Chương 32: Chapter 32
It was the night of August the first. Harry and everyone who were with him were assembled at Godric's Hollow. Snape had made earrings for everyone and also the portkeys that would automatically bring them to Godric's Hollow in case of severe injury.
Mrs. Longbottom had also asked three of her elves to come to Godric's Hollow and was busy teaching them and Dobby and Winky the various healing potions and was labeling them by writing all kinds of information on them and instructing the elves to use it on anyone who would come injured to Godric's Hollow.
Harry was restlessly pacing the floor and then falling on the sofa and then getting up once again to pace the room. All the others were in a state of high alert and real tension. Amelia Bones and Brian Wheeler had each and every auror in Britain ready to attack. Only they did not know where exactly they would be asked to go and whom they would confront. They too were huddled in groups in the Ministry and were discussing their modes of offense.
Amelia Bones had not allowed anyone to leave and had questioned all of them under veritaserum and had ascertained their willingness to go out and hunt the death eaters down.
Rookwood, McNair and Avery were placed in solitary cells and Amelia Bones had gone straight to the Ministry with her deputy after the meeting at Godric's Hollow.
Brian Wheeler who was with her was invisible and they had gone into each of the three cells and had questioned loud and long under veritaserum and the veritas spell combined.
Amelia Bones after all the show of asking many questions had asked the single most important one. That question she had asked them before she had allowed Brian Wheeler to give the potion.
"Are you sympathetic to Lord Voldemort and his cause of killing muggles, muggleborns and half bloods indiscriminately?"
"Yes."
That was all and Amelia Bones nodded to her deputy to administer the potion and Brian silently cast the imperio at them and fed them a potion Snape had given that would kill them within a week undetected. The imperio made them take the potion without complaint or questions.
That job well done, they had gone to their homes for a well deserved rest and were at Godric's Hollow the next day after lunch. They had been to the Ministry in the morning and had made plans for attacks.
Amelia Bones had called all the aurors, including Tonks and Shaklebolt, early in the morning.
"I have received a lot of information about many death eaters from the six prisoners we have captured yesterday. We will move against all of them tonight. Please be ready and remember no unforgivables and no harming their children. Otherwise they are your to fight and capture and to kill only in self – defense.
"I will give you the details in the evening and you need to leave by midnight. Simply crash the wards and attack. If they try to escape bring down their homes and then declare them to be killed on sight." She finished and looked around at everyone.
All of them nodded as one. Satisfied Amelia Bones left for Godric's Hollow along with Brian Wheeler.
Harry had written to all the Slytherins and Boot and had asked them to meet him outside Hogsmeade near the Caves where he had seen Sirius in his fourth year.
All of them were there slightly scared and eager to know why Harry had called them.
Harry came first and greeted them and placed silencing and anti – apparition spells and in two minutes Amelia Bones, Brian Wheeler, Snape, Arran, Draco and Shaklebolt came.
"Wait!" Harry shouted to the Slytherins who were preparing to run away, when they realized they could not apparate.
Nott turned to look at Harry with an expression of anger and betrayal on his face.
"Today we are planning an attack on all the Inner and Outer Circle members." Harry began abruptly and all the Slytherins stopped running and whirled around and gaped at him.
Harry nodded. "Yes today we have decided to attack and kill all the Inner Circle and a few Outer Circle members and also anyone who fights back with intention to kill. All of you cannot escape and run away because Voldemort will be suspicious so I have brought Draco, Snape and Arran who is with us and who knows you and Amelia Bones and Brian Wheeler and Shaklebolt who are aurors and who don't know you but need to see all of you so that you are not prosecuted."
Harry turned to Amelia Bones and smiled. "These are the Slytherins and Boot is the Ravenclaw who have given their oaths and they want out of this war. They have been marked but Madam Bones please assure them that they will never be captured and imprisoned today and if they are by your aurors you will release them before tomorrow morning."
