Tete-a-tete before we walk forward on the adventure.

Hello guys, the last part ended with the students having returned to the school and poor Tom having just woke up to find that his wand is destroyed. Now the story will be getting darker as time passes. We have seen the Light Faction having taken all the advantage it could when the Dark Lord did not know what the Light was up to. Now that he is enlightened, there will be battles which would test the Aurors and there will be blood and gore. I left a lot of open ends in the last part, now I will be closing them one by one. One thing that is obvious is that there will be deaths now. People will die and those left would have to move on. Shall we get on with this then?

Editor's Note: I have noticed in the reviews that there is a question as to whether non-confidence or no-confidence is correct. Since I am not always right, I looked it up. Both are correct, depending on where you are. In Canada, non-confidence is correct. No-confidence appears to be used in other places, including the United States. Hope that clears things up.

Regards, Hypergym

10, Downing Street

The muggle Prime Minister was in his office working on his rebuttals for question time tomorrow when someone called, "General Longbottom of the Ministry of Magic wishes an audience".

The muggle Prime Minister of course knew that since there was no one else in his office, it was the wizard in the portrait who had spoken. It was a voice that he never wanted to hear but had been hearing it with increasing frequency in the last 6 months since there was a new minister in the Wizarding World.

Of course he used to scoff whenever someone talked about things like magic with him calling it a fiction and never believed it but his perceptions had changed soon after he had assumed office.

On the day he had assumed office, a man had stepped out of his fireplace wearing a pinstriped cloak and a lime green bowler hat on his head. The man came out of the fire and told him that magic existed and witches and wizards still lived in secrecy all over Wizarding Britain. When he had not believed his claims, the man had simply transfigured his tea-cup into a gerbil.

The other minister (as he liked to call him) told him that they never bothered the muggles (whatever that meant) but it was his duty to inform every new occupant of that office that wizards and witches existed and that magic was real. When he asked why his predecessor had not told him anything about it, the other minister had smirked and asked, "Would anyone believe you if you told them what I have just told you?"

He realized he would have been locked in a mental asylum if he went around saying things like that.

Someone clearing his throat brought him out of his musings, "General Longbottom asking for an audience".

He realized what the frog-like wizard with the silver wig in the painting was saying and asked, "General Longbottom? Is he any relation to the new Minister for Magic, Frank Longbottom?"

There was an awkward pause before the man in the painting replied, "You might say that. I will leave it to him to explain".

He nodded, "Very well, please tell him that I will meet him now".

Frank Longbottom stepped out of the fireplace, brushing soot from his robes and extended a hand towards him, "Prime Minister, how are you?"

The man shook his hand warmly, "I am fine. Will General Longbottom be joining us soon?"

Frank grimaced, "Yes, about that. There have been some changes. I still retain the title of Minister for Magic, but under the current circumstances, I am also General Longbottom".

He remembered the day when the other man had come to his office with another man who was so old that he had wondered how he was still able to walk. The man had introduced himself as Albus (Too-many-names) Dumbledore. He had so many names that it was hard to remember. The older wizard had told him that Fudge had lost a non-confidence motion against him at someplace called the Wizengamot though he had no idea what it was and this man Frank Longbottom was the new minister.

In a way, this new minister was an improvement over Fudge who was a politician and a loud mouth. This man Frank Longbottom had the build of a warrior, the aura of someone who radiated power. He spoke after he weighed his words and his voice inspired confidence in a way that Fudge lacked. Frank had treated him like a fellow human being and had been very patient with him unlike Fudge.

Since then Frank had appeared from time to time in his fire and told him about what was going on in the wizarding world. He had come when someone called Volde-what was his name had attacked the Ministry of Magic. The man was supposed to have died 14 years ago, but was somehow alive and leading an attack on the Ministry of Magic at that. How a dead man could live again was not something that he could understand but Frank had told him that the Wizarding World had declared war against the resurrected wizard and his followers. There was also mention of a boy called Harold Peverell (though he was sure Frank had addressed him with too many names as well) and of some place called Azkaban.

He was brought back to the present with the sound of his office door locking. He turned to find Frank pointing his wand at the door. He mumbled, "If it is all the same to you, I will have the door unlocked".

Frank, who was pointing his wand at the windows and closing the curtains now, said, "I would rather that we are not disturbed or spied upon. The death eater attacks are increasing every day. I am very busy at this time. I could barely make time to come and update you about the situation".

The minister sat in his chair and offered one to Frank. He sat in one of his own. As he waved his wand, he conjured a bottle of mead and two glasses. "Can I offer you some of the finest oak matured mead?", Frank had asked while pouring some for him.

The minister sampled the golden beverage out of curiosity. He found that it was better than most of the alcohol he was used to. It was soothing and had a calming effect upon him.

"Minister, I have some news for you", Frank was saying, "30 Giants have entered Britain. We are looking for them. The Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is trying to find them as we speak".

The minister almost choked on his mead, 'Gia... Giants? Surely they are not real".

Frank nodded his head somberly, "I am afraid they are very real. They range from 18 to 25 feet in height. They are terribly strong. And I am sorry to say that their nature is to be quite violent and destructive. We are working to round them up as we speak. Now the next issue is that of your security".

The minister protested, "I am satisfied with the security as it is".

Frank shook his head, "If they got at you, it will be a blow to the morale of Wizarding Britain. Now the man in your outer office, Kingsley Sha..."

The minister cut him off, "I am not getting rid of Kingsley Shacklebolt, if that is what you are asking. He is a very competent person who has come with sterling recommendations".

Frank smirked, "Of course because he is a highly trained Auror. He is assigned to you for your protection. Another thing which is essential for you to know is that we dread that there will almost certainly be open war soon. As such, the Ministry of Magic has invoked the Emergency War Measures Act. They have also named me as the general to lead their forces. A lot of bloodshed will follow. I would appreciate it if you did not put muggle law enforcement officers at risk by sending them to investigate any suspicious occurrence unless we said so".

Ministry of Magic

Moody was briefing the Aurors who were standing before him. They were led by Proudfoot who had volunteered for the task when Alastor had asked. The task was simple. They had to go to Italy to find the death eaters led by Fenrir Greyback. They were to attempt to subdue and arrest them if they could. If, however they declined the opportunity to accept the hospitality of the Ministry dungeons, they were to be disposed of in the most efficient way possible.

Proudfoot had been selected because other Senior Aurors were already engaged with other assignments. Sirius Black was needed in Avalon because his son was the leader of the Light. If Harry ever heeded anyone, it was Sirius Black.

