Unofficial Portkey Archive

Dumbledore sighed softly as he watched one of Ron's knights decapitate one of Harry's pawns. The attack on Hogsmeade last June was disastrous for both sides, and the Ministry was able to suppress the results somewhat, though the losses were grievous. If he directs action against the school, he risks being caught in it's ancient defenses, and the Ministry since Arthur took over from that fool Fudge keeps enough Aurors on site at all times to repel an army.

He took a sip of tea, from a mug at his side as he paused in his reflections. Actually that might be our greatest vulnerability, in that because of the losses in the Auror ranks, a significant portion of their remaining strength is tied up at the Ministry in its defense. Still it has been some weeks since Harry encountered Malfoy, and there has been nothing, except the skirmishes that have become normal in this war, it should be safe enough for quick trips out, and I had to let most of them out for air. I only wish I could have let Harry go with Hermione; it nearly broke my heart to see their expressions when I said he couldn't go.

Dumbledore's thoughts flashed back to a scene on the lawn of Hogwarts several months prior, of the comatose body of his former Divination professor. But after Riddle may or may not have gotten the Prophesy from Trelwany in the confusion after Hogsmeade, she was too far-gone to tell when we found her dumped... Tonks had to almost carry Hermione out, and that was to take a sixteen-year-old girl shopping. There was no one here who was foolish or brave enough to drag Ron away from Harry, especially now that they have rectified their differences, even though for once neither was in trouble, though in effect I grounded him like he was eleven again and just starting school.

At that moment a vision of a small malnourished black-haired boy crossed his mind's eye. The boy was standing slightly stunned at the doors of the Great Hall, looking around with an astonished air as he saw the wonders of Hogwarts for the first time. Flashing forward several months in time, memories flooded in of the same boy laying unconscious in the now infamous 'Harry Potter' bed after the first time he had faced his destiny and emerged victorious, and of two others, a bushy-haired girl and a fire-haired boy sitting on the adjoining beds waiting impatiently for him to awake, the girl somewhat self-consciously touching his hand or hair, when she thought the red-haired lad wasn't looking.

Harry, when I saw you come in that door with Minerva and Rebeus, alive and more or less well, my heart woke up from a nightmare it had had since James and Lily died. I so wish I could have admitted the truth and taken you in myself, but the risk to both of us was far too great. I am so proud of you boy, in the years at Hogwarts, you have been subjected to more than any being should have to take. You have fought evil in its most base forms and triumphed, and you have found courage, friendship and love in the darkest of times.

************Several hours earlier***************

"But Professor Dumbledore, sir, can't Harry come with Tonks and I, please?" Hermione pleaded. "I mean you can't be blaming him for what happened with Malfoy still. He didn't start that he was just defending me." Her eyes challenged him to disagree with her statement.

Sighing, he didn't disagree, "No Hermione, I'm afraid that has nothing to do with it except as to show that I probably shouldn't have let you go in the first place, as past history has proven, I would have forgiven Harry by now if I were mad at him, " Dumbledore replied with a slight smile. "I'm afraid that the danger is too great, even with capable friends such as yourself and Nymphadora along. Riddle will stop at nothing to destroy Harry and it might be too great a temptation for him to strike where Harry would not be able to defend himself fully due to innocents about." Dumbledore gave a slight shrug at the reason.

"Then I'm staying, Ron's staying!" She replied in an annoyed tone, plopped down next to Harry on the couch, and settled in resolutely.

Harry turned his torso enough to look into her face, "Mione, please, go you need to get out. I have already had this argument this morning with the Professor, and I lost." Harry stated in a tone that started to match hers, and then he went on softly. "Love, go get out, you still haven't had time to buy any muggle clothes for this fall, and you haven't seen your parents since you came and freed me. You have been here helping at the headquarters. Go have fun, here," he dug in his pocket and found some muggle money. "Pick me up some clothes too, I can't buy any when I live with the Dursleys, as they would find out I have money of my own. I guess they think Hogwarts is free," He said with a slightly quizzical expression.

"Ok" she responded with a sigh, and went up to her room to get her purse, not quite stomping up the old wooden stairs to the second floor landing as she went.