The Slytherins stared unbelievably at Harry and shook with relief and Nott actually gripped Harry's hands.
"Thanks I thought for a moment you were going to turn us in." he whispered, taken aback that Harry was willing to go to such an extent to save them.
Harry smiled at him and Amelia Bones spoke to them, "I will not be with my aurors and apart from us no one knows about you and your loyalties. It is not safe you will agree." The Slytherins nodded.
"So move away to a place where Harry will tell you in a moment. If by chance you are captured and shouted at for being a death eater and even given veritaserum that confirms it, do not worry. I will free you the moment I come into the Ministry."
All of them nodded terrified.
"Today all the death eaters are worried about the Quibbler articles. This is the right time, you understand?" Amelia Bones spoke kindly to them.
"Nott we will not be coming to your home or to Boot's. This is for the rest." Harry told him with a smile.
Gavin spoke up, "If you tell us when you will come, I will open the wards to your people. Only my father is a death eater. Please leave my mother and my younger brother and sister." He requested.
One by one all of them told Amelia Bones who the death eater in the family was and finally Harry handed over the portkeys and also gave them the secret to the vacant shop in Diagon Alley that they had applied the Fidelus on for today.
"All of you activate this portkey and think of shop no.102 and you will be safe. I will meet you there tomorrow. If by any chance all of us here do not survive, I still have told the goblins about you and they will come there tomorrow and help you. But that will not happen and we all will meet." Harry told a stunned set of Slytherins and was awarded with a hug from Millicent Bulstrode who was crying.
"May Merlin himself come with all of you and help you to win this war. We will meet Harry Potter and all of us will pray for that."
"Yes!" the others shouted and on that note they left.
Harry and the rest went back to Godric's Hollow and began getting ready for the last but one stage in the war.
That night all of them hugged each other and Harry, Snape and Bill went to the Lestrange Home, Amelia Bones and Brian Wheeler to the impressive Malfoy Manor.
The three had Remus as back up and but Amelia Bones and Arran had no one. They had not wanted one. All the others had back up incase they were injured and had to flee; so that the death eaters would not escape and the back ups would continue the fight.
Amelia Bones and Brian Wheeler were popped in by Dobby who took them one at a time and left them there. They crept to the main doors and Brian just swerved to avoid the killing curse that rushed from the window above, which he had detected only seconds before it would have killed him. Amelia Bones at the same time shattered the window from where the curse came and Brian as he was getting up smashed the door away.
Both of them ran to the doorway to find Lucius Malfoy and his wife already casting curses on them. Brian rolled away but Amelia Bones got caught in a crucio from Narcissa.
Brian hit her with a stunner as he rolled away yet again from a killing curse and then conjured a powerful shield just in time to block an orange color Black magic curse from Malfoy. Amelia Bones gingerly got to her feet and removed one vial of the potion and swallowed it and looked straight at Malfoy who was busy fighting with Brian and throwing killing curses left right and center and said, "Avada Kedavra."
Lucius Malfoy died with a look of total surprise and shock on his face. Brian stunned the already unconscious Narcissa once again and they walked inside. They placed a portkey on Lucius and activated it to land in Amelia Bones's office. Then they tied up Narcissa and enervated her.
Before she could get her bearings right, Amelia Bones poured six drops of veritaserum and Brian hit her with the veritas spell.
"Are you a death eater?" Amelia Bones asked her the first question, the moment her eyes glazed over.
"No." Narcissa replied quietly.
"Are you sympathetic to You-Know-Who's cause?"
Narcissa visibly struggled with the veritaserum and a minute later with sweat in her brow and blood slightly trickling down her nostrils, "No." she replied now resigned to her torture and death by her husband and Voldemort and her sister.
"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy." Amelia Bones said quietly and poured the anti-dote and removed the spell.
Narcissa wiped the blood and looked terrified at Amelia Bones, "He will kill me and then Draco will suffer."
"No he won't. I am sorry Mrs. Malfoy; your husband is no more."