Gawain Robards was the ministry investigator. He was busy almost every day processing death eaters to be presented before the War Tribunal.

Williamson and Nymphadora were posted in Hogsmeade with 5 Aurors looking after the village.

Rufus was the head of the Wizarding Patrol and as such, he could not be expected to go offshore when they needed him here at home.

Dawlish was on the Hogwarts outpost with 3 Aurors being in charge of the security at the school. He was a senior Auror who was experienced and battle hardened. He could even withstand a crowd of students.

Hestia Jones and Emmeline Vance were in Diagon Alley tasked with keeping the alley safe and secure. Since the Leaky Cauldron archway was open, the threat of death eaters was still there. Kingsley Shacklebolt was assigned to the Muggle Prime Minister after he had been apprised of the threat to him at the hands of the death eaters. A handful of the Prime Minister's senior staff had been replaced with Aurors under Kingsley's command. They had all been carefully trained to pass for muggle bureaucrats.

Alice Longbottom was in charge of the Auror floor since with all the senior Aurors in the field, they needed someone at their base who could act swiftly, would not bend before challenges and answer brutality with brutality.

After them, Proudfoot was the one with the most experience and he was a leader of sorts. He had four Aurors with him and right now, he was standing before the head of Aurors, Alastor Moody who had been busy torturing death eaters they had in the ministry holding cells in his spare time. He addressed the men, "Do you understand your mission, Proudfoot? You are to capture and bring them back. If they resist arrest or use hostile force, do not hesitate to use lethal force against them. I have already written a letter to Giuseppe Bianchi who is the head of DMLE there and he has promised his co-operation. As far as our information goes, they are trying to capture the wand-maker Mazzarin".

Proudfoot clicked his heels and saluted, "Yes Sir" and walked out of Moody's Office to take the port-key to Italy.

Italy

Mazzarin's shop was out in a rural area just outside of the wizarding section of the city. Unlike Diagon Alley, the shop was pretty isolated so, there was no place for Aurors to hide.

Fenrir Greyback had been scouting the place for two days before he decided to make the strike. Time was of the essence. They needed to make haste. The Dark Lord had been clear about his orders. They were to capture the wand maker and bring him to the castle at any cost. If they failed, their heads would roll.

After ensuring that there was no threat to them, they had decided to make their move. Fenrir Greyback had taken two werewolves under his command when he arrived in Italy. Now he had 5 Death Eaters and 2 werewolves with him. He was briefing them at the moment.

"Three of you will go in to take the wand-maker hostage. Two of you will cover their exit. Act swiftly; stun him and disapparate to our hide-out. We must act quickly. The Italian Aurors will be after our hides after we have taken him captive. Remember to collect as many wands as you can and do not harm him. If I see so much as a single bruise on his body, it will be your end".

Three of them walked forward looking around them to ensure that they were not walking into a trap. They all had heard how the British Aurors had killed every single one of them in Diagon Alley and the Ministry Atrium in Wizarding Britain and this had visible effect on their psychology.

Mazzarin's shop was unprotected. It had no wards whatsoever so there was little to fear for them. His shop was grandiose in appearance compared to Ollivanders. There was a big display window where a wand was visible in a box on a velvet cushion. The front door was big enough for someone like Hagrid to walk through comfortably. The interior was well lit. The shelves were lined with wands. Mazzarin himself was old, stooping and bald with a greyish beard turning white at the edges. He had a sharp nose and brown eyes which looked hollow, devoid of feelings.

"Welcome Signore!" he exclaimed when the three wizards entered the shop, "How can I be of assistance?"

The three had planned to enter and start throwing curses before he could be any wiser about them or their intentions but his welcoming demeanor had thrown them off. One of them hastily said, "I want to be fitted with a wand".

Mazzarin jovially replied, "Of course Signor. Your previous wand, what was it?"

The death eater took some time to reply, "Apple wood, dragon heartstring, 10 inches, unyielding".

Mazzarin was immediately suspicious. Unknown to them, he had tapped a rune carved on a drawer in his table with his wand which he kept in the drawer, just in case. His demeanour towards them however was not changed, "Ollivander's work, I presume. I wonder what made you come so far to get a wand when you have one of the best wand-makers in your home country".

The death eaters were not ready to answer any questions. They had not thought that things would go this way. Before one of them could say anything more, the backdoor to the wand-maker's shop flew open. A stunner took out one of the death eaters. There were two Aurors framed in the door, dressed in the Maroon robes of the Italian Aurors.

The wand-maker took advantage of the distraction to fire a Bombarda at one of the death eaters before he made a dive behind the counter, "Thought I would not know you, death-eater scum?"

The Aurors in the shop fighting with the death eaters were not the Aurors from Britain but local Aurors who were not used to the rigors of combat as their British counter-parts were forced to learn. They were not using any lethal spells either.

Fenrir Greyback could see from outside that spells were being exchanged. He sent the two reserves in, "Go and help them. I want the wand-maker or I will have your lives".

Left with no option, the death eaters rushed forward only to be confronted by two wizards wearing the Red Robes with the insignia of the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain. They had waited because the Italians did not need their help but now it was imperative for them to step in.

The death eaters knew they were no match for these Aurors in straight combat even if they were using non-lethal spells. All they could do was to defend and retreat.

Greyback was growling, "Do not leave any of them alive".

He rushed forward to help his companions only to be thrown back by a banishing charm. There was Proudfoot, standing before him with his wand levelled at the werewolf, "Leave them be, Greyback. Let me entertain you for a bit".

Growling, Greyback ran forward to tear the wizard limb from limb. The Auror stood nonchalantly. Greyback was confident that the wizard was a dead man standing. But when he was mid-lunge, Proudfoot conjured a silver dagger and banished it at him. Twisting in mid-air, the werewolf managed to only get nicked by the silver blade, but the wound burned like acid had been poured in it. He tumbled over a garden wall to avoid the next dagger.

Another of the werewolves was still twitching but his head had parted company with his body thanks to a dark cutter from the other British Auror.

While Proudfoot kept Greyback pinned down, the last werewolf charged into the shop to make a grab for the wand-maker. With Italian Aurors in front of him and British Aurors behind him, he changed his plan. Scooping up as many wands as he could from a nearby shelf, he waited for an opening. When one of the Italian Aurors showed his face around the end of the shelf, the werewolf lunged at him and nearly tore his wand arm off.

Outside, Greyback was not a wand wielding wizard himself. All he could do was to keep his head down and wait for a break in the spell casting. When it came, that wizard was going to find himself short one wind-pipe. If this had been full-moon, he would have already transformed and got the job done. He simply could not move as quickly in his human form.

