Harry Potter and the Emerald Sceptre

TYING UP LOOSE ENDS: Fudge is Dead, Harry is injured and the Ministry is in chaos. In an attempt to get away from the tragedy, Katie and Harry go to the Three Broomsticks. Inside, a certain young Auror tells them a shocking secret. Someone is tying up loose ends and the last loose end happens to be someone dear to her.

~~~~ Chapter 16 ~~~~

Tying Up Loose Ends.

"Two men down," said Harry, his voice cracking again. "The Minister of Magic is dead!"

The late Minister's hat was still smoking and Harry could smell the charred hair and flesh of the man who had been wearing it as the café exploded. What had been whispers were now gasps. Hands clapped over mouths to prevent those who could smell it from being sick. The stench of death coming from the hat turned many faces green. Dumbledore, in a rare display of emotion, staggered back, completely speechless. His hand rose to the back of his head. He looked his age. Dumbledore always seemed so full of life, yet here he was. The stress and the troubles of an extraordinary mind weighed down on his shoulders. He looked...old.

"Any survivors?" he asked at last.

"One. Percy Weasley," said Harry softly. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ron stand up, before the person next to him, probably Hermione, pulled him back down.

Dumbledore, who seemed to have regained his composure, cleared his throat. "Nymphadora," he called. "Please take Mr. Potter and Miss Bell to the hospital wing. Minerva, the school is yours. I must hasten at once to the Ministry. The rest of you have the day to yourselves. Whether today's Quidditch match is on or not, is up to the captains." With that he strode out of the main hall.

McGonagall stood up. "Tonks, if you would hurry up," she said firmly. Harry felt an arm take hold of his and lead him towards the door. He caught the beginning of McGonagall's speech as they left the hall. "This weekend will be a difficult time for all of us. I must stress that the Hospital Wing is not to be treated as a source of information. That includes you, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger. Mr Potter and Miss Bell need rest and a break from questions. You must all appreciate the fact that..." her voice faded as Tonks lead them away from the hall.

"Are you alright?" Tonks asked Katie after they left. Her voice sounded sick with worry and her face betrayed the same feeling.

"More or less. Harry's the one with the broken ribs. I've just got a few bumps and bruises. Nothing to worry about." Tonks' face didn't change. She still looked extremely worried, and even scared.

"I don't look that bad, do I?" asked Harry, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's not you," said Tonks softly.

"I'm sorry, Tonks," said Katie. "Fudge was your leader and your friends died today. I'm sorry."

Tonks gave her a look that Harry couldn't read, before nodding and sighing. "I knew them all," she said softly. "Good men, all of them. And then there's Mad-Eye and Kingsley..."

"It's OK," whispered Katie, putting an arm around the sniffing Auror. Tonks' familiar bubbliness and happiness had vanished. She looked terrible and Harry could feel that she was terrified and worried.

They arrived at the hospital wing and Harry and Katie climbed onto a couple of beds. Madam Pomfrey came in a few seconds later. Tonks excused herself; she said she had to go and check on something, before running from the ward in what seemed like one hell of a rush. Madam Pomfrey gave Katie a quick examination before advising the traditional rest. Then she turned her attention to Harry. She cut away his jumper and examined his ribs. All her poking around was quite painful, but Harry hardly noticed. All he saw was the image of Fudge, burned to a crisp. Forgive Me!

This was what would happen over and over again. Nothing had changed. In a few days another Minister would be elected. After that, they would wait until Voldemort struck again. His blood, sweat and tears had accomplished nothing at all. Voldemort was winning. Harry couldn't fight this and he knew it. It was hopeless.

"Potter?"

Every time Voldemort attacked they took it on the chin and then did nothing. The situation was beyond recovery.

"POTTER!" He was shaken out of his thoughts by Madam Pomfrey. "You have two broken ribs and a sprained ankle. You need to keep off your feet and I can put it right. As for the rib, part of the bone has splintered away and is pressing against your lung. This will take more time. I can either give you Skele-grow, and remove the fragment, or try to reattach it."

"Do which ever one is quicker," said Harry, staring at the ceiling.

"So be it. I will need to put you under a general anaesthetic."

"Do it," said Harry. "Please," he added.

She disappeared into her office and came out a few seconds later with a small phial of potion.

"Drink this and you'll be out before you can count to ten." Harry did as he was told. He only managed to count to seven before he lost consciousness.

~~~~ + ~~~~

The hospital wing came slowly back into focus. Harry was vaguely aware of a light breeze flowing over him. The window must be open, he reasoned. The lights were low and the room was deserted. Harry managed to sit up. His side was aching and heavily bandaged. His head was spinning. He blinked a few times to try and regain full consciousness. His vision was blurry and his balance was off. The room seemed to be spinning. He looked over at the office, but the door was closed. The bed next to him, which had once held Katie, was empty. He checked his watch. It was ten past three. The Quidditch match starts in twenty minutes!

He threw off the covers and tried to stand. His ears were ringing and his balance was all over the place. He steadied himself on the side of the bed. He was wearing white hospital trousers with no top or shoes. The floor was freezing! Bandages were wrapped around his ribs. He staggered over to the office, which he found to be not only closed, but also locked.

Suddenly he heard a cheer from outside. Making his way awkwardly back over to the window, his ankle aching with every step, he soon realised the cause of the commotion. It was Saturday 17^th October, after all, and that meant one thing. Quidditch. Slytherin versus Gryffindor. The match hadn't begun yet. He could see the stadium; he could hear the noise. He couldn't see his clothes anywhere. They were so dirty and smoky that they would have been either destroyed or sent to be washed. Since everyone was out at the Quidditch match, the halls would be deserted, so Harry decided to head back to Gryffindor tower.

He met no one on the way, just as expected. The floor was cold and Harry was unable to walk more than a few paces without having to lean on the wall. It took him nearly five minutes and Gryffindor Tower was the closest common room to the Hospital Wing. This was quite convenient for Harry, who held the record for the most number of visits to the hospital wing and, given the frequency of Neville's accidents in potions, that was saying something. He threw on some black combats, a pair of trainers and a black t-shirt. He knew full well that he couldn't play Quidditch. He was having enough trouble breathing as it was. Madam Pomfrey may have taken out the splintered bone but his chest still felt tight and he was finding it hard to breath. He assumed this was what an asthma attack must feel like. He could hardly bend and it hurt when he twisted or bent his back. He was fine standing or sitting, but moving between the two was painful. Also, he was mummified from the armpits to the belly button in bandages.

He pocketed his wand and, feeling more or less happy with his appearance, set off for the pitch. Madam Pomfrey would go ape about him leaving, but Harry didn't care. All he wanted was to get out there, to watch a game of Quidditch, to take his mind off recent events. He was beginning to get his balance and vision back. His ears were still ringing and he felt weak, but he managed to get out onto the lawn and head over to the stadium. The entrance to the changing room was just to the left of the entrance to the north stand, which was the entrance Harry was heading for. He felt it best to pay a quick visit to the team.

As he opened the door, a mass of red robes came rushing towards him. Pain ripped through his ribs as Katie threw herself at him. He received a mouth full of blond hair as he attempted to say something.

"Come on, Harry," beamed Ron. "Get your kit on." He looked like it was his birthday as his star Seeker came ambling through the door. Harry knew his next sentence would break Ron's heart.

"Ron, I can't," said Harry sadly. "I can hardly breathe. Ginny will have to play as Seeker. I can barely stand on my own two feet." Ron looked like Christmas had been cancelled. "I'm sorry, Ron," added Harry, collapsing against the wall.

