Written in the Stars Tactics

Tactics

Malfoy Manor Destroyed!

By Rita Skeeter

In what can only be described as a surprising turn of events in the war against the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, the ancestral home of one of the most prominent wizarding families in recent years was razed to the ground in the early hours of Monday morning.

All that remained when members of the media arrived was a single, excitable house-elf who seemed to be pleased that all the bad men and women were gone from his home.

In a statement released to the media, Minister Black had this to say.

“It is unfortunate that such a rich piece of British history is no longer standing, but credible intelligence gathered suggested that several of the Dark Lord’s followers were residing in the manor since, or perhaps before, the death of Lucius Malfoy. A covert operation was launched which resulted in the destruction of the manor and the elimination of these Death Eaters. Let this be a lesson to any who do or are considering following the Dark Lord that the Ministry will use whatever means necessary to ensure you are not a threat to the public. I would like to once more thank the citizens of wizarding Britain for their continued support in this matter.”

With the latest blow struck by the Ministry against the Dark Lord, I would personally implore our readers to remain vigilant to the threat we face and offer my gratitude to Minister Black for her decisive and necessary actions to combat this darkness.

Cassiopeia placed the newspaper on her desk, her gaze sifting towards Harry when she had done so.

“You got married?” she questioned simply.

Harry shrugged.

“You told me to.”

Cassiopeia pursed her lips.

She could not deny that she had encouraged him, but she had not expected the coming together to happen immediately, and not in a ceremony that the wizarding community at large would recognise as legitimate.

Deflating, she offered him a sincere smile.

“I am happy for you, but you do know that a wizarding ceremony must take place.”

Harry nodded.

“I expect you will quite enjoy planning it.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Come off it, Cassie. You might have chosen to follow Grindelwald and never got married yourself, but you’re still a pureblood woman. Marriage is ingrained into you.”

Cassiopeia narrowed her eyes at the young man.

Seeing Harry married and having the family growing was something she had thought about over the years.

Both the Black and Potter lines had been decimated in recent decades, and she longed to see them both replenished suitably.

Besides, Harry was as good as her own son. What kind of mother wouldn’t have thought about the wedding of their children to some degree?

“Maybe,” she conceded airily. “Is it so wrong that it is something I would want to share with you?”

Harry shook his head.

“Of course not,” he sighed.

“Good, then I will begin the preparations. I’m sure Ana and Eleanor will be happy to help.”

Harry nodded his agreement.

His other friends had been rather put out that he and Lucinda had married without them being present, even if it was something of a spur of the moment ceremony.

Still, that would evidently be remedied soon enough.

“What will happen to Dobby?” Harry asked.

“Dobby?”

“The Malfoy elf.”

Cassiopeia frowned.

“Well, I expect he will be turned over to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,” she answered thoughtfully. “Why?”

“No reason,” Harry replied with a grin. “Would you like a personal elf?”

“I have no need of one,” Cassiopeia pointed out. “Kreacher serves me well enough, and you have Elgar.”

“True,” Harry conceded, “but Dobby could have given me away last night, and he didn’t. I’d like to reward him in some way. I’m sure he’d appreciate serving a nice family after the Malfoys.”

Cassiopeia huffed, though she smirked as an idea popped into her head.

Harry had a thing for creatures.

From flobberworms to basilisks, he’d always found something to care for.

“Why don’t you see if Dobby would like to serve your wife” she suggested.

“Lucinda?”

“Well, unless you have another wife we don’t yet know about then yes, Lucinda.”

Harry hummed as he nodded.

“That could work,” he mused aloud.

“Then I will make the arrangements,” Cassiopeia declared. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a mountain of work to get through and a wedding to begin planning.”

Harry offered her an insolent salute as he took his leave of the office and Cassiopeia smirked.

She had spoken to the elf already to ascertain what he knew.

His personality could not be any more different than Lucinda’s, so he would be perfect for the vampire.

That would teach her and Harry to get married without her being there, even if it wasn’t planned.

Cassiopeia Black was not beyond such pettiness, especially where Harry was concerned.

For years, the boy had caused her headache after headache with his mischief, and now, it was her turn for a little revenge.

Besides, it wasn’t a mean gesture.