When the lull in the casting came, Greyback went for Proudfoot's throat. Proudfoot cast a cutter that should have taken the werewolf's head off, but again, he twisted away from the deadly attack and it only wounded his shoulder. He fell to the ground howling with pain, rage and frustration. The Auror conjured the fire whip (Ignitus Flagellum) and swung it to snare Greyback into it. He had to roll away to save himself. The Auror started sending a rappid-fire barrage of bone breakers at him. He could do nothing except dodge. The Auror knew that if he gave a single chance to Greyback that it may very well be the last mistake of his life. He was keeping him occupied, casting relentlessly. He had been humiliated when Harold Peverell had defeated him in the ministry and he was determined to prove himself this time.

There was a lull in casting. Greyback took the chance to run forward to reach the Auror. He had to dodge a brilliant violet curse. Before he could reach his target, the Auror disapparated.

Several things happened at that moment. The second werewolf rushed out of the wand-maker's shop clutching several boxes and being pursued by an Auror. Proudfoot who had appeared at his back had just banished a silver javelin at Greyback. Taking this as his cue to retreat, Greyback followed his fellow werewolf and they disappeared into the night.

The fight was over everywhere. In the shop, Mazzarin was assessing the damage to his shop. Two of the death eaters had been subdued and captured. A third one lay dead with a silver dagger through his heart which had been meant for the werewolf who escaped with the wands. When Mazzarin took inventory, he found that 40 wands had been stolen. Six more had been destroyed along with a piece of shelving, damage from his own Bombarda. It was to the credit of the Italian Aurors that nothing else had been damaged inside the shop. Outside, one werewolf lay dead, his head a few feet from the rest of his body, still wearing a surprised look on his face. Two of the British Aurors under Proudfoot's command were already cleaning up the mess. The third one policed the area, repairing spell damage and picking up the silver weapons.

Mazzarin was grumbling, "These scum would use my creations for evil now".

Proudfoot who had been uninjured was taking stock of the situation. One of the Italian Aurors had been bitten but since it was not full moon, he would not be turned. He would have some scars and that was all. The three British Aurors who had come with him were safe.

He turned to Mazzarin, "What made you suspicious of them?"

He grumbled, "They were uncomfortable with my questions. They could not even tell about their wand composition at once. No good wizard forgets his wand composition".

The only sore point for Proudfoot was that two of the death eaters had disappeared by their portkeys while Greyback had slipped through his fingers. He vowed to even the score next time.

Proudfoot turned to the supervisor of the Italian Aurors, "Signor, these are your guests until we can make arrangements to take them to Britain. I am obliged for your help".

Unknown Place, Italy

Greyback was grumbling about getting his hands on a wand-maker when the other surviving werewolf asked him, "What do you want a wand-maker for?"

Greyback told him that they needed one to outfit the Dark Lord's followers.

The werewolf thought it over for some time before he said, "I know a wand-maker. Not very famous but good work. I can take you to him if you want".

Greyback nodded. Something was better than nothing. At least this way, the death eaters would not be without wands.

Two days later, they had reached an agreement with the wand-maker. He was already a practitioner of dark magics, so he readily agreed to join them. Four days after they had failed to capture Mazzarin, Fenrir Greyback and the wand maker were in the unknown castle.

Hogwarts

Harry was at the Gryffindor table with the usual posse of friends, waiting for the Daily Prophet. There was something in the news paper which would turn a lot of heads.

At the usual time, a barn owl landed before him. Harry took the paper, relieving it of its burden. There on the first page was the story which he had asked for Croaker to publish.

"Muggle born: are we spurning our own people?

Elphias Ralphstone

Yesterday, this reporter came across some ground-breaking research which has been hidden from the Wizarding World for too long. This report had the seal of the Department of Mysteries and was indeed genuine. It states that muggle-born are not entirely muggles but born of squibs!

Yes, dear reader. The report cites studies undertaken in the past, data gathered through genealogies and reports of many heritage tests. Collectively it all suggests that those called muggle born are born of Squibs on one or both sides of the family.

A little known fact which has been forgotten about in antiquity is the classification of a wizard or witch as a pure-blood, half-blood or muggle-born. Of these, the term which is the most controversial is muggle born since no apt definition of it has been found so far.

Muggle born, as far as common understanding goes, refers to witches or wizards born of muggles but the truth is something deeper than this simple misconception. Since magic has to come from somewhere, this lends credence to the theory that the muggle born are descended from squibs. The ancient system of classification of blood states that if someone has ascended from a squib on one side of the family and is within 5 generations of the last magical ancestor, he is considered a half-blood however if one were to be born after 5 generations of the last magical ancestor, they would be considered muggle-born. In that sense, there are only a very few muggle born out there.

In fact, recently one Miss Hermione Granger, a fifth year student and Gryffindor prefect at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been declared to be a half-blood for having descended from Hector Dagworth-Granger, the founder of the extra-ordinary society of potioneers.

When the Unspeakables were contacted about the research, one of the unspeakables, on condition of anonymity, told the Daily Prophet that the research is genuine and has been suppressed for ages because the previous administrations did not want this fact to come to light.

This reporter reached out to the Head of Department of Family Relations, Lady Roxanne Greengrass who confirmed having received a decree from the Goblins regarding investment of Miss Hermione Granger as the head of the previously defunct House of Granger.

The Ministry on being apprised of the fact committed to look into the genuineness of the report and to take steps to ensure justice for the muggle born who had to face persecution and bias despite being descended from magical families.

We could not reach Miss Granger for comment before this went to print."

Harry finished reading the paper and started looking around to notice the expressions of the students around him. Many of the Muggle-born looked incensed that the report had been hidden for so long from them while some of them looked lost in thought. A few of them were smirking, perhaps imagining how this change would affect their lives. Many of the half-bloods and pure-bloods were trying to get a look at Hermione who appeared to be sitting nonchalantly. Harry knew she was controlling her emotions and doing all she could to not run away from all the ogling.

Colin who was sitting near him asked him wistfully, "Is it true, Harry?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, it is true that Hermione is a half-blood. You also may be half-blood or a full blood or a muggle born as per the classification in the paper. You need to go to Gringotts and get a inheritance test done to be sure of this. However it is by no means certain that every muggle-born will get a positive result on their test".

Justin who was sitting near him asked, "Why the uncertainty? Are there any suspicions about the credibility of this research?"