"It's OK," said Ginny kindly. "We understand. We can't expect you to play after what you've been through. You're not SuperMuggle."

"I'm not what?"

"SuperMuggle," repeated Ginny. "It's a comic-book about a Muggle who is indestructible and keeps accidentally stumbling across the ploys of the evil Wizard called Doctor Sting. He foils the plan and then gets a Memory Charm, but next time the Doctor tries something he happens to be there and accidentally saves the day. Ron has about five hundred comics in his room."

"Ginny!" hissed Ron, turning pink.

"Anyhow," continued Ginny. "The point is that you're not indestructible. We understand, right guys?"

"Sure," said Katie.

"Yep," said Wick. "No Potter, no Malfoy. This game isn't what it used to be." Harry tried to laugh but found it hurt his ribs too much.

"Good lucks, lads," said Harry sorrowfully. "And lasses," he added to be safe. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a seat." He turned and climbed the stairs. On the back row of the stand Harry saw Luna, Neville, and Hermione. The thing that gave them away was Luna's lion hat. Harry made his way slowly over to them.

"Harry!" gasped Hermione when she saw him. "You look...."

"Like I've been to the fires of hell and back?" offered Harry.

"You all right?" she asked, with a worried look on her face.

Harry was tempted to say 'do I bloody look all right?' but felt that he didn't want to offend his friends. "No," said Harry flatly. "Look, can we forget about this for the moment? I just want to watch the game."

"Bit different from down here, isn't it," grinned Neville.

"Much safer, too," muttered Harry.

