sirius had seen the flicker behind the boy's eyes. "Harry, wait!" He threw himself behind the couch as a bullet shattered the doorframe. The Wizards in the room ducked for cover as Harry fired into the couch, trying to hit the bastard behind it. The bastard that sold out his parents!

"Harry!" Dumbledore shouted, trying to get the boy's attention but the teen seemed to be beyond them now, his face twisted into an angry snarl. Before the boy could regain his senses and start brining magic into play, Dumbledore flicked his wand at the wall behind the teen. Thick arms of stone reached out from the wood and wrapped around Harry, dragging him against the wall where more hands struggled to pin him down. Dumbledore flew to his feet and strode towards the furious Inquisitor before firing off a Noisemaker Charm right over his head.

Harry grimaced and flinched at the deafening bang which succeeded in overpowering his temper, if only for a short while.

"Harry, you need to listen! There are factors that you're not aware of!" Dumbledore quickly urged, knowing that the spells wouldn't hold the last Potter for long. The last thing anyone needed was an overemotional Inquisitor.

Harry's green eyes snapped to Dumbledore and he glared with such intensity that the Headmaster was almost positive that would burst free at any moment and burn him to cinders. "Dumbledore," Harry growled lowly, causing the room's occupants to shiver. The boy's voice had somehow changed, becoming deeper and unnaturally ethereal. It almost sounded like there were two voices speaking; one Harry's and the other an echo that spoke a split second after the first, making the teen sound impossible ancient and venerable. Harry strained against his restraints, leaning close to Dumbledore. "You have exactly three seconds to tell me why you're harbouring a wanted felon before I kill you and everyone else in this room."

"I understand you're angry, Harry." The old man began quietly, as to not anger the teen further. "But believe me when I say that Sirius did not betray your parents to Voldemort."

"He was their Secret Keeper. He was the only one who had the ability to betray them." Harry ground out through gritted teeth.

"I know how you feel, Harry, because I was under the same impression. It was only a few years ago that I learned the truth." Dumbledore said calmly.

"And what truth would that be?"

"That Sirius was not your parent's Secret Keeper. Peter Pettigrew was."

Silence descended upon the sitting room of Grimmauld Place. Remus crouched near a shaken Sirius, both of them eyeing the son of their best friends as Snape and McGonagall crouched near the fire, their wands drawn in case the emotional teen decided to start firing again.

"You're lying." Harry said quietly, his eyes boring into Dumbledore's. "Pettigrew's dead. Black killed him."

"No, he didn't, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head. "You're parents switched Secret Keepers from Sirius to Peter without telling anyone, not even me. When Sirius went to confront Peter after Voldemort tried to kill you, Sirius went after him. When he was cornered, Peter destroyed the street behind him, killing twelve Muggles before escaping down a sewer drain. He was a rat Animagus, Harry." He silently urged the boy to believe him.

Harry stared into Dumbledore's eyes for a few very long minutes before barking out, "Black! Get out here."

Slowly and carefully, Sirius stood form behind the ruined couch. He gave Remus a reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking around to stand before Harry, Dumbledore slightly between them. It astounded him how much Harry looked like James, even more so from up close.

Harry stared at the man hard, the man he was convinced had sold out his patents, before reaching out with his mind. He didn't know if Black felt it and accepted it or if he simply had no experience in Occlumency but Harry encountered no resistance as he searched the man's memories. Images of his parents at different stages of their lives danced before his eyes and Harry wished nothing more than to plunder them from Black's head and leave him a frothing, mindless mess but he slid deeper. There! The memory of Black talking with James and Lily Potter, of their decision to switch Secret Keepers and of him confronting Pettigrew in an alley right before the little man blew away the street behind him and transformed into a rat, disappearing down a sewer grate.

He withdrew his mind from Black's, his anger dissipating. Dumbledore slowly released the restraints but kept his wand in hand just in case. Harry slid his gun into it's holster and fixed his coat, not meeting the ex-convict's eyes. "My apologies, Mr. Black." He said just above a mutter.

Sirius gave a nervous chuckled and waved it off. "No problem, Harry. And call me Sirius. Mr. Black was my mother. She was very masculine for a lady."

Harry chuckled lightly, the joke breaking most of the tense atmosphere. Remus came around from the couch as Snape and McGonagall put away their wands.

"Harry, this is Remus Lupin, another of your parent's friends." Dumbledore introduced them.