Harry shook his head, "No Justin but the thing is that Gringotts in England contains only a record of the Wizarding Families in England since it was established. However, if someone's father or mother who was a squib moved in here from say, Germany then there would be no information available about that family here. In that case, any wizard or witch born to that person would have to go to their native land to find out about their ancestry. May be the Goblins can help one get the test done here, in England and ascertain their ancestry. I really don't know much about it".

He turned to Creevey then, "Colin, you should go to Gringotts to get an inheritance test done. Ginny can get you a letter for Kord, the manager for House of Weasley and House of Prewett from Arthur Weasley and he can undertake to pay for the test. There is only one catch to the situation however. If it is revealed that you have any magical ancestry, then your House would be a vassal to the House which sponsored your test. You can decide upon it by talking to Dennis and let me know later. Clear?"

Colin nodded, "Of course Harry". Harry had thought he would ask why Harry would not sponsor him but when the other boy did not ask, he was relieved. He had enough vassals without taking on any more.

Justin was looking at him expectantly and Harry looked at him warily, "Mate, last I checked you had a beautiful girlfriend named Isobel McDougall who belongs to the McDougall Clan and her grandfather Elder McDougall can sponsor you. However, if you are still bent on asking me to sponsor you then I will do it. First, think over everything I have just said and try to find out what being a vassal means in the magical world".

Harry had trouble deciding if he should sponsor anyone or not. True they were his friends but a vassal meant more than just acknowledging friendship. If he took a vassal, he would be responsible for them. Besides, between House of Black and House of Rosssier, there were already quite a few vassals he was responsible for without adding any more. He decided to ask Vikram about it. The mystics were neutral when it came to these things and they could give him an honest opinion.

Unknown Castle

The wand-maker was standing before Voldemort and asking specifications of his previous wands to decide upon a suitable wand for him. "My lord, what was your last wand?", he asked, trembling a little.

"Yew, Phoenix feather and 13 and ½ inches", he recited in his high cold voice, "Can you not find me one like that, wand maker?"

The wand maker shook his head, "Such wands are hard to come by and Phoenixes even more so. They are creatures of light. If you were to get your hands on a wand with a phoenix feather which has not come of the same phoenix as your last wand, it would most likely explode in your hand the moment you try to cast with it. I suppose that you got it when you started attending Hogwarts. Since it formed a bond with you, it kept serving you".

Voldemort shrugged, "Do as you see fit then".

The wand-maker pulled out a small stone basin and asked him to pour a few drops of blood into it. He cast a couple of detection spells at the bowl then started reading the results of the spells. When he was done, he turned to Voldemort, "My Lord, I will require Yew Wood, Chimera claw and dragon heartstring for this wand".

Voldemort turned to Triton Selwyn who was attending to him now that Severus was back at Hogwarts to spy for Voldemort, "Triton, you will gather the required materials by evening today and be responsible for whatever he may require of you".

There were plans which Voldemort had laid down and there were preparations to be made. Since the ministry had given him so many blows in such a short time-span, he wanted to do things quickly so the Ministry would not have a chance to strike back. His first order of business was to strike the Island fortress of Azkaban.

Doing so would require him to obtain a port-key from the Department of Magical Transportation as apparition was banned at the Island fortress and he did not had the co-ordinates to make a port-key for the location. They would require standard Auror Port-keys, each of which could take at least 10 of them and he would need at least 3 of such port-keys. There were many of his followers in the dreary prison. He would free them all to use in his quest. He figured he could also commandeer some of the other prisoners by placing them under the Imperious Curse to do his bidding. If nothing else, they would serve him as cannon fodder.

For now, he needed the port-keys and a plan of action to follow. He would need Severus to cook up a distraction for Dumbledore and Peverell. He was still not in a condition to clash with the duo so he would need the duo well away from him and occupied. He could not afford failure at any cost.

Headmaster's office

Dumbledore was with Neville in his office, teaching him Animation. Minerva had helped with his Animagus process under Albus's orders. Now he was trying to work his way into the transformation to be able to transform quickly without wasting a moment if needed. He had seen Harry and how swift his transformations were. He could change into the Snow Leopard and out of it in no time.

Dumbledore had pronounced himself satisfied with the improvement that Neville had shown and things he had learned. His formal training as Dumbledore's apprentice was nearly at an end with only a few things to be learned remaining.

"Neville my boy, said Dumbledore, "With your training nearly done, it is time that I announce it to the world. I have taught you almost everything that I could in this time and there are still things remaining you will have to learn by yourself. I will be here, guiding you should you stumble upon the path. There are a few gifts that I have to make to you, though. First is a casket of memories. I learned a lot of magic in my lifetime. Most of it lies in the deep confines of my memory. it will be better if you can watch it when I was learning it so that it would answer any questions or doubts that you may have. There are certain spells which you would see me using in these memories and I would prefer that you would not share them with anyone. Second is my Grimoire. Since there are no other Dumbledores in this world other than me and my brother, Abeforth, who is heirless, it will serve you better. Since I have accepted you as my apprentice, I removed the protections on it. You can open it and there would be no repercussions. Now, we are to formally sign the apprentice agreement which will be sent to the Ministry. If received on time, it will be published in The Daily Prophet tomorrow".

Neville did not say anything for a few minutes contemplating everything that the old Headmaster had told him. Then he started speaking, "Professor, I am thankful for the memories you are leaving to me and the Grimoire but shouldn't you leave these things to Harry? It is well known that he is your favourite student and you are his mentor".

Dumbledore chuckled, "It is true that I gave him some advice here and there but that does not make me his mentor or his master. As I told you when I came to offer you my apprenticeship, Harry has been trained by masters more knowledgeable than me. Being my apprentice, you become my successor. People will see you as the next Dumbledore so rightfully these things belong to you. As far as Harry Potter is concerned, I love him like the grandchild I can never have and I would gladly take a killing curse meant for him but he is not my apprentice".

Dumbledore produced a stack of parchment and a blood quill and handed them to Neville, "Sign these. These are the papers which state that I agreed to take you as my apprentice. This also means that there will be no secrets between the master and the apprentice. I will give every ounce of my knowledge to you which I have already done".

Neville eyed the blood-quill warily and then looked at Dumbledore who shrugged, "I have the license to use a blood quill for such purposes due to my authority as the Chief Warlock. Besides these papers cannot be signed with an ordinary quill. A blood quill must be used since the intent of this agreement is to bind both the parties to it".

Neville took the stack of parchments from him and started to read it. After about 15 minutes when he was done, he signed the parchment while wincing when the blood quill drew his blood. After he had signed it, it glowed for a moment before it turned normal again.

