Sunrise Over Britain :: Chapter 12 - Wives speak out and an Azkaban Field Trip

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Snape prodded Amy in the back with his wand and forced her onto the stage. Amy looked around wildly in her fright, then squealed in terror when she noticed the foreboding group of black hooded figures.

Once center stage Snape conjured an uncomfortable wooden chair and two of the figures dragged a screaming Amy over and strapped her into it. Another figure calmly wired electrodes to her quivering flesh.

Snape stepped forward and scowled at Amy for a moment before turning to the audience. "The Authors of this pitiful piece of dragon dung they call fan fiction wish for me to demonstrate what happens to an author that does not tell people they do not own the rights to Harry Potter and the Potterverse. These authors make no such claim of ownership, but this... this Hufflepuff did, and now she is to be punished for your entertainment."

Snape paused while a house elf held up a sign that read. "The following scene has been rated gory by that dumb rating group everyone hates. If you have small children, you might want to send them from the room now."

The lights on the stage dimmed until nothing was visible, then there came the sound of a chainsaw and someone screaming. This lasted for nearly sixty minutes and people could hear someone continually casting healing spells so that the torture could be prolonged. When the lights came back up Snape was in pieces on the floor, and the figure holding the chain saw pulled back his hood revealing a grinning Harry Potter. The rest of the figures pulled off their hoods as well.

Harry blinked in surprise at the corpse of Snape and looked over to Hermione who seemed strangely aroused by the sight of the body. "I never did have good night vision," he said, then he tossed the dripping gory chain saw into Amy's lap. Amy promptly fainted.

"Shall we get lunch, then go shag?" asked Hermione.

"Why not?" Harry replied with a grin. "Fish and Chips or perhaps Sushi?"

Alyx turned and glared at Bob. "Are you just going to leave Amy tied to that chair?"

Bob looked up from checking out the aerodynamic features of Miss June. "Um no, I'll let her out for our next Q Branch scene. In the meantime she can't get into any trouble where she is."

"Thats mean!" Shouted Alyx angrily.

"It's safer that way," Bob said smugly. "Safer for Amy."

"Are you sure?"

"I swear it!" Bob said in protest.

Alyx stared hard at Bob for a moment, then stomped away muttering under her breath. Once she was out of sight Bob stood and walked over to the stage. Once there he bent down and opened a hole in the stage allowing millions of fire ants to climb out, then he retreated quickly. The theater emptied quickly to the sounds of Amy screaming.

Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 12

Padfoot Manor (August 9th)...

Narcissa looked up from the volume she had been reading when the door to her sitting room opened. Draco and Luna were tugging on the hands of someone that seemed reluctant to enter. With one final tug, they pulled Andromeda Tonks into the room and Narcissa's face paled. She and Andromeda had not talked in nearly twenty years!

"Sit," Draco said in a commanding tone to his aunt.

"Dray," cautioned Luna.

"No, Luna, not this time. This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen. My mother and my aunt haven't talked to each other in forever. I barely know my aunt and she's the closest family I have besides Mother. Harry's already told me he's reinstating my aunt back into the Black family, so it's time to put this feud to an end!" Draco said vehemently.

Both older women looked at Draco, surprised. He was practically shaking in anger. Luna smiled gently at her husband and place a calming hand on his arm. He glanced at the two older women, then back to Luna.

"Why don't you let me handle this, Dray?" she said, smiling sweetly at him. "You're too close to the problem."

Draco looked at her for a moment, then nodded. He kissed her cheek, then walked out of the room. Fortunately for him, he didn't slam the door behind him.

Luna smiled fondly at him as he walked out, then she turned back to the two older women. "I haven't been married long, but I don't like things that upset my husband and the two of you refusing to speak to one another upsets him greatly. He loves his mother enough that he put his life on the line for her, and he'd like the chance to love his aunt, as well."

Andromeda looked indignant and was about to protest when she saw Narcissa looking down at her hands, her expression was filled with shame.

"We said a lot of hurtful things to each other the last time we were together, Andy. I wish I could take back everyone of those words. I wish I had listened to you and I'm sorry for the horrible things I said," Narcissa said quietly.

Luna moved to sit next to Narcissa and placed one of her hand over her mother-in-law's. Narcissa glanced at her, grateful for the show of support.

Andromeda sighed and seemed to deflate in her chair. "That particular fight wasn't exactly one of our better moments, Cissy. I was so sure that you were making a huge mistake..."

"And you were right, Andy. The only good to come out of that nightmare just left this room," Narcissa said sadly.

Andromeda looked at Narcissa incredulously. "You're kidding, right? There were no good times?"

Narcissa lowered her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Not really. It didn't take long for Lucius to display his cruel streak. When I complained to Mama, she told me that it didn't matter. I was his to do with as he pleased."

Andromeda looked aghast. "Oh, Cissy, I had no idea. Mother always was a vindictive witch. I was so glad to get out from under her thumb."

"She cared little for our problems. I always suspected that Father treated her as bad as Lucius treated me. But by then we had fought and weren't speaking to each other. My pride... prevented me from talking to you, from apologizing. And Lucius was an expert at putting on public and private faces and if you didn't follow his rules, he made his displeasure known... violently."

Andromeda reached out and grasped Narcissa's free hand in hers.

Narcissa looked up in surprise and felt something inside herself break. She felt as if the years of anger and resentment she'd built up were draining away. She'd never be able to reconcile with Bellatrix, but to reconcile with Andromeda was a gift beyond her comprehension.

There was a moment of silence as the two women looked at each other, then they fell into each others arms. Luna released Narcissa's hand in time to prevent being dragged into the hug. Standing, she walked over to the fireplace before summoning a house elf. A few minutes later, elves were placing a tea service and a light snack for four on the coffee table.

Several minutes more passed before the two women regained their composure. Narcissa sat back in her seat and looked at Luna. She had been about to say something to the young girl, but her posture stopped her. Luna stared up at the ceiling, her body language said clearly she was doing something. What ever it was continued for nearly a minute before the sitting room door opened to reveal Draco, who went straight to Luna.

"You called me?" he asked quietly.

Luna turned and took his hand. "They're ready for us now," she said simply.

Draco, dragging Luna with him, walked to Andromeda and Narcissa and looked at them both hopefully. Andromeda looked up from her tea and smiled broadly at him.

"For many years I've wondered what kind of man my nephew was growing up to be. I feared he'd be just like his father. I know now that I should have had more faith in my sister. My nephew has grown up to be a fine man with a beautiful wife," Andromeda said softly, then she laughed softly at his blush.

"I was proud of him before, but never more so than now. Thank you, Dray," Narcissa said softly, her eyes dancing with laughter. "And I am positively delighted with my new daughter."

Luna blushed and gripped Draco's hand tighter, while he stared at his feet for a moment.

"It's like Harry says, we're family..." he told them simply as he looked up.

"Come on, Dray, let your Mother and Aunt spend some time catching up. We can go visit Ginny and Neville," Luna told softly. "We can visit with your Aunt and Mother later."

He nodded, sent a quick look at both women, then followed his wife from the room, leaving two sisters with nearly twenty years of catching up to do.

The Weasley Cottage, Haven...

Two figures approached the house stealthily, both dressed in black from head to toe. Even their faces were covered with black knitted ski masks. They paused for a moment at the rear door, then the door swung open.

The pair snuck into the kitchen and from there made their way towards the stairs. The shorter figure led the way to the stairs, where the figure stopped. The taller figure bumped into the shorter one, causing the shorter figure to turn around.

"Watch it!" hissed Ginny quietly.

"Sorry," muttered Neville. "I'm sort of new to this pranking stuff."

"Just be quiet and follow me. The twins use the first and second bedrooms on the left."

"Right. Lead the way."

Sneaking up the stairway and turning left, Ginny paused to drop a warning ward that one of the Twins had erected a while back. The ward sparkled for a moment then, recognizing Ginny as a family member, dropped without complaint. She smiled evilly and motioned for Neville to follow her.

They stopped at the door and Ginny cast a few detection charms before opening the door as softly as possible. Entering the room, she was shocked to find her brother asleep, with his girlfriend in the same bed, and neither were dressed. She slapped a hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Neville, spotting her predicament, stepped up behind her, thinking he could help. He wrapped an arm around her, but she tried to pull away. In the ensuing struggle, his hand slipped upwards to cup her breast and she stopped fighting almost instantly. Turning around in his arms, she reached down and gently cupped him, kneading lightly. He could have he felt her purring!

Her eyes were filled with lust and she mouthed to him. "Later."

Then she turned around and began casting her complex curse on the sleeping pair. Neville watched her, waiting for his turn. Five minutes later, when she finished and left room, he began dropping green pods on the floor as he slowly backed out of the room, making sure to surround the bed with pods.

They grinned at each other in the hallway, then turned and repeated the same procedure for her other twin brother, who was also sleeping with his girlfriend.

Stifling their laughter, the pair made their way downstairs again and out the back door. Once outside, they removed the black ski masks and started to run back to the manor. They were cutting across a field when Ginny tackled Neville, knocking him to the ground. She straddled him, then sat down.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Neville," she whispered huskily. Then, to his surprise, she peeled off her black shirt.

"What a rush! Trying to grope me while we're pranking? I nearly ripped your clothes off right there in my brother's room!" she exclaimed. Then she leaned down and kissed him hard, her hands fumbling with his belt.

Neville was glad it was dark. Making love in the middle of a huge field where hundreds passed every day was not something he had ever dreamed of doing. However, this was his Ginny, and he'd do anything for her.

I didn't know I had it in me either, Neville thought as he began to make love to his wife. It's amazing what a slipped grip can do.

The Weasley Cottage, Haven (August 10th)...

Fred woke to the unusual sound of whimpering. He glanced over at Inga and found that she was under the blankets. Sliding his head under the covers, he looked at her.

"Hullo , love. What could possibly be wrong this bright, wonderful morning?" he asked.

When Inga looked at him and shivered in fear, he realized that what ever was wrong, it was serious. Then he caught a whiff of something. He sniffed deeper and blanched. He rolled away from Inga and peeked out from under the blankets. The smell was slightly stronger, but the breeze through the open window was clearing away the smell nicely enough. The floor, however, was covered with cacti. And not just any cacti, but carnivorous cacti.

Carnivorous Cacti were small and grew in clustered colonies. They were too small to affect humans, but their needles had a nasty sting and an even nastier hallucinogenic gas they sprayed when disturbed.

Inga had been hit with the gas, which explained why she was huddled under the blanket. Fred's mind raced as he considered his options. He could not reach his wand. It was on the dresser, to far from the bed. He thought about apparating to the dresser top, but the dresser really wasn't that sturdy.

"GEORGE!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Inga whimpered louder.

"Hang on, love," he murmured.

"GEORGE!!" he bellowed again. Then he realized, the silencing charm! He had silenced the room the night before.

There was no help for it. He'd have to try tandem apparating Inga and himself out of the bedroom. In theory, he could do it, but he was very limited in how far he could take them. He figured the outside hallway would be his best bet. He rolled again until he was under the blankets with Inga, then wrapped an arm around her as she buried her head in his shoulder. He closed his eyes, concentrating on extending the apparation field around the both of them, then he pushed.

Fred and Inga appeared in the hallway and Fred breathed a sigh of relief, which lasted all of about two and a half seconds.

"Sweet Merlin! What is going on here?" bellowed Arthur. Behind him, grinning like the proverbial village idiot, was Bill.

Fred jumped to his feet and pulled Inga up into this arms. She whimpered against his chest.

"Dad! Um... It's not like it seems to be... I swear!" Fred protested. Inga made a motion with her head and she suddenly shrieked in his ear before fainting dead away.

Arthur and Bill stared at the naked Fred, now trying to hold the limp and equally naked Inga in his arms, when another pop was heard.

George and Helga appeared. Both were naked and both were lying at Fred's feet. It was then that Fred realized exactly why his father and brother were staring at him so oddly, and why George stared up at him with a look of both panic and horror on his face.

Besides the cacti filled room, someone had cast swapping spells on their genitals! Fred took one look down and joined Inga in her faint. The sight of having the wrong equipment down there was too much for him to bear.

Arthur looked at Bill, shook his head and grinned. "You know, this has Ginny written all over it."

"Looks like it to me, too."

"Breakfast?"

"Why not? We can fix them up later. I'm never quite right without my morning coffee." Bill replied as he followed his father down the stairs.

Padfoot Manor...

Amelia looked down on her niece and frowned. Susan had been kept unconscious since her return from France two days ago. Terry wasn't in much better shape. He had been allowed to wake up a few hours earlier so they could evaluate the nerve damage he had sustained. He was so distraught about Susan that they'd had to give him a calming drought. When that had no effect, they had no choice but to knock him out once more.

Susan rolled to one side and slowly opened her eyes. looking around. It took her a moment to recognize she was back in the manor, in the room that she normally shared with Terry. Then it hit her. She bolted upright in her bed. "Terry!"

Amelia jumped in surprise, then she moved to sit on the edge of the bed and gently pushed Susan back down. "Hush, child. Terry is fine, he's sleeping at the moment," Amelia said in a strangely gentle voice.

Susan looked at Amelia suspiciously, her tone wasn't normally this soft. "Aunt Amelia?"

"You're safe now, Susan, both of you are. We haven't pieced together the entire story, but as near as we can figure, one of the French crime syndicates was working for Voldemort. They had intended to kidnap the both of you, presumably to send you both to Voldemort, but the kidnap attempt went very wrong for them right from the get go.

"Terry managed to hold them off long enough for them to change to more lethal tactics, abandoning the idea of kidnapping, I expect. When that high powered explosive hex was cast, Terry rolled on top of you, trying to protect you, then he activated your Brotherhood medallion portkey." She glanced at the other bed where Terry slept, her expression one of gratitude.

"He's a brave man, and a resourceful one," she whispered, then she shivered thinking about what might have been. Finally, she turned her gaze back to Susan and smiled gently.

"After you portkeyed back to the manor, we had healers patch you both up. They've been keeping you both asleep to help you heal. Terry has some injuries that will have a lasting impact, I'm afraid, but you are going to be fine," Amelia said. Then her expression turned stern. "And so will your baby..."

Susan gapped for a moment as a blush crawled up her cheeks. "You know about that?"

"Of course she knows," said Melinda McKinny as she bustled into the room. "You can't hide that sort of thing from a healer."

