The Second War Ends

Part One: Reflections and Preparations

Albus Dumbledore was dead. The idea was so foreign that Harry couldn't really imagine it. The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was gone. Professor Albus Dumbledore...his friend, his teacher, his...father, in many ways was never coming back. No matter how Harry tried, he just couldn't fathom that he would never again gaze into those powerful, mirthful, I-know-a-lot-more-about-you-than-you-think-I-do eyes. Every time Harry thought about it, it made his stomach hurt and his eyes burn.

Harry was sitting on his bed, his head resting against the wall. He'd been staring at the same spot across the room for the better part of an hour. The room, like the rest of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was quiet. A somber, oppressive silence had filled the place up like water in a glass, leaving no room for anger, no room for shouting, no room for anything else.

The sound of the front door being closed woke Harry from his memories. Tonks and Shacklebolt had arrived to brief the remnants of the Order on the latest developments. Heaving a great sigh, Harry slowly swung his legs onto the floor and trudged downstairs to the kitchen. As he went, he met up with Tonks, who looked exhausted. "Wotcher, Harry," she managed with a weak smile. As the two descended to the basement, Tonks ruffled Harry's unruly black hair, causing him to grin just a bit. He liked Tonks. She was like the older sister he'd never had. If things had been different, Harry imagined she'd be the one he could talk to about all that awkward teenage stuff...like girls. Unfortunately, awkward teenage stuff wasn't a luxury that Harry could afford just now.

As Harry and Tonks reached the entrance to the basement kitchen, the sound of Mrs. Weasley bustling around and fussing over everyone could be heard quite clearly. Harry pushed through the door to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Kingsley Shacklebolt all sitting down at the table. Each of them wore a lifetime of fatigue in their faces. Harry noticed almost immediately that one who should be among them was missing. The dread that had become so familiar to them all bubbled up from Harry's gut. So many had been lost already. Teachers, fellow students, people he had known were no longer living. "Not another one," he pleaded to himself. "Please, no more."

"Right," Shacklebolt began as they all found their seats. His usually resonant timbre was cracked with weariness. Upon, closer inspection, Harry noticed that Kingsley's robes were torn in several places and the powerful presence he normally gave off was, somehow, diminished.

"We'll get the hardest part out of the way straight off," Shacklebolt announced. He gazed sadly around the room before continuing. "Casualty report," he stated with a heavy sigh. "This evening we have been notified of two members of the Order that were lost." Everyone at the table involuntarily sat up, as if trying to physically brace themselves for the bad news.

"As you all know, Severus Snape has been listed as 'Missing' for almost a week now. We had all suspected that he had been found out and was being...tortured by Voldemort or the Death Eaters for information. His body was discovered tonight, stuffed into the phone booth above the Ministry. It is obvious that we were meant to find him...as a warning." Shacklebolt paused and breathed deeply before making his next announcement. "Additionally, Remus Lupin's whereabouts are currently unknown. He has therefore been officially listed as 'Missing'."

The group of wizards gathered around the table exhaled forcibly as one. Molly quickly left the room, not quite able to hold her tears until exiting. Harry found that he could not cry. He merely stared at the table, not wanting to look at anyone. He'd been through this enough. They'd all been through enough.

"It should come as some relief," Shacklebolt continued, "to know that, as far as we can tell the operations of the Order and, most importantly, Harry's whereabouts remain unknown to the Dark Army. It appears Snape's ruse was successful."

"What ruse?" Harry asked as Arthur quickly moved over him.

"Harry...this probably isn't going to be easy for you to hear," Mr. Weasley began.

"Story of my life, that is," Harry interjected.

A quiet chuckle passed around the table as Mr. Weasley smiled fondly at him before continuing.

"Harry, for some time now we've been feeding the Dark Lord misinformation concerning our plans and your whereabouts. Severus--Professor Snape was instrumental in leaking that information to the enemy. Once it was discovered that the information was false..." Mr. Weasley sighed deeply before saying, "Our purpose in doing so was to intentionally draw Voldemort and his Death Eaters...to Hogwarts."

"What? Why Hogwarts?" Harry demanded, rising quickly from his seat.