Narcissa Malfoy stared at Amelia Bones for a long minute and then she slowly turned to look around for the body of Lucius Malfoy. Amelia Bones told her she had it sent to the Ministry.
"I would advise you to stop the floo and also the wards except for Draco. He will be along as soon as he can and tell you everything." Narcissa's eyes widened at the implications of that statement and Amelia Bones waited for Narcissa to reset the wards and close the floo except for Draco.
"Please wait for Draco to arrive Mrs. Malfoy. As long as you keep up to your statement of being against You-Know-Who, there really should be no trouble either for you or for Draco. Ever. As I told you we have sent Mr. Malfoy's body to the Ministry and I doubt you will receive it for a proper burial."
Amelia still shaky took a vial of the pepper up after her one sided conversation with Narcissa who simply stood there and went to her office along with Brian to see who would be there with the minor death eaters walking behind them.
They had been remarkably successful and she knew it was pure luck that Brian was not killed. They sat in tense silence as they waited for news, the important news of those who had gone on the one off assignment. That was what would clinch everything in their favor.
Amelia Bones was surprised that she really did not feel for killing Lucius Malfoy. He had been responsible for almost buying Fudge outright and keeping the Wizarding World in a state of constant confusion and chaos. The Ministry would be a better place for Malfoy, McNair, Avery and Rookwood not working there anymore.
If only she could deal with Fudge, then it would be even better.
Half an hour later she sent a message to Godric's Hollow saying she was successful and Narcissa seemed alright but would need more questioning.
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Arran went off by himself to Alecto's Manor and found him in his library reading.
"Arran! What a pleasant surprise. The Dark Lord set us all at lunch time to our homes to ask us to work hard for the articles. I am going mad, let me tell you."
Arran grinned, though his eyes were serious as he perched on the table.
"I am sorry to come in uninvited Alecto, but I was wondering if I could borrow your family book on the mind magic. I am researching the link and I am at my wit's end."
"Sure." Alecto brought him the book and Arran was also perusing and collection a few other books.
Suddenly, Arran flicked his arm at point blank range and Alecto slumped. Arran tied him up and chanted softly and long and then enervated him.
"Arran?" he asked confused and doubtful.
"I could have killed you from behind and then gone away but I wanted to explain why."
"Why?"
"Simple. I am a traitor to the Dark Lord's cause. Senthalimacaariinathisaere."
Alecto died on the spot only his body started erupting in cuts and bruises. Arran removed all traces of him and his magic and left with hardly a sound.
He went to Godric's Hollow and found Draco hurt very badly and Ria weeping as she tended to him. Arran jumped in and flicked his wand and found traces of a heavy clotting spell and placed him under a stasis charm. This would need the potions of Snape.
"What happened?" Arran asked Pansy softly. She was weeping too and Blaise was sleeping with a bandage around his head.
Arran flicked his wand and found him in a healing sleep.
"Mrs. Zabini set the inferi she had at her home at us. It was terrifying Arran. Draco and I lost it for a few seconds and she got that curse when Draco was fighting the inferi. I killed her and we escaped with the portkey and the inferi chasing after us." Pansy shuddered.
"He will be alright. Only he needs potions and Snape is the best for that. We will wait for him." Arran comforted her as best as she could and trying his best not to worry himself.
At that moment he received a message that Lucius was dead and Narcissa was okay but would need questioning.
He breathed a sigh of relief and waited with his fingers crossed and feeling very bitter about his parents and their priorities and hoped nothing would happen to those three and their back up Remus.
McGonagall, Tonks, the Weasleys, Shaklebolt, Neville, Hermione and Mrs. Longbottom were busy attacking and fighting all the death eaters in the outer ranks. Slowly the shop no.102 filled up with frightened Slytherins and they huddled up to one another and waited for Harry to come and rescue them.
McGonagall gate crashed the Crabbe's home and she and Neville with Luna as their back up finished off both Crabbe Sr. and his wife who kept trying to hit Neville with the killing curse.