Dumbledore tapped the stack with his wand and it disappeared. Neville was surprised while Dumbledore said nonchalantly, "Not a big deal, Neville. The stack is now on its way to the Ministry where it will be received by the contracts division in the Department of Family Relations. I expect that by tomorrow, news will be in the Daily Prophet".

Before Neville could say anything, the door to his office opened and there was Severus Snape in the doorway, panting and trying to control his breath. He wheezed, "Albus, I have news and you will not like it".

Dumbledore turned to Neville, "I will meet you tomorrow, Mr. Longbottom. I fear I need to talk to Professor Snape without anyone hearing".

Neville took his leave. Severus meanwhile was able to slow down his breathing. Albus offered him a chair and asked, "What happened?"

Snape started speaking at once, "As you know, the Dark Lord's wand was destroyed by the acid in the fake prophecy orb. He sent Greyback to abduct another wand-maker from Italy. Having been thwarted in that attempt, he managed to locate and hire another wand maker who is conversant in the dark arts. He is creating a wand for him now. His next plan is to attack the Island Fortress of Azkaban and release his followers. He is planning to obtain port-keys though he did not make me a party to this plan. I do not know the day of the intended strike or how many will be with him".

Dumbledore dismissed him saying, "Keep your ears open for any bit of news. I am going to the ministry to meet General Longbottom and make a plan".

Ministry of Magic

A meeting was going on in General Longbottom's office. In attendance were Alastor Moody, Amelia Bones and Dumbledore besides the General.

Alastor was saying, "As we had agreed, we have to let go of the Island fortress for the time being. We do not know the size of his strike force so our options are limited. Due to the nature of the building, we cannot place wards there. Due to the hostile environment, it is not feasible to keep sufficient manpower over there. What we can do is to empty the fortress of the prisoners who are not there for life and leave the death eaters in there. The Auror outpost on the shore should be closed to ensure we do not suffer any casualties. We will keep a skeleton staff at the prison to keep it running. When their forces attack, the few who are there can use their port-key to apparate out of there, leaving behind the prisoners for him to take. I wish we could send them to other prisons such as Nurmengard but that is not possible so we have to suffer this humiliation of having lost our prison. Since we will not have any facility to keep them contained what should we do with the prisoners that we will capture in the future?

Frank answered this question "I fear we will not have many prisoners at the rate we are killing them in every raid or ambush. The few we have would be eligible for the veil on account of their activities".

A family business

Harry entered the Headmaster's office nonchalantly, "Headmaster, I need to go out of the castle at this instant".

Dumbledore arched an eye-brow, "What has happened? Did you get some news?"

Harry shook his head, "No Headmaster. I have some family business that I must attend to in Hogsmeade. I am sorry that I cannot tell you more about it".

Albus looked at him for a few moments and then sighed, "Alright, if you are so bent upon it then you can go but I would appreciate it if you would take someone with you".

Harry nodded, "I will not be alone, Headmaster. Besides you do not need to worry about me. I will take Sirius with me".

Albus nodded, "I will lift the incantations for an hour. Please ensure that you return to the castle within the hour".

Harry smirked, "Do not trouble yourself Professor. You will not know when I was gone and when I return".

With that, Harry disappeared. There was not even a sound nor did the wards register his apparition. They only chimed to tell him that someone had bypassed them. Albus knew Harry would be safe wherever he went.

Harry appeared in the cottage where Sirius had just sat for breakfast with Moony. He silently appeared beside him and said loudly, "Boo!"

Sirius almost fell out of his chair, "Merlin's beard! Pup, don't scare me like that. What are you doing here anyway?"

Harry showed him the letter, "This came for me 3 days ago and I have had people check it. It is genuine. She wants an audience. We are her family and she deserves an audience at least. She will either get her wish or we will wash our hands of her and her son".

Sirius read the letter then nodded, "We will go in but not before I have made sure that there is no one lurking about the inn and..." He had not finished his words before Harry caught his arm and they had disapparated to appear in front of the inn. Without wasting a moment, they both walked inside where the bar was empty of patrons but three wizards were sitting in leather masks.

One of them saluted Harry, "Dharm aur Maan".

Harry returned the greeting. He asked, "Who was the captain of the ship which sails all around the world without being seen?"

The mystic replied "Dishant". Harry nodded, "Have you scouted around this place? Are you sure there are no cattle roaming around?"

The mystic replied, "They seem to be cooped up in their hidden hole. They are not venturing out".

Thanking the wizard, Harry turned to Aberforth, "Sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Dumbledore".

Aberforth waved him off, "Think nothing of it, lad. Go on up, she is on the second floor".

On the second floor, they entered a room without knocking. Narcissa was inside waiting for them.

As she saw him, she knelt, bowing before him, "Lord Black, I am honoured that you accepted my request".

Harry motioned for her to rise, "Narcissa, you should know by now that I do not want or need this bowing and scraping, nor would it influence my decision in the slightest. Please come to the point so that I may consider your request".

As Narcissa rose to her feet, Harry noted that she looked haunted and pale. Her frame which she normally held tall and proud was gaunt and a bit bent. She took a deep breath before she started speaking, "Lord Black, as you know, Lucius is incarcerated in Azkaban. During his trial, he made some statements which jeopardized our lives. I fear that the Dark Lord in his anger and out of spite will force Draco to do his bidding so that he will get killed at the hands of the Aurors. I have been shielding Draco while we were in hiding since the trial but now he is in the school and I cannot save him there. Will you protect him?"

Harry thought about it. True that Malfoy was a git but he had no power now. His father was in jail and he was scorned by his housemates. Any snake loyal to Voldemort could kill him. All Narcissa was asking for was his protection. He could do it but he decided to attach some conditions, "Narcissa, your request seems to be just however I will grant it under two conditions. First, he has been contemptuous toward my friends who I consider to be as close as family. So long as he refrains from acting against any of them or me, I will protect him from any harm. Second, he must accept my protection. I cannot guard him against his will. I also offer you my protection if you will accept it. My offer, however, does not extend to Lucius. He is a criminal and he will pay for his crimes. Do you accept my terms?"

She bowed her head, "I am thankful to you, Lord Black. I will be responsible for his conduct".

Harry directed Sirius, "Place her in Moony's care. She will be safe enough at the plantation".

The Leaky Cauldron

The wizarding populace was abuzz with the news published in the Daily Prophet this morning. The news that Dumbledore had accepted an apprentice had come as a shock. What was more that the said apprentice was a mere student. This was unusual. But then, when had Dumbledore ever done anything which was considered usual?

