Disclaimer- I don't own Harry or any of his loveable friends… But I do claim ownership to Damien, Rom, Harmony, Jo, etc… And I don't own Mercedes Lackey's junk. This is for fun, not profit, so kiss my white ass if you want to sue!

A/N- not much to say, hope you enjoy and don't be afraid to correct me.

Chapter VII

Attacks and a Flashback

The air was cold in the park, but Harry wasn't really paying any attention to that. A trench coat covered a long sleeve black polo tucked into a pair of elegant slacks. His glasses were gone, replaced by contacts and his hair was stylishly ruffled. The wind picked up and blew his collar up, giving him a slightly mysterious look that when combined with his good features made women passing by him give him a long second look.

As he walked down the street, he felt out for hostility by humming a small tune. He didn't know quiet how he did it, but with great power came incredible possibilities, and Harry had discovered something about magic that only a few could truly comprehend. Magic was what you made of it, pure and simple. So few wizards questioned just how their magic worked, and it was those few that did who were the truly powerful as Harry was now.

He'd been declared guilty of all charges brought against him, but after holding him for about 5 hours they'd decided that he truly had rid them of a greater threat. So they'd let him go. Harry frowned as he remembered the cell, where his guards had been Dementors. He hated Dementors, loathed them intensely, and so he'd funneled enough anger towards the beasts when he was in the cell to seriously cripple them, eventually killing them. He grinned, the deaths of the two Dementors had brought all the guards in the prison running, and had been rather enjoyable to strike fear into the other Dementors in the prison.

Harry strode down the street when he felt a twinge in the back of his head. Suddenly his entire world changed, his vision became sharper, he picked out every single detail available; the way a bum looked up over the edge of his newspaper. He stepped swiftly to the side and swung his eyes around, searching-

"Oi! Harry Potter?" Shouted a man across the way and Harry's eyes zoomed in on him, blonde hair, flushed face from the cold wind, vaguely familiar… Harry felt another twinge, but pushed it aside as he placed face to memory.

"Justin?" Harry asked and was rewarded with a wide grin. Justin Fitch-Fletchley was admittedly an attractive man now, just as he'd been in school. His curly hair and bright eyes were definitely features that would draw the women to him in droves. Justin kept grinning until he reached Harry.

"Hey Harry-" Justin said and the twinge came back. Harry had lived for twelve years not knowing if what he was seeing was reality or dreams sent by Azrael. He had learned to trust that twinge because it came from a part of him that was so sub-conscious that not even Azrael could affect it. And it had saved Harry for many years, he had just gotten it a third time, and so Justin suddenly went from old school friend to dangerous enemy, motivation unknown.

Harry immediately opened his arms as if to hug Justin but when the man drew close Harry closed the hug early all the while whispering under his breath. Justin's eyes went wide as he went limp and then stiffened as Harry gained control of him. Harry drew him into an alleyway nearby, before slamming Justin roughly against the wall.

"Ha- Harry?" Asked Justin, his voice soft and worried as Harry's eyes grew stormy and thick. "What are you doing?" he was afraid and for a second Harry hesitated, maybe the twinge meant something else, and for a second the charm holding Justin weakened-

It was only his quick reflexes that saved him as Justin launched forward with a switchblade that seemed to come out of nowhere. Harry grabbed the arm and swiftly broke it by slamming the elbow the wrong way with superhuman force. Justin didn't even whimper but swept Harry's legs out from under him. Harry let his body fall but put a hand down so that he was doing a one handed handstand before flipping backwards.

When he landed a second later Justin was staring at him but this time Harry was ready-

"Stupefy!" He shouted and red magic leapt from his hand and smacked Justin so hard he flew backwards. Making sure no one had witnessed the attack he grabbed Justin and vanished.

Damien knew that he should really be listening to what Binns was saying, but honestly, the things the ghost was rambling about had to be the most boring drivel he'd ever heard. Who really cared about Goblin rebellions from who knows when? Damien idly tapped his quill against the desk as Binns continued to drone. He looked up and caught Jo's eyes; she was as bored as he was. They would both copy their notes from Terry Grudford later. After all, what was the use of having class with Hufflepuffs if not to use them?

He and Jo tried to talk softly but Binns interrupted them and took five points from Slytherin so they stopped. By the time the period ended Damien felt like his brain was mush. He stood and joined the stampede of students on their way to other classes. Now he had, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Damien fell into step next to Jo as they strode down the halls.