"Mr. Lupin." Harry nodded, shaking the man's hand.

"Just Remus, please." The older man smiled.

"Has everyone arrived?" Dumbledore asked Sirius.

"You arrived a little early but we're expecting them about--"

The sound of the doorbell ringing echoed throughout the house and Harry tensed as he heard a woman screaming profanity in the halls. "What on Earth is that?" He asked, bewildered.

Sirius grimaced as he headed for the door. "My dear old mum."

Harry and the others followed him out into the hallway where Harry saw him wrestling with a pair of black curtains that apparently had flown open, revealing one of the uglier portraits Harry had seen in his time. A old, sickly, rather fat woman in black robes was screaming at the top of her voice, her eyes bulging as she looked at her son.

Harry leaned against the living room door, the others in the hall fully, as he listened to the woman's rant.

"YOU! YOU WRETCHED BASTARD SPAWN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE! I CAST YOU OUT LONG AGO! NO SON OF MINE WOULD CAVORT WITH MUDBLOOD AND ANIMAL FILTH LIKE YOU HAVE! LEAVE! LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN!"

"SHUT IT, YOU MISERABLE OLD COW!" Sirius shouted equally as loud as he gave one final tug, jerking the curtains back into place. Silence descended upon the hallway, the only sound being Sirius' haggard breathing until Harry softly spoke.

"Well…she seemed nice."

The others gawked at him before Sirius let out a bark of laughter, causing the others to laugh as well. Except Snape. He just sneered.

"Yeah." Sirius shook his head. "Real picture of motherly affection, my mum."

Remus chuckled and undid the locks on the door. When he opened it, Harry managed to catch a brief glimpse of a gaggle of redheads before a blonde blur slammed into him, sending him to the ground as a gleeful shout filled his ears.

"'ARRY!"

Harry let out an "oomph" as he hit the floor, a soft weight on top of him, as Mrs. Black's shrieks once more filled the house. Ignoring the insane woman's ramblings, Harry glanced down to see a mass of silvery blonde hair dominating most of his vision and a pair of slender arms wrapper around his neck. Confused, Harry brushed a few soft stands away, only for his eyes to widen in disbelief.

"Fleur!?" He blurted out.

The beautiful French half-Veela beamed back at him.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked in fluent French as he helped the girl to her feet. She didn't remover her arms from around his neck, instead pulling him into another tight hug.

"I work here now." She replied, also in her native tongue. "I got a job at Gringotts last year to help improve my English. Or so I tell people." She smirked mischievously.

"I know that look." Harry said warily. "You're up to something." He accused.

"Why, Harry, you would accuse an innocent girl like me of wrongdoing?" Fleur asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

Harry snorted. "Innocent? You? A teasing little minx more like."

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind them broke them from their banter and they both turned to see Dumbledore twinkling merrily at them while the others just looked confused. It was then that Harry saw the newcomers.

An entire brood of redheads, most likely a family, stood in the hallway. A plump woman stood beside a balding man wearing horn rimmed glasses and behind them stood two young men. One was short and stocky and his arms, visible in his short sleeved t-shirt, had some nasty looking old burns on them. The second, taller one had his long hair pulled back into a ponytail and a single Dragon fang earring hung from his ear. He was also glancing between Harry and Fleur in confusion.

"Ah, I wasn't aware that you two knew each other." Dumbledore said, smiling at the pair.

"An acquaintance from an old case." Harry said, not wanting the old man to start prying.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore simply had to know everything. "I'm curious, Ms. Delacour, if you knew Harry was alive, why didn't you tell us at any time during the last year? It may have proven useful."

Fleur shrugged. "Two reasons. One, eet waz classified and two, you did not ask."

Dumbledore's smile faltered slightly before reaffirming itself. "I would love to hear the story."

Before Harry could tell him off for snooping, Fleur swooped in. She knew it would be easier to give the man enough to slate his thirst or he'd hound them both. "A year ago, before I started working at Gringottz, my Papa, ze French Minizter for Magic, was targeted by a 'orid man with a grudge against ze Delacour family. Since he iz the Minizter, ze Inquisition took action and sent 'Arry to eliminate ze threat. We knew who he was but he asked zat we not tell anyone of his identity or zat he was alive. He 'ad just saved my family so we 'ad no problems honouring his wishes."