Susan looked at her stern aunt with trepidation. Amelia Bones was a gruff woman who seemed to be capable of intimidating anyone, including her niece. She was also very traditional in her attitudes.

"Oh, don't look at me as if I'm going to bite you, child!" snapped Amelia.

Melinda shot the Minister a stern look and Amelia took a deep breath.

"Susan," Amelia began again, more gently this time. "I'm sorry. I was just surprised to discover you were pregnant before your wedding. You and I are the last of the Bones family, and here you're extending that line. Something I thought may never happen."

"You're not angry with us? With me?" asked an astonished Susan.

Amelia shook her head. "I know I should be, but after seeing you both coming back from Paris, injured and bleeding, how can I be? There are more important things in life. I had hoped you'd wait a bit, but we'll make do."

Susan glanced over to where Terry lay sleeping and frowned. "What's wrong with him?" she asked in a low voice.

"He has some nerve damage in his arm and in his leg. He's alive and in no danger, but it will take him a long time to recover, I'm afraid," Amelia replied.

Susan expression grew pained. "Will he be crippled?"

Amelia frowned. She hadn't asked any of the healers that question.

"No, he will not," Melinda said, glancing up from checking on Terry. "His injuries weren't as life threatening as yours were, but the damage done to two key nerve junctions was severe. We cannot fix nerves as easily as we can bones, so it will take some time to regenerate the nerves. He'll be walking well before you have that baby."

"How soon can I get up?" Susan asked worriedly.

Melinda hesitated for a moment before replying, "Well, that will depend on what you mean by getting up. You can leave the bed and go sit with Terry if you want, or do a little light walking for the next couple days. Your body took a massive blow when it was pinched in between the wall and that explosion. We want to make sure your fully healed before you do anything strenuous. Please do as we tell you, Susan, for your sake and for the sake of the baby."

Susan's eyes widened and she placed a hand on her belly. "My baby isn't in danger, is she?"

Amelia smiled at her defining the gender of the baby already. It was a little known talent of the Bones family. The women always knew what the gender of the child was well before birth. In fact, one of the Bones women had helped develop the first of the gender testing charms used routinely by healers world wide.

Melinda smiled at the young woman. "No, your baby is fine and in better shape than you were when they brought you in here. It's our job to help you keep it that way," she explained as she pulled out a potion, which she handed to Susan. "Drink this. Your husband will be waking shortly and I'm sure you'll want to be there."

Susan took the potion and drank down the vile tasting concoction with a grimace, then she threw the covers off the bed and sat up. She experienced a moment of dizziness and was surprised to feel her aunt wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Amelia stood and helped Susan put on a light robe over her nightgown. Then she looked at Susan questioningly.

"I want to sit with him," Susan said firmly, her eyes fixed on Terry.

Amelia nodded and floated a comfortable chair next to the bed so Susan could sit, then she followed closely behind her as she moved unsteadily to the chair. Susan ignored the chair and sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes filled with tears and she brushed Terry's hair away from his eyes.

"He was magnificent, you know," she told her aunt, who had sat down on the other side of the bed. "I was unarmed. We were celebrating and a little drunk. I could see his love for me in everything he did," she said, choking back a sob.

"We were lucky. The attack happened just at a point where the wireless was switching songs, so it was quiet. Terry immediately started defending us. And I couldn't do anything about it! I tried casting a wandless shield, but my wandless magic is pretty limited. I felt so useless!"

"You weren't useless, Suse," Terry murmured sleepily.

"Terry!" Susan exclaimed as she leaned over him and kissed his brow. "How are you feeling, love?"

Terry opened his eyes and his expression grew panicked. "What's wrong with me, Susan? Why can't I move my fingers? Why does my leg feel numb?"

She looked into his eyes, trying to stem his incipient panic. "Terry!" she said firmly, "Listen to me. You're going to be alright, it's just going to take time. The healers say you have damaged nerves in your left arm and leg, but they already have you on the treatment needed to fix things." She shot Melinda a questioning glance and the healer nodded in reply.

"You're going to get better, love. You'll be back on your feet before the baby is born," Susan told him firmly.

"Your wife is quite correct, Mr. Boot," Melinda said, watching him closely from the foot of his bed. "We already have you on the proscribed course of treatment. It will take time, but you will be able to walk into the delivery room to see your baby being born. In the meantime, we'll be starting you on a crutch in a day or two. You need to start walking to keep the muscles strong."

Terry glanced at Melinda, then he turned and searched Susan's eyes, looking for the truth. She nodded tearfully and he pulled her into a one armed hug.

Amelia watched the young couple, soon to be parents and considered how close things had come. Miles was still interviewing the protective detail that had been on duty, but there were gaps that only Susan and Terry could explain. Amelia decided she'd inform Miles that he could see them in a day or two. Right now, they needed some time to heal emotionally.

Susan turned to Amelia, "Aunt, did anyone find my wand in the hotel suite?"

"Yes, it's by your nightstand now. The Protective Detail found it after you had left," Amelia replied, then smiled when Susan breathed a sigh of relief and snuggled closer to Terry.

Standing, Amelia nodded her thanks to Healer McKinny and walked out of the room. She wanted to talk to Harry before returning to her office, but at least she had the peace of knowing that her niece was safe, and her niece's new husband would recover.

Walking through the manor she was unable to find anyone until she entered the first floor kitchen. There she found Harry, Hermione, Remus, Tonks and Hermione's parents, Dan and Emma.

Harry waved her to a seat and Emma handed her a cup of tea. Harry wore a bright yellow t-shirt with "I Bet Voldemort's Mother Had A Loud Bark" emblazoned across the front in bright green letters, and Amelia had to stifle a laugh when she read it.

"How are Susan and Terry?" asked Hermione. The abrupt switch from honeymoon to crisis had startled all of the Brotherhood and, at some level, disturbed them all. Hermione spent half the night pouring over old volumes on wards, trying to see if there was anything they had missed that would make Haven safer. Harry finally took away her book when she started talking about putting up anti-leprechaun wards, something which was illegal in Ireland.

Amelia stirred her tea for a moment, lost in thought. "They're shook up, but better, I think. They'll weather this. Terry's scared right now. He just found out about his injuries. But Susan will help him work his way through it."

"I'll talk to him," offered Harry in a quiet voice. "I know where he's coming from to have to deal with a disability, even if it's just for a short amount of time."

Amelia nodded, thinking about Harry's leg. Unlike Terry, Harry's injury was permanent. The healers could do a lot to help someone, but in the case of Harry, the spider bite resulted in the major loss of muscle mass. What muscle they had managed to regrow, was misshapen and caused him pain and loss of mobility. If anyone other than Susan could help Terry, it would be Harry. Then she brightened a bit. "Oh, the healers say he'll be walking well before the baby is born. He'll be on a crutch in a few days."

Everyone smiled at the news.

Amelia turned to Harry, her expression serious. "Can you possibly explain why I have an offer from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Magic to supply us with one hundred inferno-camel cavalry? And why the Egyptians are offering us fifty Aurors and a trained Nundu and its handlers?"

Harry gawked at Amelia for a moment and Hermione chuckled. The others just looked baffled. Amelia smiled at Dan and Emma's confusion in understanding, knowing they'd never heard of such beasts. She was coming to greatly respect these muggles-turned-wizards. They brought a fresh outlook to everything in the Wizarding world.

"An inferno-camel is a magical camel. The Saudis are one of the few peoples who have managed to tame these fire breathing creatures and use them as part of their military. As for the Nundu," Amelia explained with a slight shiver. "Short of a dragon, it's one of the most dangerous creatures I can think of. It's breath is full of diseases, horrible diseases, and it's incredibly powerful. It can take up to one hundred wizards to subdue a small Nundu. The one offered by Egypt has been raised by wizards from birth."

Harry scratched at his chin for a moment, while both Grangers looked on wide eyed. "I don't think we really want a Nundu. That could get away from us. The last time one was used in a war it caused the black death in the thirteen hundreds," he said thoughtfully. Hermione gasped and stared at him.

"What?" he asked. "I didn't sleep through all of History of Magic, you know."

Amelia coughed politely, reminding them that her question still had to be answered.

"Ummm... Well, we sort of made friends with the Sheik in charge of one of the Egyptian Ministry departments," Harry said lamely.

Hermione stared at Harry incredulously for moment. "Made friends? Harry Potter, I'd swear you'd call meeting the Queen a brunch with a neighbor!" she exclaimed, then she turned to Amelia. "Harry and I met with the Sheik in charge of their Department of Magical Antiquities. He arranged for us to visit the Library at Alexandria. When we went to the Library, Harry foiled a plot to destroy it. My oh-so-modest husband would have you believe that we made friends, which I admit we did do. But his actions influenced the Egyptian Ministry into changing their position on whether or not to support our cause. As the Sheik said, what Egypt does, so does the rest of the Arab nations."

Amelia stared at Harry, dumbstruck. She had more than a dozen people trying to convince the middle eastern countries to support them, and Harry did it with a visit to a library.

"Hmmm... Yes, well... I suppose the Aurors would be a help, but Merlin knows what we'd do with one hundred cavalrymen or a Nundu," Amelia said pensively.

"Actually, this sounds more like a decision for Miles, Amelia," Harry offered. "I'll pass it along to him and tell him you'll craft the appropriate reply to what he can and can't use."

Amelia nodded her agreement and picked up her teacup to take a sip, but froze when Hermione's words finally sunk home. "Wait a moment. Do you mean to tell me we can expect more countries to follow Egypt's example?"

"That's what the Sheik said," Harry replied with a careless shrug.

Amelia sat back in her chair gapping at him for a moment. Then a slow grin spread across her face and her eyes danced merrily as she looked at the unassuming young man before her. "Merlin's balls, Harry, you sure work quick!"

Tea sprayed across the kitchen as Harry, Hermione, Remus and Emma all choked at the Minister's exclamation.

An hour later, Emma and Dan were sitting alone at the kitchen table reading textbooks. Emma was reading about potions, while Dan read about charms. Emma finally sighed and closed her book to look at her husband.

Dan looked up at her questioningly. "What's wrong, Em?"

"This bit with Susan being pregnant. It's got all of the girls excited to one degree or another," she replied worriedly.

"And you're worried about becoming a grandma?" Dan asked with a smile.

Emma nodded and looked at her empty tea cup. Dan reached over and grabbed one of her hands. "Don't be worried. Our incredibly smart daughter has that problem already addressed. There is no way that can happen for a quite a while."

"Oh?"

"The normal contraceptive charm lasts up to a month. But the more powerful the caster, the longer it lasts. Hermione figures her charms are good for six months, but she's recasting the charm every three months. And Harry's taken a potion which leaves him shooting blanks until he takes the antidote," he said smugly.

Emma looked at Dan and breathed a sigh of relief while Dan's expression turned to a frown.

"Dan? You don't want Hermione pregnant this early, do you?"

"Good Lord, no, Em. It's just... Well, I think Harry is afraid of the idea of having children, at least now."

Emma looked confused.

"Look at it from his point of view, Em. He's an orphan, no parents, he lost his parents in what they call the last war. Right now I think he's afraid of leaving his own children under the same circumstances," he explained.

"Oh, Dan, that would never happen. He and Hermione," Emma trailed off as Dan's explanation became clear in her mind and her complexion paled.

"It will be alright, dear," Dan said. "I know how studious our daughter can be, but I also know she wants to give Harry a family of his own. When the time it right I'm sure she'll have no trouble convincing him."

Emma nodded. Days went by in Haven when things seemed so blissfully normal. But they weren't. And she found it odd that the specter of war could raise its ugly head at a time like this, when the manor was quiet and seemed so peaceful.

Operations Center, Briefing theater (August 12th)...

Miles walked into the briefing theater and up onto the stage. The theater looked fairly empty, as only twenty people were present for the briefing. He stepped up to the podium and the lights in the room dimmed. Everyone settled down and looked up at the stage.

"Good morning. Today begins the planning for what we are calling Operation Breakout," Miles said as the screen behind him lit up, showing a photo of a large, forbidding fortress.

"Azkaban prison lies on the island of Azkaban, roughly ten miles off the western coast of Wales. The island is three miles long by one mile wide with little to no appreciable vegetation, except for some scrub pine forest. For nearly six hundred years the fortress has played the role of prison for the Wizarding community.

"The prison is quite formidable. The walls are twenty seven feet thick at the base, up to a thickness of twelve feet at the top. Because this is a Wizarding prison, the moat, which in ordinary times is filled with water, can be instantly changed over to burning pitch when under attack. The full scope of it's defenses are unknown, but there has been six hundred years worth of experimentation on the fortress to find the best wards and other, physical defenses to thwart any breakout attempt.

"The normal compliment of guards was twenty-five Aurors and thirty-five trained civilian guards. We believe that has been replaced by an all Death Eater guard. Cleaning and food services is handled by a house elf staff, housed in the lowest level of the prison. The number of Dementors based at Azkaban used to be numbered in the hundreds or higher, but that has significantly changed. Elf scouts have counted less than thirty Dementors now based on the island, most of whom stay at the prison.

"Our objective will be the new, lesser protected facility one mile to the north of the prison. The 'holding pens' are guarded by wizards only. For reasons we have yet to determine, the Dementors assigned to the island no longer leave the fortress. In the past they used to patrol the island and surrounding waters, but they don't do that anymore.

"Our goal is simple. We are here to begin the planning for an assault on these holding pens. We will overwhelm the forces protecting them, then we will break out the prisoners, portkeying them back to Haven.

"Accomplishing this mission will allow us to rescue valuable resources from under the enemy's nose and deal a blow to him publicly that he won't be able to recover from. I know you all hate the idea of propaganda, but rescuing these people will deal a heavy blow to Voldemort's image of being unstoppable. That's the operations overview. It's up to you people to plan this. Questions?" Miles asked as he gathered his notes.

Harry sat in the back of the theater, listening. He had already decided he would be one of the people going on the mission along with Caleb and Miles. Starting tomorrow he'd be joining the Aurors in their training for Operation Breakout. Harry, Neville, Draco and Terry had been training with the Aurors all along, but this would be the first time they were formally attached to a unit.

Miles wanted Harry to get an idea of what it was like to lead a mission, so he was going along as Caleb's second in command. Draco and Neville would participating in other ways, as well. Draco was attending today's meeting and would design the deception plan using the elves at his disposal. Neville was attending as well. He and Sylvia August, Haven's chief healer, were trying to determine what medical supplies would be needed, both in field and at the hospital. Harry was determined to insure that the Brotherhood helped as much as possible with this, but in some ways, it was out of his hands now. It was no longer just his fight.