"Because Harry," Mr. Weasley continued. "We needed an advantage and we needed it quickly. Hogwarts is unplottable. Therefore, there is a diminished risk of muggle casualties. As of right now, the wards and enchantments are still in place that prevent anyone from apparating into the grounds or the castle proper. The mountains and the lake make approaching the site by means other than the road from Hogsmeade slow and dangerous. Then, there is the Forbidden Forest. We've spoken to the centaurs at great length and convinced them that helping us win this war is in their best interests. Voldemort would surely hunt them down and slaughter them. We've assured them that we have no such notions. So, they've agreed to act as watchmen should Voldemort choose to lead his army through the Forest. All of this protection is already in place, Harry. If we were to allow Voldemort to choose the location of our great defensive, we would be at a severe disadvantage. If we were to fight out in the open, well, we'd be out in the open. And, we can't very well invite him to the Ministry Building. If the Ministry were destroyed, our way of life would, in many ways, cease to exist. Hogwarts is...expendable, to a degree. Should the castle be destroyed, other arrangements can be made for educating students until such time as it can be rebuilt or replaced. This was not an easy decision to make, Harry. But, I've spoken to the Minister and she agrees that it is the least of all evils."

No one spoke as Mr. Weasley ended his explanation. Harry slowly looked over to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, seeing the worry in their faces. Seven years of waiting had finally come to an apparent end. Harry's fate, as well as that of the world he'd come to know and love, would be decided tonight. Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment. This is it, he thought, win or lose, live or die, it ends tonight.

"So...what's the plan?" he asked finally.

Mr. Weasley patted Harry on the shoulder before returning to his place at the table. Kingsley Shacklebolt took a large parchment from inside his cloak and unfolded it on the table. A detailed map, not unlike the one made by Harry's father and his cohorts came to life with a tap of the Auror's wand. It showed hundreds of names, most of which Harry did not know, moving all over the castle and the grounds. In addition, innumerable red and blue dots pockmarked the road and the Forbidden Forest. Several quizzical faces peered at the table, waiting for an explanation.

"The goal is to bog the Dark Army down and thin their ranks as much as possible before they get close to the castle," Shacklebolt began. "Our plan is to limit the avenues of approach available to Voldemort and force him to bottleneck his followers in one of two places: the road from Hogsmeade or the Forbidden Forest. We've taken numerous preventive measures in both of those locations that will give us ample warning of his arrival and enable us to thin out his ranks early on."

"How are you planning on accomplishing all this?" Hermione asked.

"Fred and George have come up with a few...interesting ideas," Shacklebolt replied.

Harry chanced a glance over to the twins and saw them exchange grins full of an all-too-familiar dark mischief. It was the kind of look that sent Hogwarts teachers into fits and gave first year students nightmares. Harry was glad for the millionth time that Fred and George hadn't been seduced by Voldemort. He'd hate to be on the other end of the twins' "interesting ideas".

"There are quiet a few surprises waiting for Voldemort," Shacklebolt continued. "First of all, there are hundreds of specially charmed stones, covering the floor of the Forbidden Forest as well as the road from Hogsmeade. Those are the blue dots here on the map. Anyone who steps on one of those lovely jewels is going to find themselves stunned. The beauty of it is they look no different than any other garden-variety rock. Additionally, out two young entrepreneurs have come up with something they call they "Concussive Cracker. Those are the red dots. It works on the same principal as a Christmas cracker. The string is pulled taught over a path and when tripped, it goes off, creating a concussive blast 5 meters wide. Everyone in its radius is knocked unconscious. The purpose of these charming little measures is to render as many of Voldemort's followers useless without actually killing anyone."

"Why should we be worried about keeping them alive?" Ron asked bitterly. "They certainly didn't care much about all those kids on Burning Night."

Everyone gathered around the table gave a small involuntary shudder at the mention of Burning Night. It was an act none who heard about it would ever forget. It was living proof of Voldemort's ruthlessness.

