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Standard Disclaimer:

Alyx looked up in alarm as the building trembled and a nasty loud buzzing sound filled the theater.

"What the devil?" she said to herself, then she closed her book and stood up. She looked towards the stage were Bob stood in awe in front of a huge machine.

She cringed as steam shot from the top of the machine in a loud whistle and the machine began to bounce up and down. Curtains fell and lighting racks crashed to the stage, their bulbs shattering with a shotgun like sound.

"ITS ALIVE!" shouted Bob gleefully.

Two huge mechanical eyes opened and blinked at Bob.

Alyx hurried down the theater aisle and up onto the stage. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed at him.

"WHAT?" Bob shouted back.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she shouted again.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE ACME DISCLAIMER MACHINE. IT'S WONDERFUL!" Bob shouted back.

Alyx stomped her foot and seriously considered hurting him, but then she realized that unless she killed him, she'd probably get stuck taking care of him. And she didn't want to listen to him whine and moan. Well maybe moan, but only the right kind of moans.

"WATCH THIS!" Bob shouted, then he pressed a button on a remote control. A slot opened in the side of the machine and a huge mechanical claw extended out into the audience. The claw plucked Severus Snape from his seat and pulled him, screaming, into the machine.

The machine bounced and tilted and bounced some more, then another door opened and a huge screen extended from the top of the machine. There was a blast of steam and the screen lit up saying.

WE DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER!

The screen remained lit for another minute, then with another deafening blast of steam the screen retracted. The machine bounced for a few more seconds then opened a compartment and spat out a few smoking bones. With a huge sigh the machine fell silent and the eyes closed.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Alyx screeched.

"You don't have to yell you know," Bob replied calmly.

Alyx ground her teeth. "Alright, what was that?"

Her fists were clenching spasmodically and she ached to pick up that nearby fire axe.

"Oh this is the Acme Disclaimer machine we bought several chapters back. I got it working. Would you believe this even makes curly fries!" Bob exclaimed proudly.

Alyx edged her way closer to the axe. "And what about Snape? You killed him!"

Bob peered at the charred bones. "Ok so maybe there are a few problems with the system."

Alyx grabbed the axe and turned on the machine. "BONSAI!"

Bob shook his head. "Only my wife would attack a machine with the battle cry of a tree. Anyways, on with the story."


Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 28

Padfoot Manor (Feb 26th)...

"More tea, Bertrand?" asked Narcissa.

Bertrand Lovegood smiled and held out his cup for a refill. "So, when do you think they'll make us grandparents, Cissy?"

Narcissa smiled to herself. She really liked this man. He was so unlike Lucius. It was a shame that he had married a Child of Gaia. Because of that, she knew it would take a miracle before he could love again.

"Oh, I hope it's not too soon. As much as I would like to have a grand baby to spoil, I think it would be best if they waited until the war is over," she replied.

Bertrand chuckled. "You know that Luna will do what she wants. As far as children go, her talent may well do what it does best, regardless of what anyone else may think."

Narcissa nodded with a slight frown. "Yes, there is that. As pleased as I am with my daughter in-law, I know what being a Child of Gaia means. She'll be fine and then one day decide it's time for her to start having babies."

"Her mother was like that. Once she was carrying Luna, she told me her grand plan of having a child every ten years until she couldn't have any more," Bertrand said. He sipped his tea and smiled at the bittersweet memory.

"So, how are things at the paper?"

"It's different, working for a paper where we actually have to report the facts. But I like it. I still manage every so often to bring back a bit of the Quibbler in our Strange Occurrences column," he replied with a smile. "Why, just the other day we managed to get our hands on a photo of three footed uniphant. It's not a very good photo, but our readers will enjoy it."

Narcissa smiled at him. His love of nature was influenced by both his wife and child.

"Say, did you know that Luna has taught the Angels some words?" he suddenly asked.

"No, I hadn't heard that."

"Oh, yes. She's been working with them since their birth and she's given them a vocabulary of roughly fifty words. It's not much, but she says that now that they understand spoken words, they'll quickly pick up others."

He leaned a little closer to her. "Hagrid tells me her work with the Angels is easily going to earn her a Mastery in Magical Creatures," he told her in a low conspiratorial tone. "But don't tell her that I said that. I don't want her slacking off too early."

Narcissa grinned. She, too, was inordinately pleased with her daughter in-law and her progress. While Luna would never be politically savvy like Hermione was becoming, Luna was a wonderful witch and the very best thing that had ever happened to her son. Luna provided just enough inconsistency in Draco's life to keep him sharp.

She moved to say something when the shriek of an alarm broke the calm of the morning. Bertrand jumped to his feet and ran to the window.

"Oh, I say! There's a fight going on out on the lawn. Do you have a camera? I must get some photos for the paper!" he exclaimed excitedly. With that, he dashed from the room.

Narcissa stood, then blanched, seeing the firefight and the mass of people on the lawn. She started to turn to get her portable floo when the house shook violently.

BRAAAAAAAPPPPPPPP!


Padfoot Manor, Front Lawn...

Harry blinked back tears and his stomach threatened to unload his breakfast. He fought down the urge, though others around him were unable to do so. The sound of people retching nearly overrode the sound of spells being spent against his shield.

He renewed his shield and a few more stunners bounced off it, but for the most part, people were too busy being ill to continue with the firefight.

BRAAAAAAAPPPPPPPP!

Instinctively, he rolled. He knew that sound very well. It was the sound of a combat apparation. The brigade practiced it extensively. The idea was to make as much noise as possible and have everyone apparate at the same time, startling the defenders. He laid down a pattern of three wide field stunners, and then he heard what sounded like pure music to his ears.

"Check fire! Check fire!" shouted Twister. "Able company, disperse and disarm!"

He was on the lawn of Padfoot manor! Hermione and Luna had succeeded!

Standing, he looked around to see most of Able, minus those he had dropped with his stunners, relieving people of their wands. He grimaced and started enervating his troops.

"Twister!" he shouted.

Behind him, the Brotherhood started pulling themselves together and helping those still feeling the aftereffects of whatever Luna and Hermione had pulled off to get them here.

Twister came running up to him and saluted. "Sir?"

"Treat all the people in white robes and the one man in gray as VIPs, Twister. Separate out all the French as enemy hostiles. Oh, and you better call up Baker company, especially their medical team," Harry said softly.

"I'll get right on it," Twister replied, then he trotted off again, speaking into a portable floo as he went.

Harry walked to Draco, who was crouched down over a prone Luna.

He bent over, touching Draco's shoulder. "Is she alright?"

"I think so. I think it was just the effect of that spell she cast and not because she was hit with anything," he replied.

Luna opened her eyes. "Really, Dray, I'm fine. This is just an unanticipated side effect of our transport. Quite fascinating, really. I never would have imagined that Cheerios take so long to digest."

Draco looked up at Harry, who straightened and shook his head in sympathy.

Hermione walked over to them unsteadily. The last time she looked like that had been at their wedding party, when she had had a little too much to drink.

Harry gripped her by the shoulders, then pulled her to him.

"Are you alright?" he sent.

"No, but I will be. I don't think I want to do that again."

"Just what did you do?"

"Remember you wanted us to use your rune stones to create a portkey that would break the ward, then transport us out?"

"I remember."

"Well, the problem with that would have been running around in the middle of that firefight handing out portkeys. That wasn't an acceptable solution. Luna and I came up with a way of forcing a mass apparation, but I think it has a few drawbacks."

Harry snorted with amusement. "I'll say. The house elves are going to really love you for the need to clean up our lawn."

Hermione looked around at the mess that was their lawn and worriedly gnawed on her lip. "Is it bad, isn't it?" she asked, her nose wrinkling at the unpleasant smell.

Harry chuckled. Spotting the Chief Justice making his way over to them, his amusement disappeared. Umtumba didn't look happy.

"What is the meaning of this, Harry Potter?"

Harry released Hermione and turned fully towards the Chief Justice. He bowed slightly. "I apologize, Chief Justice. But from the onset of the council, we suspected treachery from the French. Our interrogation of their man revealed to us that neither the Muggle nor the Magical Ministries are truly in control of the country.

"It was felt that we needed some means of preventing their treachery or, barring that, saving the council. I would have forewarned you, sir, but we really didn't know if anything would happen."

Umtumba nodded thoughtfully for a moment. "And the council members?"

"Are free to leave anytime they wish, sir. You are not prisoners, you are guests. When the firefight broke out, we could have left everyone behind, but we didn't want the council members getting hurt."

"Do you have a place where we can meet, Harry Potter?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance between them. "I suppose you could use the old Wizengamot building," Harry mused.

Umtumba smiled broadly. "Very well, then. I will tell the members that we will have an emergency session first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, if you will excuse me, I must see to the needs of the council."

Harry nodded and the old man turned away from him, joining the other council members. Harry could see a group of sullen looking men sitting off to one side, hands on their heads. He noted absently that it seemed that Twister had chosen the messiest spot on the lawn to seat the French.

"WAIT WAIT! ACCIO CAMERA! ACCIO CAMERA! ACCIO CAMERA!"

Harry whirled, then paused when he saw Bertrand Lovegood bolt from the manor house. He paused and looked around, crestfallen.

"Oh, bugger it all! How am I supposed to tell this story without pictures?" he moaned. Then there was a solid thunking sound and his eyes rolled up in his head. When he fell to the ground, his daughter shook her head.

"Oh, Daddy, when will you remember that when you summon things you need to catch them?" Luna said softly.

Two more cameras appeared and hit the unconscious publisher.

Luna sighed. "At least he's not breaking anything since he got that metal plate installed in his head. Come on, Dray, let's get Daddy into bed and find out who these cameras belong to."

Harry tried hard not to grin as he turned away. Spotting Amelia approaching, he couldn't help but notice that she looked decidedly peaky. It seemed to be the color of choice this morning.

"Harry, can we set up some of the Justices at the manor? I think we can send the rest to use the extra housing we built for the hospital," she asked.

"That would be a good idea. Now that the new wing has been cleared for people, we have twenty extra bedrooms we can use," he replied. He looked around to see that many of the Justices were being escorted off the lawn. From the manor, dozens of elves stood waiting for the lawn to empty before cleaning up the mess.

He turned back to Amelia. "Find the Chief Justice and invite him to join us in the manor. I'll let Dobby know we should set up space for him and some others. I'll also have someone contact Beauxbatons and let them know that everyone that was alive in the Chamber of Justice got out and are here."

Amelia nodded and walked off in hurry. Harry turned again, intent on heading to the manor when a small pop announced the arrival of a house elf. Dobby rushed up to Harry and spoked to him urgently for a few minutes.

Harry's anger flared.