Padfoot Manor...

Susan padded into the dinning area in search of lunch. Healer McKinney was upstairs teaching Terry the exercises he needed to know for his therapy. As much as she wanted to stay, the healer had sent her away, reminding her that she was no longer eating for one.

"Susan! Come, sit down and join us," Luna said with a dreamy smile. Since the announcement of Susan's pregnancy, Luna had been walking around with a dreamier expression than usual on her face.

Susan sat next to Luna and looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Hermione and her parents are with Eocho and Harry is over at the Operations Center with Draco and Neville. Ginny is on her way back from town and should be here any minute. But what about you two? How are you feeling? And Terry?"

Before Susan could reply, Ginny, Tonks and Remus walked in and took seats. Ginny looked at Susan and smiled weakly.

After greeting them, Susan turned back to Luna. "Terry's fine. He's upstairs working with Healer McKinney right now. She sent me down here to get some lunch for myself."

Tonks nudged Susan and placed a few extra slices of cheese on her plate. "That's right. You're not just eating for yourself any more."

Remus leaned back in his chair, eating his lunch and watching as his wife gently teased Susan and the other girls. He chuckled as Tonks changed into a fully grown baby before changing back.

Ginny gasped and dropped her drink, causing the glass to shatter on the hard wood floor. She blushed and mumbled an apology while several house elves competed to clean up the mess.

Tonks eyed Ginny carefully for a moment, then poked her in the shoulder with a finger. "What is your problem today, Gin? You're too quiet and for a Weasley. That means you either have a prank going on, or you're sick."

"Tonks, be nice to Ginny. She's worried she'll catch Susan's spooged infection and end up pregnant too," Luna said airily.

Everyone laughed at the joke, until they noticed that neither Luna, nor Ginny, was laughing.

Susan turned on Ginny with an astonished look on her face. "You can't be serious! You really think you can catch my pregnancy?"

Ginny scowled. "Of course I don't! It's more like a Weasley curse, anyway. My mum told me about it, so did my Dad's gran. There's just something about us Weasleys. If you put a Weasley anywhere near a pregnant woman, we start breeding like bunnies."

"Well, that might be true for a Weasley, Ginny, but you're a Longbottom now," Luna said with a sniff. "Besides, that curse died out a long time ago. The Weasley family just didn't realize that it hadn't passed through the generations and did their best to fulfill a curse that no longer existed. "

While Ginny stared at Luna in disbelief, Tonks pulled out her wand and cast a few spells on Ginny. "I don't detect any curse," she said in confusion.

Susan started to giggle, though she did her best to muffle the sound behind her hand. Remus, after seeing Ginny's expression, carefully put his teacup back on the table, sat back in his chair and howled with laughter.

Ginny shot him an evil look, then started to grin sheepishly as she realized that someone must have pranked her family a long time ago, and that the family had been keeping it alive for generations.

"Luna, how is it you know about an old curse placed on the Weasley family?" asked Remus several minutes later as the laughter subsided.

"Daddy did an article in the Quibbler back in our second year about old family curses. The Weasley curse was just one of the examples he used. He also used the Fudge family's curse, explaining how they really are were-Heliotropes and the Snape family's tendency towards greasy hair. He wanted to include our family, but he couldn't think up anything interesting except for the tendency of our women to be Children of Gaia."

Ginny's eyes bugged out and she stared at the pretty blond. "You don't really consider being a Child of Gaia a curse, do you, Luna?"

Luna stopped to examine a fork suspiciously, then she pushed the fork as far away from her plate as possible before replying. "Oh, not really. There are some inconveniences. For example, it took Draco and I forever to figure out how he could control my emotional broadcasts enough for us to make love properly. It's sometimes annoying, but it has its side benefits," she murmured, then her attention was drawn to a dish full of strawberry jam, which she examined carefully. She could have sworn it was identical to the grape jam dish, and that disturbed her.

Everyone exchanged an embarrassed look. This was the Luna they were familiar with. Then the door to the room opened and Draco walked in, looking rather pleased with himself and the world in general.

Luna smiled up at him and her eyes seemed to focus. Draco sat next to her after planting a kiss on her cheek and she helped fill his plate. She carefully avoided the malignant strawberry jam.

Draco reached over and grabbed her hand for a moment in thanks, then he dug in.

"Good meeting, Draco?" asked Remus. He had been informed of the meeting earlier but hadn't been able to attend.

"Yes, it was interesting. If it works out, it should give Voldemort quite a public black eye," he replied with a grin.

Luna turned and looked at him for a moment. "We're going to talk about this, Draco," she said primly.

He blinked in shock and looked at the others for a moment before turning back to Luna. "Talk? What do you mean?"

"Don't try it, Draco, I know you're planning on going with Harry. You want to join the fight by going on this new mission and we're going to talk about it. Besides, Hermione and Ginny haven't given their permission yet either, so none of you may be going," Luna replied in a steely tone.

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she watched the pair. "Should I be planning on yelling at Neville for something?"

"Perhaps," replied Luna. "All three of them are looking to go on a mission with the Aurors sometime soon. I don't know the details, but I don't think they were planning on telling us until the night before. Or, at least, Draco wasn't planning on telling me until then," she concluded with a frown at her husband.

Draco managed to look sheepish and suitably embarrassed at the same time. "Now Luna, I was going to tell you, but nothing is decided yet. In fact, we only just started planning for this today."

Luna placed a hand on his arm. "I know, love, but we're still going to talk about this. Who knows? We might surprise you by coming along for the ride," she stated firmly.

"Oh, crap," Draco muttered, then flinched when he realized he was on the receiving end of four heated glares.

Hermione makes a mistake...

Hermione climbed out of bed and walked towards the large open window. Harry lay sleeping in the bed. Despite everyone's belief, the two had not fought over Harry's decision to go on the Azkaban mission. Nor had Harry even attempted to hide it from her. Before they'd turned in, he'd sat her down and for more than a hour he spoke of the mission and what they hoped to achieve. Harry knew the broad outline of the operation because he and Miles had worked together to design it. Hermione also knew the Brotherhood needed to show it's presence on the mission.

Eocho had spoken of this sort of thing with her on a few occasions and Hermione was coming to terms with the idea that her husband was the Maglios, the warrior king of the Brotherhood, and that this was his fight. She didn't like it, but she was coming to accept it.

She turned back to look at Harry on the bed. He was still asleep, but he reached out for her now and again. She padded silently back to the bed and slipped between the sheets. Almost instinctively Harry wrapped an arm around her. She propped herself up on one elbow facing him and closed her eyes. Luna had told her about some of the other uses she had discovered for communing and Hermione was eager to explore them for herself.

Reaching out to Harry with her mind, she gently wrapped herself around his shields. When Eocho had taught communing to her and the others, Harry had modified his shields to allow her free entry, so she wasn't surprised to discover she could still pass those formidable barriers while he slept.

Once past his shields, her perceptions changed. She felt as if she were on a vast plain and she was drawn to a towering pillar of power. The currents of air swept past her as she hurried towards it. Somehow she knew this pillar. It was central to Harry's very being. In some strange way, it was him. Images flashed past her of Harry in various stages of his life, but she was unable to consider them. She was swept ever closer, unable to stop herself.

As her speed increased Hermione began to panic. She tried to change her course, or even just slow down. She looked wildly about and, with a primal scream, plunged into that massive pillar of power.

Harry...

Harry shifted slightly in bed as his dream changed. He felt a presence both comforting and terrified and he reached out to comfort it. As he did, his dream shifted again. There was a bright light fluttering nearby, like a firefly. He reached out and cupped his hands around the spark and gently brought it close to him. He could feel it's terror and confusion and he tenderly held it close, trying to send it feelings of comfort and love and safety.

He wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but as he held the spark in his hands he could see flashes of Hermione, which both reassured him and gave him strength. The images were strange, almost as though they were scenes from her life before Hogwarts. Harry gathered his power about him and in his dream he changed slowly, his body fell away leaving pure Harry. He could feel the spark nearby and he reached for it again, merging with it, comforting and driving away the fear.

Hermione...

Hermione lay flat on the bed, her hand firmly gripping Harry's. She arched her back and screamed a soul searing scream, awakening the manor the crisis now upon them. A bright glow surrounded the both of them and they lifted up off the mattress. While Harry slept peacefully on, Hermione writhed and whimpered in pain.

The door to the master bedroom burst open and Remus and Tonks ran in, each holding wands at the ready. Dan and Emma were close behind, also holding their wands. Seeing no obvious danger, they turned their attention to the couple on the bed.

Harry and Hermione floated several feet above the bed, a bright nimbus of energy surrounding the both of them. But where Harry appeared peaceful, Hermione was obviously in agony.

Melinda McKinny stepped into the room, her wand drawn. She had been staying nearby to help Terry and came as soon as she heard the screaming. Seeing Hermione writhing, she began casting diagnostic spells on the young woman.

"You cannot interfere," intoned a voice.

Everyone turned to see Eocho float through a wall. "You cannot interfere," he repeated, staring at the healer.

Melinda glared. "Listen, spook," she began angrily, gripping her wand tighter. Whatever else she might have said to the floating phantom was forgotten when Emma spoke.

"Revered Teacher, what's happening to our daughter and son?" she pleaded.

Eocho looked at Emma and smiled sadly at her. "Your daughter's mind is a powerful one, my child, but in her curiosity she has tempted fate and is being rewarded... and punished... for her audacity. In her pride she thought to reach out to the Maglios while he slept, to know him better as any mate would wish to know their mate better. The Maglios is powerful and his mind and experiences are overwhelming her. She did not take the proper precautions and because she did this without his knowledge or consent, she is reliving his experiences while he relives hers."

"Will this hurt her permanently?" asked Dan.

"It will change her in ways she had not anticipated, my son. Your daughter is merging herself for a while with the Maglios and when they are done, both will share a part of the other, forever. To get to that point, however, she must live what he has experienced and he has not had a good life," replied Eocho.

Dan and Emma both turned to look at their daughter trembling before them and wondered how long she'd have to endure Harry's life before this ended.

Realizing more people had gathered in the room, Remus turned and ushered them out, leaving only himself, Tonks and Hermione's parents in the room with Eocho and the young couple. They took seats at the breakfast table to wait for the process to complete itself.

Remus looked at Eocho. "Honored Teacher, can you tell us more about what has happened?"

Eocho floated to the table, a frown marring his features. "Hermione waited until the Maglios had fallen asleep, then she began to commune with him. There are few that the Maglios will freely commune with, but your daughter is perhaps the one he trusts most of all. Even while his conscious mind slept, he allowed her entrance. But his mind was asleep, hence she bypassed it entirely and delved right into the core of his being. Had he been awake, he would have protected her from his inner being.

"Within each of us exists a core. It is what makes is unique from everyone else. It is the source of our power and of our souls. Hermione was drawn to this source like a moth to a flame. She has joined bodies with the Maglios, now she joins her very being with his. Truly, the trial she now faces is of her own doing, as is the pain she now endures. I had thought better of her," he said harshly as he turned away.

Harry...

At first the spark was uncontrollable in it's terror. Harry held it close to him and tried to comfort it as best he could. For a long moment he felt the spark sputter and nearly go out. That drove a spear of fear through him and he fed power to the spark along with all his feelings of love. He knew instinctively that this was somehow key to what Hermione was and without it, she would be no more. The spark seized onto his power, gulping it in in large amounts.

Slowly the spark grew brighter again and he could see the channel he had opened between them widen as his emotions poured through it. He felt a tentative caress, like a light breeze, come back up the channel and it widened further. He could feel the terror receding, leaving behind an intense longing and a sadness. Harry reached out and the longing vanished but the sadness remained.

Without realizing what he was doing he solidified and stabilized the channel between them, then he slowly guided the spark back out of his being. There was a momentary pang of separation and then acceptance, then the spark receded from his perception. The channel remained, however, like a permanent echo of the spark's passing.

Harry slowly reconnected to his body and he could tell he was levitating both himself and Hermione. They both floated in a state of semi-awareness as he lowered them both gently to the bed. He opened his eyes and looked around in surprise. Hermione rolled into his shoulder and started weeping uncontrollably. She was trying to talk, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He wrapped both arms around her. He could still feel that strange connection to her, and her emotions flooded through the connection when he held her. Sadness, anger, outrage, shame, embarrassment. Harry tightened his grip on her and tried to comfort her as best he could.

Hermione's feeling overwhelmed him, reducing his thoughts down to the single thought of protect and comfort. He stroked her hair with one hand and tried to push past the torrent of emotions she was channeling at him, returning his own love back to her.

"Tell her she's going to be alright," he thought.

"I heard that," came another voice, sounding surprisingly like a shocked Hermione.

Harry's jaw dropped and he pulled slightly back from her to stare into her astonished face. The shock had completely driven away her anguish.

"Did you say something?" he whispered to her.

Mutely she shook her head. "No, I certainly didn't," she thought to herself.

"I could have sworn I heard you say something," A voice in her mind said.

Hermione blinked and her eyes widened. She stared up at Harry, who was staring back down at her. "Harry?" she thought.

"Yes? But how is this possible?" came his reply echoing through her mind.

"I'm not sure, but first I think we need to deal with our audience," she replied back to him.

Harry lifted his head looking around. Next to their bed stood Hermione's parents, looking very worried, Remus and Tonks looking unsure and Eocho. The door to the bedroom opened quietly and Luna slipped in with Draco close behind. Luna carried a small vial of potion in her hands.

Eocho looked at Luna with a puzzled expression.

"It's a calming draught, Honored Teacher. I figured Hermione would need it," Luna said in a soft voice.

"Most perceptive of you, my daughter. Perhaps you knew Hermione would attempt this tonight?" Eocho asked sternly.

Luna blinked in surprise at his tone and her face flushed. "No, Honored Teacher. Hermione and I spoke of the bond that existed between Draco and myself, and we theorized that communing might be one way of creating such a bond, but I did not know she would attempt such a feat, at least not yet..."

Draco placed a hand on Luna's shoulder, offering her support and Luna lifted her chin defiantly as she faced Eocho. He stared at her for a moment longer, then he chuckled to himself.

"Thou art willful, my daughter, but this is not always a bad thing. Administer the potion and then we shall all speak of matters of the heart and soul."