McGonagall fired a killing curse for the first time in her life at her and Neville at the same time accioed a huge table and banished it at Crabbe Sr. He died when a piece of the marble to hit his head and cracked his skull open.
They left and apparated back to Godric's Hollow and joined the others who were already there.
Mrs. Longbottom, Molly and Hermione went to the Goyle Home and Mrs. Longbottom crashed the wards and Goyle Sr. came running along with his wife. Goyle took his small sister and portkeyed to shop no. 102 at the same time.
Hermione and Molly fought with Mrs. Goyle and Mrs. Longbottom ran and rolled with the best of them as she fought a surprisingly agile Goyle Sr. As they were throwing curses, Mrs. Longbottom suddenly took out another wand from her robes and holding it in her left hand shouted, "Avada Kedavra." And that was the end of Goyle Sr.
Mrs. Goyle shrieked when she saw her husband fall and Molly stunned her.
Hermione repeated the same question Amelia Bones had asked Narcissa, only Mrs. Goyle said, "I am very much a death eater and proud to be one."
Hermione did not ask another question more. She gave her the anti-dote stunned her twice, tied a portkey and sent her straight to the special cell Amelia Bones had prepared for all death eaters who would be captured.
They apparated to Godric's Hollow and slumped on the sofa and learned about all that had happened.
The Weasleys men had divided into two and the Twins went off to attack the Bulstrodes and Arthur and Charlie went to the Greengrass home. Tonks and Shaklebolt to the Davies home.
The fact that all the Slytherins opened up the wards and no one was expecting the whole auror force to attack and that many of them were not hesitant in using the killing curse shocked all the death eaters and allowed all the Inner and Outer Circle members to be captured and killed. The rest were taken into custody and Amelia Bones and Brian Wheeler started the veritaserum questioning on the spot.
Without the Minister's knowledge they had accomplished an almost rout of Voldemort's forces, only because of Snape, Arran and the Slytherins who wanted out Amelia Bones realized. But she also thought rather ruefully they could help only because Harry had helped them first and he had believed them. She knew had they come to her, she would have imprisoned them and then asked questions that would have only made them desperate to escape and not cooperate.
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Harry, Snape and Bill went to the Lestrange Manor along with Remus who was their backup. They apparated almost silently and went around the wards a couple of times. Arran had told them about all the details pertaining to the wards and once they completed flying around the property twice, Snape, Harry and Bill started chanting.
Snape chanted in the ancient language while Harry and Bill stated pouring a bit of their blood on their wand hand and holding the wand on their blood, chanted the counters to the blood wards.
Along with Snape's magic, they brought down the truly impressive wards, probably even better than Malfoy Manor Harry thought as they chanted and crashed them in about ten minutes.
They crept inside and Snape sent his magic to see if there were magic lines to sense intruders, but there was nothing.
They were nearing the house when there was a huge blast that threw all of them backwards and away from each other. They had been spotted.
Harry picked himself up and swerved to avoid a bright orange curse that would have turned his insides out and his outsides in. The curse hit the tree behind him and the tree blew into smithereens. Harry quickly conjured a block of stone and a lot of snakes and sent his conjured snakes to bite to death anyone except the Harry and the other three.
In the minute it took for Harry to hiss the instructions to the snakes, the stone he had conjured were smashed into smithereens by the killing curse that was hurled at them.
Harry had not time to look at Snape and the others and just in time he noticed a spell coming from the side. He quickly deflected it and sent a revealer. Shit! Was the thought that ran onto his mind. It was Fenrir Greyback and he came running, transformed and huge.
Harry cast a killing curse and Fenrir jumped out of the curse's way and took a mighty leap and fell on Harry who rolled away, but his left had was caught and Fenrir fell on his palm and the bones were crushed. Harry felt the bones of his left hand break and it took all his power not to faint with the pain he was experiencing. He wavered for a minute and then Harry was struggling to push Fenrir off completely terrified when the huge werewolf rolled over him and opened his mouth and howled terrifyingly.