"Hermione!" he called.

Sensing his anger via the bond, she joined him quickly. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Harry gripped her hand and he nodded to Dobby, who vanished with a pop.

"We're needed right now at the hospital," he said. With that, he apparated them both.


Haven Hospital...

The hospital was in a mild state of controlled chaos. None of the personnel had expected incoming wounded, but things were going well. The burns, cuts and broken bones all indicated spell damage, but the staff were becoming experts when it came to healing the injuries caused in battle. It wasn't something they were happy about, but they were professional enough to push their emotions aside long enough to do their jobs.

"Who's left?" Melinda McKinny asked tiredly as she looked around. The emergency room was rapidly thinning of both patients and aurors.

The head medi-witch smiled in sympathy. "A woman suffering a fractured tibia, and a man with a rather nasty second degree burn," she told the weary healer.

"Alright, Sharon, let's take a look at the burn victim," Melinda said.

Leading the healer to the man stretched out on a gurney, Sharon then went in search of a burn cart. When she returned, the healer had completed her scans.

"He has a few scrapes and bumps, but the burn seems to be the worst of his injuries," Melinda commented. "Why is he unconscious?"

Sharon grimaced. "He wouldn't stop yelling and screaming. We could find no other injuries to account for his pain, so we knocked him out."

Melinda frowned. "Was he combative?" She scanned his head once more for injuries.

"Tina and I got him on the gurney and he struggled with us a bit, wanting to get up and leave. But we couldn't understand what he was yelling. He was babbling in French and neither of us understands the language."

"Let's get the burn taken care of before we wake him up, then. Maybe if we take care of the pain he'll be a bit calmer this time around."

With a nod, Sharon checked the sterile field around the patient, then helped Melinda tend to the burn.

Several minutes later, the burn healed, Sharon pushed the burn cart away as Melinda checked the patient one more time for any other injuries. Seeing none, she woke the man, but was prepared to knock him out again at the first sign of combativeness.

"Sir?" she called quietly as the man's eyes fluttered and opened. "Sir, you're in Haven Hospital. Your injury has been treated. Are you feeling any better?"

The man blinked several times, then nodded.

"He seems calmer," Sharon noted as she approached and held out a chart to the healer.

"It might have just been shock," Melinda told her. Taking the chart, she made a few notes and closed it. "We can't keep calling him Patient Nine. We'll have to get his name, but my French isn't any better than yours." She turned to the man and smiled reassuringly as his eyes darted between her and the medi-witch.

Sharon pinned a small piece of parchment with the number nine written on it to the man's pant leg. "The aurors said they'd handle it."

"Aurors? What do they have to do with this?" Melinda asked.

"The rumor is that some of our patients fired on the council."

With a scowl, Melinda passed the patient's chart to Sharon and scanned the nearly empty room for an auror.

While the medi-witch checked the file and the healer searched for an auror, the man on the gurney saw his chance.

Pulling his pant leg up, he drew his spare wand. Sitting up, he reached out, grabbed the hair of the healer and yanked her back against him. Jabbing the tip of his wand against her neck, he ordered her to drop her wand.

Sharon stared wide-eyed at the man and took one step back. "Melinda?"

Seeing the medi-witch palm her own wand and give it a small, circular wave, Melinda shook her head slightly. "Don't, Sharon," she said quietly as her wand dropped to the floor.

"Very wise," the man growled in heavily accented English as the medi-witch also dropped her wand.

"So you do understand English," Melinda muttered.

"But of course. It is useful, when dealing with one's enemies, to understand their language," he said as he got off the gurney and wrapped his free arm around her waist.

"I healed you. I am not your enemy," she told him calmly.

"You are British," he spat, as if that explained it all.

"What do you want?" Sharon asked, her voice low.

"Out," the man said simply.

"The hospital is covered in anti-apparation wards," Melinda began.

"A portkey will work just as well," he told her.

"Only an incoming portkey will work," she told him. His wand dug into her neck and she grimaced. "Calm down, sir. I'd really rather not be burned by an accident discharge from your wand."

"Any injury you suffer will be my choice, woman, not some accident," he snarled. "I am not a child, unable to control my power."

"Right," she muttered as he began to move her toward the emergency room exit.

"There are aurors stationed outside the doors," Sharon informed him. "You won't..."

The doors to the patient ward swung open and three aurors appeared, wands drawn.

"Freeze! Let the healer go!" one growled as another grabbed Sharon and hustled her from the room.

The man tightened his hold around Melinda's waist and he stepped back far enough to place his back against a wall. "I leave, she lives. If you try to stop me, she'll die!"

Melinda closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Sharon had been able to trigger the alarm ward before dropping her wand, but it certainly hadn't improved the situation.

"We have plenty of healers, so either way, you're not leaving," the auror told him. It was a bluff, of course, but the man didn't know that.

Neither did Melinda. Her eyes widened when the auror's words sunk in and she began to tremble.

"But death is easier than watching someone suffer," the man taunted. To Melinda, he whispered, "Remember, woman, your own people do this, not I!" Holding her firmly, he placed the tip of his wand against her cheek. "Aduro!" he hissed.

The pain started slowly, but quickly become unbearable as the spell used to kindle a small flame burned her cheek, charing skin. Melinda began to writhe in his grasp as agony lanced through her.

"Enough!" the auror shouted.

"You will back off, or watch the woman die!" the man shouted as he released her from the spell.

As the aurors backed away, the man stepped forward, following them.

"You will tell your men at the door to leave. Once I am beyond the wards, I will release the woman and leave."

They all knew it was a lie.

As the aurors backed out the emergency room doors, a small pop was heard behind the Frenchman.

Before the man could spin around, a loud, cracking sound bounced off the walls, and his grip on Melinda fell away.

She dove to the right and hit the ground hard, hoping to get clear of any crossfire. Her actions were unnecessary, however.

Turning, she saw the Frenchman on the ground, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Behind him stood an enraged house elf, one hand held out, palm up, the other clenched at her side.

"You will not be hurting Dilly's family!" the little elf roared.

Into the silence that gripped the room, Dilly spotted Melinda. With a small cry, she flew to her friend and threw herself into her arms.

"My gods, Dilly. You just saved my life," Melinda whispered as she held the small elf tightly.

"Bad man wanted to kill Dilly's family. Bad man had to pay," Dilly told her as she pulled back. Seeing the black, charred skin on Melinda's cheek, her large, green eyes welled up with tears. "Dilly did not come fast enough!" she cried.

"It can be healed," a quiet voice said.

Human and elf both looked up at the tired, concerned face of Sylvia August. Behind her stood several healers and medi-witches.

"Well, let's have a look at you," Sylvia said as she helped her friend and fellow healer to her feet.

While the head healer worked on Melinda, Dilly wrapped her arms around her friend's leg and watched the aurors remove the dead man from the emergency room.

Several minutes later Constable Barney Wither, O'Dalley's assistant, entered the emergency room. After being briefed by the aurors, he approached the healers.

Sylvia placed a bandage over the mostly healed burn and admonished Melinda to leave it alone. "It needs to stay on for a day or two. I want to keep the area clean and allow the salve to work."

"Healer McKinny?"

"Yes, Constable? How can I help you?" Melinda asked, frowning as the sticking charms around the bandage pulled at her skin slightly.

"I'm Constable Wither. The aurors filled me on what happened, ma'am. I'm glad you weren't hurt more severely."

"Thank you, Constable. So am I," she said.

"Not to be rude," Sylvia said, frowning at the man, "but why are you here?"

"I'm afraid there's no easy way to say this," Barney told them. "Under the law, I have to take Healer McKinny's elf into custody."

"What?" Melinda asked, her eyes narrowing.

Dilly whimpered and tightened her grip around Melinda's leg.

"Why?" Sylvia asked. "The elf saved her life."

"That may be, ma'am, but the law states that any magical creature that causes harm to a witch or wizard is to be taken into custody and the case reviewed." Seeing the look of outrage on the faces of the healers, he nearly grimaced. Sometimes he really hated his job.

"Reviewed how?" Melinda asked.

Several popping sounds were heard as house elves appeared in the room. Some were dressed in military fatigues, while others were dressed in tea towels or uniforms baring family crests.

As the Constable began to explain the process, one elf glanced around the room, looked at Dilly, and then popped away. Another took Dilly's hand and squeezed it in support. She then glanced up at the enraged healer the elf was clinging to, nodded once and disappeared.

"If it's proven that the elf did willingly and knowingly kill the man, I'm afraid the penalty is quite harsh," Barney concluded several minutes later.

"Don't mince words with me, Constable. What do you mean by 'quite harsh'?" Melinda demanded.

"The penalty is death, ma'am," he told her quietly.

More small popping sounds were heard in the room as more house elves arrived.

"Oh, hell no!" Melinda exclaimed, stepping back from him. "You'll not kill her for saving my life!"

"From what I've been told, the aurors had the situation under control," Barney told her.

"Does this look controlled to you, Constable?" Melinda asked as she ripped the bandage off her cheek and showed him the still blackened flesh.

When he blanched, Sylvia shook her head. "We've healed the damage and the color should return to normal in the next day or so," she felt compelled to explain. "But the injury was serious enough, as was the man's threat to Healer McKinny's life."

"When that man threatened Melinda's life, the auror told him that Haven had plenty of healers, implying that one less wouldn't make a difference," Sharon said as she pushed her way through the crowd of hospital staff and gathering elves.

"I was wandless, in pain, and knew the man was going to kill me as soon as he no longer needed me to shield him from the aurors," Melinda told him. "Dilly must have picked up on my fear and reacted. She saved my life, Constable Wither, and you want to kill her for it?"

"What I want isn't really relevant, ma'am. The law says..."

"What is going on here?" a cold voice asked.

As one, those in the room turned toward the emergency room doors and those who'd just entered.

Gently pushing his way through the crowd of elves and people, Harry Potter approached the constable. Behind him walked Hermione and Dobby.

As the crowd began to speak, Harry shook his head at the noise. "One at a time, please!"

Into the silence, another small popping sound was heard as Winky arrived with Arthur Weasley.

"Melinda!" he exclaimed as he rushed to her side. "Winky told me what happened. Are you alright?"

"Physically, I'm fine," she told him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Lord Potter," Sharon said quietly, "I was with Healer McKinny when she was taken hostage."

Harry nodded. "You start. I'll talk to the aurors when you're finished."

As Harry listened to the details from the medi-witch and then the lead auror, he began to scowl. Arthur listened carefully, his arms tightening around Melinda as he realized just how much danger she'd been in.

Once he had the facts, Harry turned to Barney and shook his head. "Many of the laws of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures no longer apply. By order of the King, all sentient, magical creatures are to be treated with the same respect and due process as any witch or wizard."