"Took them a while to warm up to me though." Harry muttered, causing him and Fleur to laugh, confusing the others because of the language barrier.

"Yes, Mama took a while to warm up to the idea of someone as young as you being in charge of our protection but her fears were quickly laid to rest after the first attempt on our lives. Papa knew that you wouldn't be an Inquisitor if you weren't capable. I'm afraid Grand-mere still hasn't forgiven you for that incident with the 700 year old stain glass window." She grinned at the memory.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. The Delacour matriarch hated him. "Thing survives revolution and war but an hour and a half with me and it's in pieces on the floor of the ballroom, champagne is all over the guests and I broke that one waitresses' arm."

"But let's not forget Gabrielle. She simply loves you." Fleur giggled.

Harry chuckled nervously, glancing around, watching out for the little girl who could give the most devout of fanatics a run for their money when it came to him. "She's not here…is she?"

Fleur simply laughed at him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat again, getting their attention once more. "I'm afraid we'll have to break this reunion short but I'm sure you'll be able to talk after the meeting. The others will arrive soon. In the meantime, Harry, I'd like to introduce you to the Weasleys."

"Weasley?" He asked. "As in Fred, George, Ronald and Ginevra Weasley?"

"That's right." The man with the glasses nodded, a kind smile on his face. "I'm Arthur, this is my wife Molly and these are my eldest sons Bill and Charlie." He introduced each in turn.

"How do you do-oomph!" He was caught off guard when he was pulled into a rib cracking hug by Molly. He glanced at the others, wondering what he was supposed to do, but they just smiled at him.

"Oh, Harry, it's been so many years! The last time I saw you, you were only a few months old. You were such a cute baby back then. I can't believe how much you remind me of your father but you have your mother's beautiful eyes." She gushed.

"Uh…thanks?" He said uncomfortably as he stood stock still in her grip. He wasn't fond of strangers touching him. Even people he knew had to spend some time getting close to him.

"Mum, let him go, you're embarrassing him." One of the guys, Charlie, chuckled.

Harry threw him a grateful glance as Molly released him. He shook each of the Weasley men's hands in turn before Dumbledore ushered them into a large dining room in the basement where a large table was set up, able to seat many people.

As she was following them in, Fleur felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and she looked up into the face of Bill Weasley.

"You are wondering why I am so familiar with 'Arry." It wasn't a question.

Bill blushed a little a being found out so easily. "Yeah." He smiled nervously. "I know it's none of my business or anything but…you two were never…?"

Fleur smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "Non. We grew close during ze time 'e was with us and 'e iz now my friend; one of my best friends. I love 'im as a brother but there never 'as and I doubt there ever will be anything between us."

Bill let out a small breath of relief and squeezed her shoulder before they took their seats.

"Feel free to sit down if you wish, Harry." Dumbledore proffered from his own seat beside Sirius who sat at the head of the table as Head of the House.

Harry stood near one of the corners of the room, directly opposite the door where he could watch everyone who entered. "Force of habit, Headmaster. I prefer to be the last one seated."

"Ugh." Fleur snorted in playful disgust. "You are so paranoid. No one is going to try and kill you at ze dinner table."

"That time at the French Ministry ball says otherwise, Mademoiselle Delacour."

Fleur glared at him for several breaths until Harry sighed in irritation but there was a smile playing about his lips. "Fine. Fleur."

"That's better." She smiled in satisfaction.

Harry shook his head but straightened up as the door opened to admit more people. The first he only one he vaguely recognised as that Shacklebolt guy from Hogsmeade and a few steps behind him lurched a man Harry recognised.

'Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody.' He thought at the grizzled ex-Auror lurched into the room, his wooden leg clunking loudly on the floor, his magical eye spinning madly until it settled on him, unmoving. Harry gave the old fighter a brief nod and took in the others in the room. He recognised none of them. He decided to wait in the shadows for now.

When they were all seated, Dumbledore rose, a smile on his wrinkled face. "Welcome everyone. I now call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to begin."

'So this is what he meant when he said the "Order" would be in Hogsmeade.' Harry thought as he glanced over the guests again. Apart from a few exceptions, none looked like fighters.

Dumbledore continued, his tone more grave. "As many of you undoubtedly already know, the forces of Lord Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade during the Hogwarts trip." The gathered members gave a collective shudder at the name, some even yelping or crying, and started to mutter to each other. Dumbledore raised his hand for silence, which was granted almost immediately. "The battle was long and hard but in the end we managed to drive the Death Eaters out of the village." The group gave a few cheers at that.