"So what do you think the old bat will have planned for this lesson?" Jo asked, her brown eyes hinting at a vague curiosity. Damien shrugged, a gentle fluid motion that suggested he also didn't particularly care. Indeed much of what Damien was learning now was review; he'd been at Hogwarts long enough that he'd picked up much of the magic from listening to older students discussing projects while paying attention to him.

He smiled as he remembered one such evening when he'd been in the library just hanging out with a group of Ravenclaws that thought he was adorable and greatly admired his desire to learn even though he was only 8 years old. So they'd talked him through an advance transfiguration project, and although he didn't understand much of it then, he'd gotten he concept. Now, such memories were unveiling secrets as he got a true education.

"Hello, earth to Deedee?" Jo asked and Damien almost snarled at the hated nickname that Jo used when she wanted his attention or just to piss him off.

"What?" He snapped and she grinned.

"Temper, temper Damien, really you mustn't let it affect you so much." Damien glared at her and she chuckled. "Never mind; we're almost there." She said and Damien grumbled about annoying girls and their ideas of "fun." Jo laughed and shook her hair as she hiked her robes up a little bit to go up the stairs to their classroom.

When they entered along with the other Slytherins Damien nodded to Harmony and Rom. Harmony waved cheerfully at him while Rom raised his eyebrows in return. Harmony had done up her hair this morning, braiding it into a million smaller braids and putting on a pair of black pearl drops for earrings. Damien idly wondered why she was dressing up as he took his seat.

"Sit down everyone." Professor Figg said, today she appeared slightly serious, although everyone knew that could change at the drop of a hat. Figg was reported to be partially insane by many students but they all loved her for it. Today she wore her usual black robes with a green serpent emblem on the right side of her chest. She took out her wand and waved it in the air a couple times.

"Today we will be learning about pixies. There are several kinds of Pixies; the two closest ones are Cornish Pixies and Albanian Sprites. They are closely related although Albanian Sprites favor wood nymphs over their brighter cousins." Damien sighed; it looked like Arabella was going to focus on lecturing today. She went on to detail their habits, the magic they cast, their temperaments (vastly different, Cornish pixies lived for mischief and destruction while Albanian sprites favored playing with babies and braiding hair) and what spells would work against them.

"Tomorrow, we will be going on a field trip to Cornwall to look for some pixies, please bring just your wand, no books or anything, and any special devices you may want." Damien rolled his eyes; Rom would be bringing his Mercurius boots. Why Ron had given such powerful magical objects that could be used to create more ruckus than anything Damien had seen to his nephew was beyond him… Although Ron supposedly had been a very fun loving youth, that all seemed to be gone now.

Damien remembered the way Ron's eyes looked, a haunted angry feeling buried within them, trapped but growing. It had scared him even though he knew the man was a friend of his father's and would never hurt him. But there were stories too, stories about how Ron and Hermione were two of the best battle mages ever, Aurors nearly without peer.

"Psst. Damien." Whispered a voice behind him and he turned to have Riley Benninghoff pass a note to him. He opened it quietly and read-

Dear Damien,

Please meet me in the trophy room at midnight tonight.

Love,

Your Secret Admirer.

Damien raised an eyebrow and looked at the generic handwriting, obviously from a Quick Quills or a derivative of them. Now who had access to those or new a charm that could mimic them… Damien tried out a list in his head but he couldn't cut very many off of it. Soon though class was over and it was the afternoon, homework time…

"Come on Damien, let's go to the library, I've got a couple books I want to check out." Jo said and dragged him out of the room. Soon they were joined by Rom and Harmony who were arguing over something pointless, Damien was sure of it. As they made their way to the library, Damien felt his mind wander back to tawny eyes and hair the color of wheat in the sun. And he began to wonder.

Harry stood over Justin, the sleeping man lay there inert but Harry was wondering what would happen when he awoke. He had almost revived the man and tortured the information out of him, when it occurred to him that he should have witnesses to prove that he wasn't actually the crazed psycho so many still believed him to be. So he'd retrieved Hermione, Sirius and a couple other ministry officials.

"Are we ready to begin?" Hermione asked, her voice devoid of emotion, she knew what would be happening next. Sirius had secured some Veritaserum but first they would have to get into Justin. Harry turned around and took the vial from Sirius.

"Harry-" Sirius began but Harry grinned.