For the better part of a year, Voldemort and his Army had been openly killing. Muggles and wizards alike had perished at the Dark Lord's hand. Major cities across Britain had been reduced to rubble in sections as Voldemort slaughtered his way across the whole of the island. Because he was not trying to hide his presence at all, it was only a matter of time before the muggle population became aware of him and his Army. Widespread panic gripped the countryside as the bodies of muggle soldiers and law enforcers stacked like cord wood in Voldemort's wake. Then, one night, just two months ago, a group of about a hundred people, mostly disenfranchised teenagers and other 'social misfits' did the unthinkable. They tried to join ranks with the Dark Lord himself. One young woman, not much older than Harry, had been interviewed by the BBC, claiming that Voldemort "was destroying the elitist system of our country and paving the way for a brave new order of equality and peace". Voldemort had welcomed them with open arms. Three days later, he burned them all at stakes placed along the River Thames. Muggle news agencies around the world carried horrifying images of the carnage.

The next day, the muggle Prime Minister had held a news conference expressing condolences for the families of the victims and assuring his constituents that every possible effort was being made to combat this "terrible enemy of every decent person in the Realm."

Harry secretly hoped that the Death Eaters would suffer as much.

The remainder of Shacklebolt's presentation covered the defenses inside the Hogwarts perimeter. Dragons, hidden from view by Disillusionment Charms were positioned to guard the road from Hogsmeade. Giants were stationed at strategic locations to battle the Dementors, owing to their high levels of resistance to magic. Finally, Hogwarts garrisoned some 200 wizards inside the protective walls of the castle. These were members of the Order, some members of the Magical Law enforcement Squad, and an odd assortment of private citizens who were willing to fight. Shacklebolt concluded his remarks and asked if they were any questions.

"How will I know when it's...time," asked Harry.

It was Tonks who answered. "Fawkes will send us a signal when the battle has begun, then another when the commander of our forces feels it is appropriate to send for you," she said.

"Who's the commander?" asked Ron

"Moody," she replied. "Once the second signal is given, we'll Floo to the Head's office. We've rigged the connection to be one-way only. I'll go before you, Harry and then escort you to Mad-Eye."

"What about the rest of us?" Fred asked, looking to his father.

"I can't expect you to stay behind, knowing what's about to happen," Arthur stated. "And, I can't order you to stay, as you're all of age, except Ginny."

"I'm going, too, Dad. Please don't try and stop me," Ginny interjected quickly.

Arthur stared sadly across the table at his only daughter, his baby. He knew what was at stake, on both sides of the issue. Ginny was a powerful witch in her own right, despite her age. On the other hand...

"Daddy, please. I can't stay here while all the people I love go off and fight. I have just as much at stake as anyone here. I'll just stay close to Hermione, okay?"

Arthur thought long and hard before answering. "Ginny," he finally said. "I can't let you go. You'll stay here with your mother. I need you here in case anything goes wrong or anyone gets hurt. Please try and understand that I cannot, in good conscience allow an underage witch to go into battle when they are adults to do the job."

Ginny regarded her father coldly for a moment. "What happens if there aren't any adults left to fight?" she asked, a definite edge in her voice..

"Well, then you won't have to worry about my being around to tell you no," was her father's solemn reply.

At that moment, a flash of light and a puff of smoke startled everyone in the room. As the occupants of the kitchen regained their composure, a single Phoenix feather dropped from the air and onto the table. Everyone stared.

"So it begins," whispered Tonks.

Not much else was said for the next two hours. Occasionally, one of them would get up to pace nervously. Molly came in soon after the first signal and made tea. Mostly, however, they all sat...and waited.

Finally, after an eternity, the signal came. Everyone rose up as one from the table and paused, unsure of how to proceed.

"Let's go and get this done with," Harry said simply.

The small company made its way to the fireplace in the corner of the kitchen which had been left cold so as to be used for transport. Tonks and Shacklebolt went first leaving the rest of them to shuffle nervously.

Molly opened her mouth several times to speak but no words would come. In the end, she kissed each of them quietly, added a hug, and then stepped out of the way to allow them into the fireplace. One by one, they disappeared into the green flames. Before Harry stepped into the hearth, he looked around at the small basement kitchen of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. This should have been his home. He should have been spending his summers here...with Sirius. But he was gone, as were so many others. And as the floo fire engulfed him, Harry couldn't help but wonder how many more lives it would take.