The trumpets sounded and fourteen figures on brooms came marching out of the changing rooms into the centre of the pitch.

~~~~ + ~~~~

The match ended in a narrow win for Gryffindor. They won by ten points as Katie scored on last hoop before the Slytherin Seeker caught the Snitch. He had elbowed Ginny in the face while they were hustling to get at the Snitch. Ginny had received a broken nose but that didn't change the fact that the Slytherin Seeker caught the Snitch and Gryffindor won the game one hundred and ninety to one hundred and eighty. Despite Ginny's assault, the Gryffindors were in a good mood after that. The cheering and the partying went on for hours. Harry took a break and went with the rest of the team to the Hospital Wing to check on Ginny.

Ron was absolutely fuming. He was pacing the room, ranting about the Slytherin Seeker. His threats were getting more and more ridiculous and his face was getting redder and redder. He was coming out with profanities that Harry had never heard before and that Mrs Weasley certainly would not have approved of.

"Rob," said Ginny as Madam Pomfrey tried to fix her nose. "Id won'd do ady good! 'E god'em where id'urts de most'; ob da scoreboard. Pubchin' 'id'll lose de points 'e jus won."

Ron didn't stop pacing or swearing but he had calmed down a little. Harry would also like very much to hit the bloke who had done this to Ginny but he had the sense to control himself. He was dealing with other thoughts. He could still see the burned bodies of the Minister and his staff.

Ginny was released within a half an hour and the group went back to Gryffindor Tower for the customary post-match party.

Normally, the euphoria of a Quidditch victory lasted a week. This time it lasted ten hours. The happiness faded at breakfast the next day when everyone saw the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Minister of Magic Assassinated!

Underneath were four pictures. One showed Fudge smiling happily in his green bowler and robes. Another showed the fire. The café was burning as flames licked the walls. The third showed the interior of the charred shop after the fires had been extinguished. The last showed Harry himself. The picture was of him shouting to the Aurors and pointing up to the gunman. Inside there were more pictures. There were so many cameras it was like a comic strip. Fudge at the podium; the gun shooting his hat off; Aurors bundling him into the café; the sniper on the roof; the rocket in mid flight; the explosion; the fire; the aftermath; the bodies, and lastly, Harry being led away by Tonks.

Harry was receiving glances from all over the hall. He read part of the report.

Despite a valiant effort by Harry Potter, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was assassinated by an unknown gunman of Muggle origin.

And further down

Witnesses report seeing Potter grappling with the unknown assassin, before being thrown off of the roof of a four-story building. Potter was saved by a Phoenix, reportedly his own, but did not succeed in disarming the assailant. Mr Potter is so far unavailable for comment.

The article went on to list the dead. There would be a huge ceremony in a fortnight for the Minister and a remembrance ceremony for those others who had died. Harry couldn't get the image of the Minister out of his mind.

"Harry!" hissed Hermione, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"I know," muttered Harry.

"They're making it sound like you could have stopped it!"

"I know."

"It implies that your hatred of Fudge made you let him die."

"I KNOW!" said Harry, louder and more aggressively than he meant to. "Jesus, Hermione."

"All I am saying is that you need to let people know that this was Voldemort."

"And say what?" said Harry. "You didn't see it. You didn't have to look into the eyes of what was left of Fudge when the flames died down. You didn't have to sift through burnt bodies. You didn't smell...sorry." Harry saw the look in her eyes and realised that he had once again overstepped the mark. He was once again taking his anger out on others. "Sorry, I know you're trying to help. Look, I will not speak out against Fudge. With his last words, he asked me for forgiveness. I am not going to walk all over his memory just to make myself look good." Hermione stared at him with a tear in her eye. She nodded and placed a supportive hand over his.

"Thanks, Hermione," smiled Harry.

"Can I have your attention, please," came McGonagall's voice over the whispering. "The Headmaster still has business at the Ministry. I am taking over his duties. Classes run as normal with the exception of my NEWT class, lessons one and two. This lesson is cancelled. I trust you will all use this time wisely and get on with some private study."

"Great," muttered Harry. "Another two hours of sitting around getting stared at."

"Hey," whispered Katie. "I have a free first lesson. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade?"

"What?"

"Hogsmeade. Remember, we can sign out during free periods. I think you need a drink."

"Sure." This was what Harry needed, time; time to get away from the stares. Time to think over what had happened.

"It's always the way," said Katie with a smile. "In sixth year, we never signed out. Around Easter, someone will sign out and then everyone does. You only discover the freedom of signing out at the end of sixth year. Then in seventh you always do it and it's peaceful because no sixth years sign out."

They stopped off in the hall to collect emergency Portkeys and sign out and then walked arm in arm down to Hogsmeade. There was no snow yet, and the village was warm and friendly. There was a buzz of activity.

"How are you holding up?" asked Katie as they walked. "And don't say you're fine or I'll slap you."

"Seven shades of shite, with a blob of shite on top," said Harry frankly. "Pardon my French. All I can think about is the bodies, the smell. His last words were 'forgive me'." Harry felt a single tear roll out of his left eye, on the side that Katie was. "I...I failed him," he said as it rolled down his cheek. "I have no love for the man but I didn't want him dead. He wasn't even alive long enough to hear me say 'I do'."

"I know it's hard. That was the most God-awful place I've ever been," said Katie. "Harry, you have to keep fighting. If anything this should strengthen your resolve."

"It doesn't, I feel so feeble. I can't fight it. War is coming on all fronts and I can't do anything to stop it. If I stop one death, fifty more die the next day. It is a game for him, and I can't play."

"Then stop playing by his rules and make your own," said Katie, giving him a squeeze.

"How?" he asked, more of a plea than a question.

"I don't know, it just sounded like a wise thing to say at the time," she sighed. "I just hate to see you down. Come on." They arrived at the Three Broomsticks. "I'll buy you a drink. You look like you could use one."

"Cheers."

Harry took a seat while Katie went to the bar. He wouldn't get served, so he left Katie to do the purchasing. There were a few people around the bar discussing the news. He could hear his name being mentioned in every one of their conversations. Harry tried to hide his face so no one would start questioning him. Then he heard it.

"You have had far too much, young lady!" Madam Rosemerta's voice boomed from the bar.

"What do you bloody well mean, I've had too much?" came a familiar, yet slurred shout. "I'm as sober as a priest on Sunday. OK, bad example. Just gimme a drink!" wailed the voice.

"No! You are drunk! Please leave or I will have you escorted off the premises!"

Harry knew that voice all too well. The young Auror must be trying to down her sorrows. Harry rushed to the bar and put a hand on Tonks' shoulder.

"Come on, Tonks," he said softly, then to Madam Rosemerta: "She's with us." Between them, Harry and Katie managed to lead a very tipsy Tonks back to the table in the corner. As they left the bar, Harry heard the punters whispering.

That was him, you know.

The Harry Potter. We must come here more often.

"Tonks, what are you doing?" asked Katie, as they gently lowered her onto a chair. "Why are you smashed?"

"I am perfectly sober," hiccoughed Tonks. "I know when I've had too much!" Her pupils were dilated, she was swaying as she sat and her breath stunk of Firewhiskey. If she's sober, my name's Severus Snape, thought Harry.

"Tonks," said Harry softly. "What's wrong? Why the binge?"

"I buggered up," muttered Tonks. She paused for a second and then burst into tears. Every eye in the room was on them. Harry took advantage of Madam Rosemerta's attention being on them.

"Can we have a very strong black coffee over here, please," he called to her. "Do you have any potion to sober her up?" He turned back to the young Auror and sat down, wrapping an arm around her. "Tonks," he said soothingly. "Its OK; calm down. What did you bugger up?" She started sobbing into his shoulder. What did she do that caused her to loose control like this?

"It's terrible," wailed Tonks. "They'll kill me if they find out! I'll end up in Arabistan."

"You mean Azkaban?" asked Katie. Harry knew that Azkaban had long since been destroyed, but correcting Tonks was not the thing to do at this point in time.

"There too!" sobbed Tonks.

"What did you do?" asked Harry gently.

"I...I...I got Fudge killed, didn't I?" sobbed Tonks. That was not what Harry had been expecting.

"Tonks, you didn't do anything of the sort," said Harry firmly. "I was there. You weren't. You had nothing to do with it. How could you possible have gotten him killed?"

"But I did," wept Tonks. She took the handkerchief that Katie offered her and blew her nose. "It's all my fault. I should have told Dumbledore." What was she talking about?

"Tonks, listen to me," said Harry gently. "What should you have told Dumbledore?"

"I got them the weapons," sobbed Tonks.

"You what?" hissed Katie, sending the sobbing Auror into more fits of tears. Katie immediately reddened, realising her mistake, and didn't say anything else.

"They said they needed me to get it," sobbed Tonks. "I knew they were Death Eaters. They said they'd kill my father if I didn't. I thought I could arrest them when I handed them the rifle but I missed. They stunned me and I...I...When I woke up, I came to Canamarro Square and...he...he was...." She dissolved into tears.

"Shhh; it's OK, Tonks," soothed Katie, rubbing her shoulders. "It's over now."

"They'll have my badge and my head for this," wept Tonks.

"It wasn't the rifle that actually killed him," said Harry. "They used another weapon. You didn't cause his death."

"But I did kill my father," sobbed Tonks.

"What?"

"I went to his office. It was in ruins!" wept Tonks. "He's dead because of me!"

"Are you sure?" asked Harry.

"The Dark Mark was above the building!" wailed Tonks. Her eyes were pink and puffy. "My mother has disappeared as well. There is no answer at her house. I phoned twelve times." Tonks dissolved into more tears. The coffee arrived with some sobering potion. Harry told Tonks to take a mouthful and, begrudgingly, she did. Harry realised what he had to do.