After she left, Harry whispered to Tonks "She likes to shop for me, it makes her happy at least."

Tonks responded to Harry's comment with a sly wink as Hermione came back down with her stuff in a small backpack purse, just big enough to hold some money, a wand and a few essentials. She walked over to Harry and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be back before supper." Hermione said to Harry, and with a nod to Tonks, they both disapparated with a CRACK.

************Back in the Present, #12 Grimmauld Place****************
3:07pm

"Professor, what's wrong, you're staring off into space," Ron asked looking up from the game, where as usual he was destroying Harry utterly.

"Nothing Ronald, just the random thoughts of an old man" Dumbledore responded distractedly, Hmmm, that's odd for a moment, it seemed like I felt the presence of a homing charm. But, that's impossible, the only ones here are myself, Ron and Harry, and none of us have done any magic or had need to, did anything come in? Did we get any mail today? "Did we get the Daily Prophet today, boys?"

"Yeah, Professor it's in the kitchen, Neville was all excited about the add for fetching collars for your pets, it's supposed to bring them back when you lose them. He and Ginny and Luna went to the pet store in Diagon alley to buy two for Trevor. I think Moody was escorting them." Harry replied distractedly as he watched the tiny horse of one of Ron's knights trample one of his bishops.

"Yes, I remember now, thank ........." Dumbledore broke off in mid-sentence.

A crash was heard from the kitchen along with the sound of several CRACKs of apparating people. Almost at the same time, all three of the wizards felt their medallions start to vibrate strongly. Harry had time to exclaim "Hermione", his heart in his throat, and then..........

************Granger Family Home, Canton England************
2:58pm

"Thanks for going shopping with me Tonks, I appreciate it", said Hermoine over her shoulder to the pink-haired witch that followed her into her childhood home, tossing a shoe store box onto the couch. "I needed an outfit for Bill's wedding anyway."

"You're welcome, and anyway shopping is my third favorite sport after Quiddich and the one you got that equipment for at that muggle shop what was that place called, something secret? And speaking of that have you and Harry..." Tonks replied with a twinkle in her eye that she must have learned from Dumbledore.

Hermione turned slightly red, and shot Tonks an exact replica of McGonagall's patented glare. "Honestly Tonks.... That's none of your damn business, and shut up, my parents could walk-in at any second." She paused and looked around the room, closing the door they had used to enter from the back yard into the house. "Actually where are my parents, they should be here?" Hermione started to walk into the kitchen, "Mum? Dad? Anyone home?" As she looked down the hallway to the first floor rooms, she suddenly saw a mass of brown hair lying on the floor visible through an open doorway to the downstairs bedroom. A lump in her throat, "MUM!"

"Hello mudblood." An aristocratic drawl came from behind the two witches, very similar to Draco's but years older.

The two witches turned, slowly, to see Lucius Malfoy leaning arrogantly on a doorsill. Through the open door, which led to Hermione's father's study, she could see the body of her father slumped over his desk, every trinket and gadget that had once occupied his desk was shattered, the monitor to his computer was smashed, the phone in a million pieces, but the fact that her father was obviously dead, and dead horribly, caused her heart to turn to ice, her family was gone. Looking around the room, she saw Death Eaters appearing as if out of the woodwork, eventually almost twenty crowded into the house, around the room and on the stairs.

Malfoy sneered and levered himself up, walking over to Hermione, he traced a finger down the line of her jaw. She jerked back away from his touch and he laughed, "I see why Potter likes you so much, your sprit matches his so well" He turned to the stairs and addressed a Death Eater there, "Kill them both, but have fun doing it. But not too much fun, eh Hamilton?" He walked to the door, but as he left, "Leave Potter a message that he will never forget" With a final soft laugh he walked out the door, obviously going to get outside of the anti-apparation wards of the house.

Hermione glanced toward the hall down which her mother lay, and flicked her eyes towards the study door. While a distant part of her heart wanted to go to them, she knew instinctively that it was far too late. She could feel Tonks shift nervously behind her trying to make an opening to get to her wand, but Hermione knew that that too would be impossible. She dropped her eyes to the carpet for a moment, as if waiting for the end.