She had no doubt that Dobby would serve Lucinda well, and that she would come to value his help, but in the beginning, the vampire would need to get used to the eccentric little creature.

Cassiopeia smirked once more as she turned her attention to her work.

The start to the day had gone as well as she could have hoped.

(Break)

The coldness only seemed to grow more unbearable with each passing day, and with what happened at Malfoy Manor, it only irked the Dark Lord more so. It taunted him endlessly, and he was now convinced that the whispers were becoming louder, openly mocking him with their giggles and threats.

Potter.

It had to be Potter who had found a way to put a curse upon his home.

Voldemort glared at the roaring fire that now only seemed to light the room.

He could likely put his hand in the flames and feel no warmth.

Again, he had searched the entire house and grounds for the source of the magic, to no avail.

Try as he might, he could find nothing.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of a tired Bellatrix.

Evidently, her search had gone on since he had set her the task of locating Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, and judging by her expression, her efforts had been fruitless.

“My Lord, I managed to track them to Surrey before the trail suddenly ended,” she explained. “I have been to every Black property I could think of, but they are all locked down. If she is in one of them, it will be impossible to reach her.”

Voldemort hummed irritably.

The protections of the Blacks were infamous, and it would not be worth the risk to provoke them to merely get his hands on the former Lady Malfoy and her whelp.

That was even if they were indeed still in the country.

If Narcissa was smart, something that could not be denied, she would be long gone from Britain.

“We have more pressing matters, Bella,” he replied, sliding the morning edition of The Daily Prophet towards the woman.

Bellatrix scowled as she read the article.

“Your aunt has become quite the thorn in my side in her position,” Voldemort murmured, “and the loss of Rookwood is one I could do without.”

“What would you have me do, my lord?” Bellatrix asked. “Should we attempt to assassinate her?”

Voldemort shook his head.

“It would be best if she was removed from the equation, but I do not think our efforts would prove to be successful. No, she is too well protected, but I do not doubt that she will once again be present should another larger scale attack were to take place.”

“Do we have the men?”

“We do,” Voldemort replied thoughtfully. “But I would rather not risk the losses. We find ourselves in a delicate position, Bellatrix. We must proceed with caution, but we must find a way to regain the upper hand.”

“What is your plan, my lord?”

Voldemort smirked.

“We cannot remain idle,” he mused aloud. “I want you to arrange our forces into strike teams. We may not be able to get to your aunt, or even Potter, but we can get to their most valuable resource at combatting us.”

“The aurors,” Bellatrix asked excitedly.

Voldemort nodded.

“I want the attacks to begin immediately,” he instructed. “If we can neutralise, or better yet, eliminate the auror force, it will be to our benefit. Potter cannot fight against us without soldiers on the ground, can he?”

“No, my lord,” Bellatrix replied with a bow. “I will make the arrangements.”

“Excellent,” the Dark Lord declared.

With that, Bellatrix took her leave of the room, and Voldemort leaned back in his chair, the cold and constant mockery of the voices no longer bothering him so much after his stroke of genius.

(Break)

Albus watched as Fawkes and Harry’s companion flew past the window of his office, smiling as they vanished towards the sunset. It had become one of the little things in life he had come to enjoy in recent weeks.

The two birds were bonding, and their escapades no longer went unnoticed by the students and members of staff of the school.

Often, Albus would hear them remark on the appearance of the thunderbird and the more frequent sightings of Fawkes who, for most part, had spent much of the last several decades on his perch.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a twinge of pain coming from his shoulder.

Moving the top of his robes aside, he could see just how far the curse had now spread.

The uppermost tendril was creeping towards his neck, and the one just below nearing the outer part of his chest.

It had now begun causing him these moments of discomfort.

The pain was not unbearable, but it served to remind him that time was no longer on his side.

“Two months,” Severus said darkly from the doorway. “At most.”

Albus nodded his understanding.

“Two months,” he acknowledged.

The thought no longer filled him with sadness, but he still looked upon his impending death with a sense of sorrow.

It wasn’t that he wished to live forever, just that he had a little more time to enjoy living.

There were many places he wished he had taken the time to visit, but he could not deny that there was a part of him that was ready now.

Ariana, his parents, Gellert, and many others had passed on, and Albus was eager to see them once again when he began his next great adventure.