"Don't worry Sirius, there's no way he can resist this." Harry said, his face calm and collected but with a twinkle in his eye that hadn't been there before.

"Just what are you planning to do?" Asked Jenna Weathercraig, an older woman who still looked plenty young and vital, and was probably one of the most cunning Aurors left over from the War. Harry grinned even wider.

"Just watch." He said softly and his voice was as soft as death. He moved to wave his hand over Justin when he felt it again, the twinge, not immediate danger but close at hand. He shook it off.

"Justin." He spoke the name softly, as if testing it. And indeed he was, because now he straightened and cleared his throat. "Justin." He spoke and his voice was powerful, it spoke of Justin as Harry remembered him from school, it was full of command and love, a voice that bespoke powerful magic and raw human emotion, and Justin's eyes fluttered open. Harry's eyes locked on his and he reached forward to pour the potion into Justin's mouth and stopped.

The twinge had come back with a vengeance, his head hurt with the wrongness of it all, and he knew-

In one smooth motion he spun, drawing his wand and turning and that was all that saved him as the gun's sharp report shattered the room and made Justin's face explode in a cacophony of blood and brain. The other nameless ministry official, a low level Auror that Jenna had grabbed. Harry's eyes bespoke his fury and the man stopped.

"My Lord-" He began, his eyes wide with fear and Harry's crinkled in confusion and the man's face hardened only to widen as Hermione's spell slammed him into the wall and neatly bound him in chains before destroying the gun and shattering his hand. The man gasped and Harry made a slapping motion that made the man's head snap to the side and his cheek turned red.

"Por nostro circolo." The man gasped and bit his tongue. Harry stared aghast as the man's mouth foamed and he shook violently before stilling, dead. Hermione leaned in, clinically observing the man's mouth.

"Cyanide pill, sown into the underside of his tongue, ingenious." This was her Auror voice, cold, callous and altogether business. Harry nodded, his mind racing. The room was filled with a thick feeling of intensity and Harry's entire body felt hyper alert. He was in danger again and was settling into old patterns of behavior, constantly monitoring all corners of the room and running over escape plans sub-consciously.

Sirius stared in horror, he'd known that Harry had endured pains no mortal should, that nothing should except the vilest beings ever created, certainly not such a loving caring man, but this- this was un-human. They were so cold, so unfeeling, it was like-

It was like the war all over again.

On impulse Harry ripped the shirt off of the man's body, exposing a white torso with a scattering of chest hairs. He looked over it, something in his mind was flashing, a symbol that glared at him with all the fury of a star in nova.

There, on the man' chest, exactly between the two nipples, and Harry remembered.

Ancient pillars, a group of men and women, 13 strong, for that was the Dark Number of choice. All of them were hooded and wore dark robes except him he who wore the right robes and the power.

"Yea, and ye shall do of my bidding!" His voice, so different, so strong, and they nodded, helpless before his power. They would pave his path, and all would be well, the world was made for his coming.

"Harry? Harry are you ok?" Hermione asked as he stared at the strange tattoo of a bull. What did it mean?

"Osiris has risen." Harry whispered, and they could all only wonder at what he meant.

The library of Hogwarts is huge; it stretches out over a seemingly incredible distance that is entirely covered in books. Between the seemingly endless book shelves there are a myriad of tables, seemingly hundreds in addition to the thousands of books, or so it all appeared to Zach. Zach had never been in a library before, and this was wondrous to him, especially now that he could read.

He'd always understood the rudiments but now he was getting to really but his skill to the test, as he read endless books of wizarding history. It was absolutely fascinating to him to read the large crackling pages. He felt like it was all one big magical experience, both figuratively and literally. As he read though, he realized that not all of the magical history was happy, which almost made him sad. When you had magic, what else could you possibly need? But as he read he found that there were plenty of things people couldn't do with magic, and found that some people just want for the sake of wanting.

After reading of a particularly gruesome dark witch from the late Dark Ages he continued and found a peculiar offhand reference to a select gathering of Dark wizards and witches of the time. It mentioned it and then nothing else was listed, except that the wizards attending had been very powerful, both politically and magically, as well as dangerous.

The meeting was listed as having taken place in Italy, in some place called Corisca. Zach pursed his lips and got up to search for an atlas. It took him some time to pick through the books until he reached a Muggle section, which he now knew meant those like himself without magic, except…

Something had been mentioned, that he was an empathy or- Zach snorted, it was nonsense, if he had a sort of magic, where had it been his whole drug stained life? He turned the page of the book before him and shifted in the still unfamiliar robes. Paging through the index looking under C… Corisca, there, it was on page…

"Italy." Zach murmured and decided he should do some more research, something about this intrigued him.