Turning to Melinda, he smiled at her, then down at the clearly terrified elf who clung to her leg. "I'm releasing Dilly into your custody, Healer McKinny. The Minster of Magic will probably require a hearing on the matter. The facts, as I've heard them, clearly show a case of justifiable lethal force, but the Minister will need to make the final decision."

"Thank you, Lord Potter," Melinda said, her voice trembling with relief.

Harry nodded, then looked around the room and frowned. "Someone want to tell me why there are so many elves here?"

"We's here for Dilly, Master Harry," Dobby told him. "If Dilly is in troubles for savings her witch, then we's also in troubles."

"What do you mean, Dobby?" Harry asked, confused.

"I's hurt my bad old master whens he tried to hurts you, Master Harry. Other elves do same things, tryings to stops the bad mens from hurting the goods."

Harry nodded, finally understanding. "I don't think there's anything to worry about, for any of you. Why don't we leave and let the healers get on with their duties?"

As many of the house elves popped away, Constable Wither smiled at Harry. "I'm very glad you were here, my lord. I didn't want to take the elf in. She was only saving the healer's life, and it seemed wrong to punish her for it. But the law..." He shrugged.

"I know, Barney. With all that's happened recently, the Ministry hasn't had the chance to get all the information out to the proper people," Harry told him, shaking his hand.

When Hermione wrapped her arm around his waist, he turned to her and smiled.

"I'm glad Dobby came and got us," she told him seriously.

"So am I." His eyes danced as he brushed a finger down her cheek.

"What?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips over her ear and whispered, "S.P.E.W. rides again."

When she groaned, he laughed and pulled her into a tight hug, then turned to face Healer McKinny.

"If you have any questions, I'm sure Arthur can answer them. If not, don't hesitate to call me or Hermione. We'll do what we can to help."

"Thank you," Melinda said. "I'm not sure what would have happened if you hadn't come along."

"Thank Dobby. He's the one who came and got us," Harry told her, looking down at the elf by his side.

Melinda kneeled down and held out her hand. "Thank you, Dobby."

Dobby shook her hand shyly. When he let go, Dilly squealed and threw herself into his small arms.

"You do be a good elf, Dobby!" she cried.

Dobby patted her back, but looked at Harry for help.

"It's time for us to go, Dobby," Harry told him, coming to his rescue. "Arthur, let us know if you need anything."

"I will, Harry. Thanks."

Taking Dobby's hand, Harry, Hermione and the elf disappeared.

Arthur touched Melinda's uninjured cheek and shook his head. "Gods, Melinda," he began.

"I'm fine, Arthur," she assured him.

"You two can cuddle later. Let's get that bandage replaced, Melinda. Then I'm releasing you for the day," Sylvia said.

As Melinda argued with her boss, Arthur knelt down and looked at Dilly.

The young elf watched him carefully, unsure of his reaction. When he held open his arms, she clapped her hands and threw herself into his embrace.

"I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did, Dilly. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost her," Arthur said quietly as he hugged the elf tightly for a moment before releasing her.

"Dilly will not be letting anyone hurt Melinda," she said. "Melinda do be family, and family do be protecting each other."

"I couldn't have said it better," he replied.


Padfoot Manor...

Harry slipped quietly into the bedroom so he wouldn't disturb Hermione, who was already in bed. A quick check of his watch explained why he felt so exhausted. It was nearly three in the morning. He sat on his side of the bed and kicked off his shoes, then he sighed heavily and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Tired?" Hermione asked as she opened her eyes.

"You have no idea. And it's only going to get worse, I'm afraid," he replied as he began to undress.

"How so?"

"The Brigade is going on a full training schedule in a week. You know what what means. And then there is the matter with Dilly, and the Council of Avalon. Oh, and the twins did something in their lab which nearly consumed the entire floor before they stopped it. Something about a dimensional rift. Caleb wants me to talk to them. Need I continue? I get exhausted just thinking about it."

"Can I help?" she replied, sending him some rather naughty images.

He smiled softly. "Would it upset you much if I just held you tonight and we slept?"

"Of course not," she replied, her tone softening.

Harry crawled under the blankets and wrapped an arm around her. She moved and pushed his head so that it was cushioned against her breast. She cradled him against her, smiling to herself as his breathing deepened. A few minutes later, she followed him into sleep.


Hogwarts Castle (Feb 27th)...

"Lucius Malfoy is here to see you, my lord," said a Death Eater.

Voldemort looked up from the tome he had been reading. He, along with Brother Chung and Severus Snape, was busy exploring methods of breaking through Potter's ward so he could send his servants abroad.

"Send him in."

Lucius walked proudly up to Voldemort's throne and he bowed low before him. "My lord, I have news from our spies in Haven. However, only one has reported in. There may be a problem there."

Voldemort closed his book and looked over the cover for a moment, admiring the finely crafted volume that had used human skin as parchment. It really was a masterpiece.

"Why would you suspect a problem, Lucius?"

"As a precaution, we told both spies that they must report at the same time. Two owls, two reports, my lord. But only one report has been received, concerning enemy battle plans. Joyner reported only."

Voldemort leaned forward. "And what did Joyner have to say about the battle plans?"

"The British Ministry of Magic in Exile is worried. They have been unable to gather more than forty five hundred troops for their planned assault. According to Joyner, they will be attacking from Hogsmeade and are frantically trying to find people that can make portkeys for that location. We have no date on this supposed attack and if she's been captured like I suspect, we'll never find out a date from her."

Voldemort waved a hand, dismissing the concern about the spies. "If they are caught, they will do their duty and die as they should. So, they will not have more wizards than we will?"

"So it seems, my lord," replied Lucius.

"How fares our recruitment efforts?"

"Results have been mixed, my lord. After we received the Iron Wands and the Blood Jihad, recruitment dropped for quite a while, but it's been picking up lately. We've received a number of recruits from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We'll outnumber them when they attack."

"You don't sound happy, Lucius. What is it you are trying so hard not to say?"

Lucius sighed and hoped he wasn't going to get cursed for this. "My lord, I'm not concerned that we won't have enough Death Eaters, I'm concerned that we won't be able to feed them. We're having trouble collecting enough food for ourselves and the muggles."

Voldemort frowned. Since he'd taking over the country, it had become obvious to him that Lucius actually controlled the muggles. It was time to start putting an end to that.

"Cut the rations to the general population unless they are working for us," Voldemort snapped. "I grow tired of your coddling the muggles, Lucius. Let them die off. There would be food for all if you weren't so concerned about feeding them, as well."

Voldemort gestured and a Death Eater stepped from the ranks and pointed his wand at Lucius. "Crucio!" he shouted.

Lucius dropped to the floor, writhing in agony.

Voldemort stood from his throne and walked around the man on the floor for a moment. He signaled and Lucius was released from the curse.

"I own Britain, and I own you Lucius Malfoy, you obey me. Your reliance and fondness for the muggles is going to cost you dearly. Now cut their rations and let them starve," the Dark Lord hissed angrily.

Lucius struggled slowly to his knees, then to his feet. "A-A-As you command, my lord," he stammered.

Voldemort sat back down on his throne and smiled slightly. "Excellent. Now, what other news have you for me?"

"T-T-There is a disturbing report over French Wizarding Wireless that Harry Potter and his people have killed the French Minister of Magic and have attacked the Council of Avalon. German Wireless reports their Minister is safe, as do the Dutch and Swedish wireless services, but they are not releasing any additional information."

"So, the French have failed in their efforts. I should have expected that," Voldemort mused. "See if you can find out what has happened. Potter and his friends might have lost a lot of support."

Lucius bowed, acknowledging the command. "That's all I have to report for now, my lord," he said. His body was still trembling from residual pain.

"Then you are dismissed, Lucius," Voldemort replied, picking up his book.

Lucius backed away and then turned. He was nearly at the door when a voice made him stop.

"Oh, Lucius? One last thing." Voldemort called.

He turned. "Yes, my lord?"

"A Necromancer, Lucius. It seems the last one wasn't suitable."

Lucius flinched and nodded nervously before exiting the Great Hall. As he left the castle, he could hear the laughter of multiple poltergeists and he gave thanks that he didn't have that problem in London.


Ministry of Magic, Haven...

Amelia downed the offered potion and steam rose from her head like a thundercloud. Since yesterday morning and their precipitous arrival in Haven, she had been on the go non-stop. Susan had tried to help her, but Amelia had sent her back to Padfoot Manor hours ago with strict instructions to rest. She didn't want her niece endangering the baby because she was exhausted.

In the past twenty four hours she had seen to the housing of nearly one hundred and sixty unexpected heads of state, faced a possible government crisis concerning house elves and a royal decree, and had been updated on the status of the war.

The door opened and an exhausted Arthur Weasley walked in and plopped down on a chair. "Someone tell me why I thought working for the Ministry would be a fun career," he mumbled.

Amelia snorted in amusement, then looked at him. "Because you didn't want to go into the same work as your father. Would you have been happy as a tailor?"

Arthur shuddered and shook his head. He loved his father, but had no desire to follow in his footsteps. "I do have one piece of good news, Amelia," he offered.

"Oh?"

"With the staffs of so many Ministers still trying to leave France and come here, the Chief Justice has postponed the emergency meeting until this afternoon. He did ask, however, that Harry and his people attend the meeting."

Amelia nodded. "Good. Then, if there are no further emergencies, I'm going home to get a few hours sleep."

"Good idea. I think I'll do the same."

"Oh, Arthur, tell Melinda that we will have a hearing when this mess is cleared up, but that she shouldn't be overly concerned about the matter."

"Right," Arthur replied. If he knew his Melinda, and he did, she'd be worrying the wallpaper off the walls by now and Dilly would be helping her.


Padfoot Manor...

Harry groaned, then he opened his eyes. He was alone in the bed, and from the angle of the sunlight streaming in the window, it was later than he was used to waking up.

He could see that one of the elves had set up breakfast at the table not far away. Now if only he could make it that far, he thought. It seemed like every bone in his body was aching.

Standing, he walked over to the breakfast table and poured himself a large cup of coffee before sitting down. On the table was a note from Hermione informing him that the council meeting was moved back and that she'd meet him there.

A small pop alerted him that an elf had appeared.

"Dobby?"

"Master Harry is to wear his best todays for the council meeting," Dobby muttered to himself, then went to the wardrobe, removing his cleaned uniform. The elf paused and turned to look at Harry. "Master Harry, what wills happen to Dilly? She is good elf."

Harry sighed and motioned for Dobby to come sit with him at the table. Reluctantly, the small elf sat on a chair after summoning a few cushions to sit on.