“I will brew some more pain relief potions for you,” Severus offered.

Albus offered the man a grateful smile.

“And how was your latest venture?” he asked.

“It was close,” Severus explained. “Bellatrix tracked us to Surrey, but I managed to get them out. Narcissa is devastated. Draco is showing no signs of possessing any magical ability.”

“Will it return?”

Severus shook his head.

“Potter assured her it will not.”

Albus released a deep sigh.

He did not know what Narcissa or Severus had expected.

Harry bore quite the grudge against Draco for what he had done to Miss Greengrass, and even if he could, he would never likely be inclined to undo the damage.

It was that ruthless edge he possessed, and if Albus were honest with himself, Narcissa was fortunate that Draco was alive at all.

Perhaps the harsh lesson would help him change his ways?

“Do you think he will continue hunting her?”

Severus shrugged.

“I do not believe he has the resources to do so, for the moment,” he answered. “The Dark Lord will not forget the transgression against him, but he has other things that require his focus.”

“Harry.”

“Potter,” Severus agreed. “He will be more determined than ever to kill the boy.”

“A sentiment that will be returned,” Albus sighed. “It is coming, Severus. Tom cannot afford to sit back and allow his operation to continue to crumble the way it is, and Harry will not wait. They will meet soon, and it will finally come to an end.”

“If Potter can defeat him.”

“When Harry defeats him,” Albus corrected. “You may not wish to believe in him, Severus, but even you must admit that he is your best hope to finally achieving a semblance of peace. Your pain may never fade, and you will never feel any fondness towards him, but I have no doubt he will have your eternal gratitude.”

Severus nodded reluctantly before turning towards the door.

“When this is all over, I will be moving on,” he declared. “I have been here long enough, Albus. I respect Minerva, but it was to you I made my promises. When the curse takes you, I will no longer remain at Hogwarts.”

Albus nodded his understanding.

“What will you do?” he asked curiously.

“I do not know,” Severus returned with a shrug. “Perhaps I will see the world.”

Albus smiled sadly as the man took his leave of the office.

Severus had made many mistakes in his life, and there was not a single thing he could in his own eyes to repent for them.

It was likely he would forever be bitter that Lily Evans chose James Potter, but nothing would compare to the burden of guilt he carried for his own part in their death, however unwitting it had been.

No, Severus Snape had been a broken man for longer than a decade, and that would never change.

(Break)

He had been an auror for the best part of two decades. Kingsley remembered the never-ending sense of danger from the first war, the peace that had come after, and the resurgence of the Dark Lord and his followers better than most.

Still, the little over two years he’d had Tonks as his partner had been amongst his favourites.

The woman had been rambunctious at times, overly eager at others, but he could not deny that she had brightened his days.

She was gone now, and though he had nothing against Solomon, his new partner, he tended to never shut up, and he sniffed a lot.

Kingsley knew it was rather petty and unprofessional to compare the man to the metamorph, but he couldn’t help it.

Nymphadora’s death was still fresh, and he’d have sooner completed his duties alone than be lumbered with someone else.

Bones had insisted upon it.

Rightly or wrongly, the job was too dangerous to do independently, especially with the Death Eaters potentially lurking in any hidden nook and cranny they passed.

“It’s bloody cold,” Solomon grumbled as they walked the length of the high street in Streatham.

It was a long stretch of road to traverse, though at this hour, most of the muggles had returned home and only a few bars remained open.

“It is,” Kingsley agreed as he came to a stop. “Too cold for this time of year.”

He scanned the night sky as he cautiously drew his wand.

Nothing could be seen in the darkness, but Kingsley could feel it.

“Wand out, Solomon,” he urged. “Are you any good with a patronus?”

Solomon nodded worriedly, the sudden quickened breathing of the man passing his lips in little bursts of steam.

“Expecto Patronum!” Kingsley cried as he spotted the first of several cloaked figures descending upon them.

Solomon followed suit, his falcon joining Kingsley’s lynx in fending off the dementors.

“What the bloody hell are they doing?” he gasped.

“Showing their true colours,” Kingsley replied as he guided his patronus towards another wave of the vile creatures.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Kingsley reacted in time, sweeping his wand around him in a circular motion and surrounding himself with the pavement he had torn up, but he could not ignore the dull thud of a body hitting the ground next to him.