"Katie," said Harry as he stood. "Stay with Tonks. There are people here - you should be safe. Don't leave until a teacher comes to get you."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm going to see for myself."

"What?"

"I'm going to find Andromeda Tonks. She said there was no reply, but if the house was still standing there's a chance that she's still alive. I can't just let her be killed."

"You don't know where she lives."

Harry couldn't believe he had overlooked this flaw in his plan. He felt like a prize idiot. He didn't have a clue where to start. "Tonks," said Harry. "Where does your mother live?" It was too late; Tonks had passed out. "What's wrong with her?" he asked Katie.

"It's the potion," she replied. "It knocks you out in thirty seconds and then you're out for fifteen minutes. When you wake up, you're sober."

"Thanks for telling me," said Harry. "How do you know all this?" Katie turned very red and declined to comment. "I'll have to ask her sister," said Harry. "Stay here. Don't leave. OK?"

"OK."

Harry kissed Katie and then sprinted back up to the castle. He contemplated going to see the Headmaster but he was in the Ministry. His business was the priority. The Ministry must not collapse. He would have to find Andromeda himself. He was out of breath when he reached the front gate, but he had to keep going. His ribs and his lungs were complaining with every pace, but he kept on going; he had to. He turned right and sprinted as fast as he could over to the Defence rooms. Narcissa was in the middle of a lesson with third years.

Harry didn't even stop to knock. He just burst into the room panting and just managing to duck the spell that Narcissa instantly aimed at him. Her spot tests had quickly become the greatest danger in Hogwarts castle. She would randomly fire at anyone over fourth year in the corridor to 'keep people on their toes'.

"Narcissa," panted Harry, trying to catch his breath. His shirt was covered in sweat and was sticking to him. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. "Can I have a word?"

"I'm in the middle of a lesson, Harry," said Narcissa a little patronisingly, tapping her wand on her palm.

"Please," said Harry, gasping for breath. "It's an emergency." Harry stepped outside the room. Narcissa raised an eyebrow and then followed.

"What do you want?" she said in almost a bored voice after they were outside and she had closed the door.

"I need your sister's address," replied Harry bluntly.

"Bellatrix?" asked Narcissa, her surprise at the question quite evident.

"Andromeda," corrected Harry.

"Why?"

"Death Eaters have already killed her husband and she seems to have disappeared," said Harry. "She may be alive and until I know for sure, I'm not giving up hope that she is."

"Why would they go for Ted?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, I need the address, quickly."

Narcissa's eyes narrowed. "I'll come with you," she said firmly. She marched swiftly back into the classroom, picked up a pot of powder from her desk and threw a handful of it into the fireplace.

"Pince," she barked.

"Black, what's this all about? This is a library," came a voice, as the head of the librarian appeared in the fire.

"Is Miss Granger in there?" snapped Narcissa.

"Yes, why?"

"Send her to me, I need her to cover the lesson. I'm going out."

The head disappeared and a few seconds later Hermione rose from a mass of green flames, covered in soot.

"What's going on?" she coughed, shaking soot off of her clothes.

"Cover the class," ordered Narcissa. "We're doing chapter two. I trust you can cope." With that she grabbed her cloak and pocketed her wand. "Come on, Harry," she said firmly.

"Where are you going?" asked Hermione as they neared the door.

Harry stopped and opened his mouth to answer, but Narcissa got there first. She grabbed him by the right shoulder and pushed him out of the room.

"Family Emergency," she called as she closed the door.

She strode out of the room and Harry fell into step beside her.

"Start talking, Harry," said Narcissa as they walked at a surprisingly fast pace. "Why is Annie in danger?"

"Tonks, as in Nymphadora, was cornered by Death Eaters. She got them a rifle for the assassination in return for their lives. When I intervened in the assassination, they went after her parents. Her father is already dead, his office destroyed and the Dark Mark in the sky. There is no reply at her mother's house. She passed out before I could get the address."

They turned a corner and came to a trophy cabinet. Narcissa opened it and removed a trophy from it and turned it into a Portkey. "Hold on!" ordered Narcissa. Harry took hold of the trophy.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR THE MOST DETENTIONS IN ONE YEAR

SIRIUS BLACK (153)

GRYFFINDOR

1974/75

Harry felt a pang of loss at seeing his name, but quickly shook it off. This was not the time. Sirius' favourite cousin was in grave danger.

He and Narcissa landed in a narrow alley. It wasn't an alley as in a gap between two buildings, but the path around to the back of someone's house. On one side was a tall, green wooden fence and on the other the side was a small, suburban house, not unlike Privet Drive.

Harry took out his wand and shoved it up his sleeve. He followed Narcissa cautiously around to the front of the house. The street was not unlike Privet Drive, but it wasn't as precise or as well groomed. It seemed more natural, less perfect then his old home. The toys scattered across the lawn of the house opposite gave the street a lived-in feel.

"Where are we?" asked Harry.

"In the front garden," said Narcissa.

"Really?" asked Harry sarcastically. "I mean where in the country are we?"

"16, Greenbank Road, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England, UK, Northern Hemisphere, Planet Earth, Milky Way galaxy, the universe."

"I get the point," Harry cut her off. "This is not the time for sarcasm"

Narcissa knocked on the door.

"Annie?" she called as she knocked. "Andromeda? Annie, it's Cissa, open up!"

There was no reply.

"Stand back," hissed Narcissa. She raised her wand and was about to use a spell when she stopped. She slowly reached out and twisted the door handle. There was a click and the door slid open.

"Someone is inside?" asked Harry.

"Not necessarily. Annie brought this house just after she graduated, before the split in the family. She put charms on it so that it would always be unlocked to us, but locked to anyone else."

Narcissa pushed the door slowly open. The curtains had been drawn and the house was perfectly dark inside. A beam of light came through the open door and cast a white line across the carpet. Harry and Narcissa went inside and shut the door behind them with a soft click. Both had their wands out.

They sat in stillness for the next few seconds. Waiting, listening. There was nothing. The house was obviously magical if you knew what to look for. The pictures on the walls didn't move but the ornaments and attire of the people in pictures was enough to give it away. There were long dark shadows everywhere.

"Come on," whispered Narcissa. She took a few steps forwards, reaching the first door on the left. Harry crossed to the far side of the door; both had their backs pressed to the door. "One," whispered Narcissa. "Two...three!" She pushed open the door about a foot. Harry slipped through the door and looked around. The room was in darkness just as the hall had been. Thick red curtains had been drawn. This didn't feel right. No house would be this dark. Then he saw something that truly scared him. A sofa had its back to him; protruding from one side of it, was a foot. Someone was lying on the sofa.

"Psst!" hissed Harry. Narcissa looked up at him. He pointed to the foot. They went around opposite sides of the settee. Lying on the sofa, looking very pale due to blood loss was a woman who resembled Narcissa. She had brown hair, highlighted with a reddish brown. She had some bruising and a gash on her forehead. Her white robes were covered in small splatters of blood and a dark patch of red covered her stomach. She had been stabbed. Harry could see a handle of some sort protruding from the fold of her robes.

"Annie!" gasped Narcissa, kneeling next to her sister and trying to examine the wound. Andromeda's eyes flew open; her hand rose quickly and smashed into Narcissa's face, causing her to lose balance.

"Cissa, you bitch," spat Andromeda, trying to sit up. "Tell those friends of yours I'll die before I give her up."

"Andie," soothed Narcissa, wiping blood from her sister's face. Harry could see the sadness in her eyes, the regret. She was on the verge of tears as she wiped the blood away from her sister's face. "You were right." The first tear escaped her eye, and trickled down her cheek. "You were right about me. I've been such a fool, Annie," wept Narcissa. She seemed to have forgotten Harry. He decided to step back, to leave them to it. He took three paces backwards into the corner, disappearing into the shadows, from which he could clearly see the door. He kept his wand aimed at the door as Narcissa continued to cry. "I should have listened to you," continued Narcissa between sobs. "I was a slave in my own home, but I was too proud to ask you for help. He took Draco. He took everything. He wanted me to be Bellatrix, but I'm not, Andie, I'm not Bellatrix."

Andromeda slowly and painfully raised a blood soaked hand, and gently cupped her sister's face. "You l...left him?" she coughed. A small smile spread over Narcissa's face, as she slowly nodded.

"I'm sorry," Narcissa sobbed. "I'm sorry I ignored you. I'm sorry I didn't help. I'm sorry for everything."

"Shhh," coughed Andromeda, causing a small splatter of blood to escape her mouth and land on Narcissa's sleeve.

"Please let me help," whispered Narcissa, pointing at the perturbing knife handle that was sticking out of her stomach.

"Leave it, Ciss," coughed Andromeda. "It's over. It's in my liver. Look, the blood is black."

"We have to get you to a hospital," said Narcissa.

"No," coughed Andromeda. "It's too late. Tell...tell Nym that the ans...answer is yes on both counts."

"Oh, you are NOT giving up on me that easily," snarled Narcissa. She withdrew her wand and began to operate. Harry couldn't see exactly what was going on, as the back of the sofa was between him and Andromeda.

Harry sighed and looked away from Narcissa to Andromeda. He had a knot in his stomach. Was she going to make it? Tonks had already lost a father, Harry didn't want her to lose her mother as well. He grasped his Amulet.

Poppy Pomfrey, he thought.

Who's this? came the response in a few seconds.

Madam Pomfrey, it's Harry Potter. We are at 16 Greenbank Road, Rickmansworth. Andromeda Tonks has been stabbed in the liver. Narcissa is here, but we need medical support, PDQ.

PDQ?

Pretty Damn Quick, as in ASAP, as in right now.

OK, I'm on my way.

"Narcissa," he whispered. He saw her head flick up to look at him. "Madam Pomfrey is on the way."

"Thanks," she smiled, before returning to Andromeda.

"Who's there?" came Andromeda's voice.

Harry slowly made his way around to the front of the sofa. "Hi, Mrs Tonks," he said politely. "I'm..."

"Merlin!" Andromeda gasped before he could finish.