Luna nodded and turned to Hermione, bending over to reach her. "Take just a sip, Hermione. It will help keep your emotions under control for a while."

Hermione nodded and sipped at the vial Luna offered. With a grimace, she rose and slipped a robe over her nightgown.

Harry sat up and put on his own robe as he climbed out of the bed.

"Sit," Eocho commanded.

Remus conjured a few extra chairs and everyone gathered around the table. There was a small popping noise as Dobby and Winky appeared, each carrying a tray with tea and cups.

Eocho looked at Hermione and he frowned. "My child, what you have done tonight was not something done lightly. For one thing, you have violated the sanctity and privacy of your mate by doing this without permission. For another, it could have killed you both," he said harshly.

Hermione looked at him with a pale face, her hands trembled slightly. Harry reached over and pulled her, chair and all, close enough to wrap his arms around her. "You overstep your bounds, Honored Teacher," he hissed at Eocho. Harry's anger fed his magic and the room shook as he glared at the spectral teacher.

"What Hermione did, unknowingly, she did out of love, not malice. Yes, it could have failed horribly, but it did not. I would not allow it. What she did, she did out of ignorance."

Eocho stared hard at Harry for a moment, then looked at the both of them. Hermione had buried her head in Harry shoulder, as if afraid to face the rest. Everyone else stared at Harry, shocked at the tone he'd used with Eocho. He was protecting Hermione even after she'd bonded herself to him without his permission.

"So be it, then. I will leave her punishment in your hands, though it goes against my better judgment. You cannot ignore this misuse of Brotherhood powers, however. You spared her life tonight in not allowing her clumsy, foolish attempt to fail. You sustained her long enough for her to get back to her own body where her life force was the strongest. But even now you sustain her as she leeches off your power," Eocho said, his contempt for the young woman's actions thick in his tone.

Harry and Eocho locked gazes and everyone sat silently, observing the contest of wills. Dan and Emma both were alarmed by Eocho's insistence that Hermione be punished. They'd both spoken to Eocho about the laws governing Brotherhood members in his time and realized, perhaps more than the others in the room, that the penalties for what Hermione had done could be very harsh, indeed.

"She is my mate, Honored Teacher. I will not harm her for a misjudgment that she will likely never repeat again. I assure you I will speak with her, and you may caution the others about using our abilities, but I will not condemn her for a mistake," Harry said. His voice was hard and his body tense. Hermione trembled in his arms.

Eocho and Harry stared each other down for a moment, then Eocho tore his gaze away from Harry's. "It will be as you wish, Maglios," Eocho said moving back slightly and bowing his head in acceptance, though his voice still carried an echo of both contempt and anger.

The tension bled from the atmosphere in the room and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first time someone had defied Eocho, and he had backed down, acknowledging Harry's authority, the same authority that Eocho had given him.

"Honor Teacher, I am confused," Emma said carefully. "You speak almost as if they have created something new."

Eocho looked at Emma and his gaze softened. "My child, you are wise in the ways of the muggles, and knowledgeable about their science and technology. But this is something alien to muggle life. Long before the rise of the cross lovers, man knew it was possible to merge oneself with a life mate. Such a merging created a bonding. My daughter here," he said, gesturing to Luna, "has one type of bond with her mate. It is part of her magic. With that bond, each gains benefits. With Luna, she had to bond in order to marry, although she bonded months before she did so."

Emma turned to Luna who, for the first time in anyone's memory, managed to look ashamed.

"Like Hermione, I bonded without the permission of my mate," she said. Then she hesitated. Draco leaned forward and frowned at her. He placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her face until their eyes met.

"You did it to save my life, Luna," he said gently. "I already loved you and would have willingly bonded with you anyway."

Luna shot Draco a grateful glance and grabbed his hand before turning back to Emma. "The bond for a Child of Gaia is very strong, Emma. Draco protects me and helps me focus in the here and now. In exchange, he knows intimately my heart and what I feel for him. We can 'talk' to each other via the bond, but it takes a lot of concentration. The love we share is so strong that, should I die, he would never be able to love again. My poor father is one such example. After my mother died, I helped keep him alive beyond the point where he would have considered suicide and, in a way, I've condemned him to a lifetime of loneliness. He misses my mother terribly and no woman alive can give him even a fraction of what he lost when she died," Luna concluded sadly.

Draco copied Harry's idea and pulled Luna and her chair close enough to comfort her. "He doesn't regret it, love," Draco said in a barely audible voice. She leaned into him and smiled softly.

"So Hermione created a bond like this with Harry?" asked Dan.

Luna shook her head. "No, the bond Draco and I share is unique to my magic. What Hermione created is different. There are many types of bonds that we know about and others I'm sure we still have to discover. What Hermione did tonight was unique. I don't know of any similar case, nor do I know what sort of bond they have created or the benefits they may reap from it."

Luna looked directly at Hermione, who had been listening to the conversation. "I tried to warn you, Hermione. No gift is without price."

Hermione nodded shakily, her eyes looked haunted. "I know that now, Luna. I'm still trying to understand the price I paid tonight."

"Perhaps if you describe what happened, it might help us understand, my child." Eocho suggested. He had apparently taking Harry's edict to heart, as his voice held little reproach or contempt towards the frightened young woman.

Hermione nodded and sat up in her chair. "Like Luna pointed out, I communed with Harry while he slept. To be honest, I thought I'd see his dreams but instead I entered his mind to find it blank. It was a vast open plain containing nothing but a towering column of light. He wasn't dreaming, or maybe I had somehow bypassed his mind and delved right into his subconscious. The light pulled me in. I experienced..."

Hermione shuddered and she looked around, her expression haunted. "I experienced his life. All of it. Every kick, every slap, every insult, every doubt. I lived a thousand nights alone on a small mattress under the stairs. I learned that to cry would earn an even greater beating, I learned that praying to God was a futile gesture, as God didn't care about a six year old boy with an untreated broken wrist and busted ribs..."

Harry gripped his hands together and stared down at the table, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Hermione looked over at him and her anger and revulsion fled. "I learned to understand things about my husband that he never could express in words," she said softly. "I felt his joy at making friends who couldn't be taken away from him, and his absolute conviction that he was unworthy of such friends, or anyone else, for that matter. I felt his wonder when he discovered he had fallen in love, and his crushing fear that it wouldn't be returned, or that I'd wake up one day and decide he wasn't worthy of my love..."

"Hermione," Harry said in a pained voice. "Please don't."

Hermione reached over and touched his hand for a moment. He looked at her and there was a moment of silence. Then, still holding his hand, she looked at the rest of them.

"I learned how special he really is. Unique would be a more appropriate word. Despite all the terrible memories and events in his life, he never once strayed from his path, simply because he never believed it when he was told that his parents didn't love him," she said softly, then she reached out to embrace him.

"It's all right, my love," her voice sang in his mind. "It will be alright and I will always be here for you. My heart, our soul..."

Harry shuddered in her grip and the others gave him a respectful moment to compose himself. Finally, he pulled away and looked around the table. The things Hermione described were beyond the reckoning of most. Hermione had been given a glimpse through a window into Harry's very being that most married couples would trade their souls for. She had paid a heavy price and several around the table wondered if they would be willing to pay it if given the chance.

"This would have happened sooner or later, anyway," Harry said carefully. He looked around, his expression a mix of confusion, joy and resignation.

Eocho turned a questioning gaze on him. "What do you mean, Maglios?"

"I have touched her aura on several occasions in the past year, and each time it became increasingly difficult for me to break the connection. Making the connection was easy, but after I did what I had to do... Well, she didn't want to let me go. We discussed it not long ago and she asked if it would be a bad thing if the connection never broke. It was a question neither of us had an answer for."

"So a bonding was inevitable," mused Luna. "You have been dancing around the edges of it all along."

Harry nodded at the blond. "I think it's possible it would have happened anyway."

"You don't seem to upset about the bond, Harry," Draco asked.

"Don't let him fool you," Hermione said, frowning. "He's upset because of what I went through. I witnessed things he never wanted to share with anyone, even me."

"Alright, so a bond would have been created. I've heard a lot about what Hermione had to pay to create it. Now my question is, for the price she paid, what is the gift? Or was this just a major blunder on the part of my daughter?" asked Dan, his annoyance plain.

Hermione glanced at Harry and he nodded at her.

"We don't know all of what this bond does, Daddy, but when Harry and I touch, we can speak to each other, like a form of telepathy," she replied.

Eocho and Remus looked up at that. "Indeed? That could be most useful," Eocho murmured. "I would think that as the bond matures they will eventually gain the ability to speak to each other's minds without touching. Perhaps even be able to sense the wellbeing of the other."

Luna looked intrigued. "Are you reading everything Harry thinks, or does he have to direct the thoughts?"

"Right now it has to be directed, but it's not just thoughts. I can sense her emotions, even send her emotions," Harry said after a moments thought, then he yawned.

Remus pushed away from the table and stood up. "I think we should continue this discussion in the morning. They can't possibly know everything their bond can do for them and its nearly one in the morning.. We could all profit from a good night's sleep."

Harry waited while everyone slowly filed out of the room, then he turned to Hermione. She looked at him and could feel the reproach in his gaze.

"Why didn't you ask me first, Hermione?"

"Honestly? It never occurred to me that this would happen. I thought I'd probably run into your dreams or just touch your mind. Luna claimed that she had achieved a greater understanding of Draco..."

"But Luna and Draco were already bonded via her magic. It's normal for a Child of Gaia to bond with her mate," Harry said, switching to normal speech.

"Yes, they were."

"And you spoke to Luna about her bond? How communing could have created something similar for us?"

Hermione sighed and looked deep into Harry's eyes. She could feel several emotions coming from their link. She looked away when she realized that in among the constant feeling of love she felt, she also felt no small amount of hurt, anger and sadness. He wasn't upset that she created the bond between them, he was upset that she had done it without asking him first.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He nodded and lifted her chin with a finger so that their eyes met. "Maybe Eocho was right. I should figure out a way of punishing you," he murmured. His eyes sparkled at her and the lopsided grin she so loved spread across his face. Then she saw a brief flash of images flooding through the bond. Hermione in the pajamas she'd worn in Egypt and her in several other costumes. She blushed and suppressed a delicious shiver as a torrent of desire flooded through the bond.

"I never knew you were such a pervert," she gasped in delight.

Harry stood and picked her up in his arms. She leaned her head in and breathed in his scent. It was intoxicating to her.

"Only for you, my heart," he murmured in her mind as he laid her gently on the bed. She opened her arms and mind to him and he fell into her embrace.

Operations Center, (August 17th)...

Harry sat next to Miles' desk, going over the map of Azkaban with him when the door opened, admitting Luna and Draco.

Draco looked apprehensive. He had been asked to bring his wife to the meeting, but no reason had been given for the request.

The couple took the chairs in front of the desk and Harry then cast several privacy charms, as well as sealing the door. Miles glanced at Harry and nodded to him.

"Draco, I want you to relax. Nothing is going to happen to you or Luna. We asked you to bring Luna here because we have some questions we feel only she can answer," Harry said calmly. He wanted them to relax. Her contribution to their planning would be minimal, but it was critically important.

Draco nodded and Luna smiled serenely at Harry.

Harry walked over to an easel and pulled back the cover, showing a large drawing of the island of Azkaban. "Luna, I don't know how much Draco has told you about what we're planning to do, but we think we can use your help for a piece of this mission," he said, then he turned to the drawing and bisected the island with a quill.

"The fortress is currently protected by approximately thirty Dementors, as well at least sixty wizards. For some reason, which we haven't determined, the Dementors rarely leave the fortress area and never approach these holding cells north of the prison..."

"Harry, you know why they don't come out of the prison," Luna said, chiding him gently. He stared at her blankly and she shook her head.

"You know sometimes I think if it weren't for Hermione you'd be unable to figure out which shoe goes on which foot," she said with a laugh. "When you rescued Miles from Azkaban you fatally injured more than a dozen Dementors. They died slowly. It shook the survivors terribly and they are now afraid to enter that area."

"If that's true, why couldn't I take care of the Dementors that attacked Haven?" Harry asked in confusion.

"What you did at Azkaban you did instinctively. When the Dementors attacked Haven, I borrowed your power before you could act. Remember?" Luna replied sweetly.

"I think we're getting off track here, Harry. Let's explore this later and get back to business," Miles murmured after making a note to send the information to Remus.

Harry shook his head. "Yes, of course, Miles. Getting back to the problem at hand, then. If the Dementors respond like we think they will, once we begin the attack they will surge into the holding pen area at the urging of the wizard guards. Our initial plan was to set up a line of defense close to the holding pens that would hold off the Dementors using the Patronus charm. It's a good plan, but if there was some way we could get Angels to the island..." Harry trailed off and looked at Luna hopefully.

Luna stood and examined the map carefully, then she rooted through the maps on Miles desk until she found one showing Ireland, Britain and Azkaban, off the British coast.

"It's a long way for them to fly on their own. And there is no place for them to rest," Luna murmured.

Harry and Miles exchanged a disappointed look.

"Wait a moment. Let's not throw out this idea yet," Draco said, then he looked at Luna. "If we can get them there, would they be willing to help?"

"Oh, I'm sure they would. They hate Dementors something terrible. But it's too far for them to fly, their still mostly babies, you know," she said in protest.

Draco's eyes took on a mischievous glint. "What if we could take them by boat?"

"Oh, very good, Dray," Luna replied, her eyes lit with excitement. "But I'd have to be on board the boat to keep them there until we reach Azkaban."

Draco started as if he had been kicked and his complexion went chalky. Luna, noting his distress, smiled reassuringly at him.

"Honestly, Dray, I'm the only one who can convince them to help and we have to guide them to the island. Without me on the boat, it may arrive at the island empty," Luna explained.

Harry looked at Miles. "Can we do this? A boat? It's going to need to be a fairly large boat in order to cross the Irish sea and come back."

Miles leaned back in his chair and considered the possibilities. "Perhaps with help from the Irish we can charter something. I don't care for the idea of having Mrs. Black on board, but she puts forth a strong argument for her being there," he said, then he paused for a moment and considered the stricken look on Draco's face. "Given the situation, I could not, in good conscience, allow her to be on a boat without additional security."

Luna smiled sweetly at Miles. "He's a lot nicer than you said, Dray. I'm sure he'll take care of us and make sure we're protected."