"Dobby, under the old laws Dilly would have died. You know that and I know that. But the King ordered us to change those laws. The problem is there are so many of them and we couldn't change them all at once, so we've been doing them in pieces. Dilly has fallen into a gray area, but I give you my word that I will do everything to protect her."

Dobby looked a little reassured.

"It's difficult to change Dobby. You of all people should know that. You want to be free and you are. But how many elves want to be free? And you know that freedom can hurt them. Someday we will figure out a way to free an elf without the lack of a bond driving them insane. But for now we need to go slow.

"Dilly's case is going to set an example. Because of her case, elves and other creatures will find themselves better off. She killed, and that is never a good thing, but she killed in defense of her family."

"So Dilly wills be alright?" asked Dobby.

Harry smiled at his friend. "Yes, I think she will. But just to be on the safe side, I'm going to offer my services to Healer McKinney as Dilly's advocate."

Dobby beamed at him. Feeling much better, he scrambled around the room laying out Harry's clothing and cleaning up.

Harry watched for a moment, then sighed to himself. Dilly's case was going to cause problems. Of that, he had no doubt.

Dobby popped out of the room while Harry was finishing breakfast. He opted for a quick shower before dressing.

He getting dressed when Dobby reappeared.

"Master Harry, there be a group of French peoples at the apparation point. They wants to come into Haven. They have that lady thats Professor Hairyhead likes," Dobby said.

Harry frowned and checked his watch. The council meeting wasn't due to start for another twenty minutes.

"Alright, Dobby, go to the apparation point and inform the constable in charge that I will be there shortly to escort our guests to the council. Then go to Hermione and tell her I will be there in a bit."

Dobby nodded and vanished with a pop.

He finished dressing and summoned his staff before apparating to the Haven primary apparation point.


The Wizengamot Building, Haven...

Chief Justice Umtumba looked around the large chamber and frowned. He wasn't happy, considering how they had arrived at this place, and less happy with what had to happen now.

The doors opened and the Justices filed in, many of them nervous and still tired from yesterday. Haven had gone out of its way to make the dignitaries welcome, but they were men and women used to traveling with entourages. It was only today that the first of their groups started filtering into Haven. Without their staff, most of the Justices felt just a little bit naked.

Umtumba knew the room wasn't normally this big; he could sense the lingering magic used to expand the space inside. Amelia had told him that the room was built for the original Wizengamot, which had barely one hundred members.

Seeing the justices had all been seated, he was about to begin the session when the doors opened again and Harry Potter walked in leading a group of people, including Beauxbatons Headmistress, Madam Maxime. Several Justices stood in alarm and an angry murmur rippled through the assembly.

Umtumba banged his gavel several times, even though the session hadn't begun. "Lord Potter, I must ask you to explain yourself and your companions!" he called.

"Chief Justice, council members," Harry said, addressing the room, "these four people, Madam Maxime of Beauxbatons, Serge Delacour, Henri Reinard and Julien Beauchamp represent the opposition to the current French Ministry. They arrived here in Haven only moments ago and have willingly offered me their wands and their oaths as proof of their good intentions." He raised his fist, showing them the four wands he held.

"And their purpose here, my lord? Remember that only a Minister has the right to participate in these proceedings."

Harry dropped his fist. "They ask only to be allowed to witness these proceedings and they beg that you do not condemn their country for the actions of a few."

Harry paused and looked around for a moment. "You are all here today because of the actions of a few people. Did these four cause the problem?" he asked pointing at the French. "No, they did not! Madam Maxime and these others represent a chance for change for the French nation. They represent a chance for the light to shine once again. I could have denied them entrance to these proceedings. But as we are here to see justice done, so are they."

There was a moment of silence while the Justices stared down at Harry and the others. Hermione and Amelia looked at him with pride. He didn't know it, but he was adding another page to the legend of Harry Potter.

"What say the council?" asked Umtumba after a moment.

It started small, but one by one, Justice's lit their wands in acknowledgment, allowing the French to remain. A minute later, every wand was lit, including that of the Chief Justice.

Harry bowed his head in appreciation and turned to the French. "I will see your wands returned to you before you leave. In the meantime, you can sit over there," he said pointing to the visitors gallery.

"Thank you, Harry Potter," Madam Maxime said, then she turned and led her group to the gallery while Harry sat down heavily on a chair next to Hermione.

"You never fail to surprise me," Hermione sent him.

"Oh? How so?"

"The last thing I would have expected at this point would be for you to defend the French, especially in front of the Council."

"It was the fair thing to do. You know that."

"Harry?" her mental tone seemed softer somehow.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"Huh? I love you too, but what brought that on?"

Hermione shook her head and remained silent, though her fingers slowly caressing his. His attitude surprised her, but she realized that he didn't have it in him to hate for the sake of hating. He could have been angry with all the French and everyone would have agreed with him.

She smiled and squeezed his hand, leaving him wondering.

Harry was about to ask Hermione what she was thinking, but the Chief Justice began to speak.

"My colleagues, I realize that we are not in a Chamber that has been sanctified, but we face an unusual set of circumstances. I ask for a vote. Shall we break and reform elsewhere? Or remain to conclude our business? If remaining is your vote, light your wand."

Umtumba glanced around and grinned at all the lit wands. It seems he wasn't the only one that wanted answers and didn't want to wait for them. He turned back to the main arena. Amelia sat at a table, waiting patiently. Across from her was an unmanned table that would have been used by the French Ministry.

Umtumba turned to look at Amelia.

"Madam Minister, I know that many here have questions. Considering the circumstances, would you assume the position in the witness box, while I act as inquisitor?"

"Of course, Chief Justice," Amelia replied, then she stood and moved to the witness box.

"Please explain to the assembly, exactly what occurred?" he asked as she sat down.

"The interrogation of our French prisoner revealed that the neither the French Muggle Ministry, nor the French Ministry of Magic, is fully in control of their country. Instead, a third party is operating behind the scenes.

"Knowing that another group was really running the country, but not knowing their intentions except to say they appeared hostile, our research people were tasked with creating a spell that would allow us to move as many people to safety as possible. It was felt that there was a strong probability of treachery at the council and we wanted to ensure the safety of our party, along with as many others as possible.

"To be honest, I had expected them to come up with some kind of ward breaking portkey, as that was what was originally discussed. But it would seem they had other ideas," she told the assembly wryly.

Once the chuckles died away, she cleared her throat and continued.

"When we arrived at Beauxbatons for the council, it seemed as though our suspicions were warranted. Our rooms were full of listening charms and other spying spells. Then our rooms were filled with soul poisoners; cursed vases designed to make us fight among ourselves. We still have some of them to submit as evidence, should this court wish to see them. Finally, one of our house elves, a trusted member of our elite elf forces, was killed by an unknown elf.

"When the fighting broke out just before we were to expose this government within a government, we were forced, for the sake of everyone present, to activate the transport spell to Haven."

"Madam Minister," called the Justice representing Mexico. "That transport spell was neither a portkey, nor apparation. Can you tell us more about it?"

"The spell was crafted by Lady Potter and Mrs. Black. I am not privy to all of the details behind the spell, but I am told it was a form of forced apparation. It was a most unpleasant sensation, if you ask me, and I doubt I would want to undergo it again. However, if you want more details on the spell, please feel free to ask Lady Potter or Mrs. Black," replied Amelia.

"What about casualties? How many were injured or killed?" asked another Justice.

Amelia frowned for a moment, then looked at Arthur. "Arthur? Do you have figures on that?"

Arthur Weasley stood and looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Of the Justices, six were injured in the rush to leave the building, none seriously. Sixteen people in the visitors gallery were injured. All but three of them have been released by the healers at this point.

"Since the transport spell didn't transport the dead, we had to review pensieve memories, but we think eight were killed, including the French Minister and his aide. Six combatants were killed also. Finally, we have eight prisoners who were captured on our arrival, one of whom was killed attempting to escape. A healer was injured in that escape attempt."

When Amelia nodded, he sat down. The attack on Melinda still angered him greatly.

"Are there any further questions concerning this matter?" asked Umtumba.

He looked around the chamber, noting the silence. Nodding to himself, he turned back to Amelia. "I believe it is time for us to see the evidence that triggered the attack and our arrival at Haven."

Amelia gestured to Arthur. The pensieve they had at Beauxbatons had been destroyed when the building collapsed, but it wasn't the only copy of those memories.

Arthur walked to the center of the chamber and conjured a small table. On the table he placed a presentation pensieve. He glanced at Amelia, who nodded. He pressed several runes along the edges of the pensieve, then stood back.

An image appeared above the pensieve and grew to nearly life size proportions.

A mirror appeared in the image and the face of Trenton Largo appeared in it. Unlike other, more expensive pensieves, presentation pensieves always appeared from the point of view of the person who donated the memories.

"My name is Trenton Largo. I am currently employed by the British Ministry of Magic as an Intelligence officer in our Ministry of Defense. I hold the rank of captain. Today is February the eleventh and I will be participating in the interrogation of a captured enemy prisoner," the man said to the mirror.

Then the scene shifted as the mirror was put away. Trenton walked out of the room he had been in, and walked down a short corridor before entering another room. Inside the room was a man bound to a chair, and several other people, including one person dressed in healer green.

"It is now exactly ten in the morning. Has the prisoner been administered veritaserum yet?" asked the voice of Largo.

The scene swung to focus on the healer. "Yes, sir. He's in good health and the potion should be in effect now."

The scene moved jerkily for a moment, as if Largo was nodding, then it swung to focus on the man in the chair.

"What is your name?" asked Largo.

"Jean LaRoche."

"And what is it that you do, Monsieur LaRoche?"

"I help control the country."

Largo glanced up at one of the other people present. "That's an odd way of saying it," he commented, then he looked down at LaRoche again.

"Do you work for the government, Monsieur LaRoche?" he asked.

"Oui. All of them."

The scene jiggled a bit as Largo leaned back in his chair. "All of them? How many governments do you work for, Monsieur?"

"Three, but only one is the real one."

Largo looked around, noting the frowning faces.

"Tell me about the real government then, Monsieur, and your work with them," Largo prompted.

"It's been there since before Charlemagne, always in the background, always controlling the country without being seen. Sometimes we'd influence policy, sometimes we'd control the purse strings, sometimes both. Kings and Princes have bowed before our power. We've created dynasties and struck down saints.

"It was my idea to capture your diplomats and we used the Magical and Muggle governments to do it."

"What was the purpose behind kidnapping the diplomats?"

"We were trying to show our support for Lord Voldemort in Britain. It was felt that since the diplomatic party contained two members of Harry Potter's group, we could portkey them to Voldemort and he would remember our support when he finally broke out of Britain."