"Not quite," said Harry kindly. "I'm here to help you. Ton...Nymphadora sent me."

"Where is she?" said Andromeda, coughing up blood with every word.

"She's on her way," lied Harry, putting on a kind smile.

"Just like Lily," she smiled. "A terrible liar."

"Sorry," said Harry, trying not to laugh. "The last time I saw your daughter, she had just passed out in the Three Broomsticks after taking a sobering potion. She thinks that you're dead and it is her fault, so she's gone out to drown her sorrows."

"She certainly did not inherit that stupidity from me," said Andromeda with a small smile. "My attempts to make a lady out of her have obviously failed."

"Perhaps," smiled Harry. "But you should still be proud of her. She's the warmest, friendliest person I know, not to mention a fine Auror, if somewhat clumsy."

"Oh, I am," said Andromeda.

"Don't move or speak for a few seconds," said Narcissa firmly. "Hold absolutely still or this could make it even worse."

Harry watched as a burning orange light gently shone out of the end of Narcissa's wand. He saw Andromeda's eyes fly open in shock, then her whole face contracted in pain.

"Sorry," whispered Narcissa. "I've closed your arteries, and I've burned the wound to stop any bleeding. We can move you to a hospital for proper treatment now."

It was then that Harry's eyes fell on the clock. It was not a normal clock. It was similar to the Weasleys. Where the numbers should be, were words. 'At Home', 'At School', 'At Work'. Harry looked at the hands. The hand labelled Nym was pointing to 'At School'. Katie must be back at Hogwarts. 'Ted' was pointing to 'At Work'. He had been at his office when he died. Then Harry noticed something that made his blood run cold.

There were not two hands pointing to 'At Home', but three. Cissa, Annie, and Bella.

"Pssst!" hissed Harry. Narcissa looked up, her mascara covered her cheeks from the tears. Harry pointed to the clock. "Bellatrix!"

Narcissa stood up. She took out her wand and a mask fell over her face. Her expression scared Harry at this point. It was a look of pure hatred, one that matched the sister towards whom the hatred was directed. She strode towards the door but Harry stood in her way.

"Get out of my way!" she hissed.

"No."

"I said..."

"I heard you. She'll hear you coming!" he hissed. "Find her, bring her in alive and let a Dementor have her. She deserves it. Sirius, Andromeda. She deserves worse than death, Narcissa. Don't get thrown in Azkaban over this. If you're locked up, what happens to Remus, to Draco, to Andromeda? They need you."

"Fine," muttered Narcissa. "When I get my hands on her!" She spat under her breath.

"Let me go after Bellatrix," said Harry softly. "You stay with Andromeda, keep her alive. Madam Pomfrey should be here any second. If Tonks wakes up, she'll come here as well. Stay here, I'll go after Bellatrix."

"She'll tear you apart!" hissed Narcissa.

"He won't let her touch me," said Harry. "He wants me alive. Anyhow, Bellatrix has felt my sting before."

"Meaning?"

"She incurred my displeasure after she killed Sirius."

"You didn't do what I think you did...did you?"

"Stay here," said Harry, avoiding the question. He slipped silently out of the door into the entrance hall before she could object. If I were a homicidal maniac, where would I hide? thought Harry to himself. Harry approached the door opposite the lounge which lead to what Harry assumed was a drawing room or study. He slowly twisted the handle and then opened the door a fraction. He stepped to one side, out of the line of fire, and pushed the door fully open.

"Lumos!" he muttered. He held the wand in the doorway, shining the light in. If she was inside, she would fire at the door once she saw a wand was there. Since nothing happened, Harry slipped into the room, which was indeed a study. There was a small desk littered with papers and a computer. There was a filing cabinet and on the wall was a plastic fish on a plaque. Harry had seen one of those before. Dudley had been bought one in town. You pressed the red button and the fish's head turned to face you and it sang a cheesy song. It was a Muggle toy. They were the most annoying things since Furbies were invented. Luckily, Dudley had broken his within 24 hours of getting it. To be honest, Harry had removed the batteries and then when Dudley couldn't get it to work, he threw it across the room and it broke. He didn't even think to check the batteries.

Harry had a sudden idea. He took it down off the shelf, making sure he didn't hit the button. He also pocketed an aerosol air-freshener and a paperweight. Harry checked the kitchen in the same way as the lounge. He opened the door and then shone his wand in. He then waited for a second before going in himself. The kitchen was empty, though it seemed that Bellatrix had helped herself to some quiche from the fridge while she was here. Harry took a knife out of the draw. He was considering a carving knife, but it was a bit thin. He went for a shorter, thicker knife. He hoped he didn't have to use it, but experience with Bellatrix told him that she was not someone to be taken lightly. He slipped it into the belt loops on the back of his black combats and after extinguishing his wand, made his way to the foot of the stairs. This was the hard part. The stairs went up seven steps then doubled back for five more. This u-turn was going to be tricky.

Harry walked up the stairs backwards, facing the landing above at all times. He kept his wand aimed at the top of the stairs, without the light, for it would give him away. Bellatrix had drawn every curtain; the house was in darkness. Harry's trainers made no sound on the carpeted steps. Harry climbed the seven steps backwards, and then sidestepped to face the landing. Instead of climbing the five, Harry lay down, so that his head was just above the top step. Looking down the corridor, he could see four doors. There was a small gap between the curtains on the window at the end of the corridor. By this tiny light, Harry could see four doors. There were two on the right, one of which was partially open. There were two on the left as well. One was probably a toilet, two bedrooms and one other room, thought Harry. This house isn't too different from Privet drive, except in decoration. This kind of housing was everywhere. Uncle Vernon would not be able to tell that this house belonged to someone 'abnormal'. The problem was that Narcissa and Andromeda hadn't been whispering, and Narcissa had banged on the door. It was possible that Bellatrix was aware of their presence. She could be waiting behind any of these doors. It was too dangerous to just walk up and pick a door. He had to get her where he wanted her. The opened door was probably a trap. If Harry went to look in that one, she would appear from another door and stun him. But then again, it could be a double bluff. Harry was getting nervous. Should I stay or should I go? he asked himself silently. He was beginning to regret telling Narcissa to wait downstairs. He was amazed she had obeyed, but then again, her sister was near death. Harry took the singing-fish toy out of his pocket along with the paperweight and the can of air-freshener.

Harry had seen this done on one of Dudley's videos at one point. The idea was to create a distraction and then strike. Hopefully it would work. He took out his wand and levitated the fish. He gently floated it down the corridor, placing it between the last two doors. He put the aerosol just to the side, on the top step, ready for when it was needed. He took the paperweight in his hand. It was now or never, with a deep breath, he reached back and threw the paperweight down the corridor. It landed on the floor with a thud just in front of the last door on the right. As it landed, Harry pointed his wand and concentrated hard on the button on the fish. He used all his will to make the button press inwards. It worked. Just as the paperweight hit the floor, the fish began to sing.

I believe in miracles!

When you came along,

You sexy thing!

At the sound of the bump and the voice, the last door on the left flew open, and a figure in black emerged, facing the direction of the singing fish. As she faced it, she had her back to Harry. This was perfect; he didn't even need the aerosol if she was facing away from him.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, standing and walking towards Bellatrix. The charm hit her in the back. Her wand came flying over to Harry as she was launched against the wall. The window cracked as she slammed into it, the ornate vase that had been on the windowsill shattered. The robed figure bounced off the broken, but not shattered, window, and landed hard on the floor. Potting mix and water rained down on her, and a bunch of bluebells fell on her head.

"Son of a bitch!" cursed the Death Eater, in a voice that was unmistakably male. This isn't Bellatrix! Harry felt a shiver run down his spine as he realised that he had been driven out of his hiding place by a trap even more cunning than his own.

"Expelliarmus!" hissed a woman's voice.

Harry never detected her approach. Without warning, he suddenly felt the spell impact on his left shoulder blade. The force of the spell forced him to spin on the spot as he fell. He lost his grip on his wand as it sailed over to Bellatrix, who had emerged from the door behind him. Harry found himself looking up at Bellatrix Lestrange in all her horrible glory. Her hand was covered in blood, and Harry was sure it wasn't her own. Her cold eyes were gleaming and her long black hair was perfectly straightened and gently flowing over her shoulders. Her expression was one of triumph and pleasure. If Harry didn't hate her so much, he would have had to admit that she looked moderately attractive at this point in time.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, putting on another stupid voice, this one a posh aristocrat. "Absolutely corking to see you, old chap! Crucio!"

Harry felt the curse coming. He could feel the power coming closer and closer and then it struck. Pain ripped through every nerve in his body. His muscles contracted in agony as the pain caused his nerves to go haywire. Harry gritted his teeth together in an effort to not scream. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of screaming. His body began to thrash involuntarily as the pain took hold of him. He felt like he was on fire, like a thousand red hot pokers were prodding him all over his body. He hugged his limbs close to him, praying the pain would end.

And then, it was gone. Bellatrix lifted the curse, and stood smirking at his steaming body.

"After our last encounter, that felt so good," she sighed. "So good in fact, that I want some more. Crucio!"

Harry ached too much to even move. The curse hit him in the stomach. The pain was unbearable. His body began the thrashing again and he felt himself lose any form of control. His will faded and he let out one long scream that echoed off the walls. His wished for numbness, even for death as the curse tore him apart. He knew the pain wasn't real, that it was just an illusion created by the curse, but the illusion was so strong that he couldn't fight it. "Please!" he gasped through the agony. He didn't want to let Bellatrix see him beg, but the pain was too intense. The curse abruptly ended.