Harry froze, then turned slowly to face Luna. "Us? We?" he asked in a constricted voice.

"Oh my, yes. If you boys are going ashore with the Aurors, it's only fair that we girls get to ride in the boat. I'll tell Hermione and Ginny all about it when I get back to the manor."

Harry shot Draco a baleful glare and he cringed under Harry's look. Miles looked like he had swallowed something distasteful. Luna seemed oblivious to the looks being exchanged among the men. Harry shook his head and tried to ignore the slightly alarmed curiosity coming from Hermione. Their bond hadn't reached the point of being able to send thoughts without touching, but it was possible to send emotions back and forth over distances.

Harry sat in a chair for a moment, his head in his hands, then he lifted his head. "Very well, then. If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it right," he said firmly. "Miles, I'll get back to you later. For now, plan on Draco, Neville, and myself joining the assault teams. The rest of the Brotherhood will be providing off shore support for the assault. That will include Hermione, Ginny, Luna, both Grangers, Remus and Tonks. We'll pack extra supplies aboard the boat and use elves to ferry them to the island. In the meantime, Draco, Luna, tell no one about this. I'll handle it tonight."

Luna beamed at him and both Draco and Miles looked at Harry as if he'd grown a second head.

Harry noted their looked and became irritated. "This is exactly what the Brotherhood is all about people, so snap out of it. We have work to do and I still want to meet our scheduled assault date. Draco, Luna, tell everyone I want a full Brotherhood meeting tonight in the manor after dinner. Miles, please join us for dinner."

Harry stood and removed the privacy charms, as well as the door seal, then he walked from the room stiffly.

Miles looked shocked and he shook his head while he tried to figure out exactly what had just happened. "You know," he murmured, "up until ten minutes ago, I thought I was in charge of our war effort."

Draco shot Miles a rueful grin and shrugged his shoulders.

"You shouldn't really let it bother you, Miles," Luna replied. "Harry doesn't want to run things, but I backed him into a corner and he did exactly what he was supposed to do. It wasn't fair to the other Brotherhood members to exclude us from our rightful places in this war."

Draco stared at Luna in horror. "Why... why... you minx! You set us up!"

Luna laughed lightly. "No, I just showed you what you should have been doing in the first place. Now, come along, Dray. I need to visit the school and talk with the Angels there first so they can contact the others. Then we can drop in on Minerva and visit while having lunch at the school."

Draco stood dumbfounded while Luna linked her arm in his and led him from the room.

Miles watched them leave, the corners of his mouth ticking upwards as he struggled to control his composure. "Now I know why I never married," he grumbled to himself.

The Brotherhood meets...

It was rare for Harry to ask all Brotherhood members to attend dinner together. Normally people would be off having dinner with their families or visiting with friends.

Harry waited until everyone was assembled in the dining room before entering. He had given Dobby specific instructions not to set the table or serve dinner until he told him to.

Once everyone was assembled, Harry walked into the room and all eyes turned towards him. A moment later, Eocho floated through one wall.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Today we had a change of plans that I need to tell you all about," Harry said in a serious tone.

He waved a hand, dimming the lights in the room and a scale projection of Azkaban Island appeared on the table.

"This is Azkaban Island, home to the Wizarding prison and the largest internment camp for wizards. Prisoners are held in two locations on the island. The first location is the prison fortress at the southern end of the island. The second location, one mile to the north, are these holding pens containing an estimated five hundred prisoners. When I rescued Miles from the pens they were mere cages open to the elements. The cages have since been shored up with wooden planking and roofing, providing some protection from the weather.

"Our objective will be to assault the force around the holding pens, overwhelm them, then proceed to break out as many prisoners as we possibly can. The fortress is defended by at least sixty wizards and at least thirty Dementors. The holding pens are guarded by as many as fifty wizards. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the problem. The Dementors will almost certainly be compelled to move north and attack our forces. One assault company will form a defensive line at the southern edge of the holding pens to hold off the Dementors and any wizards who might sortie from the fortress.

"Luna will direct a group of Angels to the island. That is where many of you are going to come in. In order for this to work, we will need to load the Angels onto a boat at least twelve hours in advance of the attack, then sail the boat to Azkaban Island," Harry concluded, looking at Miles.

Miles stood to give his report. "I spoke with our friends in the Irish Ministry this afternoon. They know where they can put their hands on a boat that will meet our needs and a crew that will ask no questions. It won't be a cruise ship, but from what I've heard it should suit our needs."

Harry smiled grimly at Miles. "Thanks. Keep me informed as you learn more about the boat."

Miles nodded and sat back down.

"Neville, Draco and myself will accompany the assault forces. Caleb Newman will be in overall charge of the operation, with myself as his second in command. Neville will be with Able company, which is tasked to set up the defensive line between the pens and the fortress. Draco will be assigned to Baker company, which will assault the holding pens.

"Susan? Terry? I'm sorry, but neither of you are going on this mission. Susan, if you want to volunteer, the hospital will probably have it's hands full and could use your help."

Terry looked up at Harry, his expression both remorseful and grateful. He knew that, with his injuries, he would be unable to help in this fight. He was able to hobble about using a crutch, but the numbness in his hand and leg made long distance walking nearly impossible and fighting was out of the question.

Susan looked ready argue with Harry, but Luna leaned over and placed a hand on her belly. Even though Susan was not visibly pregnant, everyone was acutely aware of her condition. She looked at Luna and her lower lip trembled slightly. Luna had, in a single gesture, driven home just why she couldn't go on the mission.

"I'm sorry, Susan, but you now have a different mission than the rest of us. The child you carry is special to you and Terry, but to the rest of us she's a symbol of hope and better times. I think I can speak for everyone here when I say none of us are willing to risk either of you," Harry told her.

Susan looked at him for a moment as Terry gripped her hand tightly in his good hand. Then, with a sigh, she smiled weakly at Harry and nodded, accepting his decision.

Harry waited another minute, then continued. "Luna will be in charge of getting the Angels onto the boat. Luna, that means you need enough time to gather them, so plan accordingly. Dan, Emma and Ginny, we're going to load up the boat with medical supplies and a half dozen elves. We'll use the elves to ferry supplies to the island. It will be up to you three to make sure that runs smoothly.

"Remus and Tonks, you are security for the boat. Mind you, once the recall signal is given by the Operations Center, I want everyone to portkey back to Haven. The crew will take the boat home without your help. Hermione, I need you to provide us with some distracting pyrotechnics, talk to Fred and George about it, and even more importantly, let's steal a page out of Voldemort's book. You know your Celtic cross projection spell you worked up? I want you to rework it so that it's larger, brighter and lasts longer. I want this to be a direct challenge to Voldemort and his power. I want it visible at high noon.

"I want to make one thing perfectly clear from the outset. If you are assigned to the boat, you stay on the boat. Not one of you is to step foot on Azkaban Island."

Harry stopped and looked around him. He was surprised to see several people looking very unhappy.

"Oh, sure, all the women get stuck on the bloody boat," muttered Ginny angrily.

Harry's head whipped around and he glared at the red head. "I put you in the boat because none of you have the necessary training to go on this mission," he said through gritted teeth.

Tonks stood and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes.

"Harry, let me," she said softly to him. He glared at her for a moment, then he nodded and took one step back.

Tonks turned to look at the others. "I hate this plan. I'm an Auror, but I'm also not trained to go on a mission like this. My training was to capture those wanted by the DMLE. I've seen the training that Harry is talking about and it's nothing like that. The people going on this mission will be shooting to kill, not capture. The Aurors who've trained for missions like this are no longer Aurors, but soldiers. Of the Brotherhood members, only Harry, Draco, Neville and Terry have had this training.

"If I insist on going on this mission, I would be a danger to everyone there because I lack the skills needed," Tonks said softly, then she looked around meaningfully. "We all lack those skills."

Ginny looked defiant for a moment before dropping her eyes, while Hermione looked thoughtful.

"I'm sorry," Harry said carefully, stepping forward. "But the boat is an integral portion of the mission. I'm not shunting any of you to the side, I'm just putting you where you can do the most good."

Harry stepped back and the lights returned to normal while the island projection faded. "Now we're going to have dinner. I want everyone to think about what what we've planned, and see if you can find a way to make it better. Miles and I will be taking notes, but don't be afraid to toss out ideas, even if they might sound crazy at first."

As he spoke, elves filed into the room and began to lay out the place settings and the meal.

When Harry sat down, Hermione reached out and grabbed his hand. "So that is what had you so concerned today."

"Yes. I realized it wasn't right to keep everyone out of the fight. I was stupidly trying to protect you and the other girls, but Luna made me realize that this is as much your fight as it is mine."

"Harry, if you truly realized that you, wouldn't stick us all out on that boat," she chided him silently.

She was startled to hear a little mental chuckle. "Consider it a training mission, my heart. I have no doubt of your ability or willingness to fight, but other than Draco, Neville and I, none of you have trained for this yet. And of all of us, only Remus and myself have been forced to kill."

Hermione frowned for a moment before conceding the point. "You are right about that. Perhaps we all should start more dueling training?"

"Couldn't hurt," came the reply. Then he turned his attention to the others, dealing with the questions and suggestions people were throwing at him.

Blackrock, Dundalk Bay Ireland, (Evening of August 24th)...

In the end it had taken the combined efforts of both the Irish and British Ministies to safely move the forty Angels through the town of Blackrock and onboard the Fillie B, a modest ten thousand ton commercial vessel. No one had anticipated the problem that many Angels would cause as they moved through the unsuspecting muggle population. The euphoric feelings resulted in traffic accidents where victims sat smiling, despite their injuries.

In the end, it took several healers and a team of Obliviators from the Irish Ministry to see them safely aboard ship for the trip.

Remus looked up when Dan entered the small office just outside of the ship's forward cargo bay.

"Everything and everyone is on board, Remus. We had a little trouble with the elves. They didn't like the idea of being on a boat, but eventually they settled down," Dan reported.

"Actually," Remus murmured reflectively, "I think a boat of this size is called a ship."

Dan shot Remus a sour look before consulting his notes again. "As I was saying, the Angels are all in the aft cargo space. Luna is with then and if I didn't know better, I'd say she's trying to teach them to speak."

"They wouldn't be the first species to learn to speak with humans, Dan. Centaurs, Merpeople, even some of the totally alien species can learn how. I remember Harry describing his conversation with Aragog back in his second year."

"Aragog?"

"He's the king Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest around Hogwarts. Think spider, but with a twenty foot leg span."

Dan shivered at the idea, then his expression brightened. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. We haven't even left dock and your wife is already heaving her lunch over the side of the ship. Hermione is looking a little queasy too, but she hasn't joined Tonks yet. Michael O'Dalley is on board acting as our liaison to the crew, which, fortunately for us, is made up of Irish squibs and wizards."

Remus winced at the news of Tonks and her sea sickness and he wondered if anyone brought any motion sickness potions.

Dan sat in one of the other chairs in the small room. "It's funny. Back in Haven we have some four hundred and twenty people who, tomorrow morning, will jump the nearly five hundred miles in just a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, we have only one hundred and thirty miles to go and it's going to take us ten hours to do it."

"Yes, I thought that strange myself. But, then, none of this would have been necessary had it not been for the Angels," Remus replied. He was in a bit of a sour mood tonight. One reason was the approaching full moon. It always put him on edge, even though he never suffered the transformations anymore. The other reason was because Harry had placed him on the ship, rather than letting him join the fight.

I'm an ex-Defense Professor and I get to play security guard, he thought angrily.

Dan looked at his friend curiously. "What's troubling you, Remus? Are you worried about this mission?"

Remus waved a hand at him. "Oh, no, I think we'll be just fine. There are nearly thirty wizards on board, if you count the crew. I'm just a little disappointed that Harry didn't want me to go with the assault teams." He ran a nervous hand through his graying hair. "I used to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for Merlin's sake! Now I feel like I'm being put out to pasture."

Dan chuckled at his friend's discomfort and Remus shot him a killing glare.

"Remus, I'm not trying to make fun of your situation, so don't be offended. Emma and myself were very surprised when Harry asked us to come on this mission. On one hand, I'm grateful. On the other, I'm scared out of my wits. Had we stayed behind, we would have worried about Hermione and Harry and the rest of you lot."

Dan paused and he looked reflective for a moment. "Harry's changing, Remus. He still sometimes rushes into situations without thinking, but Miles and Caleb have taught him some valuable lessons. Harry didn't include you because, like the rest of us on this tub, you haven't been training to fight. Not like they do. You've been involved in the day to day operations of Haven and the war as a bigger picture. Make no mistake, my wolfish friend. The teams assaulting the island won't be taking prisoners tonight. When they cast, it will be to kill, not to capture or maim.

"The Brotherhood will always be capable of defending ourselves, but Harry's responsibilities extend beyond just the Brotherhood. As Maglios, he has a duty to use us to the best possible benefit. And that is exactly what he's done. He hasn't insulted you Remus, and he's certainly not putting you out to pasture. He put you in charge of protecting the one person he lives for. Hermione. He knows you will do anything and everything to protect her, because you know she is his weakness. Without Hermione, Harry would probably pack a bag and vanish, leaving us to deal with Voldemort all by ourselves."

Remus leaned against a bulkhead staring at Dan in surprise. He had not considered fully what Harry had done.

"In a way, Remus, Harry has given you a great compliment. He's placed his future into your hands, knowing you'll value it as much as he does," Dan concluded softly. Then he stood, placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled for a moment before turning to leave the cabin in search of his wife and daughter.

Remus sagged against the bulkhead and bowed his head. Dan was right and he had missed it completely. A rush of shame surged through him, but he allowed himself only a moment to wallow in it before shaking it off. Standing upright, his expression grew determined.

The deck plates under his feet started to vibrate and he could feel a motion to the ship. With a better understanding of what he had to do, he left the cabin for the upper decks. It was his first time aboard a ship and he wanted to experience it as best as he could.

Haven Operations Center...

Harry tossed and turned restlessly on the camp cot. Around him were a hundred other people trying to catch sleep before the coming day. It was the first time Harry had been separated from Hermione since their handfasting and he was having difficulty getting comfortable enough to sleep. He turned and glanced at his watch, frowning. Zero two hundred and they weren't due to turn out until zero five thirty.