A number of Justices shot glances at Harry Potter and his group, who sat stone faced.

They had heard this before and weren't about to let it start bothering them now. At the time, Ginny had nearly broken down when she had heard it. It was only with the help of Neville and Luna that they managed to calm her.

Ginny had faced many tough situations and had come through wonderfully, but her biggest fear was coming face to face with Voldemort once more. She was afraid that somehow he'd take control of her again and use her for his purposes. She had an interesting way of dealing with her fears though. She faced the problem and beat it. Only afterwards did she find herself a quiet place to be privately hysterical.

Facing one's fears was part of their training, and dealing with the aftermath was another. Each had their own ways of dealing with their fears and Ginny's was no less valid than Draco's or Tonks', who felt the need to scream and throw things. The group had rallied around Ginny when the news about kidnapping and what their plans were had been revealed. Ginny had grown because of their support and so had the rest of the Brotherhood.

"Monsieur, what of the Muggle Government? Or the Magical Ministry?" asked Largo.

"Marionnettes, Monsieur. Mere puppets," replied LaRoche.

"FREEZE PRESENTATION!" called Umtumba.

The Chief Justice sat, his face a thundercloud of anger. "Madam Minister, do you still have this individual in your custody?"

"Yes, Chief Justice, we do."

Umtumba looked at the other Justices. "My colleagues, we are faced with a signatory to the treaty of Avalon that has violated their sacred oaths. Do you wish to question this LaRoche first hand?"

The chamber lit up with lit wands and Umtumba nodded gravely. "The will of the council has spoken. We call Jean LaRoche to council!"

Amelia stepped down and Arthur hurried from the chamber.

"This is unexpected," Hermione sent Harry.

"Why? I would have thought they would have questioned him anyway, since we're here in Haven."

"Didn't you hear the Chief Justice? He's gone from examining the actions of a single government, to questioning the right of that government to have signed the treaty in the first place. He is just a step away from declaring the French disenfranchised and perhaps oath breakers."

"Oath Breakers? Hermione," Harry's tone whined a little in her head and she tried to hold in her laugh.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I only read about it a few days ago. The signatories to the Council all took an oath before signing the treaty. If the council declares the oath to be broken, the council can enforce a Magical Government of their own on France for the next fifty years. After that, they will have their own government, but they will be subject to review every ten years for the next fifty years. It's called the 'one hundred year punishment'."

"Ouch!"

"Ouch, indeed. It will be a slap at the French, but I suspect that once the French people learn of what has been happening, they'll be clamoring for the heads of these people in the hidden government. Look, here comes LaRoche now. I'm glad we didn't rough him up too much."

"Stop that. You know it turns me on when you get bloodthirsty," he sent playfully.

Hermione snorted and tried to hold her laughter down. Her mother glared at her.

The lights in the chamber dimmed until only a lit chair in the center of the chamber was visible. Two Aurors dressed in brigade uniforms escorted LaRoche to the chair and pushed him into it. Only then did they remove the hood from his head.

Harry chuckled and Hermione smirked. She had been as angry at LaRoche as everyone else had been. Everyone went out of their way to keep Ginny away from him, forgetting that Hermione would stand up for her best friend also. Hermione had hexed the man so that his nights were filled with nightmares. The dark bags under his eyes showed he wasn't sleeping well.

"You can't hold me!" shouted LaRoche. "I demand to be released! I am a personal friend of the Minister of Magic! Bastard British! You can't hold me!"

Umtumba banged his gavel and LaRoche fell silent, looking around warily.

"Jean LaRoche, do you know where you are?" asked Umtumba. The lights in the chamber slowly came up revealing the chamber and all the robed Justices.

"Being tried by the bastard British," LaRoche muttered. "That's where I am."

"You are before the Council of Avalon, Jean LaRoche. You would do well to remember your manners," Umtumba intoned coldly.

LaRoche blanched and started to tremble. "M-m-my lord, I'm sorry. I did not know," he stammered.

"We have witnessed your confessions under veritaserum, Jean LaRoche, and also your confession about the third government, this shadow government, which really controls France."

LaRoche paled. "It's all lies! I was forced to say those things!"

Umtumba leaned forward. "Then you won't mind answering those same questions under veritaserum before this court?"

LaRoche shrank back from him, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "What is it you wish to know?" he whispered.

A murmur rose among the Justices.

"Is this other government truly separate? Who controls it, and who belongs to it?" someone called from the ranks of Justices.

"I cannot say. The only member that knows us all is the Leader, and even his identity is a mystery to us. We meet in secret. I do know that not all members are part of the government. Some represent business, banking, even the wine industry," LaRoche said brokenly. He was a dead man. If he was returned to France, the shadow government would see him killed. If not, the court of Avalon would order his death as an Oath Breaker.

"Do you truly control the Government of France?" asked the Justice from Mexico.

"We... influence, sometimes covertly, sometimes directly, sometimes by assassination. Generally, the Muggles and Magicals do what we want them to do," LaRoche replied.

"Chief Justice, there can be no doubt. The French Ministry has been subverted and is not in control," shouted the Justice from Poland.

Umtumba leaned forward. "Monsieur LaRoche, did the Minister of Magic agree to your controls?"

LaRoche sighed heavily. "Every Minister of Magic for the last four hundred years has known about and been party to the shadow government. Some have even been members themselves."

Umtumba looked around at the shocked expressions of the other Justices, then he happened to glance to the visitors gallery. He frowned for a moment.

"Monsieur Delacour, you look like you have something to say," Umtumba commented.

Serge Delacour stood, nodding his head. "Justices, a great crime has been committed against the people of France. But I beg of you, do not punish us further. Yes, legally you could call us Oath Breakers and, though it shames me deeply, I would have to agree with you.

"I know I have no right, no voice to speak to these proceedings, but I would ask that you consider not declaring us such. Disenfranchise the government yes, by all means. I promise my people will move into those positions and force every government employee under veritaserum to tell if they are a member of this shadow government or not.

"Give us your blessing and we will drag these people into the light of day and see that true justice is done, for our people and for everyone else."

Serge Delacour fell silent, watching the assembled Justices hopefully. He had no right to ask this of them, but he hoped just the same.

Across from him, in the section where the British sat, Harry's staff flared brightly. He looked at it in consternation. He wasn't causing it to light up. At least he didn't think he was.

Umtumba turned to Harry and chuckled softly to himself. "You have something you wish to add to these proceedings, Lord Potter?"

Harry stood, highly embarrassed. This was not something he had planned on. "It was not my intent to speak again before this body. But since you offer me the opportunity, Chief Justice, I will take it. We are here to see justice done. But justice against whom? The entire nation of France? Or against the few people who were in power and kidnapped our diplomats?

"Mr. Delacour's proposal is extreme, but it's worth considering. It punishes those in the Ministry, while he promises to root out the shadow government and bring them to justice."

Harry paused and looked down at his feet for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes blazed with power. "I know what it's like to be punished unfairly. I know exactly how I would feel if you declared a one hundred year punishment. I've felt the hatred and anger that festers and burns a hole in your heart for being treated unfairly.

"I know exactly how I'd feel after enduring one hundred years of punishment. France would be angry and uncooperative with everyone. They would feel they were unfairly treated, and they would be right. By declaring them Oath Breakers, you punish not only this generation, but the generations to come, those whose only crime was to be born French.

"You do not punish future generations for the crimes of their fathers. Mr. Delacour has offered you an honorable solution and I urge you to take it."

When Harry sat back down Hermione gripped his arm tightly. Her pride and approval flowed over their bond.

There was a moment of silence in the chamber, then the Justices lit their wands. The room glowed brightly and several members of the French delegation broke down, weeping.

Umtumba banged his gavel several times. "Very well. The current French Ministry is hereby disenfranchised. Ministry heads have seventy two hours to resign, or their oaths will kill them. We will give Monsieur Delacour and his people one year to show us that they are working to bring order and justice back to France. Monsieur Delacour, I will assign a Justice who you will keep informed of your activities so that he may report to the council. Will that be suitable?"

"Oui, Chief Justice. Merci! Merci!" Delacour sobbed.

Umtumba banged his gavel. "I declare these proceedings hereby closed. We will meet one year hence."

Harry sat in his chair emotionally exhausted.

"I am so proud of you, Harry," Hermione sent him.

He looked at her, surprised.

Around him, those in the room began to file out. The Brotherhood and a few others remained behind.

"It takes a strong man to speak for his enemies and ask for mercy," Umtumba said, walking up to him. "Now I can see why you are a Maglios." He bowed deeply. "I must return to my country, but I will be watching. I understand why the Staff of Merlin is so interested in you."

Harry stood and returned the Chief Justice's bow. "Thank you, sir. Safe journey."

As Umtumba caught up with the other Justices, Madam Maxime and the three Frenchman approached. Amelia handed them back their wands and invited them to stay the night. Madam Maxime was most interested in visiting with Headmistress McGonagall and seeing the Haven School.

Finally, as the room emptied out, Harry wrapped an arm around Hermione. "Let's go home."

She smiled up at him. "Do you know what you've done today?"

He paused. "I spoke in front of the Council of Avalon?"

She giggled and shook her head ruefully, then she reached up and caressed his cheek. "Don't ever change, my heart."


Hogwarts Castle...

The fire in the dungeon workroom cast flickering shadows on the damp stone walls. The room was quiet, except for the occasional pop of wood from the hearth and the slight sounds of movement from the girl who slept in the room.

Several hours had passed since the Dark Man had retired, and the girl felt safe enough to sit up and gaze around the room. She liked the nights best. There was no one ordering her about, no screams to ignore or demands made upon her body.

She rocked herself slowly and hummed tunelessly, trying to block out the feeling of wrongness. When a log popped, she jumped, then glared at the fire.

"I wish you would stop doing that," she told the flames.

Turning away, she ignored the fire and began to rock gently once more. The shadows in the room were comforting most of the time. Sometimes she even danced with them, imagining herself at a fancy ball.

But tonight was different. She could sense it somehow. The slight creeping of her skin, the whisper of the flames in the hearth and the gathering of shadows told her that peace would not be hers just yet.

"I don't know why you're all looking to me, anyway," she muttered, looking down at her dirt caked hands.

"You had the means to destroy him before he killed me," a voice hissed.

The girl looked up and glared at the woman before her. "You were dead the moment you entered the pens," she told the shade. "It's not my fault you were stupid enough to get caught!"

Another form detached itself from the shadows, coalesced into another of Snape's victims and moved towards the girl. "You knew what he would do to us, yet you did nothing to stop him," she accused.

"Yes, I knew what would happen to you," the girl said. "But there was nothing I could do."