'What do you mean "we"? You weren't even there.' Harry thought from his corner.

"Sadly this victory didn't come without loss. While none of the Hogwarts students were killed or severely injured, the final tally put it at thirteen dead Aurors and thirty dead civilians."

The room fell quiet at that, a small moment for the dead, until one person in the back spoke up. "What about the Death Eaters? How many did they loose?" The man's voice was angry.

Dumbledore sighed softly and glanced towards the shadowed corner where Harry his before softly saying, "Of the approximately one-hundred that attacked the village, they have lost fifty seven of their numbers."

The room was silent before it suddenly burst into cheers. It took nearly a minute before they settled down.

One man spoke up from beside Moody. "Do you mean to tell us that we've captured fifty seven Death Eaters!?"

Dumbledore shook his head. If they didn't know better, they'd have thought he seemed sad. "No." He said quietly. "We didn't capture fifty seven Death Eaters. Fifty seven is the amount of Death Eaters that were killed in the attack."

Once more, the room fell into a stunned silence. Many were looking at each other in confusion except Fleur who was looking at Harry from the corner of her eye. He stood unrepentant.

"Wait a minute." Bill's confused voice broke through the silence. "I thought Aurors were only authorised to Stun on sight. I heard that Amelia Bones is trying to force through a bill to give Aurors more spells to use from, some that could be deadly, but it hasn't even gone through yet. I know one or two could have been killed by accident but how did fifty seven die?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "I believe we shall see tonight. Before that, however, I would like to hear your reports. William, why don't you go first?"

Bill got to his feet. "I've spoken to some of the more senior Goblins in the bank, as has Fleur. So far they believe that the war isn't their problem or top priority. I doubt they would join with You-Know-Who but they've made it clear that they don't intend to join the Ministry yet nor have they agreed to help police Death Eater vaults or freeze their accounts. I'll keep trying but I don't know how long it will take."

"Thank you, William. Remus, what news from the Werewolves?"

"Two more clans have joined the Death Eaters but I've managed to convince quite a few to wait until these new laws come through before they make a decision. They know Voldemort will only turn on them in the end but they still won't do anything to help until they see change in the way they're treated by the Ministry. Albus, if I were you I'd see about getting those laws passed as soon as possible. They'll only sit idle for so long." The tired man warned.

Dumbledore nodded in thought. "I will redouble my efforts but Cornelius is proving difficult to deal with these days. Mundungus, what news from Knockturn Alley?"

They went through all those who were in a position to give information, some even just reporting rumours. Harry had to admit, from what looked like a group of civilians playing vigilante, they had an okay spy system. While it was a far cry from the best, it wasn't the worst. Though, he thought a little smugly, his spy system in some countries was far better. He didn't think to acknowledge that many of those spies were introduced to him by Alizabeth.

While this was all going on, Snape sat in his corner, silently willing himself to disappear. What the hell was that old man thinking!? You do not ask a Death Eater, ex or not, who was currently acting as a double agent about their activities while in the company of an Inquisitor! When he'd brought up his concerns to Albus in his office before Potter arrived, the Headmaster only smiled and reassured him that he would be able to convince Harry to let him go about his business without incident if it came to it. Snape had snorted at him. From what he'd seen do far, the Potter brat wasn't one to cooperate with Dumbledore on any level. His years as a spy and a Slytherin allowed him to read people well and while Potter was harder than most, almost as hard as it was to read the Dark Lord, the boy seemed to always be only borderline polite with the Headmaster but hid it well. It seemed that Potter's spawn didn't think too highly of Dumbledore. Still, he had doubts of Albus' ability to protect him from Potter and silently prayed that Dumbledore passed over him tonight. 'Don't call me, don't call me, don't call me…'

"Severus, what news from Voldemort's camp?"

'Damn it, you miserable old fool!' He glanced hesitantly towards the corner where Potter stood but to his amazement, the boy didn't look surprised or even taken aback at the revelation. 'Did he already know?'

"Severus?" Albus called again.

Snape cleared his throat, giving Potter one more glance before standing, seemingly as cool and composed as ever. "The Dark Lord is unpleased that he lost so many of his followers as he didn't anticipate such a level of resistance but he strangely seems pleased with something. I don't know if he didn't tell me of the attack because he is unconvinced of my loyalty or simply because he felt I didn't need to know but I have heard that he will need to cut back on attacks for a while until his forces are replenished. He is also still interested in getting the Prophesy from the Department of Mysteries and I believe he had several plans but he has told no one of them." He finished imperiously.