Fluffing up the flat pillow again, he closed his eyes and ran through several Occlumency exercises, which calmed him for a moment. Then his mind drifted back to her and his anxiety increased all over again. She was several hundred miles away, too far for the link created by the bonding to work. He could sense her, a faint echo and a tug in a direction, but that was about all he could sense. Over the last week the bond had grown and they found they could speak to each other without touching, but they had to be close together, no more than a room or two away. Eocho and Remus both believed that eventually the distance would improve, but they had no way of knowing what its limits would be.

Unable to obtain any solace from the bond, Harry slept fitfully, tossing and turning. All around him, members of Charlie Company experienced the same pre-mission jitters disturbing their sleep.

Aboard the Fillie B, Irish Sea...

Remus sat quietly on the bridge of the Fillie B. Her captain was a sturdy sort, but he was also very strict. Initially ,he did not want to admit Remus to the bridge and it was only after he promised to stay out of the way did he relent.

Remus glanced at the clock on the bulkhead. If the time was correct, they were roughly forty miles away from Azkaban.

"Radar contact! Range, twelve miles," said one crewman in a tense voice.

Remus looked at the Captain worriedly. Captain Parker noted the look and smiled to himself. Land lubbers, be they wizard or muggle, were a pain in his book.

"Don't you fret none, Mr. Lupin. We're probably picking up one of the picket ships for the quarantine. We know how to handle this," Parker said as he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes scanning the bridge intently for a moment.

"Darken the ship," he said in a calm voice. A crewman jumped to obey, opening up a fuse box and killing all the deck lights.

Remus took a sharp breath as the ship plunged into darkness. In the dim glow of the bridge instruments, the Captain laughed.

"We just presented them with a puzzle, Mr. Lupin. They can see us on radar, but the anti-muggle and notice-me-not charms make us effectively invisible to the muggles. They can't even see our wake."

"Contact closing. Course, three zero five. Speed, nineteen knots. Distance, eleven miles," said the crewman in a quiet voice.

Finally Remus couldn't help himself.

"Won't they just follow the radar target?" he blurted.

"Not likely. Once they close enough to get a visual, they'll assume they have a radar malfunction and turn around," replied the Captain.

The atmosphere grew tense as the range to the naval vessel dropped. Nine miles, five miles, finally one mile. The Captain picked up a pair of binoculars and scanned the horizon.

"Irish Navy, Eithne class. It's one of their fisheries patrol boats. I guess it's a good thing they didn't have their helo deployed," murmured the Captain. "Anything bigger, like one of the American or French ships, and we would have had to shut down our radar, as well."

The ship closed to nearly one thousand yards before veering off. Remus found he wasn't the only one breathing a sigh of relief. The Captain leaned back in his chair, obviously pleased with himself and his crew.

"One problem dealt with. Next comes the barrier, which we'll hit at the twenty two mile mark out here," the Captain mumbled to himself, then he turned to Remus.

"Mr. Lupin, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I expect we'll arrive on time. As planned, we'll hold station ten miles off the island until five in the morning, then we'll make a speed run to bring us within a mile. After that, it's all up to you and your people."

Remus nodded. "I'll go check on my people and let them know. Thank you, Captain."

Haven Operations Center...

"UP! UP! UP, YOU ASSHOLES! IT'S TIME TO GO EARN OUR PAY CHARLIE COMPANY!" a voice shouted from the far end of the room. Lights flared and the room filled with the sound of men and women waking.

Harry rolled out his bed and sat on its edge for a moment. Then he lifted up his leg and proceeded to wrap it in a bandage provided by Danni. The healer had developed the wrap just for him. It was coated with a wand activated heating potion, along with a mild pain killer. The wrap was designed to help keep the muscles in his leg from cramping up on him. It did little toward increasing his mobility, but it went a long way towards keeping the leg from going lame on him.

Glancing at his watch, he saw he had thirty minutes to get dressed and get breakfast. Reaching under the bed he pulled out a rucksack and withdrew his second skin, which he quickly donned. He assembled his gear on the bed and was nearly fully dressed when he heard a familiar voice.

"Lord Potter?"

Harry turned to see the American Healer, Sam, looking at him incredulously.

"Hello, Sam, and I prefer to go by Harry," he said with a smile.

Sam sat down on the empty cot across from his. "Well, don't this just beat all! I never would have expected to see you out here, especially attached to this outfit."

Harry cocked an eyebrow at the healer. "I did most of my training with the British, so you probably wouldn't have noticed me before today. Besides, what's wrong with this outfit?"

"Second Battalion, Charlie company of the 806th Animagi division. We're the animals," Sam told him proudly.

"You mean you're all animagi?"

"Oh, not all of us, sir. But we have a higher percentage of them than anyone else. We're also a pretty unruly bunch," he said with a laugh.

Sam eyed Harry as he snapped a small utility belt containing potions around his waist. Harry was dressed in combat robes, which allowed for greater freedom of movement while keeping the wearer cool or warm as needed. And unlike the others, he wore muggle style combat boots. Sam's eyes widened as Harry flicked his wrist, releasing his staff into this hand and expanding it at the same time.

"A staff? No wand?"

"I nearly burned out my wand several months back. Besides, the staff is sturdy enough to provide support if my leg needs it. As it is, most of my casting is wandless, anyway," Harry replied. Hermione had told him that Sam had noted his leg injury after he had fought with Dumbledore.

Sam shook his head. He had trouble wrapping it around the idea of someone being capable of casting wandlessly and doing it at any significant power level.

"Come on, Sam. Let's get some breakfast while we still have the chance," Harry said.

The War Room, Haven Operations Center (August 25th)...

Miles walked into the room and looked around in satisfaction. As promised, Q branch had refit the room with several glass panels that would act as repeater screens for key fairy fliers used by the assault teams. That would enable him to see and hear what was occurring as the battle progressed. Another innovation of Q branch had been the portable floo, which they would use to communicate with the teams on the island.

It was just fifteen minutes shy of six in the morning and already the room was a bustling center of activity. Miles glanced up at the big board where someone had placed a map of the island. On the center table was a floating three dimensional projection of the island.

Miles glanced up to see Amelia Bones and Arther Weasley take seats in the observation room.

"Alright people, listen up. We have all teams landing in a few minutes. I want updates as quick as you can get them," Miles growled.

He watched the clock carefully as it ticked down to five fifty on the nose.

"Begin the elf diversion," he commanded. One of the people at the big table whispered into a hand held floo and then placed a marker on the map of Britain.

From the Operations Center more than two hundred elves apparated into Britain and started casting Wizard style magic. Some elves set delayed action explosives made by Q branch, others started fires.

Within minutes every Death Eater camp in the country was emptied of its capture teams as they ran around chasing ghosts across the countryside. In London, the building used by the Army as it's headquarters exploded, resulting in many causalities. An elf had left an incendiary device, which was supposed to cause a diversion, in a room full of ammunition. The resultant fires burned out an additional three square blocks before they could be brought under control.

Haven Operations Center...

Harry rechecked his equipment then stood nervously next to Caleb. The men were formed into rows and running down each row was a single thick rope which had been enchanted into a portkey. From where Harry stood he could make out Draco standing with the commander of Baker company. Harry caught Draco's gaze and he gave him a thumbs up. Draco grinned weakly back at him, then turned to talk to his commander.

A bell rang loudly and all conversation ceased.

"One minute warning! Pick up the portkey!" shouted a voice.

Harry bent over and picked up the rope. Caleb grinned at him. "Nervous, Harry?"

Harry swallowed and nodded. "A little. Normally my fights just sort of happen. I've never been on one that was pre-planned before."

Caleb chuckled. "Don't sweat it. After my first mission I had to change my shorts. It's a common reaction."

Harry frowned at him. "If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working."

Caleb's reply was lost as the one hundred and forty men of Charlie company vanished without a sound.

Neville and Able Company, South of the Holding Pens...

Able company had the difficult task of holding a line with the possibility of being attacked either from the north or from the south. The company consisted of five twenty man squads and two American heavy weapon squads. The rest of the company was made up of healers and other support personnel. Since the island was barely a mile wide at that point, the commander of Able company, an American named Stanton, opted to split his forces. Two squads would face south and the threat from the fortress, another two squads would deal with the northern threat. The fifth squad would be held in reserve.

Neville crashed down along with the rest of Able amidst the stands of scrub pine that existed between the holding pens and the fortress. Stanton made a hand gesture and men spread out, trying to stay in the shortening shadows of the trees. Neville, like Harry and Draco, was there to act as a second in command. In Neville's case, he worked under a lieutenant who everyone, appropriately enough, called, 'Lt'. Neville followed his squad mates to their assigned position and immediately started to make some cover for himself.

In the distance, Neville could see the fortress looming like an ancient monument to evil. Above the fortress floated several Dementors. At the moment, no one knew they were there, but that would surely change soon.

Within minutes all of second squad had gone to ground. Neville heard few noises about him as everyone disappeared from sight in their shallow holes. Disillusion charms covered what was above ground.

Able company was in place and ready for action. Now it was a matter of waiting.

Draco and Baker Company, East of the Holding Pens...

Baker Company had the hardest job. The company would arrive due east of the holding pens and begin the assault on the pens. To both the eastern and western sides of the pens there was little cover, so the assault would have to begin immediately upon arrival.

Draco was attached to third squad. Despite his having trained with the Aurors longer than either Harry or Neville, it had been decided to place him in a secondary role under a lieutenant named Sampson, rather than with Caleb Newman.

Draco swayed for a moment as the effects of the portkey wore off. Immediately his squad moved forward down one avenue created by the walled off cages. So far, the assault was going according to plan. What they didn't expect was the reaction of the prisoners as they crept up the avenue.

"GUARD! Guard!" shouted one prisoner. One of Draco's squad tried to motion for the man to be quiet. A second later there came a shout from the north, then someone fired off a spell and another person shouted. Draco shivered as he heard the killing curse being cast and he hunched lower, trying to concentrate on covering his own squad mates. Somewhere in the distance a bell began to ring loudly. A quick glance towards the fortress in the distance showed the number of Dementors hovering over the fortress increasing.

All around him the pens were waking from their nightmares and shouting for help. It was a terrible sound and it added to the confusion on the rapidly expanding battlefield. Draco tried hard not to look inside the cages. To see so many wizards and witches reduced to near animal levels shook him to the core.

Suddenly one the cages nearby exploded in a shower of wood, metal and body parts. Someone in another avenue had destroyed the cage. Draco saw one of his squad mates slowly drop to the ground, clutching his side. He ran up to the stricken woman and pulled her hand away from the wound. He immediately regretted the large breakfast he'd eaten. Fighting back the urge to vomit, he reached around himself and pulled a bandage out of his belt medical kit. He slapped the self sealing bandage on the wound and gave the woman a sip of pain relief potion.

"Healer! Healer!" he called, then stepped over her. He had done all he could for her. Now it was in the hands of the healers.

"Third squad, forward! Cover the intersection!" came the order from the squad leader.

He moved up, then got too close to one of the cages. A hand reached out and snagged him, holding him pinned to the cage.

"Save us!" moaned someone piteously from within the cage. Several other voices chimed in, but he couldn't make them out over the noise.

"We're trying, you bloody effing moron! Now let me go about doing my job!" Draco hissed.

The prisoner refused to release him, then someone else from Baker spotted his predicament and stunned everyone in the cage, releasing him.

"Thanks, mate," Draco muttered, then he moved off again, in search of his squad.

Harry and Charlie Company, North of the Holding Pens...

Charlie company had two tasks and, because of them, had the lowest number of combatants than the others. Landing north of the holding pens they were in a position to catch any of Voldemort's Death Eaters who might try to escape by running to the docks on the northern edge of the island. Their other mission was to enter the pens as soon as the all clear from Baker company had been sounded.

Harry stumbled and pitched to his knees when he arrived. The link between him and Hermione flared to life and he could feel her delight at him arriving and an intense fear for his well being. As he stood, he tried to send her some calming emotions, but his own emotional state prevented that. The two had to be content with knowing that, for now at least, both were alive and well.

Harry looked around carefully, then he turned to one of his men. "Let's set up the command post over by those rocks," he said, pointing to one side. "We need to get the links to Haven up as soon as possible, then get a security detail out to secure the area."

Caleb looked up from talking on a portable floo to the commander of Baker company and nodded in approval at Harry's commands. Several men ran over to the rocks Harry had pointed out. One man reached into a rucksack and pulled out a large cube, silver in color. He blew a whistle, then tapped the cube with his wand before running away from it.

The cube quivered for a moment, then it began to expand. There was a grinding noise as the expanding portable headquarters building ground the nearby rocks to powder. Harry and several others ran for the open door as soon as the expansion ceased.

Harry watched as several fairy fliers were put into operation and the screens on the wall flared to life. He picked up a portable floo and made a mental note to talk to the twins about making them smaller and lighter. Right now their latest invention was still too bulky and heavy, weighing in at over fourteen pounds.

He lifted the floo and pressed the lever to release the floo power.

The War Room, Haven Operations Center...

A floo flared to life and everyone could clearly hear Harry Potter's voice. "Haven, all companies on the ground. Fliers have been deployed. Charlie and Able report all secure. Baker has engaged the Death Eaters in the pens."

Miles nodded and swallowed another gulp of black coffee. Running these missions had become increasingly difficult for the aging former Unspeakable. He tried to ignore the burning in his stomach as the wall screens flared to life.

Glancing up at the observation platform, he could see Amelia calmly sipping her tea. She smiled encouragingly to him. Miles nodded and turned back to the board.

Aboard the Fillie B...

Luna laughed and danced a little jig as the doors to the aft cargo hold slid back, revealing a room full of the glowing creatures.

"Up! Up, my Children! It's time!" Luna cried to them. One by one the creatures floated up from the cargo hold and turned translucent in the morning sun. Everyone aboard the Fillie B had been shocked over the number of Angels she had managed to gather together. Miles and Harry had estimated that they might be lucky if they could get twenty of them, but they were hoping Luna would be able to gather at least ten.

What no one had counted on was that the Angels seemed to be able to summon others of their kind over great distances. Luna had started by speaking to the Angels at the school. It was the same pair she had been hoping to teach to communicate. The next day there were four Angels, then eight and so on. Finally, Luna, with the help of several Haven and Irish Aurors, led nearly forty Angels from Haven. Haven retained it's original three pairs of Angels, much to the relief of Harry and the others. The gentle creatures had quickly become a favorite of the children in town.