"I'm sorry," said Bellatrix innocently, a manic grin on her face. "Did you just beg little-old-me to stop? Did the mighty Boy-Who-Lived, just beg poor, humble Bellatrix for mercy? Scream all you want. my dear. I've put a soundproof charm on the stairs. Andie-Pandy won't hear you. In fact, in a few minutes, she won't hear anything at all. She may even have popped her clogs already. I have to admit, Harry, that I am a little surprised to see you here, but never mind. It saves me the trouble of having to come running after you. Crucio!"

Harry was torn apart by the curse. There was no hiding his agony this time. He screamed as the curse sent agony down every nerve in his body. Pain he wouldn't even wish on Malfoy or Voldemort came surging through his body. He lost track of everything else. Everything but the pain faded into insignificance. Then Bellatrix removed the curse.

Harry couldn't move. Every limb ached. He tried to sit up, but his arms buckled and he fell back down. Narcissa, please! he cried out inside his head. You must have heard the scream. Help me. What was I thinking going after her alone, why am I such an idiot. Help me! Then Harry remembered his trap. The aerosol can was still on the top step, just a few feet away. He had planned on having a wand for this part of the plan; he just hoped he had enough energy for it to work without one.

"Rodolphus," called Bellatrix. The Death Eater who Harry had managed to disarm earlier was back on his feet and had been watching his manic wife torturing a young man. He looked up at Bellatrix as she called him. "Stop staring at the boy's arse and bring my darling sister up to see this."

"She's dead by now," growled Rodolphus.

"I know!" shot back Bellatrix sarcastically. "Do I look like I want a bloody conversation with her?" she snapped at her husband.

"Then what?" growled Rodolphus. Harry realised that the Lestrange marriage was far from a happy one. If he weren't in so much pain, this would appear very funny.

"I fancy myself an artist," said Bellatrix innocently, her manic grin pasted all over her face. "These walls are too bare. They need a lick of paint, arterial red, I think, and here," she pointed to a large expanse of wall, "a centrepiece, I'll call it The Crucifixion and the Cruciatus - you might want to find a couple of nails when you bring her body up." She added as her husband headed towards the stairs. He was only a few paces from the top step, on which the aerosol can was perched. Harry concentrated on the can with all his will. He extended a hand in the direction of the can. Please work! he thought.

"INCENDIO!" he screamed with all the breath he could muster.

The can burst into flame. The flammable liquid was pressurised and when the fire appeared around it, it exploded. A small ball of fire erupted at the top of the stairs. It only lasted for a split second but it shocked Bellatrix and Rodolphus long enough for Harry to grab the paperweight and bring it crashing down on Bellatrix's leg. As she stumbled to the ground, he brought it down again on the back of her head. She screamed and dropped her wand, just as Rodolphus spun around and saw what was happening. Harry grabbed Bellatrix's wand and rolled forward. As he rolled, Rodolphus' first curse flew over his head, missing by an inch. As he came up from the roll, Harry fired a stunner at the Death Eater. Rodolphus raised a shield in time and the stunner bounced cleanly off, narrowly missing Harry on the rebound. Every one of Harry's limbs ached as he took aim again, but he was too slow.

"Conjunctivus!" hissed Rodolphus. The curse hit Harry in the face. He dropped his wand in pain, as his eyes began to burn. They were watering furiously. Harry could feel the tears flowing down his cheeks, though he wasn't crying. His eyes burned, his vision was blurry. It wasn't surprising that this curse could get through to a dragon. It was agony. He could hardly see a thing. What he did see were two shapes moving about. Bellatrix was back on her feet.

"Bastard!" she spat at him. "That hurt!" She placed a hand on the back of her head, and when it came away, it was covered in blood. The red liquid was seeping into her hair, binding it together in disgusting clumps.

"Good!" spat Harry, swabbing his burning eyes on his robes. This just made them itch even more. Bellatrix hooked her foot inside Harry's arm and pulled it straight. Harry tried to fight, but he couldn't see a thing. Her foot pressed his arm firmly to the floor. Then he felt the heel of her high-heeled shoes pressing into the upturned palm of his hand. The narrow heel pressed painfully into his palm, crushing his hand into the carpet. She had chosen his real hand, and it was hurting like hell. To make matters worse, he now only had one hand to tend to his eyes.

"Never mess up a lady's hair," spat Bellatrix, digging the heel deeper into his hand. He felt a warm trickle as she drew blood. "Especially the day after I pay to have it done!" Harry tried to pull her foot away with his right hand, but he didn't have the strength.

"Incidentally," interrupted Rodolphus, "your help with the Minister on Saturday was much appreciated."

"What?" stammered Harry, still trying to get his hand free.

"The Master was right, you don't think things through, do you, Potter?" smirked Rodolphus. "You are concerned with the here and the now. The Master is more of a Chess and Bridge player. He thinks many turns ahead."

"Shut up, Rudolph," said Harry. There was a pause but Harry couldn't help himself. He had pushed a button in him. "How did I help with the Minister?" Bellatrix removed her foot and Harry clutched his injured hand. His looked up at Bellatrix. Through blurred vision, he saw that she was grinning manically at him.

"If I wanted to prevent you from escaping, do you really think I would leave you with two inapt guards and your wands and necklaces just a stone throw away? You were meant to escape, you were meant to intervene," she smirked.

"I was what?"

"We never needed your fingerprints. That story was so weak, I'm amazed you didn't see through it. You tried to take down my little hit man, who was under the Imperius curse. The Muggle has been captured by Aurors and we have modified his memory so that he remembers being hired by a group of Squibs and Muggles to kill the Minister. What the public now knows is that Muggles plotted to kill the Minister. Not a Death Eater, a Muggle. Opinion is turning against them. We are getting more recruits than ever before. People are standing up for the supremacy of Wizards over the barbaric Muggles! It also showed that you can't control them. It has introduced doubt into political thinking. Only a little doubt but enough to get people asking the question: can Muggles be trusted? We accomplished our objective, Fudge is out off office and, in addition, we have gained more recruits, either from fear, or because people no longer trust Muggles. We're winning, Harry."

"You mean..."

"Yes, we played you," smirked Bellatrix. "Heroes are so predictable," she scoffed, before adopting her regal voice once more. "I guess we owe you a great debt of gratitude. Jolly sporting off you, old chap. The Minister is dead, Muggles are being blamed and the media is showing how horrific Muggles can be."

"Jesus," muttered Harry. Suddenly it was all so clear. How could he have been so stupid? "Just for my own satisfaction. The Death Eater you paid to take over and run the Ministry in your favour. That was Dolores Umbridge, wasn't it?"

"Yes," confirmed Bellatrix. "Just like the Minister, she perished in that catastrophe. Well, it beats paying her!" added Bellatrix with a grin. "Anyhow, as much as I would love to stay and chat, and as much as Rodolphus would love to stay and...well, never mind that, I am afraid we have to dash. Now let's see, what am I forgetting? The husband...tragically died in an office fire. The wife...brutally murdered by an intruder, probably Muggle judging by the choice of weapon. The daughter...well, that's my next port of call. The Boy-Who-Lived..."

"Saved by the woman who loves him!" came a voice.

Harry and the Lestranges spun around. At the top of the stairs was Katie, along with Nymphadora Tonks and Narcissa Black.

"STUPEFY!" called the three women simultaneously.

Three red spells came zooming towards them. Harry threw himself to the ground, but unfortunately, the Lestranges had the same idea. Harry found himself lying on his side, face to face with Bellatrix. She smirked, blew him a kiss, and then threw him an envelope, before disappearing with a pop. A second later, her husband disappeared in a similar fashion.

"Harry!" called Katie, sprinting over and kneeling next to him. "Are you OK?"

"No," replied Harry clenching his eyes firmly shut. "I got hit with a Conjunctivus Curse."

"That's painful," said Narcissa lightly, as she knelt beside him.

"Thanks for that," said Harry sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

"It was meant to be a joke," sighed Narcissa. If Harry opened his eyes, he was sure he would see her rolling her eyes. "Harry I need you to open your eyes."

Harry did so, but instantly the pain returned and Harry shut them. He felt Narcissa's cold fingers force his eyelids back, and then he saw a flash of light. Suddenly the itching was gone, but his eyes still felt red and sore. Narcissa still held his eyes open.

"Harry," she said softly. "I just need to clean your eyes out, hold still." She muttered an incantation and a gentle trickle of cold water flowing into Harry's eyes. He tried to shut them, but Narcissa held them open. "Don't be such a big girl's blouse," she muttered. She stopped after a few seconds and Harry instantly shut his eyes. He blinked a few times before opening them and looking around. The hallway was covered in scorch marks from curses. Suddenly, Harry's eyes fell on Katie. He broke into a lopsided grin.

Katie shook her head in a look that said clearly, what were you doing? But then she smiled and hugged him. "Don't ever scare me like that again, young man," she whispered as she squeezed him. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the envelope Harry was holding.

"Oh, yeah," said Harry. "A gift from Bellatrix." He tore it open and several cards fell out. Harry held them in his hands. The first read '10' in big red letters. Harry dropped that card; the next read '9' in similar lettering. The next read '8', then '7'. Suddenly Harry understood. "It's a bomb! Get out of here, now! Where's Andromeda?"

The four of them bounded down the stairs and into the lounge. Madam Pomfrey had huddled over an unconscious Andromeda and looked up as they came in. "We have to go," hissed Harry, picking up Andromeda. "Use the Amulets!" He threw his over Andromeda's neck and took a hold. "Get me out of here!" he said. Andromeda disappeared with a flash, leaving Harry alone in the house. He Disapparated back to Grimmauld Place with a pop, just as the Tonks residence erupted into flame, topped by the glowing image of a skull, with a protruding snake for a tongue.