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Severus. As always we appreciate the risk you are taking for us." He waited until the greasy haired man sat before continuing. "I would now like to bring up the matter of the protections of Azkaban." He looked over his shoulder. "Harry?"

Those that had been unaware of his presence gasped in shock as the Inquisitor stepped from the shadows, his heavy coat and armour making him all the more imposing. They muttered among themselves, many pointing to his scar but Harry paid them no heed as he sat at the table, folding his arms and crossing one leg over the other.

Talking over the whispers, silencing them, Dumbledore asked, "What news of the protections we were promised?"

Harry sighed in annoyance. "I received a missive from the Departmento Munitorum about a week and a half ago. It seems that Officer Halpner, the man that took our order, was found dead in his office. Cause of death was a heart attack. His paperwork was passed onto his assistants for a time until his replacement was found but they couldn't authorise the kind of troop mobilization we ordered. I heard that he has since been replaced so I expect the defences to arrive in the next week or two."

Dumbledore nodded, both of them ignoring the looks of confusion the others were giving them. "We appreciate any help the Inquisition can give. About the names of the Death Eaters we were given, I assume you wish to be with the teams that are sent to apprehend them?"

Harry nodded. "Either myself or one of my agents will go with the Aurors."

Suddenly, Molly Weasley's scolding, disapproving voice spoke up, rather condescendingly Harry thought. "Now, Albus, you can't possibly be thinking of sending Harry to apprehend those monsters! He's only a child, for Merlin's sake!"

Harry took a deep breath as his right fist began to slowly clench and unclench, a habit he'd developed when he was getting agitated. His Basilisk hide gloves creaked but no one heard as more spoke up.

"Molly's right, Albus." Another voice spoke up. Harry saw from his robes that the man was an Auror but the lack of wounds or fatigue suggested he hadn't been at the Hogsmeade attack. "The kid should focus on getting us our supplies and defences. It'll just cause problems if we have to have someone looking after him in a raid. No offence, kid, but leave this to the professionals." There were a few muttered agreements but others sat silently, not commenting.

Harry didn't know whether to laugh at the man or break his jaw so he settled for the diplomatic course of action and turned to Dumbledore. "I think we should carry on with the meeting, don't you, Headmaster." His face, voice and posture gave away nothing but Albus could tell by the way Harry's fist was clenched that it would be best to hurry things along.

"Yes, of course." Dumbledore cleared his throat before pulling out a small stone basin from his robes. He set in on the table and tapped it one with his wand, restoring it to it's true size. "If no one disagrees, I would ask them to please submit a Pensieve memory of their actions in the attack. I believe that it could give us insight into Death Eater tactics and there may even be Death Eaters who were unmasked in the memories, allowing us to know who to watch."

Harry covered his grin with his hand. This was going to be fun to see.

Dumbledore passed the Pensieve to the Auror, Shacklebolt. The powerfully built man placed his wand to his temple and dropped the memory into the bowl. Dumbledore tapped a few of the Runes on the rim with his own wand and a 3D projection appeared above the stone basin. They all watched, from Shacklebolt's point of view, the start of the attack.

As Harry watched the memory of the man's duels, he had to admit that Shacklebolt had skill. While it wasn't on the level of an Inquisitor, the man clearly had prowess above that of normal Aurors. It was especially evident when he took on three Death Eaters by himself and won when he Stunned them after Transfiguring a pile of straw into a swarm of bees and had them attack his opponents. The memory ended with the Death Eaters Apparating out, grabbing those of their numbers who were unconscious.

When the memory faded, Shacklebolt received quite a few compliments to which he just gave a simple nod of thanks. He was modest. Good.

The Pensieve continued to be passed around from person to person. For the most part, Harry hardly paid them attention. The duels he saw quickly fell into a pattern. Run in, dodge/get hit by spell, spend five minutes trying to hit target, finally succeed in Stunning them, repeat. He had to agree with the others though when that one man, Mundungus, who fled five minutes into the battle after Stunning one Death Eater in the back. The only high point in his opinion was Moody's memory. That old man had moves! He especially liked the tactic of Transfiguring the boar head sign of the Hog's Head into a cauldron of acid then dropping it onto the Death Eaters below. He'd have to try that sometime. He caught the old fighter's eye and gave him a respectful nod, which was returned.