The Death Eater that Malfoy had spoken to, said with a leer so obvious that it was evident even with the mask hiding his face, "What Lucius doesn't know won't hurt him, and its always more fun to kill them afterwards than just oblivate them, anyone got some rope?" Hamilton laughed in a way that sent a chill down Tonk's hardened Auror spine.

We're dead; there isn't a way, not this time Hermione thought sadly, her thoughts flying to Harry. OH YES THERE IS, MIONE, a voice screamed in her head in Harry's exact tone. A feeling of raw power filled her at the thought; her eyes, unseen to the Death Eaters, started glowing a bright blue. With a thought sent out to the ether, I love you, Harry, her head snapped up. The closest Death Eater gasped, for instead of her death he saw in her eyes for a fleeting instant, his own.

As Harry had first done at Hogsmeade, with a wave of her hand, several Death Eaters, flew though the air, two though the plaster walls with a pair of sickening cracks. Time slowed, she seemingly had all the time in the world to reach into her pack, grab her wand and send stunners at three more Death Eaters who crumpled simultaneously to the floor. Dimly behind her she could feel Tonks running with her to the door they had come in, and sensed her fire off her own stunner.

"REDUCTO" a bellowed curse hit the heavy table next to Tonks, causing a huge chunk of wood to smash her arm, while a smaller fragment skipped off her forehead, opening a large gash. Hermione grabbed her and with an unnatural strength, tossed Tonks out the door onto the lawn. They ran to get enough distance to disapparate, dodging constantly a storm of red, yellow, silver and green spell bolts. Finally as they got to the edge of the wards protecting the house, in a red flash of light, Hermione fell onto Tonks, her dead weight pulling at Tonks' broken arm.

Tonks took a deep breath from the pain; looking back at the house she saw the putrid green skull of death floating in the sky. Tonks grabbed Hermione tightly with her good arm, and gingerly touching her phoenix medallion with her bad one, she disapparated away, to howls of anger from the chasing Death Eaters and a cloud of spells passing though where they had been a bare instant before.

****************The Burrow********************

The Burrow was currently a pretty happy place. Bill Weasley was to be married to his girlfriend of two years, Fleur Delacour, this weekend and the place was a hive of activity. Most of the kids and Arthur were wisely at the Order headquarters or out battling evil wizards or anything to get out of Molly's sight before they get something to do. Percy, unfortunately for him, wasn't as wise as his brothers or sister or even the Weasley's more or less adopted children Harry and Hermione.

"PERCY WEASLEY, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE UP WITH YOUR FATHER AND ME DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU GET OUT OF YOUR WORK FOR BILL"S WEDDING! GET DOWN HERE AND HELP" Molly Weasley yelled up the stairs to her third oldest son.

"Mum, I was up all night at the Ministry and then I had to take messages to the Order and...." Percy replied exhaustedly down the stairs not leaving his room.

"Just because a Dark Wizard is on the prowl, doesn't get you excused. I even just sent your owl to Harry and Ron to take them their list of things to do. I have to get flowers, and pick up Fleur from the Floo terminal, and then fit her dress and make sure you boys don't pant all over the bride to be." Molly replied hurriedly. "You should be happy there is some joy at this time" She stood at the base of the stairs her hands on her hips, glaring up them.

"Mum" Percy replied exasperatedly to Molly.

"PERCY" She was just warming up, if Percy didn't come out soon, she would drag him out by his ears.

Percy had survived twenty years with his mother, he knew when to throw in the towel, "Ok I'm on the way down, mum." He gave up and headed to where his mother stood.

"Ok mum, where is my list?" He asked as he walked down the stairs to stand beside his mother. His hands were in his pockets; his shoulders slightly slumped as in defeat.

Molly turned from the stairs to go to a desk over in the corner of the room, She scribbled an address down and handed the note to Percy. "First you have to go get yours, Harry's and rest of your brothers' dress robes for the ceremony from the fitters, that should take an hour and then get back here straight away" She stood with her hands on her hips, a glint in her eye.

CRACK, the sound of apparation echoed out on the lawn, but even as Molly and Percy reached for their wands, it was already too late.