~~~~ + ~~~~

Harry reappeared in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. That was the sixth time he had Apparated illegally. I really must stop this, thought Harry to himself. He left the kitchen and marched through to the lounge.

"You made it!" called a voice the second he entered the room. The next thing he knew Katie had dived on top of him. She had thrown her arms around his neck and locked her feet around his waist. Harry held her close to him, she felt much lighter than he would have thought. Harry spun around in a circle, holding her close to him. Harry felt the need to pull her to close to him, to kiss her soft, warm lips, but he didn't have a free hand to do it. Both of his were holding on to her bum, holding her up. He didn't have to worry, as she soon leaned close and kissed him firmly on the lips. He opened his mouth, allowing her warm tongue to explore his mouth. He slowly pushed his tongue forward, gently exploring her mouth, allowing his tongue to dance with hers. He felt peace and tranquillity wash over him as they kissed. All his troubles seemed a million miles away as he melted into her. As he caressed her tongue with his, he heard her moan softly in pleasure.

"Hmm, hmm," someone in the room coughed, trying to get their attention. Katie broke the kiss.

"There are cough drops in the bathroom cabinet," she said before planting her lips back on Harry's. Harry had no objection to this. He felt her legs unlock and slide back down to the floor. He released her bum, and slid his hand up her back, pulling her closer to him. He knew he was on the verge of losing control, but he didn't care. In fact, he had already lost control. All that mattered now was Katie. Her soft tongue probed his mouth gently but assertively. She was driving him wild.

"HMM, HMM!" came the cough again.

"Sorry," said Harry, breaking the kiss. He received a glare from Katie, which broke into a grin as she licked her lips. "Completely lost track of time."

"We'll finish this later," whispered Katie, releasing him. Harry looked around the room. Madam Pomfrey was doing something to Andromeda's wound. Mrs Tonks was lying on the sofa, while Madam Pomfrey sat on a stool, leaning over her. Nymphadora was sitting on an armchair, staring at her mother, pale as death with tears streaming down her cheeks. Narcissa was standing a few feet from Harry and Katie smirking at them. When she smirked, Harry saw a glimmer of Bellatrix in her, but her eyes didn't glow with hatred as Bellatrix's did. Narcissa's eyes, at the moment, were full of warmth; a warmth that Harry would never have expected from her.

"Now that you two are back on planet Earth," said Narcissa. "You should return to Hogwarts. You both have lessons to attend. Harry, two things. One: going against Bellatrix alone was stupid, and I don't know why I let you talk me into letting you. It was reckless, dangerous and it nearly cost you your life. Luckily, you are all right. Secondly," she walked up to him and before Harry could move, she swept him into a warm hug. "Thank you for saving Annie."

"HMM, HMM!" coughed Katie just as Narcissa had done a few second earlier. "Hands off, Professor. Private property." she smiled at Narcissa, who still had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Harry," she said as she released him. "You're the only reason that Annie is still alive."

"And I am the reason she nearly wasn't," said Tonks miserably from a chair in the corner.

"NYMPHADORA TONKS!" screamed a voice. Andromeda had woken up. "Don't you ever let me hear you speak like that again! Today had nothing to do with you. It was all about your aunt's anger at me for marrying your father. If you even think about wallowing in self pity, I'll hex you into tomorrow."

"Who screams louder?" whispered Katie. "Andromeda Tonks or Molly Weasley."

"Molly," whispered Harry. "One of the few people who scare me."

"You're kidding."

"No, really," whispered Harry. "She terrifies me. I've seen her scream at Ron, Fred and George, and the thought of her shouting at me, it scares the Hell out of me. Give me Voldemort any day, but don't let her scream at me!" Katie couldn't stop smiling, but Harry was being perfectly honest. The thought of upsetting the woman who was the closest thing to a mother he had ever had, was one of Harry's fears. The look of disappointment on Dumbledore's face had lost some significance after he found out Dumbledore had kept things from him. He didn't find the look of disappointment as hard to bare as he once did. But the thought of Mrs Weasley giving him that look was something Harry prayed would never happen.