People at the inn were talking about it and speculating about the turn of events. Most of them had assumed that Dumbledore would take Harold Peverell as his apprentice. Most of them had no idea about Neville Longbottom except that he was the son of the Minister of Magic.

One wizard was saying to his companion, "If Dumbledore has accepted him as his apprentice then it means that the boy must be special. I am personally waiting to see what he will do".

An unmarked death eater was at the inn. He was hearing about the rumours going around. He listened to everything for as long as he could without attracting attention to himself. But when he heard nothing substantial, he walked out of the inn and disapparated away.

Hogwarts

"Dumbledore Announces His Apprentice

According to an announcement made by the Ministry of Magic, the Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore has recently taken on an apprentice. While this was not unexpected, what was surprising is the candidate who was chosen for the said honour by the venerable old wizard. As most of wizarding Britain, yours truly included, was expecting him to take on Harold Peverell, the boy-who-lived as an apprentice, he chose to bestow the honour on Neville Longbottom, the heir of House of Longbottom and the son of General Longbottom.

This will not change things significantly. But it does raise questions as to why Dumbledore chose him as an apprentice in place of the boy-who-lived when he is also being called the chosen one these days?

According to some of his friends at Hogwarts, he is a wizard with common talents who never stood out before this year. Since this year started, however, he has been seen fraternizing with the boy-who-lived and they are as close as best mates.

Harold Peverell, the boy-who-lived had to say on the news, 'Dumbledore has chosen the perfect person to be his apprentice. Neville is an able wizard who is worth the honour and he will shoulder the Headmaster's legacy with ease'.

Albus Dumbledore or Neville Longbottom could not be reached before this went to print."

This was the news that had been published in the Daily Prophet and the whole of the school was surprised with the proclamation. Students were revisiting everything they knew about the boy but except for those who were his friends, none could recall anything special about him. The members of the Order of the Snow Leopard however knew that the Headmaster had chosen true.

At the Hufflepuff table, where Harry and his group were sitting for breakfast, Hermione was surprised, "When did this happen? What was the basis for this selection? Why did you not tell us, Neville?"

Neville had the audacity to laugh, "Hermione, I have to repeat Harry's catchphrase for you- HERMIONE BREATHE. This happened sometime during summer vacation. We had a long chat before he made this decision. I did not tell you because he told me to keep it a secret from everyone".

Hermione grumbled something about everyone keeping secrets from her. Harry smirked mentally about her not knowing even half of the secrets they were hiding.

Just then Professor Sprout descended upon their table, "Mr. Peverell and Mr. Longbottom, the Headmaster wants an audience with you two in his office after breakfast".

Harry nodded, "Thank you, Professor. We will get going right now".

Let's kill some corpses

In his office, Dumbledore welcomed them, "I have received some grave news. I want your help in this".

Harry nodded, "How can we help, Professor?"

Dumbledore started speaking, "I have received news that Tom is going to create inferi. There is an underground lake where he has hidden dead bodies of many wizards, witches and muggles that he killed. He intends to raise them to augment his forces. I wish for you both to come with me and destroy those bodies".

They both nodded, "When are we going?"

Dumbledore grinned, "We will leave in a moment. I have sent letters to your teachers that you both will not be in your classes today".

He produced a piece of rope, "This is our portkey. Hold on and we will be going".

5 minutes later, they were standing on the edge of a stone precipice below which was the sea. Dumbledore looked at them and grinned, "Time to swim, boys".

Harry balked, "Headmaster, Neville and I have both gone swimming under conditions worse than this, but may I ask why we have to get wet here?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Do you see any way for us to cross this distance? There are anti-apparition wards around the place where we are going".

Harry asked him, "Can you show me where we would emerge from the sea, professor?"

Dumbledore showed him. Harry spent a minute, concentrating on the spot. Then he took Neville and Dumbledore each by the arm and they disappeared. The three of them reappeared on the rock just inside of the cave mouth, warm and dry. Dumbledore was surprised, "That was so different from apparition. I did not even feel the usual squeezing and suffocating experience".

Harry gave him a smirk, "Let's get done what we are here to do, Professor. The clock is running".

Dumbledore turned to him, "This is your test, Neville. Can you feel another magical signature here? Something hostile?"

Neville closed his eyes with his wand out. He spread his senses out. In a few minutes he opened his eyes, "Yes, a nasty, foul smelling magical presence which is quite strong".

Dumbledore had gone into his professional mode now and was waving his wand around and muttering something when an archway appeared in the wall. Harry and Neville were watching him curiously, neither of them having learned how to do the said phenomenon yet. The archway which had appeared faded away again almost immediately.

Dumbledore grimaced, "So crude! Tom was never the best of thinkers".

Neville asked him, "Why did the archway disappear, Professor?"

Dumbledore turned to them, "This archway will not open without blood payment".

Harry said, "Stand aside. I'll blast it open".

Dumbledore said, "That would be unwise, Harry. For one thing, Tom will almost certainly be alerted to our presence here if we do that. And, I would like to leave a little surprise for him when he accesses this place again".

Before Dumbledore could say anything more, Harry slashed his palm with a cutting charm and splashed the blood on the walls. The archway appeared again and it did not fade away this time. Harry had already mended his palm. Together, the trio passed through to the next chamber. As they were in, the door faded away. Dumbledore had his wand out and lighted it. There were in an underground cavern which was deep with a lake inside. There was a dim glow in the distance, across the water.

He addressed both of them, "the dead bodies are in the lake. They will react to any disturbance of the water. To attract their attention, I will roll some stones into the lake. They will start coming up and attack anything that is warm or moves. Remember they can only be killed by fire".

As he started rolling stones into the water, the dead started rising one by one. The sight of them was horrible. Their organs looked decomposed and they reeked.

Harry and Neville both had their firewhips out already. They started swinging as the first one came at them. The inferi came up out of the water, trying to press in on them and overwhelm them. The young wizards used their firewhips to lasso them around the middle, cutting them in half and setting them on fire before they could get within arm's reach. Dumbledore stayed back a pace keeping the area lit and standing by in case any of the dead managed to get too close.

They kept at it for 15 minutes. The air was full of acrid, oily smoke from the burning dead. The trio resorted to bubble-head charms to provide themselves with clean air to breathe. They had already destroyed more than a hundred inferi but they just kept coming. Harry began to wonder at the sheer numbers of Tom Riddle's victims. As far as he could see out into the darkness, the lake seemed to be boiling where the bodies of more of them were coming to the surface. Finally, Harry had enough. He threw a banishing charm at Neville throwing him back. Thrusting his wand forward, he yelled at the top of his voice, "Dawanalam (fiendfyre)".