"You didn't even try," the first shade snapped. "We are damned because of your cowardice!"

The girl shrugged. "It wasn't cowardice, it was simply knowing there was no way I could stop it. Had you been smarter, you wouldn't have been caught in the first place."

"You had the means," the second woman spat. "You stole what you needed from the Dark Man months ago and didn't use it!"

"The apple lied!" the girl hissed furiously. "You're not real, anyway. You have no souls and you're not ghosts. Be gone, you ignorant cows!"

As the forms rejoined the shadows, the girl reached under her bedding and pulled out the dessicated thorn apple and glared at it.

"You promised! You said you would fix everything, but you lied!" she exclaimed.

It's not my fault you waited too long to use me, she heard the fruit say.

"Why didn't you warn me? Why didn't you tell me I had to use you before it was too late?" she moaned, seeing nothing wrong with dead fruit speaking.

Is the Dark Man right, then? Are you so ignorant that you can't remember even the simplest things? the fruit asked scornfully.

"I should just kill you now and forget about the whole thing," she muttered to the thorn apple.

Your destiny is not to kill me, girl, but to kill the Dark Man.

"That's what you were for! Now who is it that can't remember the simplest things, you wanker!" She shook the fruit in her hand violently.

I can't really feel that, you know.

"Maybe, but it makes me feel better," she told the thorn apple as she shook it a few more times.

Finished now? it asked her snidely.

"For the moment," she said petulantly.

Time is running out, girl. You are the savior of the world. You must kill the Dark Man soon. Once he is gone, it will only be a matter of time before the Pale Creature follows him to the grave. You must focus, you must be strong and you must be ready to act.

"But without you to help me, I don't know what to do," she whispered.

Everything you need is inside you. I will help guide you, but it is you who must act now, not I. Listen closely to what I say and your destiny will be achieved!

Sliding back down on her bedding, she rolled over and held the brown, dried out thorn apple to her ear. She nodded occasionally as she listened, even giggling once.

It was quite some time before she finally slipped the fruit back into its hiding place under her blankets and rolled back over to stare at the fire. The apple had made more promises, but she wasn't sure if she believed it. It had lied to her in the past and the bitter disappointment she'd felt had been crushing. She would see what the next few days brought, and act only if she felt the time was right.


Haven, Melinda McKinny's cottage (March 1st)...

Dilly answered the door and looked up in surprise at Harry Potter. She curtsied deeply. "I do be telling Melinda you do be here."

Harry chuckled and waited at the door while the little elf vanished with a pop.

Melinda came bustling into the little foyer, drying her hands on a towel. "Oh, Lord Potter! Come in, please. I was just making some tea. Would you like a cup?"

"Tea would be excellent," Harry replied with a smile.

He followed the healer into small kitchen and sat down when she waved him into a chair.

"I know this isn't exactly what you're used to..." Melinda began as she opened a cabinet and removed another cup.

"Healer McKinny, please call me Harry. The whole Lord bit always makes me feel uncomfortable. As to your cottage, it's very nice. Much better than what I grew up with."

Melinda blushed and passed him a cup of tea. Dilly popped in holding a tray of warm chocolate biscuits, which she passed to Melinda.

Melinda finally settled down and Harry took a sip of tea before speaking. "Healer McKinney..."

"Please call me Melinda. If I have to call you Harry, then you can call me Melinda," she said, interrupting him.

Harry flashed her a grin, which she returned.

"Tomorrow, you and Dilly will be summoned for a rather extraordinary hearing and I wanted to speak to both of you before hand."

Melinda nodded solemnly. "Dilly?"

Dilly appeared with a pop and Harry conjured her a chair to sit in. "Dilly, have a seat please."

"I know you were expecting Arthur to represent you at the hearing, but legally, because of his position, he is unable to do so. One of the reasons I'm here tonight is so that I can offer my services as advocate. Unless you feel that someone else would be better suited?"

Melinda shook her head. "Yes, er... no. I mean, I am disappointed that Arthur couldn't do it. But Dilly and I would be honored to have you act as our advocate."

Harry nodded, somewhat relieved. Then he leaned forward in the chair looking at the two intently.

"I want you both to understand that tomorrow's hearing is very serious, but I have taken some steps to ensure that no harm comes to Dilly. Two years ago there would be no hearing. Dilly would be executed and that would be that. But things have changed. The King has ordered the Ministry to modernize, and to treat the other sentient species as if they were humans."

"So, there is still a chance that they could order Dilly executed?" Melinda asked, her eyes narrowed in anger. When Dilly whimpered, Melinda wrapped an arm around her shoulders and waited.

Harry frowned. "Yes, there is that possibility. But I will tell you right now that it will not happen. I'm going to ask you to trust me on this. If necessary, Dilly will be portkeyed out of the hearing to a place of safety."

"Dilly doesn't want to be leaving her Melinda," the little elf said, her lower lip quivering.

Harry turned to face the elf. "It's only something I will do as a last resort, Dilly. If it comes to that, you would be away from her only for a few days. I'm going to do my best to make sure that doesn't happen, though."

"Dilly do be trusting Harry Potter. Dobby says you do be the greatest wizard alive," Dilly said softly.

Harry glanced over at Melinda and blushed slightly. "Well, Dobby always says that. But I promise I will do my best for you."

He stood and gave each a reassuring grin. "I must be off, but try not to worry too much tonight. I'll see you both in the morning."

Melinda and Dilly nodded at him, then Harry vanished from sight.

The elf looked at her friend for a moment. "Are you worried, Melinda?"

"I was, Dilly. But I think Lord Potter has something special in store for tomorrow."

"I think Dobby do be right about Harry Potter. He be a great wizard," replied Dilly.


Ministry of Magic, Haven (March 2nd)...

"We could have held this in my office. Did Harry say why he wanted us to hold this hearing in the committee hearing chambers?" Amelia asked warily.

"He didn't say. All he told me was that he would be acting as advocate for Melinda and Dilly. And that he had made some arrangements," replied Susan.

"Damn! He's got something up his sleeve. I almost wish I'd never introduced him to politics. At least with Coeur de Lion I knew what to expect," the Minister grumped.

Susan smiled to herself and said nothing. She didn't know what Harry had planned, but he had spent most of yesterday away from Haven 'making arrangements', as he called it.

"Oh, very well. Let's get this show going," Amelia said to herself, taking Amhar's old committee chair.

Susan sat off to one side, setting up the parchment and a dicta-quill to take transcripts of the proceedings.

The door opened and Melinda, Arthur and Dilly entered, looking nervous. A moment later, Hermione and her parents entered. They wanted to watch the proceedings.

Bertrand Lovegood entered the room, waving to Amelia and Hermione before sitting in the back of the room. Neville and Ginny entered and went over to sit with Arthur and Melinda.

Draco entered a moment later. Grinning, he sat next to Hermione.

"Where's Luna?" she asked him.

He chuckled and shook his head. "She's helping Harry. They should be here any minute."

Amelia glanced at the wall clock then leaned forward on her chair. "Healer McKinny, where is your advocate?"

Melinda sat up straight in her chair and opened her mouth, but the doors to the room swung open and Harry walked in.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to round up a few guests."

Luna followed Harry and held the doors open. Into the room walked Ragnok and six house elves, including Dobby, Winky and the Pappy for Haven. Following them was a Centaur, a Veela, a Leprechaun and finally an Angel.

"Harry, what is the meaning of this?" demanded Amelia.

Harry walked over to stand by the table where Dilly and Melinda sat, while the other creatures took seats or positions in the back of the room.

"Madam Minister, this hearing will be the basis for new laws governing the rights and privileges of sentient creatures in our world. I have asked these people to attend our hearing today so that they may see and judge for themselves how we are to treat them from here on. These people represent only a fraction of the sentient species in our world. I was reluctant to invite a king Acromantula, for obvious reasons, and I was unable to find anyone who could honestly represent the dragon clans."

Amelia looked as though she would faint, while Dan and Draco chuckled. Luna sat in the back of the room speaking softly to the Angel and occasionally patting the rump of the centaur. The centaur didn't look happy with the situation, but he didn't see any way of making her stop. She was a Child of Gaia and he would deny her nothing.

Amelia cleared her throat and looked decidedly uncomfortable. Harry had placed her firmly in the fire and it was her turn to do something.

"Right. Let's begin. We are meeting here today to discuss the fate of Dilly, who is bound to Healer McKinny. This elf killed a human on the morning of February 26th. According to the old laws, the elf would have been turned over to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she would have been executed."

Harry's expression darkened and he crossed his arms, staring at Amelia.

Amelia flinched slightly, but continued. "However, in light of the royal decree, those old laws have been thrown away. Unfortunately for Dilly and Healer McKinny, no new laws addressing this situation have been presented as yet, and with the Wizengamot presently unoccupied while its members campaign for their seats, no new laws will be forth coming for the foreseeable future."

Amelia paused, taking in her audience.

"There can be no doubt that Dilly killed the Frenchman..."

"She was protecting her family," Harry protested, interrupting Amelia. "He was using deadly force on Healer McKinny!"

Amelia nodded. "Yes, he was. And there were aurors present that could have done something to prevent the situation from escalating."

"No, they couldn't, Minister, and you should know better," Harry snapped. He was starting to get angry.

Amelia frowned. "Explain yourself, Lord Potter," she replied frostily.

Harry strode up to the platform where Amelia sat, then he turned back to look at Dilly and Melinda. "Yes, there were aurors present. But these aurors were trained members of my own unit. Soldiers trained to kill the enemy. They have no training in hostage situations and even less training in taking out a single person, leaving the hostage alive. I have reviewed the pensieve memories of that day and one of my own people told Healer McKinny and her captor that there were plenty of other healers in Haven, implying her life wasn't worth her captor's escape.

"From Healer McKinny's viewpoint, she had just been handed a death sentence by her own people! Her fear triggered Dilly's response. All Healer McKinny knew was that her life was in jeopardy. The bond between her and Dilly transmitted that fear and Dilly reacted accordingly."

Harry paused and walked over to Dilly, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling at her. Then he turned to face Amelia. "We humans are really very arrogant. We think we're the best, when in truth we are no better than the Goblins, the Elves or the other races. Each race, each specie has it's own unique form of magic and it's own culture.

"For hundreds of years we have oppressed the elves until their bond became a death sentence if it were ever broken. Minister, you have the opportunity here to not only right a wrong that has gone on for far too long, but to set a precedent that will speak to future generations of all species.

"Yes, Dilly killed and I'm sure that she regrets being forced to take a life. But on the other hand, I know she will defend Healer McKinny again, if necessary. Not because of some bond, or because she is forced into doing so. But because she loves Healer McKinny, who is a member of her family. Each of us in this room is capable of loving. And that means we're more alike than we think."