Madam Pomfrey transferred Andromeda to Hogwarts by a Portkey. She took whatever was handy and the two of them vanished with a flash of light. Nymphadora was going to stay and have a cup of tea with Aunty Cissa in her office at Hogwarts, but Narcissa wasn't leaving until she had seen Harry and Katie go. She made them a Portkey, which would take them to her office at Hogwarts. She didn't want them 'skiving off for more of what I've seen just now', as she put it.

They arrived during the lunch break. As soon as they entered the Great Hall, they were swamped with questions by Hermione and Ron. As much as Hermione had enjoyed covering a class and demonstrating her brilliance, she felt that Harry's tale was more important than her own. Between them, Harry and Katie managed to give them an account of what happened.

"Poor Tonks," said Hermione.

"Nymphadora," said Katie. "Now there are two here, we have to use first names."

"She'll love that," grinned Ron.

"So, Hermione," said Harry. "How did your lesson with the third years go?"

"Fine," beamed Hermione. "Though I have to admit, we went off topic a little bit," she confessed, turning slightly pink.

"Did one of them mention House Elves?" asked Ron innocently.

"No," Hermione glared at him. "We were discussing Werewolves and I strayed onto the topic of their rights as human beings."

"No worries," grinned Katie. "When I did werewolves, I was in third year. That was when we had Lockhart as a teacher. Wanderings with Werewolves, I ask you. Though I have to admit that the book is not without its uses. At present it is being very helpful."

"How?" asked Ron.

"Well, it's exactly one and five sixteenths of an inch thick, which means it props up my wonky wardrobe perfectly."

~~~~ + ~~~~

"What've you got there, Wick?" asked Ron the next day at breakfast. He, Harry, and Hermione were sitting eating breakfast with the fifth years next to them. Ginny was mysteriously absent. The fifth year in question was surrounded by several boys from years four to seven, all of them staring down avidly at whatever magazine he was reading. Most people had been reading the tribute to Minister Fudge in the Daily Prophet, but Wick had other ideas.

"It came with the latest issue of WQ," said Wick with a sly grin.

"That's the one with the hundred sexiest Witches in it, isn't it?" asked Ron before being glared at by Hermione. WQ, or Wizard's Quarterly, was a magazine for men, which was semi-dirty. It was a lot of adverts and reviews of new stuff on the market. It included some things on new Muggle technology as well. The latest issue had a countdown of the one hundred sexiest witches in the world.

"I reckon she's overrated," Wick informed his audience. "She's fine here, but if you see pictures of her on the street or without all this make-up, she looks, well, she looks a bit like McGonagall." He was lucky she didn't hear that. Wick flicked the page, viewing numbers thirty-two, Edwina Carrolson and number thirty-one, Michaela Donahue. Both were waving back form large photos, wearing very little in the way of clothes and far too much in the way of makeup.

"She is minging," said one of the seventh years pointing to the next page. "How she got in is a bloody miracle."

Harry was tempted to voice his own opinion, but with Katie beside him, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"She," said Wick, pointing to a picture of Marilyn Ferguson. "Should be higher. She is absolutely stunning. My girlfriend this summer got tired of me watching her video on the tele. She banned me from watching any of Fergie's videos. You know she's a Muggle pop star, even though she's a witch. The song was shite, but the video, I tell you lads, it was brilliant. It's her dancing on the beach wearing a pair of hot pants and a white t-shirt. If you fast-forward to one minute and twenty-one seconds, the t-shirt gets wet and she's wearing nothing underneath it. I tell you, lads, I thought Christmas had come early. The song was crap, so I had to mute the TV and put some good music on the Hi-Fi and then I was well happy. The trouble was that after a few minutes, Amy comes in: 'TURN THAT CRAP OFF!' I think she was a bit jealous." There was a load of laughter from the others gathered around him.

"What's going on here?" asked a voice.

Looking up, Harry saw the head Boy, Charles Miller, standing a few feet away. He glared at the crowd who slowly dispersed.

"Give it to me," he ordered.

Begrudgingly, Wick handed over the magazine. Miller took it and opened it.

"Why is there such a crowd here?" asked a voice with a thick Scottish accent. "Surely eating breakfast is not this exciting?" McGonagall stood on the far side of the gathered crowd from Miller. "Mr Miller, what are you reading?"

"What? I...I" he stammered. Harry was trying desperately hard not to laugh when Wick spoke again.

"Well, you see, Professor," he said with a grin on his face. "We're here, elbows to the grindstone, revising our Transfiguration work, and then Miller comes along and suddenly the dirty magazines come out."

"But, I..." stammered the Head Boy.

Harry was fighting back a laugh so hard he choked on a bit of sausage. Neville slapped his back, perhaps a little overenthusiastically, and he managed to recover his breath. "Thanks, Neville," he coughed.

"Mr Miller, what have you been told about setting an example to students?" asked McGonagall coldly.

"It's not mine," stammered Miller.

"Mr Miller," began McGonagall. "I think that you and I had better...." She stopped speaking. Her face changed from an icy stare to one of surprise before adopting an impartial expression. Harry felt the change too, as did Katie. The reason for these sudden changes was that each of them felt something warm hanging around their necks. The Phoenix amulets were calling. "Oh, never mind. Get to your lessons," she ordered. She turned and Harry saw her raise a hand to her robes, presumably where the amulet was hanging. He and Katie simultaneously did the same when they were no longer under surveillance from half the school. Both of them stuck a hand down their tops, reaching for the amulets.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione.

"Shhh!" said Katie firmly.

Harry grasped the amulet, and the Headmaster's voice appeared in his head.

Harry, there is a meeting in my office. Bring Miss Granger and Mr Weasley. Miss Bell should have received the same message. Come quickly please.

Harry released the amulet. Katie did the same and they both stood. She had got the same message from another person, probably Remus.

"Come on," Harry said to Ron and Hermione. "Dumbledore wants a word with all of us." They rose and made a quick exit from the hall. Looking at the staff table, Harry could see that McGonagall, Black, Snape and Dumbledore were missing.

"What was that you were playing with under your robes?" asked Hermione.

"I could tell you," said Katie. "But I'd have to kill you."

"Order business?" asked Ron.

Harry and Katie shot each other a glance and grinned. "Kill him!" they both said together.

"Jinx, no returns!" said Katie.

Ron and Hermione were obviously going to find out about the Amulets; it was no secret that the Order would have a way of communicating. Harry remembered that neither Ron nor Hermione knew about the Amulets. Would they get theirs today, or was Dumbledore just asking for them because he knew Harry would tell them anyway?

The gargoyle was already out of the way, so the four of them walked straight up and into the office. Inside were the four missing teachers, Remus and Andromeda still heavily bandaged around the midsection.

"Ah, welcome," said the Headmaster jovially when they entered. "Please have a seat." Harry then noticed that Ginny was already there, sitting to one side. She had been crying by the look of it. Harry felt a glimmer of gratitude towards her. She had confessed, for her own free will, near enough. She looked up at him; tears still filled her eyes. Harry smiled and nodded to her. She returned his smile weakly and blew her nose. The trouble was that the truth about Malfoy and Harry's involvement would now come out. Katie was going to find out everything.