The fiery form of the snow leopard burst out of his wand, burning all the dead in its path, leaving nothing but smoke and a bit of oily ash. It incinerated everything above the surface. After about five minutes, there were no more traces of active undead and Harry dispelled his Fiendfyre.

He made to step forward when Dumbledore stopped him, "Careful Harry, some of them are still in the water".

Harry thrust his wand forward and incanted different spell this time, "Yawanagni (Greek Fire)". It was one of the incantations in the spell-book Pawan had given him and this spell was meant to start Greek fire. While Fiendfyre could not burn below water, Greek fire burnt under water as well and devoured everything.

In 10 more minutes, the lake was free of the inferi and none of them had so much as a scratch.

Before they disapparated out, Dumbledore left a parting gift for Tom the next time he accessed the underground cave.

Behind the mirror, 4th floor

When the order met for the first meeting this term, Harry started talking to them about warfare. It was essential to have some semblance of a plan before hand if they were besieged suddenly.

"You know in a battle, the most important thing is to be able to follow command. If a team can adhere to commands issued by a single commander of theirs then they will suffer minimum casualties. For that purpose it is important to know what one can do for his effort in the war. I know not everyone can stomach blood and gore so it is no shame if you cannot fight. There are other ways that you can contribute in it. For example, if Hogwarts is besieged and the enemy is at the gates with a mighty army, what do you think should be our first course of action?"

Hermione answered that question, "There are a lot of under-aged witches and wizards here. They have no business in a real fight and they should be evacuated as quickly as possible. If we don't have to worry about protecting the non-combatants, we can focus our efforts better on defeating the enemy".

Harry nodded, "As far as that goes, you are right. Now, consider where would we evacuate them? How will we make sure that the evacuated students are safe? There are many students who are children of death eaters. We can't just let them go out and tell their families all about our defenses. What can we do in such a case?"

Neville answered this one, "We will have some people to stand guard over the students until we can be sure that it is safe to release them to their families. It is as much for their safety as ours. We can evacuate them to safe houses where they would be looked after".

Harry started speaking again, "What will be our next step in such a case?"

Susan said, "The next step would be to divide our forces to post them in various parts of the castle so that they can augment the ministry forces. It would be better if we spend the time to practice it before hand so we will not have to scramble around in confusion".

Harry smirked, "And what should be after that?"

This time Ernie replied, "We will need to divide up into units and send them where they are needed, depending on what type of foe they are facing. We will need people with silver swords and quick reflexes to defeat the werewolves. We will need groups who can take turns casting, dodging and shielding to go up against the spell casters. We will need healers to care for the casualties. And what do we do about the giants? I heard that they have about 30 of them".

Harry nodded, "I have a big surprise prepared for their giants. They are not likely to get close enough to even engage. As for the rest, we have a few who are qualified to wield swords. Most of us will either be helping the medics or providing support for the spell casters. Now do you all know about battle formations?"

Hermione answered, "I have read a little about them. They were prominent mostly in old times when wars were fought with swords and later with muskets".

Harry asked her, "So how different is fighting with a wand? If for example, we have about 30 death eaters in the Transfiguration courtyard and we have about 15 of our fighters around them in chakra (circle) formation which is shrinking inwards with about 8 wizards casting relentlessly while 7 of them are shielding them or their companions, what do you think our chances would be? Or if we choose a strategic location in the castle from where we have the advantage and we place groups of fighters there then who would have the advantage?"

Others were nodding at his line of thought. It was well thought out strategy which could be useful to them but that would require them to practice it beforehand.

Michael Corner turned to him, "What do you propose Harry? How do we do it? I mean I can get it that you are talking about these things to us because we need these strategies in case the castle is the ground for battle".

Harry smiled, "Alright that brings me to the second part of this discussion. How many of the students who have been practicing with us would be amenable to fight?"

Michael thought hard and said, "Of the 80 who has been practicing with us for the last term, I think about 60 of them would be willing to fight. 20 of them are either younger than us or cannot stomach blood and gore".

Harry nodded, "Those 20 can help in the evacuation, looking after the students in the safe houses to ensure that they do not escape and go to their families to tell on us".

Harry turned to Hermione next, "Hermione, you once had asked for a task worthy of your talents. Here it is. I want you to assess the students. List them with their abilities. Consult with Ron and set them up in units for each type of operation. We need details for help with evacuation, directing traffic and looking after the students that we have to babysit for the duration. I also want you to form units to assist with the casualties. And combat units for ranged and melee fighting". Hermione nodded and he turned to Ron, "Ron, I have a task for you if you want it".

Ron asked uncertainly, "Yeah, what is it?"

Harry smirked, "Don't look so gloomy. Besides helping Hermione make up the units, I want you to form some strategies around how those units will be most effective. Keep in mind that other than Neville and me, none of these guys have seen any real combat yet. It is time to put that chess brilliance of yours into action".

He turned to the twins again, "You two, what is your progress with that contraption I wanted?"

Tracy answered for them, "It is almost ready, Harry. We have made it now we just have to enchant it. When a lever on it is pressed, it will super-heat the liquid within. When the pressure is too much, the sphere will explode, releasing a cloud of deadly vapour. Anyone or anything caught in the 20 foot radius cloud is going to have a really bad day. It should take about five seconds between releasing the lever and the sphere exploding. Of course, they could be broken open faster if they are dashed against a hard surface".

Harry nodded, "We will have to divide the students into teams. I want at least 2 of you to be involved in the evacuation and 1 of you to be present in the hospital wing if an attack happens. I would encourage you to join Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing in the meanwhile to learn some primary healing so that she would not be over-burdened".

With that the meeting was dismissed. They scheduled the next session in the Room of Requirement that night.

London

Madam Edgecombe was walking towards the entry point to report for her duty this morning, when a wizard appeared before her. While she was startled, she recognized the new-comer as Walden Macnair.

He bowed to her curtly, "Madam Edgecombe, how are you? I swear you are looking sparklingly brilliant today".

She knew Walden was a marked death eater and should have stunned him the moment he appeared before her but she always had a weak spot for flattery. She asked him, "Mr. Macnair, where have you been? I heard you had joined the death eaters?"

Macnair grinned at her, "You had indeed heard right, Madam and I am here today on the orders of my master to take you captive". Before she could act, he had his wand out and intoned, "Imperio".

Madam Edgecombe tried to resist him for a moment before she eventually gave up. With that Macnair disapparated away and she went to her office.