That was another partner he had lost.

With a growl, he hit his own shied with a blasting curse, sending debris in all directions, not knowing where the plethora of killing curses had come from.

In his position, it was best to be offensive.

He’d learned during the previous war that remaining ide would only get you killed.

Using the moment of reprieve to test his ability to apparate away, he cursed as he realised he could not.

No, the ambush had been laid, and the Death Eaters had been waiting for them.

There was nothing for it now but to fight his way out, and with that in mind, he sprang into action.

He quickly realised that he could not run as fast as he once did.

Kingsley was older now, but his experience more than made up for his loss of youth, and even as the spells destroyed shop windows, set cars ablaze, and tore chunks out of the street, he did not stop.

Whenever the opportunity presented itself, he returned fire, his second effort eliciting a scream of agony from one of his pursuers.

Nevertheless, he could not run forever, and there was no telling when he would be able to apparate to safety.

Despite the fatigue beginning to set in, he ploughed on, fighting on the run and unable to push aside the thoughts of his wife, son, and daughter waiting for him to return home.

That alone was more than enough to spur him on, and even when a Death Eater suddenly appeared from an alleyway on his left, Kingsley did not stop.

Instinctively, he struck out, and felt the man’s jaw crumble from the force of the punch he’d landed.

Despite this, there were many others still giving chase, and the spells continued to blast away everything in their path, or ricochet dangerously around the street.

It was too risky to be out in the open.

With his reserves fading, Kingsley knew he would be better off using his energy more productively, and though he would never urge any of his colleagues to follow his example, he dipped into a small side street where their numbers would count for little.

They couldn’t all come at him at once here, and he nodded as he hastily gathered some discarded items he could make use of, and even a large muggle bin.

It was when he moved this to use as cover that he spotted it, and he nodded to himself.

Although he would rather not make use of such a thing, his options were limited.

The first Death Eater that rounded the corner fell victim to a banished paint can that smashed into the side of his head, and the second, a tripping jinx followed by bludgeoning curse that rendered him unconscious.

Evidently, the rest of the group were reluctant to spill into the narrow street, and Kingsley took advantage of their reticence.

Readying his escape, he waited for the next to show themselves, and his eyes widened in surprise as none other than Antonin Dolohov rounded the corner, his mask having evidently been burnt off from an earlier exchange.

Dolohov was an exceptional wizard, and though Kingsley had every faith in his own ability, he would not risk facing the man whilst he had so much support.

Banishing the muggle bin towards Antonin, Kingsley followed it up with a stream of fire and a few blasting curses for good measure before dropping into the sewer below whilst his foes were distracted.

Taking the additional few seconds to seal cover, he began running through the shallow stream of human waste.

They would be both foolish and desperate to follow him down here, however, Kingsley kept on running until he was able to apparate away, breathing a sigh of relief that he had managed to escape with his life.

Solomon had not been so lucky, and though Kingsley was not particularly fond of the man, it was an aurors worst nightmare to be set upon in such a cowardly fashion, and his now former partner had his sympathies.

(Break)

“Does this mean I finally get my husband to myself for a little while?” Lucinda almost purred as she crawled along the bed towards Harry.

“It makes me feel old when you say that?” he chuckled in response.

Lucinda hummed amusedly against his ear.

“Give it a few hundred years, then you can say you feel old. Now, where was I?”

“Well, I think you were going to take advantage of me,” Harry replied dryly.

“As is my right,” Lucinda returned, taking a handful of his hair, only for a knock at the door to interrupt them. “I swear, I’m going to lose my temper if we aren’t left alone.”

“Harry, put the vampire down,” Cain teased. “An Order meeting has been called.”

“Bloody hell,” Harry grumbled irritably. “It’s almost four in the morning. Something must have happened.”

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

“I’m tired of this war. When it is over with, you had better clear any commitments for the next six months.”

“Six months?”

Lucinda nodded demurely.

“I would like to enjoy being married, Harry.”

“Weren’t we enjoying not being married?”

“Yes, but it is different now. Then, it was just some fun. Now, you have duties to your wife.”

“Duties?”