The mass of Angels floated for a moment in the early morning sun, almost as if they were disoriented. Then one Angel turned and spotted the Dementors hovering over the castle across the mile of open water. It unfurled its wings and pumped them powerfully, moving away from the ship. A moment later, the remaining Angels were following the first.

Luna stood breathless, watching as the Angels eventually moved too far away to see properly. Hermione stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did good, Luna," she said. "Now would you like to help Remus, Tonks and I?"

Luna nodded and smiled dreamily. Hermione couldn't help but wonder how different she was when Draco wasn't nearby.

"Oh, sweet Merlin," Remus moaned behind her. Hermione turned to look at him curiously, then she followed her gaze and gasped.

In the distance she could see Dementors boiling from upper windows of the fortress. Someone had made a critical mistake! There were a lot more Dementors than they had thought.

Remus turned to Tonks. "Get on the portable floo I left it in the dinning room. Tell Haven to warn the people on the ground!"

Tonks nodded and took off at a dead run.

"Come on, girls. We have to set up the racks for those rockets," Remus said in a worried tone.

Neville and Able Company, South of the Holding Pens...

Neville flinched slightly when he heard the sound the alarm bell ringing. That sound awoke the guards at the fortress, who added their own bell to the din. He checked his watch and hoped that Luna and the others had arrived on time. Otherwise it would be up to Able company to hold off the Dementors with the Patronus charm until the Angels arrived.

"Mother puss bucket!" gasped someone up the line. Neville turned and his eyes widened in shock. The fortress was barely a mile away and he watched the mass of Dementors as they seemed to boil out of the castle. It was almost as if there was a black cloud above the fortress. Then the dam broke and they spilled over the side of the high walls like running water.

"ALL SQUADS TO THE SOUTHERN LINE!" shouted Stanton, the company commander. There was a mad rush as those watching the pens pulled out of their positions and took up new positions facing south.

"WHERE ARE THE ANGELS?" shouted a voice fearfully from up the line. The Americans had become adept at casting the Patronus charm, but casting it on a heavily controlled and warded Dementor at the Irish Auror academy was different than dealing with over a hundred of them. Someone nearby moaned as the temperature started to drop.

Another man bolted from his hole in a panic. Neville reached out and tripped him as he ran by, then he rolled over the man, grabbing him by his shirt.

"We don't have time for your cowardice," Neville hissed. "Now defend yourself and your mates!"

Neville stood. "For Britain! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he cried, whipping his wand out to face the oncoming horde. There was a brief pause, then a giant glowing bear emerged from the wand. The bear growled and charged the oncoming Dementors. All around him arose a variety of shouts, whoops and hollers as the mostly American Able company rose to the challenge. In later years, Neville would recall the incident fondly and shake his head in wonder at the ingenuity of how many ways the Americans could combine obscene words to make their war cries.

Up and down the line the members of Able cast their Patronus charms. Those that failed took heart from their fellow fighters and some were able to cast the spell on a second attempt. Neville glanced over his shoulder and he could see the man he had tripped, now proudly directing his own Patronus. The man turned a steely, determined gaze at Neville and nodded in thanks. Neville returned the nod, then turned back to the task at hand.

The Dementors recoiled under the onslaught of nearly one hundred Patronus charms. Able company was fulfilling it's mission, keeping the pens from being reinforced from the castle.

Draco and Baker Company, In the Holding Pens...

For the second time that morning Draco wondered how he had managed to get mixed up in such a mess. His left arm hung useless, the result of a bone breaking hex from one of the guards. He had replied in kind with a blasting hex that had struck the guard in the neck, tearing away most of his throat. The last he saw of that guard, the man was bleeding out on the ground and his eyes were darting around in panic.

The fight for the pens was turning into a vicious slugging match. Baker company out numbered the guard by at least two to one, but the layout of the pens allowed for the guards to control large sections simply by covering several key intersections. And unlike the guards, Baker company was reluctant to use any big spells, for fear of killing off the prisoners.

"Orders group!" came a call. The leader of third squad gave Draco a few hand signals and he nodded back.

He crouched down next to a cage full of dead prisoners and waited with the rest of third squad while squad leaders tried to make their way back to the command of Able for new orders.

Twenty minutes later, they were listening to their new orders.

"Alright, you blokes, listen up. According to the man, we have cleared out almost all of the pens, except for one area up ahead. From what we know, we're coming up on the barracks for the guards. Thirds got point again, so don't muck it up."

"Black, are you able to do this? You should have evacuated out when you hurt your arm," asked the squad leader.

Draco looked around at the hard, tough men and women of third squad and he saw something he hadn't noticed before. Approval. For whatever it was worth, they considered him to be as good as they were. He grinned grimly at the squad leader.

"I'm alright. It's just a scratch. Let's do this..."

Several others nodded in agreement before turning to do a quick equipment check on their own gear.

"Right then, three minutes, people. Check your gear... Get ready."

Harry and Charlie Company, North of the Holding Pens...

Harry stepped out of the small headquarters building and looked around. The line that Charlie had put up to contain any of the Death Eater guards who tried to escape hadn't seen any action as yet. So why did he feel like something was creeping up on them?

"Sir, Able is reporting more Dementors than anticipated. They are followed up by a strong force of Death Eaters." said one floo operator.

Harry turned on the man. "Has there been any word from the boat team?"

The operator paused and looked down at a note someone passed him. "Yes, the boat team reports release of the Angels ten minutes ago. Also, Haven warns there are more Dementors than we thought..."

The man trailed off and looked chagrined at having passed off a message too late. Harry shrugged and nodded at the operator.

"Contact the boat team. Tell them to aim the rockets just north of the fortress, rather than at the fortress itself. I want those rockets coming down between Able and the fortress. Maybe it will break up the Death Eaters behind the Dementors. I'll inform the commander," he said tersely, then he walked off in search of Caleb.

He found Caleb walking along the western end of the line, talking with the men. Caleb looked up at Harry and arched an eyebrow questioningly at him.

"Able is getting hit hard. There are more Dementors than we expected, Caleb, and the boat crew was late getting the Angels off. Right now, Able's holding, but they have a large contingent of the Death Eaters following the Dementors. I've send word to the boat to target the area between the fortress and Able company with those rockets of theirs. That won't stop the Dementors, but it might break up the Death Eaters following them," Harry reported tersely. As he spoke, his eyes roamed over the area and he rubbed at his arm, almost as if it was hurting him.

Caleb eyed him carefully, noting his worried look. "Is something bothering you, Harry?"

"I don't know. I just have this uneasy feeling..." Harry paused and glanced down at his arm as the sleeve tore away. Padfoot bounded from his arm and grew to his normal size. The large Grim looked around fiercely, then growled low in his throat as his hackles rose.

Instinctively Harry reached out a hand to Padfoot. "Easy, boy," he murmured. Then he closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. Several moments later, his eyes sprang open in shock. "Caleb! They must be changing guard shifts today! There are at least fifty Death Eaters heading up from the docks. They'll be here any minute."

Caleb's eyes widened, then he turned, looking north towards the dock area. Turning back, he looked at the line for a moment. Charlie company had the smallest number of fighters and a large number of healers and medics to deal with the prisoners.

"AXIS SWITCH! EVERY OTHER SQUAD MOVE NORTH THREE HUNDRED FEET!" Caleb shouted.

Men scrambled to move and find decent cover while spreading out to fill in the gaps.

"Harry?"

"I've got them, Caleb," Harry replied to the unspoken question.

"You must hold the line," Caleb urged.

Harry nodded and then trotted away to meet up with the men now under his direct command. He could feel Hermione's anxiety increase dramatically in response to his own emotions and, somewhere to the south, he could hear banshee whistling created by incoming rockets from the boat. Shaking his head, he called for an orders group and ducked down, waiting for the squad leaders to show up. Padfoot prowled nearby, growling.

Aboard the Fillie B...

Remus had just finished laying down the racks that held the rockets before they fired them off. Each rack held five rockets, and they had two racks. Hermione and Luna were busy levitating the rockets into the racks when Tonks ran up with the target change. Hermione staggered for a moment, feeling a rush of anxiety and worry coming from Harry. Luna glanced at her and nodded knowingly.

"You must work around what he's feeling," Luna said in an undertone, her own body screaming with tension.

"How did..."

"How did I know? I'm feeling Draco right now. He's injured," Luna said in a sad voice.

Hermione paled and looked at her friend closely but Luna was a very difficult person to read.

"There's something wrong with his arm, and he's limping somewhat, but he'll be alright," Luna said.

"Ladies, I hate to break this up," Remus said, listening to the two of them. "But we really need to get this show going."

Hermione blinked and checked the rack she was loading. "I'm loading the last one now, Remus. Have you checked the aim?"

"Yes. They're properly aimed, so if you're ready, we'll send them on their way," Remus replied.

Hermione nodded, then she tapped the rack of rockets with her wand before stepping away from it. On the other side, Remus did the same for the rack Luna had been loading.

There was a loud whooshing sound and a great deal of smoke. Tonks waved her wand, banishing the smoke so they could see. The rockets sped up in the air for quite a ways before they ran out of propellant, then they tipped over.

Hermione watched the island carefully. She could see the roiling mass of blackness that were the Dementors still being held by Able company. She could also see the flickering light caused by the many Patronus charms that were holding the Dementors off. Then came ten blinding flashes of light and dirt fountained up into the air. A few seconds later, she heard the crackling explosions.

Luna laughed at the display and turned to start reloading her rack. They only had thirty rockets. It was the best Q branch had been able to come up with in the time they had. It would have to do.

Hermione shook herself and tried to ignore the fact that they were killing people, while Luna's merry laughter rang in her ears.

Charlie Company, North of the Holding Pens...

Caleb ran to the portable headquarters building. He could hear Harry and the others casting spells, holding off the Death Eaters coming up from the docks, and for the first time he wished they hadn't built this company with so many medical staff. Normally, Charlie had a full compliment of fighters, but this time they had left just over half of them behind and consolidated medical staff from all the other units into Charlie.

"Sir, Baker company is declaring the pens are taken. They have casualties are are requesting assistance," said one of the floo operators.

"Damn! Very well, signal the medical teams to move into the pens. I want to start the evacuation yesterday! Detail some of them to help Baker company," snapped Caleb.

Suddenly the headquarters building shook and Caleb ducked from a nearby explosion. He darted out the door, looked north, and heard a piercing voice call out.

"ALL SQUADS, FALL BACK TO THE HQ LINE. PICK UP YOUR MATES!"

Caleb paled and wondered why Harry was calling for them to fall back, then he spotted Harry walking calmly across the battlefield. He was glowing from head to toe and what few spells that hit him seemed to vanish into the nimbus of light. His expression was that of thundering rage. He walked to the center of the island. As he did, both sides slowly stopped fighting as disbelief spread through the ranks of both armies at the sight before them. The few killing curses cast at him were deflected away by transfigured objects.

Harry turned and his nimbus began to glow ever brighter. He lifted his staff high into the air, then he brought it crashing down, striking the brilliant crystal end-cap against the ground.

"FILIOLUS PANGO FRENDO!" he shouted.

Caleb's eyes widened as he recognized the Hammer of God spell. He dove for the ground screaming, "Cover! Cover! Shields!" as the northern end of Azkaban Island exploded.

The War Room, Haven Operations Center...

Miles leapt from his chair as all of his flier screens wavered and went blank. He looked around, trying to ignore the nausea he felt. "Report," he said tersely.

"Sir, we..."

Miles pounded a hand against the table and he looked up in anguish to the observation room. Both Amelia and Arthur were leaning forward, watching with worried looks on their faces. Miles stepped back to his chair and he down heavily. "Contact the boat. See if you can get an idea of what happened to Charlie company," he ordered.

One of the other floo operators looked up in surprise. "Sir, Haven Hospital is reporting receiving prisoners from the pens, and wounded from Charlie and Baker companies."

"The boat is reporting a massive explosion at the northern edge of the island. They have no floo contact with Charlie, but claim Charlie is alright," Another reported.

"Thank Merlin for that, at least," he breathed, then jumped as the screens flared to life again. Up in the observation room, Amelia and Arthur leaned back and relaxed again.

Neville and Able Company, South of the Holding Pens...

Neville lost concentration on his Patronus when the first flight of rockets arrived. He ducked instinctively and Able company was showered with dirt and pieces of trees and Death Eaters. Unfortunately, the rockets had no effect on the Dementors. With so many of Able ducking flying debris, the Dementors turned and charged their line.

Shouts and warnings ran up and down the line as men scrambled to recast the Patronus. Neville jumped to his feet, sending his bear charging the incoming Dementors, but they were too close. He cringed hearing the screams of those about to be kissed, and the moans of those overcome by the Dementors effects.

To one side of the line there came a strange howling and all the Dementors paused. The howling grew louder. Neville tore his eyes away from the Dementors nearby to glance towards the source of the sound, then whispered a silent prayer of thanks. The Angels had arrived! Almost as one, the Dementors turned and fled back towards the fortress with the Angels in pursuit.

"Alright mates, now it's just Death Eaters and us," called Neville. He had no idea where his squad leader had gotten to. The Death Eaters had been hiding behind the Dementors, waiting for their chance to pick off anyone the creatures missed. The rockets had injured many, but they realized they were in a fight to the death.

Able company, even with its injured, outnumbered the Death Eaters by nearly two to one. But before the Death Eaters could get organized enough to attack Able, another round of rockets landed in their ranks. There was another two minute interval, then the final set of rockets landed.

The members of Able company slowly lifted their heads and stood up. As they did, clumps of dirt fell off them. The scrub pine forest that existed between them and the fortress had been sparse, but now it was gone completely. Smoking holes were the principle landscape feature. Here and there among the churned up debris a Death Eater staggered drunkenly, unable to understand what had happened. One moment there were over fifty Death Eaters waiting to attack the survivors of a Dementor attack, the next moment the few broken survivors were quickly stunned and disarmed. None of the Death Eaters could be taken prisoner, so the mission policy was to stun and disarm, and leave them where they lay.

Voldemort was a most unforgiving Master and did not suffer failure lightly. The Death Eaters left behind would die, but not by the hands of the Light.

Neville slowly sank to his knees and hung his head. He wasn't wounded, but he felt sick at heart. Several healers started moving among the men of Able company, pressing chocolate on them. Neville nibbled at his chocolate and wished for nothing more than a hot bath, and to lay down in his bed with Ginny by his side.