Harry could not even shiver in fear because Fenrir had pressed him down, and his stench and his strength and the pain in his left hand was getting to Harry. For a few seconds Harry could hardly breathe; he realized he was going to die in a few minutes and he thought desperately of Sirius and his parents and Snape; then suddenly strength came to him.
He loosened up inside and then concentrated his magic inside him, just as Fenrir was lifting his head and opening his mouth to bite him on his face to chew him to death, Harry acted.
The magic Harry released threw Fenrir so far away, blasting him in the process. Harry hurriedly conjured a huge stone and cried, 'Accio Fenrir' and a few seconds later Fenrir crashed into the huge stone boulder and another 'diffindo' his already shapeless and bloody head was cut off from his body.
Harry cast a powerful shield around him and hurriedly took a pain reliever from his potions belt and gulped it; cast a numbing charm on his now swollen left had down and ran towards the house. His left hand was throbbing and the pain reliever potion and the numbing charm helped it to come down to a dull ache.
He saw Remus battling both the elder Lestranges and cast a killing curse at one of them and watched as Remus jumped away from another curse that broke his shield and cast the cutting curse at the remaining older Lestrange. The head was severed from the body and he turned only to be pulled back as a killing curse ripped almost through his right ear.
He whirled around and started firing curses at Bellatrix who had rushed at them with a scream from where she and Rudolphus were attacking Snape and Bill. She gave curse for curse and was effortlessly fighting him and Remus and pushing them back. Her curses were spot on and very powerful; where she gathered the power after thirteen years in Azkaban Harry did not know as he flew out of the way of one of them, one that would have removed all bones in his body he though with a shudder as he recognized that curse.
They went on for almost half an hour jumping and swerving, all of them and Bellatrix jumped and swerved with the best of them, trading insults all the while. Bill and Snape were furiously fighting Rudolphus Lestrange. In a combat like this ancient magic could not be used unless you were very proficient wandlessly because in the time it would take you to chant and lock the magic in, you could get killed. So they were fighting a wizard's battle and they were equal to each other.
Bellatrix had screamed initially when she had seen Snape and had taunted him horribly, "You greasy, dirty, half blood traitor!" she had screeched. "I will kill you if it is the last thing I do. You will go the same way Regulus did."
Snape's lips thinned and answered with a killing curse and Bellatrix had cackled horribly, "Poor Sevvie, missed your partner did you now? Do not worry. I will send you to him."
Snape threw a cutting curse that missed her and slit her robes and made her scream with anger and fury and then the fight started in earnest with Rudolphus coming into the fray and Snape and Bill had battled Bellatrix and Rudolphus.
Now, Rudolphus was fighting as well as Bellatrix and it was Bill who fell next with a slash of a bright blue curse that hit him on the chest and a second later he disappeared to Godric's Hollow. A fraction of a second later a killing curse hit the spot where Bill was and the next second Rudolphus died with the killing curse that hit him on his chest. Snape turned to where a furious battle was taking place between Harry and Bellatrix.
Harry had screamed for Remus to keep out of it and a second later it was not necessary because a silver javelin tore his stomach apart. A second later Remus vanished, blood pouring out of his stomach.
"Watch it Potter," laughed Bellatrix insanely, "I will send you to a nice reunion with that blood traitor Sirius and your mudblood mother and a fool of a father." She jumped, "Avada kedavra."
"I will send you there first so that both Sirius and Regulus can give you all that you need in great quantities, like your sanity for example." Harry shouted as he rolled away and sent his own dark curse, she screamed and cursed back.
"Sangunisto!"
"Ramanpitira!"
"Alwoausu!"
Neriaudui!"
"Saamapisssasssa!" Harry hissed and a huge basilisk came out of his wand and Bellatrix died on the spot as she unknowingly looked into its eyes, trying to banish it. Harry at once flicked his wand and vanished the great beast that looked just like the basilisk in the Chamber, before it could turn around.