“And you had better take them as seriously as you do everything else,” Lucinda warned. “I will not be neglected.”

Harry grinned at her as he stood.

“I can’t be seen to be neglecting my duties,” he sighed. “I promise, once this war is done, you will always be at the top of my list of priorities.”

Lucinda quirked a brow in his direction.

“I will hold you to that.”

“You can hold me to whatever you want to,” Harry quipped.

Lucinda narrowed her eyes as she licked her lips.

“You’d better leave before I change my mind about letting you.”

Harry laughed as he did so and made his way to the kitchen where he found the mood amongst the already gathered members of the Order to be rather sombre.

The seriousness of the situation was quickly realised as he spotted Amelia Bones amongst them, and even Cassiopeia had made a rare appearance for the meeting.

“What’s happened?” Harry asked warily.

It was Bones that spoke, unable to hide the mixture of anger and sadness in her tone.

“Seventeen of my aurors were ambushed across the country tonight,” she revealed. “The dementors have abandoned their posts and have joined up with Voldemort.”

Harry released a deep breath.

“Seventeen?”

Bones nodded.

“Those who managed to escape were lucky. Kingsley had to use the muggle sewage system to outrun Dolohov and a group of Death Eaters after his partner was killed.”

“Bloody hell,” Harry muttered. “I was hoping Dolohov had been killed in Malfoy Manor.”

“Unfortunately not, and neither was Bellatrix Lestrange. She was spotted in Liverpool tonight by Robards. He managed to escape, but only just. He is currently in St Mungo’s where it is being decided if he can keep his leg.”

Harry took a seat and let the news sink in.

He had expected a rebuttal from Voldemort, but for him to attempt to ambush the aurors like this must mean he was desperate.

“So, this will be his new tactic,” he murmured. “I expect that none of the aurors will be safe to patrol, leaving more opportunities for him to plan attacks. It’s not a bad approach, but I have an idea.”

“You have an idea?”

Harry nodded thoughtfully.

“For now, it is too dangerous to continue the patrols in pairs,” he mused aloud. “Give me a map of the patrol areas, and a week or two.”

“What are you thinking, Potter?” Amelia asked curiously.

“You will see,” Harry replied with a smirk.

Amelia eyed him suspiciously, but Harry had never given her a reason to doubt him.

“You will have them in the morning, and anything else you need,” she assured him. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a mountain of paperwork and house calls I need to make.”

“I will pay for the funerals,” Harry offered, “and any aurors who had families, I will arrange with Dumbledore for their education to be paid for. Assure them they will be looked after.”

Amelia nodded gratefully before taking her leave of the room, followed by the members of the Order only a moment later when Dumbledore dismissed them.

“So, we will be busy then?” Cain asked.

“We will be,” Harry confirmed. “I’d get some sleep if I were you. Britain isn’t as small as you might think.”

He stood to leave, only to be called back by Cassiopeia.

“I don’t suppose this is the best time, but I made the necessary arrangements. Dobby,” she called.

The little elf appeared, bouncing excitedly on his toes as he stood before Harry.

Harry stared curiously at him for a moment.

“Why didn’t you tell Rookwood I was there?” he asked.

“Dobby didn’t have to tell him, Harry Potter, sir,” the elf answered. “Bad master died, and Mistress did not take Dobby as her elf. Dobby had no master.”

Harry snorted.

“So, you decided to stay?”

Dobby nodded, and his ears flapped comically as he gave a toothy grin.

“Dobby wasn’t told he had to leave.”

Harry liked the elf.

He was resourceful and certainly amusing.

“Well, how do you feel about serving the houses of Black and Potter?” he asked.

Dobby nodded again, unable to prevent himself from fidgeting with excitement.

“Dobby would like that, Harry Potter, sir.”

“Then I will take you to your new mistress,” Harry offered. “You will be her personal elf.”

Dobby positively beamed as Harry led him from the room, and the two of them made their way up the stairs towards the quarters Harry and Lucinda now shared.

His wife had decided to shower in his absence, and Harry and Dobby waited until she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel.

“That’s not Elgar or Kreacher,” Lucinda commented when she took note of the new elf.

“It’s not,” Harry confirmed. “This is Dobby. He will be your personal elf.”