Finally, after Remus deposited his memory, Dumbledore turned to Harry. With a sly smile, he tapped his wand to his temple and withdrew his own memory before dropping into the bowl. Sitting back, he crossed his arms and waited for the show.

He didn't have to wait long before the projection of him in Hogsmeade appeared just as the attack began. He'd Apparated to the top of a nearby building to see smoke plumes drifting over the village before a scream of pain drew him to a nearby alley where the three Slytherins were cornered by three Death Eaters. They watched as he deflected the Cruciatus and healed the boy before sending them off towards the carriages. Harry turned his attention from the memory to the faces of those watching just as his memory self spoke.

"You're right. Aurors would have trouble with three opponents. But Inquisitors are on a whole other level."

Everyone in the kitchen jumped as the sounds of the Death Eaters being killed echoed around the room. They paled as arterial blood sprayed from the gashes and they were shocked by how natural Harry sounded as he spoke with the last Death Eater right before they killed him.

Then the slaughter began.

They watched, both in amazement and spellbound horror as Harry cut through swathes of Death Eaters like a scythe through wheat. For those with an appreciation of fighting skill (e.g. Shacklebolt and Moody) they were impressed by the young teen's ability to somehow know where the next attack would come from and his subsequent counter. The screams and explosions of the battle were the only sound to be heard in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Briefly, Harry heard faint sobbing and saw Molly Weasley clutching to her husband, tears running down her face. She was looking between him and the projection, her expression flickering between fear and pity. Harry didn't know what to make of it. He glanced at Fleur who was watching the battle, her face grim but understanding. Dumbledore also seemed to be watching the battle with great disappointment but Harry could see the cogs turning in the man's mind.

Finally they came to the part where Harry sensed Riddle's presence in the village before Apparating to the Square. It was then that they got their first look at the Dark Lord.

Many screamed in fright, some started and Harry even heard Sirius and Moody growl at the sight of the man. Dumbledore's eyes snapped to Harry. He was probably confused as to why he didn't tell him of Riddle's appearance in the village. They listened to the back and forth between the two. Some glance at Harry, wondering how he could have been so calm when he was facing You-Know-Who of all people and some watched Tom in fearful fascination. They probably didn't expect someone so feared and so evil to be so normal.

They all gasped when Riddle revealed his half of the Prophesy, many eyes flicking to Harry and only he saw Dumbledore's face pale and tighten when Tom revealed that he'd deciphered the Prophesy and when the evil Wizard offered Harry a chance to join him, Dumbledore's eyes glued themselves to Harry. Now that he was watching, he realised that he'd considered the offer for quite some time and the Order members began to look at him somewhat fearfully during the drawn out pause, only to release a sigh of release when he turned it down.

They jumped when the memory Harry dodge out of the way of a seemingly invisible attack only for the ground beneath him to be destroyed. Their jays dropped as Hogsmeade Square began to erupt around the two Wizards apparently without cause.

"Harry, what is going on?" Dumbledore whispered in awe. He'd never seen this type of power before. "What is happening to the village."

"Oh, sorry." Harry said. He quickly drew his wand and reached over to the Pensieve where he tapped a few of the Runes before muttering something and giving the wand a small stab. The hewn bowl pulsed gold and the projection shifted. The world it showed became dark and people could see the glowing mind representations battling it out.

When the fight was over there was a heavy silence before Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Why did you let him escape?"

Harry scratched the back of his head. "I couldn't capture or kill him in the village. There were simply too many people around and I would have needed to use more powerful spells that would have caused more damage. If we'd have used our more useful spells, Hogsmeade wouldn't be standing. I let him go to kill him another day. Plus something he said concerns me. I'd like to meet with you sometime in the week to talk, Headmaster."

Dumbledore blinked. This was one of the few times Harry had ever actually sought him out to talk. Usually it was the other way around. This development pleased Albus greatly. "Of course, Harry. I'll set up an appointment and get back to you." He checked his pocket watch. It was getting close to midnight meaning they'd been here for three hours. "I think we'd better wrap things up now as it's getting late. I ask that you each continue with you individual assignments and remember: be vigilant at all times. Until we next meet, my friends."