"AVADA KEDAVRA" A green bolt of light struck Percy precisely in the center of his back.

"CRUCIO" a second spell, a hateful yellow this time, struck Molly in the side, she screamed and fell to the floor.

Percy, hit from behind with the killing curse, fell dead instantly. Molly lay writhing in pain on the floor. A soft tread, approached her head, but she couldn't turn to see who it was through the pain.

"Tell Dumbledore he can no longer protect his own" A hate filled, French-accented female voice snarled to Molly.

With that, one of the two Death Eaters who had ambushed the Weasleys raised their wand and muttered an incantation, a green skull with a serpent coming out of the mouth appeared over the burrow, and laughing, they both disapparated out.

Seconds later Bill and Fleur apparated in on the lawn. Seeing the Death Mark over the house and the bodies of the two Aurors that were supposed to be watching the house lying dead on the lawn, their throats slit, they ran into the house, their wands raised and ready. Fleur screamed as she saw the body of Percy, and Bill seeing his mother on the ground yelled "FINIETE" canceling the curse Bellatrix had placed on her.

"Ohhh GOD BILL, PERCY, HE'S HE'S" Molly screamed and then broke off sobbing as her gaze found her dead son again.

****************Grimmauld place*******************

Dumbledore, Harry and Ron grabbed their wands. The Death Eaters that have entered Grimmauld Place have made one mistake. Since they had to apparate in blind by using the locating charm hidden on the paper they didn't know where they would appear. As they didn't appear instantly in the same room as the three Order members, a crucial few extra seconds were the defenders to use. And that was all the time the three wizards would need, especially as two of Voldemort's greatest foes were among their numbers.

Dumbledore raised his wand and muttered" Protego Maxima" and a golden bubble appeared around the three.

At the same time Harry incanted "Appero Sword" and the sword of Gryffindor appeared in his hand ready to do battle. Harry for a brief moment, wavered in his determination, then out of the very air, a thought, not his own but heart-achingly familiar was "heard," I love you Harry. The desperate tone of Hermione's thought drowned out any sense of wonder at the communication, and the die was cast, both here and many miles away in Canton. I'm coming Hermione, he replied in his thoughts and with a deep, shuddering breath a feeling of power filled him, and as his eyes lit up, the counter color to Voldemort's own, time stood still.

It had been many years since the sword first filled his hand in combat against the basilisk, and after constant training for the last year in the art of the sword from Alastor Moody and Albus Dumbledore, along with the native powers of the sword and Harry's own the battle was over almost before it began.

Brent Smythe, a rather low level wizard who had gone over to the dark late last year, rushed into the room confidently, too confidently it turned out, as in a flash of steel, his mission was suddenly rather unimportant, to him anyway.

Normally Harry would have used a spell to incapacitate or stun, however the instant he felt the medallions start to vibrate, and the flash from Hermione in his thoughts, he pushed aside any thought of mercy for the sake of pure expedience. In a rush another pair of Death Eaters charged into the parlor, only to quickly meet a similar fate, the first slightly ahead of the other spun to his right, right to where Harry was waiting. With a vicious slash, Harry opened his chest from hip to opposite shoulder. The third Death Eater glanced over in horror, only to find himself pulled inexplicitly onto the return stroke of Harry's sword by the wand in Harry's left hand.

Ron froze the next Death Eater, an old friend of Lucius Malfoy's, instantly, as he ran into the room. Ron's full body bind hit him in mid stride and he tumbled into the room, breaking a coffee table next to Harry. With a twirl of the sword, spraying blood everywhere, Harry felled the next through the door, and stunned the last to brave that portal with his off-hand wand.

In the kitchen, the final three Death Eaters were now trapped. Where only a few seconds ago, they had felt confident in smashing the hated Order from ambush in their own den, they were now panicked. Their leader, Mason Snestra had joined the Death Eaters as he thought it a way to power, but now he knew it had led him to ruin. He raised his wand shakily and pointed it at the door leading to the hallway and the parlor beyond.

"Stay here" Dumbledore commanded thunderously to Harry and Ron. He strode into the kitchen where the last of the DEs were hiding like an Olympian of old going to dispense justice.