Harry walked around the table and sat down next to Dilly and Melinda. Behind him, Dobby sniffled and handed Winky a large handkerchief.

Amelia frowned and sat back in her chair for a long moment, while everyone fidgeted nervously.

"I do not like the idea of an elf killing a human. But the situation was clearly confused, and deadly force had already been applied once, wounding Healer McKinny. There needs to be a line drawn that clearly indicates at what point the amount of force used is excessive. On the other hand, Dilly was clearly influenced by the fear she felt from Healer McKinny.

"We are at a crossroads. We are using elves in our efforts to take back our country from Lord Voldemort, and those elves have used deadly force in the course of their duty. If it is acceptable for our elf forces to use deadly force, then it clearly must be acceptable for Dilly to protect her bonded.

"It is not a simple matter of clearing Dilly of her actions. In this regard, as Lord Potter has pointed out. I must speak to the future. Therefore, I declare that Dilly's use of lethal force on February 28th was justified.

"In the event of future incidents, I further rule that each will require a hearing such as this. In the event of the hearing declaring the use of force being excessive for the situation, the individual in question will be tried as if they were human."

Melinda let out an explosive breath, and Dilly looked at her in confusion.

"We're alright, Dilly. No one will take you away from me," she said, hugging her friend. Dilly started weeping in her arms.

Harry sagged in his chair in relief.

"Thank Merlin! Now I don't have to kidnap her," he said a little too loudly.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Amelia, who stared at Harry in amazement. Everyone turned to look at him.

Harry looked around, noting everyone's curious stares. "Erm... Well, you see, I made arrangements with the Americans to give her asylum if things went wrong. They'd keep her safe until I could appeal to the King for a pardon. But I don't have to do that now."

Many in the room began to laugh, but Amelia's glare could melt ice. Someone needed to sit that man down and talk to him about what he could and could not do. Going to the King for a pardon? Really! she huffed to herself.

She looked down at Harry sternly. "Well, Lord Potter, since you don't have to do that, perhaps you would be kind enough to put together a list of all sentient species in Britain so that we can figure out who to treat as an equal?"

Harry winced at Amelia's tone and he glanced at Hermione, who nodded to him. "Yes, Minister, we'll be glad to."

Ragnok approached Harry. "I was honored to receive your invitation to this hearing, Lord Potter. And I can't say how pleased I am at the outcome. This bodes well for all our futures. Tell me, would you perhaps be available for a meeting next week?"

"I would be happy to meet with you, Ragnok. Owl me with the day and time and I'll be there."

Ragnok nodded, then he bowed and walked from the room.

"What that was about?" Amelia asked, as she joined Harry.

"I'm not really sure, Amelia. Once I know, you'll know," he replied.

He made ready to leave, content that Luna would see to their guests. Melinda and Dilly stopped him by the door. Melinda hugged him and whispered a heartfelt thank you, while Dilly hugged his leg into numbness.

"Harry Potter do be the greatest wizard like Dobby says."

He smiled down at her. "I don't know about that, Dilly, but you and Melinda are my friends and I try to help my friends when I can," he said as the elf let go of his leg.

When Dilly clapped her hands and made to launch herself at Harry's leg again, Melinda caught her and rolled her eyes at him.

Hermione laughed and Harry grinned at the Healer. "Let us know if you need anything else," he told the pair.

Turning, he escorted Hermione from the chamber.


Hogwarts Castle (March 5th)...

The girl sat close the fire, rocking slowly back and forth. She was in Snape's private quarters and watched him through dirty, tangled locks of black hair. The dungeon was cold and she found that if she entered his quarters quietly while he worked and remained near the fire, he usually let her stay.

On the rare occasions her eyes wandered from his person, it was to gaze longly at the potion ingredient cabinet.

Her gaze returned to the man seated at the large, cherry desk. He was working on the Dark Lord's ritual, taking a break from researching the ward around Britain. In the last few weeks his experiments to overcome the ritual's limitations had yielded favorable results and he had begun to push himself harder to find the answers he sought. The dark circles under his eyes and the gauntness of his face attested to the many late nights he'd spent perfecting his work.

As she watched, he leaned back on his chair and looked up. His eyes were wide and unfocused and his hands began to tremble. He carefully placed his notes down on the desktop and flattened his palms on either side of the parchment.

When he began to chuckle, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she rocked herself harder.

"Pickled Murtlap," he said, finally looking at her. "It was right there all the time, pet. When broken down, the ritual is nothing more than a curse. With the larger infusion of unicorn blood I've been using, the soul of the victim remains tied to the body much longer. If the caster were to ingest a mixture of pickled Murtlap, he'd be resistant to the limitation of the ritual."

She stilled and whimpered. She wasn't ready for this. The apple had promised a solution, but had failed her!

Snape nodded, as though he understood her thoughts. "If I were loyal, I would report my discovery immediately. But if I do, and my theory proves to be correct, my usefulness will come to an end." He laughed, though the sound held no mirth. "But we both know the Dark Lord has little use for those who have served their purpose."

She stuffed her fist into her mouth to stifle the animal-like sounds of fear she couldn't stop.

"I'm sure you understand my predicament, my pet. I could withhold this information, bury it away. But the Dark Lord is a skilled Legilimens. He'd have the truth from me quick enough, and my death, when it came, would be long and tortuous."

He looked around the room, as if seeking an answer. Then his shoulders slumped and he shook his head. "There's no help for it. The Dark Lord must be informed of my discovery." He turned to her and smiled sadly. "Don't worry, pet. Even if my usefulness has come to an end, you've been well trained. I'm sure one of the others will snatch you up quickly, once I'm gone."

Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl and his lips twitched.

"Don't like the thought of leaving me? I'm touched," he sneered. "Out! I don't want you in here when I can't watch you."

She jumped to her feet and fled through the door and into the dungeon workroom, barely avoiding his boot when he tried to kick her.

"You're getting quicker! I'll have to cut back your food rations, won't I?" he taunted as he stalked towards the dungeon door, leaving the door to his quarters open.

She looked back towards his private quarters and the potions ingredient cabinet with longing, but knew it was beyond her now. Scurrying to the fire, she crouched down near the stacks of cauldrons she'd cleaned that morning and watched him.

As he relayed his message to the guard who opened the door, her eyes darted around the room frantically and she bit back a moan.

The screams of the ritual's victims will continue and the soulless will sink to the depths, she thought, sinking into the madness. The giant squid will wave his tentacles, conducting the orchestra of the dead before feasting on their flesh!

Burying her hands in her snarled hair, she began to pull with quick, violent jerks. The echoing screams of the women who'd died in the room reverberated through her mind. Their dead eyes stared at her accusingly as they reached out for her with cold, dead hands, seeking to strip the life from her.

"Stop that!"

Hands grabbed at her and she screamed, jerking away. The slap caught her by surprised, but stilled her as nothing else could have.

"What has gotten into you, girl?" Snape snarled.

When she only looked at him with wide, staring eyes, he shook his head.

"Calm yourself or I'll put you in the chains next! You can be replaced. A slut, after all, is easily trained. You took less than a week to come to heel," he reminded her.

Her eyes flashed with hatred and he laughed at her. Then, grabbing her by the hair, he yanked her to her feet.

"The Murtlap needs to be prepared. Get me the small silver cauldron while I gather my notes and the ingredients. Move!"

He punctuated his order by shoving her away so violently, she stumbled and fell. As he strode off to his quarters, she growled and turned away.

Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the stacks of cauldrons and she searched for what she needed.

When he returned, he joined her at the table where he normally prepared his ingredients and frowned at the cauldron she held.

"I said the silver cauldron, you idiot! Never tell me the small bit of knowledge you managed to retain from my classes has escaped you. Put that one back and retrieve the correct cauldron, or I'll give you to Mulciber!"

When she walked past him, he lay his notes on the table and reached for the jar of pickled Murtlap. He never noticed when she stopped.

Turning quickly, the girl stepped forward and swung the cauldron as hard as she could with both hands. The meaty sounding thunk of the cauldron meeting the back of Snape's skull was satisfying.

He fell to his knees with a grunt, then toppled over. She dropped down next him and turned him over onto his back. Straddling him, she reached for the cauldron and looked down on her tormentor with hate filled eyes.

Raising the cauldron with both hands, she brought it down with a strength born of madness. She heard the sound of bones shatter and laughed as blood spurted. Raising the cauldron, she repeated the action again and again.

She spoke then, her words punctuated by a squishing crunch each time the cauldron made contact with his head. "My name is not 'pet'. Nor is it 'slut', 'whore' or 'toy'. My name is Cho Chang and don't you forget it!"

With her breath sawing in her lungs, she brought the cauldron down one more time, then pushed it away to examine her work.

Snape's face had been pulverized. His eyeballs had exploded, and what had once been his very prominent nose was now shoved up into his misshapen skull. Through the blood she could see gray matter smeared on the cold stone floor.

Standing, she looked down at him and giggled. "Fifty points to Ravenclaw!" she called out merrily as she spun around on her toes.

Glancing around, she spied his notes on the table and tilted her head in thought. With a few quick strides, she picked them up and tossed them into the fire, then walked into his private quarters.

Reaching the ingredient cabinet, she grasped the handles and pulled the doors open. Laughing at his carelessness, she searched the bottles and jars until she found what she was looking for.

Taking a small vial from the middle shelf, she placed it into the pocket of her ragged robe. Finding two bottles of interest, she pulled them out and put them on the desk. She'd show him just how much she remembered!

She closed the cabinet doors, then paused for a moment. With a shrug, she jerked them open again and began to pull shelves out, laughing happily as jars fell and smashed on the hard floor. Shards of glass cut her bare feet as she danced around, but she was beyond pain.

When she was done, she looked around the room and smiled. She then gathered all the notes, bits of parchment and books sitting on the desk top and tossed them into the fire, where they caught fire and burned cheerfully. She looked at the overfull bookcases lining the office and shrugged. As satisfying as it might be, it would take too much time to toss them all into the fire.

Picking up the two bottles she'd set aside, she marched to the doorway and turned around. Unscrewing the lids, she poured the contents of one into the other and dropped the empty. When the bottle in her hand began to smoke, she replaced the lid and shook it. As the liquid began to roil, she heaved it at the fireplace and slammed the door closed.

The sound of glass shattering and the deep, whomping reverberation had her dancing. She placed her hand on the door and felt the heat of the fire she'd just created. She could feel the air from the dungeon tickle her feet as it was sucked under the door to feed the flames of the blaze.

Cocking her head to the side, she thought for a moment. It was true that stone wouldn't burn, but all of those dark, evil books would! And some of them were irreplaceable!