Draco Malfoy on the inside was bored beyond belief, as per usual at one of these events. His usual simple black robes were replaced by elegant blue dress robes trimmed in Slytherin silver. His hair was professionally teased and looked by slightly ruffled and in place, combined with his haunting gray eyes he looked like an Adonis, the perfect man.

And so far not one person had flirted with him the entire evening. It was so frustrating! Draco enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, good food, good sex, good books, political maneuvering and manipulation- well maybe those weren't simple but Draco enjoyed the simple Slytherin things in life.

The hall he was in had globes of light floating around the hall, each one with a fairy in it so that the light was not a normal light, but changed depending on the mood of the fairy within it. Right now there were five following Draco, all giving off a muted silver glow that seemed to infuse his skin and make him look both ethereal and powerful, which he of course was.

"Ah, Draco darling!" Said a male voice that Draco instantly recognized and spun around to greet perhaps the one person who had stuck by him ever since he'd spurned the Death Eaters. Blaise Zabini was no taller then he was and had a very angular but attractive face. His blond hair and pale green eyes glittered with amusement and a hard edge. The Zabini family was widely known and as such he and Blaise had been running into each other at aristocratic functions for years. Blaise had even been his first lover.

"Blaise." Draco said, his voice cordial and soft. Blaise grinned widely and linked arms with Draco and began to draw him away from the corner of the room he was in.

"So I hear talk that Harry's back? Well it's just as well, another year and I would have hexed you into a date if I had to. But now that he's back, how are things?" Blaise asked, for once his voice totally serious. His eyes looked like the pale green of a leaf held against the light and his face was almost blank. Draco looked around subtly, searching for anyone that could be eavesdropping or using charms to listen in on their conversation.

"Don't worry Drake, I've got my charmers on." Blaise grinned and flicked the two studs in his ear, both powerful Zabini heirlooms, they each held charms against any number of political "mishaps." Such as poison, curses and hexes, the ability to revive instantly after being knocked out, powerful healing charms and anti-mind probing charms to name a few. Those two earrings could have bought the Malfoy villa in the south of France, which was quiet extensive. They were about 1500 years old and had been passed from parent to most deserving child, if the parent had no offspring worthy of the earrings it was given to a cousin, but always kept in the Zabini line. Nobody quiet knew where the earrings came from, only that they could keep a wizard alive long past their time to die in the search for a wearer.

"Harry is, well we're both different." Draco began cautiously, and stopped. He really hadn't seen Harry that much, never had time for more than a cursory hug, a stolen kiss- Draco missed the feeling of Harry's body entwined with his in that single second of realization more than he'd missed Harry in the twelve years he'd been gone.

"Ah." Blaise said softly, and would have continued but it was then that Harry appeared, and his face was twisted with the raw fury of an angry god.

Thank you's-

Jivanna – I'm glad you like the premise of the story, this should be taking a more Robert Ludlim-esque turn to it, which means that I shall be spending more time fiddling with details and doing research on the internet… Hopefully the twists soon to come will be suitably interesting.

Tom- So I left you speechless eh? Nice to know I have that affect… Or rather, AFTER AFFECT! That's the first pun I've made in like a month, I feel sooooo goooood…

Myr- Yeah, I still have that review of yours sitting on my computer but I've been so busy lately, I will finish it by Sunday at the latest I promise, you will start seeing them fairly soon I hope, I feel like such a heel…

Bienfoy- Well somebody is controlling the Ministry, but not all it, and that's the basis of this whole story, the uncovering of just how is controlling things… Which will then lead in to the second story that you will have to wait for.

Three Wings- Well I am very glad that you enjoyed the story and I posted as soon as I could, but school has to come first for now, Fanfiction has taken a back seat in my life which seriously cuts into my writing time…

HEY EVERYBODY, I GOT ABOUT 300 HITS ON THIS CHAPTER, FROM SIGNED IN AUTHORS ALONE, THAT MEANS MAYBE 600 PEOPLE READ THIS CHATPER, HOW COME ONLY 5 REVIEWS? THE MORE REVIEWS I GET THE FASTER THESE CHAPTERS COME OUT GUYS…