As Dumbledore came into the room Mason cried "Avada", but before he could get the killing curse out Dumbledore responded with a bellowed "REDUCTO" and the curse blew the Death Eater though the panty wall. Dumbledore wasn't pulling any punches either. He turned back even as plaster was still falling from the ceiling, he didn't bother checking on the Death Eater, he was dead or unconscious, and in truth it didn't matter to Dumbledore right now. The other two Death Eaters were paler than the tablecloth on the table, in a twirl of his robes, Dumbledore vanished, only to reappear seconds later behind them, as they slowly collapsed to the ground.

Dumbledore hurried back into the parlor where Harry was chomping at the bit to go to Hermione. "Professor I heard Hermione cry out in my head, and the medals went off, I have to go...." Harry said, with an expression that told Dumbledore, he would be going with or without him and very soon. Harry's eyes were back to normal, but Dumbledore could feel the energy gathering, as Harry instinctively readied himself for the jump to Hermione's side.

Dumbledore had no intention of abandoning Hermione, but this was a war and some things had to come first. "We will go together as soon as we confirm the house is clear. We stay together now." Quickly the three searched the house for any more Death Eaters, finding none they hurried back down to the kitchen where Dumbledore ignited the charmed Daily Prophet, destroying the locator charm, and protecting the anti-location wards around the house. Once again locking that door to those who did not possess the Phoenix credentials.

The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut boomed out, Harry, Ron and Dumbledore spun to the kitchen door, wands raised only to lower them again, as they saw a friend. Alastor Moody came running in the door, accompanied by Neville, Luna, and a visibly pale Ginny who was slightly shaking and carrying a note clenched in her small fist.

"Albus, the Burrow was attac...." Moody broke off for a second as he noticed the sword that Harry had yet to clean or sheathe, the man shaped hole in the wall to the panty, and the bodies of the two Death Eaters, lying in the kitchen floor. With grim foreboding, he realized that his news was not the only news.

A look of determination on his face, he continued, "The Burrow was attacked; Bill says Molly is on the way to St. Mungo's and Percy, Percy is dead, Albus." He finished in a whisper. Ginny, overhearing the repeat of what she had been hoping was a poor joke of Fred's, fainted dead away, the note from Bill falling from her hand. Ron turned white as a sheet and turned to Harry as if to confirm what Moody had just said; just as yet another loud apparation was heard. All of the standing wizards whirled with their wands ready.

Only to see Tonks shakily standing there with blood dripping down her face from a cut on her forehead and nursing an obviously shattered left arm. In her other arm she struggled to hold both her wand and a unconscious Hermione, who looked to be in even worse shape than she. Utterly spent, Tonks began to slide to the floor; Harry dove to catch the girls before they hit the floor, dropping both his wand and the sword. He managed to catch them both by a cat's hair. At the exact instant Harry caught the girls, the sword hit the floor and rung like a bell tolling for those lost today. Tonks muttered "thanks" and passed out, her task accomplished, her blood turning her pink hair red.

Dumbledore looked at Harry where he was lying on the floor under both Tonks and Hermione, having used his body to cushion their fall. He glanced over at Alastor, as if he were making a heavy decision, which he was. Summoning a pot from the stove, he set it down. "PORTUS" the pot flashed blue and shook for a few seconds then settled back down. "Harry, take the portkey and get Hermione, Tonks, and the Weasleys to Hogwarts, the portkey will take you to the infirmary. Inform Minerva when you arrive what has happened and send Lupin back here to help Alastor get your things. I doubt there will be another attack, however I will take steps to assure it as soon as I can get to Hogwarts."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked from the floor, where he held Hermione as if her life and his sanity depended on it. With a wave of his retrieved wand he summoned the sword and the portkey to him. The rest of the people Dumbledore had just named came over to jump out with Harry, Ron carrying his tiny sister.

"I'm going to tell Arthur that his wife has been attacked and that one of his sons is dead." Dumbledore said grimly and vanished.

A/N: Ok, this chapter was probably the hardest to write in the entire story. I at times almost went back and undid it, however they were necessary. Unfortunately these won't be the last lights the side of the angels will loose, nor will they go unavenged.