“My personal elf?”

“Dobby is pleased to be meeting Mistress,” Dobby spoke, offering a low bow.

Lucinda simply stared dumbly at the enthusiastic creature before her gaze shifted to Harry.

“What am I going to do with an elf?”

“Well, Dobby can do just about anything for you,” Harry answered. “He will make sure your clothes are ready for you in the morning. He will make you breakfast and complete the menial tasks you don’t have time for. He can even take messages for you.”

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I have need of an elf.”

Dobby’s expression fell along with his ears.

“You will be helping him as much as he helps you,” Harry explained. “The world is dangerous for House-elves. You provide him a home and ensure he is safe, and he will look after you. You know I hate this crap, but having an elf is as much as status thing as it is a benefit. When the war is over, things will be different, and having Dobby around will save you so much trouble when dealing with the people who will come clamouring around us.”

Lucinda looked towards the saddened elf once more and took pity on him.

“Fine,” she agreed.

Dobby squealed in delight and wrapped his arms around the vampire’s legs, thanking her profusely for accepting him.

Harry chuckled amusedly, his thoughts drifting to the woman who had arranged this.

Cassiopeia had done so knowing that Lucinda would be taken aback by having her own elf.

It was as far as Cassie was willing to go to participate in a prank of her own, but Harry would get her back.

He wouldn’t allow any to get the better of him, not even his smug aunt who had raised him.

“Harry!”

“Come on, Dobby,” Harry sighed as Lucinda began to grow irritated with the animated elf. “Why don’t you find Elgar and Kreacher? They will give you some jobs to be getting on with until Mistress Lucinda needs you.”

Dobby nodded before disappearing with a click of his fingers, leaving Harry alone with his scowling wife.

“It is not funny,” she huffed.

“Yes it is,” Harry replied. “He is a little excited, but you will get used to him. I promise you won’t regret taking him on.”

Lucinda hummed as she stepped towards him.

“What is it he will call me again?” she asked innocently.

“Mistress,” Harry answered with a frown.

Lucinda grinned, exposing her fangs.

“I quite like the sound of that,” she mused aloud. “Maybe it shouldn’t only be Dobby that calls me it.”

Harry’s eyes widened as she lunged for him, pinning him against the door.

“No more interruptions?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Good because Mistress Lucinda is tired of waiting around.”

Harry could only nod his understanding, pleased that the two of them had finally been granted some time alone, however brief it may be.

(Break)

“It was a success?” Voldemort questioned the prostrating Bellatrix.

“It was, my lord,” the woman confirmed. “We lost only four and took seventeen of the aurors.”

“Good,” the Dark Lord praised. “Then I wish for your efforts to continue. We must gain the upper hand once more.”

“We will, my lord,” Bellatrix assured him.

Voldemort hummed as he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

It was about time something went right.

He had grown tired of the failings of his followers, and the latest treachery of Narcissa Malfoy had left the Dark Lord in a foul mood indeed.

The less he thought of his lost Horcruxes, the better, but it was something he could not avoid forever.

Soon, he would no longer be able to avoid entering Hogwarts to check on the one he had perhaps foolishly left there.

For now, however, he and his followers needed these smaller victories to prepare them for a bigger fight.

It could not be avoided forever, and with each passing day, Voldemort felt his fated meeting with Potter growing only closer.

One would live and one would die.

There was simply no place for both of them in this world, and the Dark Lord was determined to crush it beneath his heel.

For that, he had to be rid of his foe.

Equal

He shook his head of the very notion.

None could hope to match him, not even Harry Potter.

(Break)

“You’re looking a little too proud of yourself for my liking, Potter,” Amelia Bones sighed as Harry led her down the muggle side of Charing Cross. “I don’t like that my aurors are being put at risk.”

Both were dressed in muggle attire, Harry as typical businessman and Amelia as something resembling a secretary.

“There won’t be any risk,” Harry assured the woman.

For much of the day he had been at work with Cain, Eleanor, and Ana, preparing a sample for Amelia to see for herself.

The woman was deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of those she was responsible for and was reluctant to allow them to patrol as they had been.

Harry understood her concerns.

If the Death Eaters were going to adopt the tactic they had the previous night more often, the aurors would be exceedingly vulnerable.