The group broke up at that. Many began talking about the duel they had seen, the 'Dark' spells that Harry had performed and the revelations they heard. Moody, Shacklebolt and a young Auror named Tonks came over to talk to him (Or flirt in Tonks' case). They complimented him on his skills and he on theirs before they broke up, each heading for the doors. Harry had a brief, slightly awkward word with Sirius and Remus, promising they'd talk soon adn retunred Fleur's hug and recieved a kiss on the cheek. She told him they'd need to catch up sometime and he agreed. With the meeting over for the night, the Hogwarts group vanished into the Floo.

Snape prowled through the corridors of the castle on his way to the dungeons. His feet moved on their own, his mind preoccupied with his thoughts on Potter.

'Why didn't he react when he heard I was a Death Eater spy? Did he know? No, Albus said he never told him and no one else would have been stupid enough to cross him. Then how did he know? Did he follow me to one of the meetings? I'm sure I would have noticed if he did.'

He was so lost in thought that he never noticed the flash of red behind him before his world went black.

Severus groaned as he fought his way back to full consciousness. At least he thought he was conscious. He couldn't see. He could hear the sounds of birds cawing and feel cold wind blowing past him causing a haunting moaning sound. He tried to move but there was what felt like thick rope tied tightly across his chest, binding him to something behind him. His hands were tied before him as well. He tried to call out but there was some kind of gag in his mouth tied tight around his head. He forced himself not to panic and to try to find a way out of this mess so he could find those responsible and upholster his classroom chair with their skin!

Before he could come up with too many plans, however, the sack was ripped off his head. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. It was then that he recognised the person standing in front of him.

"Potter!" He spat as he glanced around. They were in a clearing in the middle of a forest, the ground taken up by the thick roots of the giant trees. Light was near non existent, only coming from a small hole in the forest canopy that looked like it had been made with a Blasting Charm. Glancing back, he saw that he was indeed tied to a tree. "What do you think you're doing, Potter!"

"I just wanted to chat is all, Severus." Harry calmly replied as he crouched at Snape's side on his haunches. "I've been meaning to have a chat with you for a while."

"What are you talking about?" The Potions Master snapped. "Talk about what?"

Harry shrugged. "Choices." He said conversationally. "Particularly choices you've made and yet to make."

"Choices!?" Snape asked incredulously. "What are you talking about? I demand you release me at once!"

"Let's begin with choices you've made." Harry said casually. "You of course know what choices you've made in you life. You chose to go to Hogwarts. You chose to specialise in Potions since you had a gift with them. You chose to dock fifteen points from that Third Year Gryffindor today in the corridors because he was 'scruffy' since he had his top button on his shirt undone." Harry's eyes hardened slightly. "You chose to go to Riddle with the Prophesy all those years ago."

Snape felt his face pale and his gut clenched. This would not be pleasant.

Harry's eyes narrowed until they were slits. "You also chose to betray a woman and her family out of jealousy, didn't you?"

Snape couldn't speak. His throat had closed up in fear and his lungs had stopped drawing air.

His head snapped to the side as Harry's fist connected with it, nearly breaking his neck and loosening some teeth.

"Didn't you!?" The last Potter barked.

"Yes!" Snape gasped in pain as his head lolled around to face him. Blood ran freely from his split lip as a bruise began to bloom across his jaw.

Harry grabbed the man's face roughly and forced it up until he could look him in the eye. Snape gave an involuntary shudder. Potter looked as angry as he had when he first saw Black, if not more so. "You sold out Lily Potter and her entire family because you couldn't stand the fact that she was with James Potter, the man you hated with all your heart, didn't you!?"

"Argh! Yes, alright!" Snape shouted in pain as Potter's grip on his face became so tight, he feared he might crush his skull.

Harry snarled and slammed the man's head against the tree with such force that Severus saw stars before he leaned close, his breathing ragged. Oh, how he'd love to break this man's neck like a dry twig!

Harry's voice dropped to a furious whisper. "You sold out a woman's entire family and begged that bastard Riddle to kill them but spare her for you, didn't you!?"

"Rmss." Snape tried to nod as Harry's grip on his face became so tight that he could move his jaw.

Harry literally shook with unbridled fury before he drew his fist back and hammered it into Snape's face three times, breaking his nose, cheekbone and knocking out both teeth and Severus himself. He threw the man's head out of his grip then surged to his feet as he began to pace. He went through every Occlumency meditation technique he knew to try and rein in his anger. It wouldn't do to kill the man yet. He still had his uses.