I'm a herbologist, for Merlin's sake! he thought.

"Neville?"

He looked up to see one of the scouts attached to his squad. "Hmmm?"

"I'm afraid the LT took a nasty piece from one of those rockets. He's being evac'd, which means you're in charge. We have orders to reinforce our positions and hold until told otherwise," said the scout.

Neville sighed and shook his head wearily. He checked his watch. It was just after seven in the morning. They had been on the island for barely an hour and he felt like he had been awake for days!

"Alright, Second Squad, let's dig in and hope no one wants to pay us another visit today," Neville called out.

He turned to start cleaning out the debris from his own hole when he heard someone shout. "Look!"

Spinning, he turned to face the fortress. The Dementors had fled to the top of the walls and were trying to escape into the building. All around them were the glowing Angels. The Angels circled the top of the building, every so often plucking a Dementor from the mass and dispatching it. Above the Angels, an enormous Celtic Cross hung in the sky, glowing brightly in the morning sun. It was the unofficial symbol of Haven, and the official talisman of the Brotherhood of Druidic Knights.

Able company broke into a cheer at seeing the huge cross. Then Baker and finally Charlie companies took up the cry.

Aboard the Fillie B...

Hermione would have slumped against the bulkhead had Remus and Luna not been holding her upright. She looked weakly towards the island and grinned foolishly when she saw the floating Celtic Cross.

At Harry's request, she had tinkered with that spell until she got it just the way she wanted it. Voldemort himself couldn't dispel that cross. It would linger for at least a month, maybe even two, before fading out.

"Wow, now that's magic," she said unsteadily, grinning madly.

"Is she alright?" asked Emma worriedly.

Remus looked at her in surprise. "Are you done sending those medical supplies ashore already?"

"Yes. Dan thought to shrink them down. That cut down the number of trips needed considerably," Emma replied, then looked at Hermione with concern. "Is she alright?"

Ginny pulled out a Pepper-Up potion and forced Hermione to drink it.

"Yes, she's just exhausted from that spell she cast. It took a lot out of her," Remus said while steam whistled from Hermione's ears and her face flushed.

"We're done here, aren't we, Remus?" asked Dan uncertainly.

"I think so, but we haven't received word yet," he told him.

"I'll phone home and let them know we're twiddling and diddling out here," Tonks offered saucily, then she turned and tripped. Ginny looked skyward, while most everyone else pretended to find the ocean scenery of the utmost interest. Tonks glared at everyone anyway, then walked away.

"I'm going to have cast a permanent cushion charm on her if she ever gets pregnant," Remus muttered to himself. Dan stared incredulously at him before sliding to the deck in laughter.

Luna walked over to the gunwale and leaned on it, looking out over the island. Hermione stood, with Emma's help, and walked over to her shakily. She knew that, in her own way, Luna was worried about Draco. She put a comforting arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"He'll be fine, Luna," Hermione said softly.

"Oh, I know he will. Even now they're getting ready to send him back to Haven with the other wounded."

Emma's eyes widened and she gasped. "Draco?"

Luna nodded. "He'll be fine, or so he tells me," she said, staring off into the distance.

"Oh, lord, do we know... Hermione? Harry?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "He's fine, Mum. He a little ashamed of himself for blowing up part of the island, but he'll be just fine."

Ginny moved to stand with the other women and sighed mightily. "I've got to figure out a way of doing what you two can do. This not knowing is driving me insane."

Hermione and Luna exchanged a glance, and without a word they both decided that their sisters deserved to a chance at bonding as well. It would be a joint project, but they'd find a way.

"What will the Angels do when there are no more Dementors on the island?" asked Dan.

"Move on," Luna said simply. "They can see the coast line of Wales from here. It's less than ten miles away, so they will move on."

The group fell into a companionable silence. It had been a hectic morning and, for at least two of them, emotionally exhausting as well. The Fillie B drifted in the currents, her engines turning over just enough to maintain position.

Haven Hospital...

Susan had been put in charge of conjuring blankets and she did so, by the hundreds. As quickly as she and several other women could produce them, they were whisked away by other volunteers. The hospital was being swamped with injured. Hidden away in a little room with three other women conjuring, she had little clue as to what was happening in the rest of the hospital.

There had been several key flaws in their plan, and this was just one of them. Sylvia August had been the chief healer at St. Mungos and she watched in total dismay as the injured started arriving. She contacted her counterpart at St. Patricks in Dublin, asking for help. Soon the word was spreading of the humanitarian disaster in the making at Haven. From around Ireland Healers arrived and were quickly pressed into service.

The emergency room overflowed into the street with patients and healers. Townsfolk from Haven arrived, bringing potions and medicines they had. A triage was set up in the hospital lobby where the injured were sorted. A large number of the prisoners were in need of immediate medical treatment for a variety of illnesses stemming from their poor treatment and malnutrition. The assault team wounded were checked over by several healers specializing in magical traumas.

Slowly, from the chaos, order emerged. Minister Bones arrived and rolled up her sleeves, pitching in. Even Olga Johansen arrived, bringing with her two of her oldest adopted children who walked around giving water to people.

The War Room, Haven Operations Center...

"Sir, Charlie company reports all prisoners have been evacuated, along with all wounded. They are sending back those killed in action now and are requesting the recall signal."

Miles looked up from his chair, his face ashen and dotted with perspiration. "Send the recall signal to all units," he said, then he stood unsteadily and walked out the door.

Up in the observation room, Arthur watched Miles with growing concern. The man was clearly ill, but he had held on the operation. Arthur stood and made his way to the exit. He didn't have to go far to find Miles leaning up against the wall.

"Miles? Sweet Merlin man, you need a healer!" he said in a rush.

Miles waved him off. "Not today, Arthur. All the Healers are busy at the hospital."

Miles straightened up and walked away from Arthur, who watched him doubtfully. He'd mention this to Amelia.

Meanwhile, on Azkaban Island, all three companies responded to the recall signal by portkeying back to Haven. The Brotherhood members aboard the Fillie B. portkeyed back to Padfoot manor, while the Fillie B. turned west and headed home.

Padfoot Manor...

It was a largely silent group that arrived back at Padfoot. Unlike Harry, Draco and Neville, the rest of the Brotherhood was able to return home directly. House elves scurried about, drawing baths and making a late breakfast. Nearly everyone agreed they would be napping today.

Luna cried happily when Narcissa wrapped her in a welcoming hug. It had been many years since she had lost her mother and Narcissa's acceptance of her was something she treasured greatly. Narcissa's heart filled with fear when Luna broke the news that Draco had been injured, but Luna reassured her. Even now he was walking up the lane to the manor, too tired to apparate, or even remember he wore a portkey to the manor. Both ladies waited breathlessly for him to enter the grand foyer.

Draco opened the door carefully. One arm was in a sling, the other holding a bag full of potions which the healers sent him home with. The Pepper-Up potion they had given him at the hospital had been enough to get him home, but it was wearing off quickly.

"Draco!" exclaimed Narcissa, then she rushed forward. She skidded to a halt when she saw the sling on his arm, allowing Luna to slide past her.

"Hello, love," he said softly to her with a roguish grin. Luna took the bag from his hand and peeked inside, then turned to Narcissa.

"Mum, he's got a bone knitting potion and a pain relief potion. Let's get him upstairs and then we'll dose him."

"Hospital's a bloody awful mess. Most of the prisoners we freed will need a lot of help recovering, and we had a fair number of troops injured in the fight..." Draco trailed off and his eyes looked haunted. He leaned against Luna, as if trying to borrow her strength.

The next to return was Neville. When he arrived, Ginny's squeal of delight was heard throughout the manor. Neville had returned with Able company, and he was proud to say they looked at him as someone worthy of being in their group. He had spent a few hours attending a debriefing session before being released to go home. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, he was uninjured, to Ginny's great relief.

It wasn't until early evening before Harry returned. He apparated directly to his bedroom and unceremoniously collapsed on the bed. Hermione found him there an hour later, snoring, still wearing his combat gear and his muddy boots. She called Dobby to help her undress him. They had only managed to pull off his boots and shirt when he started to wake.

"Hermione?"

"I'm here, Harry, but you can't sleep in all this stuff."

"I know. I was just resting my eyes. It's been a long day," he replied groggily.

Both Dobby and Hermione rolled their eyes at his 'resting' comment.

"Resting your eyes, eh? Looked like the rest of your body followed along for the ride," Hermione said, amused.

Harry shook his head. "I need a soak and maybe have something to eat before I can sleep," he said, then stood and limped his way into the bedroom.

Dobby looked at Hermione, who nodded at the little elf. Dobby popped out of the room to go get Harry something light to eat. Meanwhile, Hermione stared at the semi-closed bathroom door.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired and a little sore. Caleb and Miles kept me most of the day because of what I did to the northern end of the island. Apparently, if you blow up a third of your battlefield, it takes extra time to debrief you."

Hermione chuckled at hearing the irony in his mental voice.

"I sent Dobby to whip up something light for you. It looks like your leg is really bothering you tonight." she sent hesitantly. Normally he tried to ignore it and rebuff all mention of it. But not tonight.

"It is. After I've soaked and eaten, I wouldn't mind one of your massages, and you can tell me all about your boat trip."

Hermione smiled to herself, the images he had sent her might have started with a leg massage, but they ended up considerably more intimate. If there was one thing the bonding had shown the both of them it was the depth of the desire each had for the other. They were both surprised by it.

Hermione poured them both a drink and brought them into the bathroom where Harry was soaking. He gratefully accepted the cool glass and drank deeply while Hermione sat on the edge of the tub. No words where necessary. For the moment, everything was good in the world and they relaxed with each other. Tomorrow would be a new day with new challenges.

Authors Notes:

Well there you have it, the longest chapter thus far. And it's ahead of schedule. Now we'd like to take the time to talk you about a pressing social problem which concerns us greatly. The war on illiteracy! I want all you people out there that can't read to go out and learn how to read. RIGHT NOW! I mean it, if you're reading this and don't understand a thing I'm saying, then it's time for you to learn how to read! And for those of you on drugs. Ahfgrycnskeo ajhdyrhencm ahegfge geee hahen!

There, now that I have that out of the way, we can get to the real meat of the notes. Why hasn't anyone sent us any donuts?

A note on the relationship issues. A lot of people leave notes saying things like they are confirmed H/G or H/Padma etc shippers. At first when we started this series we were die hard Harry/Ginny shippers. Now days I think we've matured out of any single mold. If the story is believable, the ship really shouldn't matter.

Bob's reply to Rob : Once again we deal with the issue of Harry being too powerful. But that was our original intent. We deliberately decided to over power Harry, then use the prophecy to prevent him from doing anything about Voldemort. Voldemort is using the ritual of Anthrokrak to bring his power up to par with Harry's Which means ultimately that it will come down to Harry and Voldie going toe to toe while Harry's helpers have to deal with a boosted inner circle of Voldie followers. Some folks say we've not stayed within the bounds set up by JKR, it was never our intent to stay within those bounds. Frankly the Harry going into and coming out of book six is a weak wimp that is probably going to end up getting killed in book seven. Book six was a major disappointment in my mind and it turned the last book (and all fan fic based on book six) into nothing more than a treasure hunt. Harry still hasn't received any decent combat training, but he's expected to duel a wizard with 50+ years of experience. Bye bye Harry.

Alyx's reply to Rob : It was not our intent to write a naturalized JKR novel with Sunrise and Sunset. We are not JKR, we do not write like her, nor do we wish to. JKR writes primarily for children. We write for adults. Yes, we're playing in her world, but we're remaking it as we see fit. We've done our best to stick with known canon facts up to and including book five. Book six is a non-entity and ruined the plot line, in our opinion. Also, as most of the people reading this know, we write, first and foremost, for ourselves. We enjoy the creative process. If people want to read our stories and find themselves enjoying them, that's just pure icing on the cake for us. We do appreciate those who've joined us on our journey, and love to hear from them but, in the end, if we're happy with what we've created, that's all that matters to us.

This series started as an experiment. We wanted to take characters from JRK's works that we disliked (Draco, for example) and try to come up with a convincing way of changing their personalities. We also wanted to see if we could take something we saw as improbable (A Harry/Hermione hookup) and make it work.

We also wanted to stretch our wings a bit and expand our story to include subplots. While we don't quite have a cast of thousands, there are times we feel as if we do. But that's what we wanted! There are a ton of stories out there where Harry and his shag-of-the-moment are the only real characters in the story and everyone else is relegated to supporting staff. Yes, this is a Harry Potter story, but there are other voices that should and will be heard in our stories. Some will be fluff, some will be purely plot driven. Some will be fully fleshed out, others will be the new ensign on the away team... someone to be met and killed off quickly.

Crewman six is dead, Jim! Bones exclaimed.

Now, to move on...

Luna and Draco, and Ginny and Neville will start getting more 'air time' as their roles in the war effort increase. Luna is especially interesting since she can flip from semi-normal to completely ditsy depending on where Draco is at the time.

Amy's are evil and must be destroyed. (Just kidding Amy) Amy in an disclaimer? WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA!

Luna had a wonderful time on the honeymoon. Draco did as well, except for Luna's tendency to confuse him... But he enjoyed himself otherwise. He sent us a couple postcards, quite nice of him considering it was his honeymoon.

For what it's worth, we have no plans of getting anyone else pregnant. Just Susan.

The Blood Jihad was a minor little sub plot, but it also illustrated the fact that there are groups besides Voldemort's with very similar beliefs. While I don't expect to see the Blood Jihad again, you never know.

Why didn't Terry accio Susan's wand? Ummm because (a) they were under continual fire from bad guys and (b) we didn't think of it, we actually wanted Susan unarmed for the encounter.

The medallions work for major physiological changes. Harry was wounded yes, but in no danger of dying. Susan on the other hand was in danger of dying, she had been pinned between the wall and the pressure wave of an explosion causing internal injuries. The medallions can be manually triggered, or triggered by severe injuries.

Does Susan know she's pregnant? That becomes a little clearer in this chapter.

You all can thank Alyx for the part about Millicent and McGonagall, thats part of her storylines.

Back to:: Harry Potter » Sunrise Over Britain

Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 12 - Wives speak out and an Azkaban Field Trip

By Bobmin

Sunrise Over Britain Chapter 12 - Wives speak out and an Azkaban Field Trip

By Bobmin

Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 12 - Wives speak out and an Azkaban Field Trip