Since she was not a marked death eater and worked in the department of magical transportation, she had access to the Standard Auror Portkeys that Voldemort needed.

That day at the office, she picked up 5 such portkeys. When she arrived home, she delivered them to Macnair who was waiting there for her. Since her daughter Marietta was in Hogwarts and her husband was dead, there was no way anyone could find out that she had been imperioused.

Unknown castle

Voldemort was testing his new wand. This one felt as good as his last one. There was no substantial difference in his casting. It still enabled to him to practice all the magic that he knew.

Walden Macnair had performed his commission satisfactorily. He was ready to storm Azkaban and augment his forces many fold. He was hopeful of retrieving at least 60 of his death eaters for his forces.

Triton Selwyn walked into his chamber and bowed low to kiss the hem of his robes, "My Lord, we are ready to go. A team of ten of your followers is ready to follow you".

Voldemort asked him, "Is Severus here?"

Selwyn shook his head, "He has not yet reported in, my lord".

Voldemort drawled, "Pass me your arm, Selwyn".

Selwyn extended his arm to him and Voldemort pressed his wand on the dark mark, digging into it. It caused immeasurable pain to Selwyn but he gritted his teeth and held on. Even a whimper from his mouth would get him subjected to the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of the Dark Lord.

About 5 minutes later, Severus walked in bowing low, "My Lord, you called?"

Voldemort sneered, "Took you long enough, Severus? Have your loyalties changed towards me?"

Snape said defiantly, "No, my lord. I am still loyal to you. The old fool had me in his office talking about your activities. He told me that the Ministry is planning to attempt to plant a spy in your forces to find your hiding place".

Of course it was misinformation which Snape was feeding him. Voldemort growled, "They cannot fool me again. I was short sighted the last time to act in haste and walk into their trap. Now, I wish for you to remain here until I return from an errand I am running".

Severus bowed, "Your will is my command, my lord".

With that Voldemort walked out followed by Selwyn. In 10 minutes, they were out of the castle taking the portkey to Azkaban.

Azkaban

The prison was down to a skeleton staff of only ten wizards. Most of the prison was already empty of prisoners. Most of them had been sent away to other countries while some with lighter sentences such as a year or two in Azkaban were offered the option of paying a fine instead of serving out their sentences. They had taken that option. In this way, the ministry had made preparations to minimize their losses. Those who remained were mostly death eaters. The Dementors had been feasting on them for periods longer than usual. Most one of them would be too insane or too powerless to be of much use to their dark lord.

The portkey deposited them on one of the port-key points of the fortress. Voldemort knew the gate was two feet thick and it would not budge by ordinary force. He whipped his wand out and thrusting his wand forward, he put all his power into his spell, "Bombarda". There was a tumultuous roar as the door was blasted apart.

The blast had shaken the foundations of the wizarding prison. The dementors were getting restless at the intruders. If they attacked, things would be over before they began but they did not attack.

As soon as the gates had been breached, the Aurors in the fortress had activated their portkeys and were gone. They would not be returning to Azkaban ever. The Dementors had recognized his presence and the jail break which was happening. They did not attack the death eaters. They only continued to fly around them.

Bellatrix was in her cell. Her arm was itching, her right arm where her dark mark was. She tore open the dirty robes over her arm to reveal the dark mark. It was as black as the day it was branded on her skin. Her magic was also flaring which happened when she was in the presence of her master. She cackled, "MASTERR!"

His followers had been liberating each of the prisoners while some were searching the inventory of the prison. Voldemort himself was liberating his most loyal followers out of the prison. When he liberated Bellatrix, she fell at his feet, clutching his legs and cackling, "MASTER IS BACK!"

He picked her up and said in a rageful voice, "My dear Bellatrix! How they have treated you! I swear they will pay for it".

That was more or less the same scene with most of his other loyal followers who fell at his feet as he liberated them.

After most of his followers had been liberated, two of his followers brought Lucius Malfoy before him. He sneered at the blond man, "Lucius, you wavered from your faith yet here I am. Saving you from the ministry in return for your ungratefulness and disloyalty towards me. You will be punished for your insolence Lucius".

He beckoned one of the Dementors forward and talked in some incomprehensible way with it before the Dementors started to fly away, gliding towards the shore.

He beckoned Selwyn forward, "What is the report Selwyn?

Selwyn hesitated reporting, "My Lord, we liberated 20 of your followers who were in the prison here. There was not a single soul other than them in the prison. We have searched all the levels of this fortress. I assume that the ministry knew we were coming and they emptied the prison of all of the prisoners and..." *Thwack* before Triton Selwyn could say more, a dagger had entered his body directly over his heart, killing him instantly.

Voldemort roared in fury. He turned towards the direction where the dagger must have come from. He saw a figure running away. He and many of his followers who were standing with him sent killing curses that way but the man had already turned a corner and disappeared. A few of his followers chased after him but they did not find him anywhere.

This man was an Auror on duty named Bartley Higgins. He had been one of the oldest Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. He had just joined the Ministry when the first war was about to end. He was not well known like other senior Aurors but he kept his head low and did his work. Amelia had tried to give him some role when Frank took his place as Minister of Magic but he had respectfully refused telling her that his reward would be to kill as many death eaters as he could. He was a muggle born whose family had been killed by death eaters. He had an eternal grudge against them.

Unknown to most people and even the ministry of magic, he was an Animagus, a seagull to be precise. He had registered himself with the ICW though. When the other Aurors had disapparated away, he had stayed behind to spy on the death eaters. A sea gull in the middle of sea gulls would be missed by most of them. When he saw that Voldemort had liberated his followers, his orders were to return to the ministry but he could not resist taking the shot with the dagger. His hatred for Voldemort was such that he could have cast the Killing Curse at the dark lord without thinking twice. He had to take news to the Ministry and duty came first.

As soon as he had hurled the dagger, he had started running away without stopping to see if it had hit its mark. By the time the death eaters started to look for him, he had already transformed. In his animagus form, he saw that he had killed Triton Selwyn instead.

Voldemort was cursing his luck. After getting the dementors and his followers liberated, he had lost one of his followers and Selwyn was one of his best fighters. Asking Goyle to dump Selwyn's body in the sea, he started distributing portkeys to his followers. Within moments, they were ready to go. When every portkey was away, Voldemort was left behind. He looked at the fortress with hatred and put all of his anger and frustration into the bombarda Maxima which he cast. This blew the top half of the Island fortress into tiny bits. Feeling some satisfaction, he cast the dark mark over the ruins of the erstwhile prison fortress, then disapparated.