It was nearly five minutes before Harry was anywhere near calm. He was still furious but not the homicidal kind of furious. His fingers twitched. "Enervate."

Snape jerked as he was awakened again, only to groan in pain as he felt his broken face throb. He looked up through tear filled eyes at the figure above him, his gave filled with equal measure of fear and hate.

Harry glared at the man with utter contempt and hate, causing him to flinch slightly. Taking a slow breath to try and compose himself, Harry managed to speak in a controlled voice that was only slightly shaking with anger. "You have two choices, Snape. You can either accept the punishment I've chosen for you or you can do something worthwhile for once in your pathetic excuse for an existence. From now on you will tell me everything you see, hear and think about both Riddle and Dumbledore as well as their little groups. I don't care if you couldn't have passed it on to him for fear of being killed, that's not my concern. Nothing will change between us in the public eye. You'll still mock and ridicule me and I will continue to not care but out of the view of others you will report to me. I want to know every little detail you know and staying alive once you do is your problem. I want names, times, dates, and anything else of importance. You will leave nothing out and believe me, I will know if you do and the consequences will be very dire."

"And if I don't?" Snape asked hatefully through bloodied teeth, wincing as his wounds throbbed. Harry had to give it to him, the man had guts.

Harry simply gave a shrill whistle and Snape's eyes widened in horror as from the darkened bushes emerged a pair of rabid looking wolves. Their fur was black, almost blending them perfectly with the dark, and thick ropes of saliva dripped from their jaws as their hungry eyes locked onto Snape's bound form. They snarled and growled, their hackles rising back over sharp teeth as they stopped beside Harry, who was completely at ease with the hungry beasts. Harry reached down to scratch one behind it's ears and it leaned into his touch, the crazy, ravenous look of hunger still on it's face.

Harry looked Snape in the eye. "If you refuse, I leave you here and allow these two to have their fill. You either do as I say or die. I don't care what option you chose, it's a win-win situation for me. Chose quickly though, I haven't got a lot of patience."

Snape was nearly hyperventilating as he looked between Potter and the frothing wolves at his feet. He didn't have a lot of choices. Death at the wolves' hands, Potter's hands or the Dark Lord's hands with a very slim chance of him making it out of this war alive. His choice had been made for him.

"Fine, I'll help you!" He snarled, his hate and anger overriding the pain in his jaw.

Harry didn't smile but snapped his fingers, causing his two Conjured wolves to vanish into the forest once more. Snape tensed as he raised his hand and on the palm began to glow a arcane symbol, the hot orange light almost blinding in the dark.

"W-What are you doing?" Snape asked fearfully as he pushed himself back against the tree, wishing it would swallow him up and get him away from this nightmare.

Harry smirked slightly as he advanced. "Well, you have Tom's little tattoo on you arm, Albus has you in those shackles he calls teacher's robes. I just wanted to mark my property as well and ensure you won't try to betray me." He crouched before the shaking Death Eater, as composed as ever. He tilted his head to the side as he raised his palm towards Snape's forehead and right before it connected said, "Don't worry. It'll only hurt a little."

Snape's screams of agony echoed across the forest.

After what felt like an eternity of soul searing agony, Snape felt Potter's hand remove itself from his forehead as a foreign presence settled inside his mind. As he heaved and panted, trying valiantly to stay conscious, Snape heard Harry's voice whispering next to his ear. "You work for Dumbledore and you work for Tom Riddle but I own you, Severus. Mind, body and soul, you belong to me to do with as I wish. Do you understand?"

With his last remaining energy, Snape's shakily raised his head to glare at Harry with more hatred than he had ever felt in his life. The contempt and hate he felt for James Potter paled in comparison to that which he now felt for his spawn.

"Yes," He snarled. "I understand."

With a tight, ironic smirk, Harry asked, "Yes, what?"

His jaw clenched so much that it hurt, Snape growled, "Yes, Inquisitor Potter!"

Somewhere in the forest, a wolf howled.

Uh…Merry Christmas, Severus!

And Merry Christmas to you as well! Many have asked for Harry to confront Snape and he has so what did you think. My treatment of Snape was not only to further the plot but as my present to you. If you want to get me a present, simply leave a review. If you wish to give a monetary present, talk to me later. *Grin*

This is the last update util after the New Year so check back then. Until then…

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!