Turning away, she danced back to Snape and poked him with her foot.

"It's better this way. The screaming has stopped and the dance of the dead will take it's final bow. I've saved us, you know. Not you, of course. Your soul was damned before I was born. But them," she told him seriously as she waved her hand towards the door and the cages of victims outside in the pens. "Oh, yes. I've saved them. I've saved us all."

When the door of the dungeon banged open, she jumped and spun around.

Two Death Eaters stood outside as the Dark Lord entered.

"What is this? What has happened here?" Voldemort hissed, his eyes trained on what was left of Severus Snape.

"He was damned," Cho told him calmly. "He'd solved your ritual problem and was afraid that you wouldn't need him anymore and would kill him. I saved you the trouble. I didn't really want to do it this way, but the apple lied! It was supposed to be the solution, but it was actually the cauldron!"

When the Dark Lord pulled out his scepter, she laughed and held up a hand. "I wouldn't do that. I'm the only one who has the answer to your puzzle."

Voldemort's red eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back, exposing pointed teeth. "You? You're nothing. A play thing for my servants, to be used as they please. Severus would never have told you anything."

"He didn't usually, but everyone gets lonely from time to time," she taunted. "And let's face it. I may have given him the best blow jobs of his life, but head can only take a man so far. Oh, and did I forget to mention that he use to talk in his sleep? No? How remiss of me!"

Voldemort took a gliding step towards her. "Extracting the information from you will be easy enough, girl. Then you will know what pain is!"

Smiling, she reached into her pocket. Taking out the vial she'd placed there earlier, she held it up to the light. The deep red potion was laced with a fiery gold and it sparkled in the dim light.

"What is that?" he hissed.

"This? Why, this is the answer to everything. My name is Cho Chang and I am the savior of the wizarding world!" Uncorking the vial, she drank it quickly.

"Stop her!" Voldemort shouted.

The two Death Eaters rushed passed him, but it was too late.

She fell to her knees, laughing hoarsely. "Manticore venom," she ground out, staring at him. "Lethal in seconds. All of the Dark Man's notes and books are burning to a crisp, and his secret dies with me! One hundred points from Slytherin and Ravenclaw wins the house cup."

She coughed, spraying the floor with blood, then toppled over, dead. Her sightless eyes still gazed at the Dark Lord, mocking him even in death.

Voldemort's unholy screech sent his servants scurrying out the door.

Pouring his power into his staff, he leveled it at the girl's still form. "Reducto!" he shouted.

The body exploded, painting the wall behind it in gore. Not satisfied, he turned to Severus and repeated the curse.

As he reined in his power, one of the men who'd accompanied him cleared his throat.

"What?" The Dark Lord growled.

"Master, the little bitch mentioned something about his books and notes burning," the man reminded him.

Spinning around, Voldemort looked at the door to Snape's private quarters. "Check it!" he snapped.

Trying not to cringe, the man strode to the door, reached out and twisted the handle. The burning pain in his palm registered as the door swung open.

With a roaring whoosh, the man was engulfed in flames. Shrieking, blinded by the heat and the pain, he disappeared into the room.

The wave of heat from the open door drove Voldemort back. "Get that fire out," he shouted at the guards as the flames licked up the frame of the office door and up into the rafters. "Move, you idiots!"

More men rushed into the room to help with the blaze. If it took hold in the rafters, the ceiling could collapse.

Several minutes later, through the smoke still wafting through the doorway, the Dark Lord gazed at the utter destruction of Snape's private quarters.

Enraged by the enormity of his loss, Voldemort spun around, took aim at the stack of cauldrons by the fire in the dungeon and destroyed them. Their destruction reigned fiery bits of shrapnel down on some of his men.

Ignoring their cries of pain, he clenched his fists. "Get Mulciber in here! I want these rooms torn apart. Anything that survived the blaze is to be brought to me!"

"My lord," a servant stammered, staring at him in horror. "You've been injured."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he conjured a mirror. Looking at his reflection, he nearly blanched. His face was blistered by the heat of the blaze, as were his hands. The searing pain hit then and he bit back a groan.

"Get me a healer, now!"


Authors Notes:

Yes, yes, we get it! You all hate cliffies. Sheesh! This chapter might have been out a bit quicker if we hadn't had to heal the lash marks, the pin pricks from the dolls you made of us (glares at Rippergirl) and dodge all those howlers! Yes, I know. You all think it's our fault for leaving the chapter in a cliffy in the first place, but you should all be used to that by now!

Anyway, on with the dreaded AN's.

Oh, goodness. Did we kill Snape? How naughty of us. And unlike our disclaimers, the greasy bat will not be coming back for a command performance! And after everything we put her through, we felt it only right that Cho be allowed to kill him.

Our thanks to Princess Fictoria for the lovely plate of virtual cookies. I finally had to bake a chocolate cake and shove it under Bob's nose to get him to stop sniffing his monitor and pouting.

Let's see. Will Umtumba be a reoccurring character? Probably not. We like the man a lot, but he has many responsibilities. It took a fair amount of negotiating to get him to appear in our story, even briefly. And for those who asked - Yes, strangely enough, he DOES sound like James Earl Jones!

Fishburne left us with the enlightening comment of "Fnord". To this, we can only say, "Fishnuts!"

Ah, yes, Harry's shield. In the battle in the last chapter, Harry's shield flickered, then failed for a moment. First, it wasn't his most powerful shield and he can't cast through it. Second, he was trying to shield the Brotherhood from the attack coming at them from above. He was blocking the attacks of over twenty people. Had he known ahead of time how many were involved, he probably would have cast a stronger shield. In any case, it worked out in the end. Remember, our Harry is very strong, but even he has his limits and makes mistakes.

Dorothy: You'll be happy to know your flying monkeys arrived. Bob enjoyed them with a nice mushroom sauce and a bottle of chardonnay.

Who's going to be Harry's next opponent? We're not telling, mostly because we've given you all enough clues in previous chapters. ~Smirk~

No, the Bloody Baron is not Salazar Slytherin. Not in our story, at least. Who knows what JKR might come up with!

Ronnie: You never know about old Voldie. He might just use some evil eggs to replace his missing minions! Muahahahah! Umm, okay, so it was a typo. It's fixed now, however. Thanks for pointing it out. Boy do I have egg on my face! (Blush)

Okay, we've had several people ask how we came up with the idea for Fuzz. Remember, you all asked for this! So, Bob and I were watching a DVD while eating dinner one night and no, I don't remember which DVD off hand. We'd finished the movie and Bob was checking the extras on the disk when he came across an animated short in the menu. The short was about a dancing, singing sheep that eventually got shorn, but realized he was still quite good looking, even without his woolly coat. With a bit of twisting, some stretching, and quite a bit of cursing, Fuzz appeared on Bob's desk, whirring softly at us. She is, to us, a combination of a sheep, Taz (the cartoon from WB) and a Cheshire cat. The Crumpled Horn Snorkack we turned her into is JKR's invention.

Roy: We can assure you that there are lots of plots still left in our twisted little...I mean, our highly intelligent, socially acceptable minds! However, if you really want to psychoanalyze us, we don't mind. We would suggest, however, that you have your will updated and your medical insurance premiums paid in full. The last person who wanted to study us left our house hugging herself and drooling. You might last longer than her though if you bring us donuts!

No, there will be no sequel to Sunrise. Heck, what would we call it? Noon over Britain? Kinda ruins the whole SoB theme we had going. I mean, NoB? Sounds obscene!

How far are we from finishing Sunrise? It ends when it ends. We have plots to finish, loose ends to tie up and cast members to pay. We'll get there, though.

Chris1: A spell checker helps with that, or so I've been told by two friends who have it.

Butch: The elves are an attached unit of the 24th .

Are we leaving the wings on Crookshanks? Nah, he was de-winged while no one was looking. It had to be done that way, as we were afraid the folks at PETA would hound us if they saw us do it.

Digeediva: Hermione went from being the Gryffindor know-it-all to the wife of the most influential and important man in the world and she still has some problems dealing with things she's never encountered before. Most of her problem with the whole multiple wives thing she keeps between herself and Harry. She has no problem with other men in different cultures taking multiple wives, in theory. She has a big problem with anyone thinking Harry would do the same thing, however. She knows, logically, that he wouldn't, but she's still a bit overwhelmed with the whole "Lady Potter" thing.

Narcissa has been teaching her many things, but mostly about Wizarding society in Britain. Remember that Narcissa will impart that information she thinks will be most useful to Hermione, and her husband taking a mistress wouldn't be all the unusual in her mind. After all, Lucius had his other women, as did most of the pure-blood men in her social circle.

Also, keep in mind that Hermione was born and raised a muggle. She has modern muggle thoughts about things like freedom and the right to choose (remember S.P.E.W.? She jumped into the fray of elvish rights without bothering to find out if the elves even wanted to be free). She's also a Catholic in this story, so is also dealing with a bit of religious teaching, as well.

It's going to take time for her to become a politicians wife. With the war, she's not really had time to learn as she should, and the lessons she's had from Narcissa haven't covered international politics. Give her time. She'll learn and grow, though she may stick her foot in her mouth a few times before she gets there.

Rayven: Umtumba didn't really react to the attack because he, like most of the other justices, was in shock. An attack had never taken place in the entire history of the Council. Remember Amelia's rather arrogant attitude when Harry suggested security for the delegation before they went to France? The members of the Council counted too much on history and not enough on the facts of the case and the dangers that were obvious to those not so awed by the Councils power. Plus, we didn't want him too. ~Snicker~

Meteoricshipyards: You didn't copy it, we just got our chapter posted before you did, that's all. Speaking of that, I hope you'll be updating Luna's Hubby soon (taps foot). For those who haven't read it, go search ff.net for it. You won't be disappointed!

Star_Ranger4: Actually, the fact that we keep posting chapters is the reason we keep needing disclaimers. Now, unless you want us to not post any chapters, I see no way around the need for a disclaimer. The cliffhangers are just for our amusement. Although the reactions from the readers are starting to become a bit more violent than we'd counted on, so we may have to rethink that.

I think Kendiara hit the nail on the head when it comes to Amy. She said no sane person would stay in a job like that, no matter what they were being paid. Now, no where in the story did we ever say Amy was sane. She's stayed with the twins, put up with their pranks and has become a trusted member of their staff. Is she a masochist? Quite possibly. But by allowing herself to be "pranked", she's also helping the twins come up with some rather useful ideas. Most of the time. Sometimes the twins go a little too far, but what's a poor, put-upon, masochistic assistant to do? Throw up her lunch over Asia and start a new religious movement, apparently.

Well, that's it, folks. Our thanks to everyone who reviewed. Bob and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

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