Harry gave his wand to Snape who frowned as he saw Harry use his right hand to remove the portkey and looked at his left hand. It was bulging and blood seeping and dropping down.
He grabbed the portkey from Harry and placed it on Bellatrix and summoning the other Lestranges and sent them away and rebuilt the wards so that no one could enter before Arran did. He used the blood of Harry to create blood wards and also sealed it with ancient magic and took Harry's hand and apparated.
Snape and Harry were the last to enter Godric's Hollow and an immensely anxious Arran and indeed all the others ran to them. Snape pushed everyone away, shouting Harry was injured and he did what Harry had done a year ago. He simply removed the bones of his left hand and fed him with a skelegrow and a pepper up potion and ran to see the other causalities.
Harry ran behind Snape to the basement where they had a temporary infirmary and saw Draco and Remus who was the worst injured along with Bill, all of them under a stasis charm.
Arran came behind Harry and whirled him around and checked him thoroughly.
"Are you okay and Severus?" his eyes that were full of despair asked the question his lips didn't. Were his parents dead?
"Fine. How about all of you?" Harry nodded once and Arran turned away to hide his emotions of his parents who were willing to die for Voldemort but refusing to live for him and Ria. At that time Snape simply screamed.
"Pansy! Arran! Come here and start chopping. Where is Hermione?" he hollered simultaneously setting up cauldrons. Arran, Pansy and Hermione ran to him and started chopping the ingredients as Snape shouted instructions.
Harry and the others stepped back and Harry asked all of them to go upstairs and relax. They would not be able to do anything until the potions were finished.
All of them reluctantly went up and Harry activated his earring.
"Hello Madam Bones?"
"Mmm. Please attend to this at once. I will call for you in a minute alright?" Harry heard her saying to someone and his answer.
"Yes Madam Bones."
"Harry?" her voice sounded anxious. "How are all of you and are all of you successful?"
Harry told her briefly and added that only Bill, Draco and Remus were really injured and Snape was seeing to them by brewing the necessary potions.
"How many are dead Madam Bones and is Mr. Wheeler fine?"
Amelia Bones told him what had happened at Malfoy Manor and then she told Harry about the incredible success of their attacks.
All the Inner and Outer Circle death eaters were dead as well as many other death eaters who died in the fight and who were killed purely in self defense.
They had not lost a single auror and Voldemort was totally alone and without any of his trusted death eaters. What a blow!
Snape worked all night and well into the morning and finally had the potions ready.
Early next morning, a very tired Snape, Arran, Hermione and Pansy carefully placed the special potions in big bottles and Snape and Arran removed the stasis charm on Draco and Remus respectively.
Blood started gushing from their wounds and Arran and Snape started the healing. They chanted in their ancient tongue and at the same time administered the potions and watched with relief when Draco and Remus went into a healing coma. Then Snape turned and did the same with Bill and checked all of them and breathed a huge sigh of relief when his wand showed they were in a healing coma.
Molly Weasley had almost sobbed with relief. She had been terrified she would lose one more child, this time to the war and she had fainted in her husband's arm after seeing that Bill was in a healing coma.
It was creeping towards dawn and Harry took a couple of pepper up and healing potion and after Snape administered a numbing charm on his hand that was bandaged; apparated out of Godric's Hollow along with the Weasleys except Molly. Hermione, and Mrs. Longbottom and Neville also apparated with Harry.
Before Harry apparated he spoke softly to Snape who smiled exhaustedly at him and nodded and Harry hugged him and Harry, Snape and Arran discussed softly along with Arthur Weasley and then all of them apparated. Luna floo called Mr. Lovegood and after he came they discussed a bit and Mr. Lovegood nodded and left.
Arran started preparing the questions and answers to publish in the late morning edition of the Quibbler and all of them took their pepper ups and other healing potions. They could not sleep; not just yet.
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