Already, there numbers were low, and although Amelia was attempting to recruit, very few were answering the call during a time of war.

“We will see,” Bones murmured in response. “Here comes Kingsley and Dobson now.”

The two aurors walked brazenly down the muggle street as though they were merely carrying out a regular patrol.

It was here that Robards had been attacked, and Harry had no doubt that Voldemort, or whoever it was in charge of the operation, would try their luck again.

“What am I watching for?” Amelia asked curiously.

“You’ll see.”

The woman pursed her lips in irritation but did not press any further.

Harry looked towards the sky.

It was a little after midnight, and with it being a weekday, the streets were mostly void of civilians, a mercy Harry was grateful for.

For now, Voldemort had not turned his attention towards the muggle world. Evidently, he had more than enough to keep himself and his followers occupied.

“And here come the dementors,” Harry declared as he felt the cold the creatures brought with them begin to seep into his skin.

“Expecto Patronum!” Kingsley and Dobson cast as one.

Harry watched, impressed as the lynx and zebra bounded towards the emerging cloaked figures, and resisted the urge to send his own into the mix.

He needed to see his handiwork at play, and as he spotted a dozen or so Death Eaters begin to spill from the various alleyways and side streets around them, he knew it would come momentarily.

“Avada…!” one of the keen Death Eaters cried.

As he uttered the first syllable, a bolt of lightning careened from the sky, felling him instantly.

The corpse smoked, and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

The other Death Eaters took note of what had happened to their comrade, many freezing in surprise.

“Impressive,” Amelia praised.

“That’s just the beginning,” Harry returned, his gaze firmly fixed on what was unfolding in front of them.

Another Death Eater attempted to cast a curse towards the surprised aurors, only for an enormous serpent maw of stone to strike from below him, engulfing him in a single bite.

A muffled scream sounded but was silenced quickly as the morbid crunching of bones echoed off the buildings around them.

Harry nodded satisfactorily.

Thus far, everything was going to plan.

“What’s happening?” a voice growled.

“Dolohov,” Bones whispered as she drew her wand.

Harry took her by the wrist to prevent her acting on impulse.

“Watch,” he urged.

Dolohov seemed to have quickly figured out what had happened and was pondering what he could do next.

“No!” he exclaimed as another of his group raised their wand, only to step back as they were carried into the sky.

A girlish scream drifted further away for a moment before it suddenly returned, stopping suddenly as the body splattered against the pavement, spraying blood, bone, and brain matter across the street.

Amelia balked, but Harry did not flinch.

“Let’s get out of here,” one of the Death Eaters urged fearfully.

“COWARDS!” Dolohov roared, his eyes widening as a gathering of shadows fell upon his fleeing group, cutting several of them down.

“Potter?” Amelia questioned.

By now, Dolohov was fleeing too and Harry turned towards the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

“We may not have the auror numbers we need, but we do have something else.”

Amelia gasped as two women appeared in front of them and Harry chuckled, his mind drifting back to only a few days prior.

Flashback

Harry followed Draikon, hand in hand with Lucinda until they reached the raised area of the city he had become accustomed to being greeted by the leader of the vampires here.

As usual, the rest of the clan had converged around them and waited for Draikon to speak.

“Today marks a monumental moment for us,” he spoke. “Our friend, the very same that provided us with food and a kindness we seldom see from humans, came to me to seek permission to marry one of our own.”

The other vampires were undoubtedly surprised by the revelation and began whispering amongst themselves before they cheered their support.

Draikon positively beamed at his people, shooting a knowing look towards Harry.

“Svetlana?” he called.

The leader of the city guard approached, offering Lucinda a coy smile as she did so before pausing in front of Draikon.

“Gather your men. It seems as though you will be taking a trip to Britain.”

Svetlana raised her eyebrows, nodding her compliance as Harry’s gaze snapped towards Draikon questioningly.

“You are a member of my clan now, Harry Potter. With you and Lucinda at war, that means all of us are at war.”

End Flashback

“You married a vampire?” Amelia questioned.

Harry nodded unashamedly.

“That is quite a bold move,” Bones murmured amusedly. “Not many will like it.”

“Well, they can stuff it,” Harry replied with a shrug. “I’ve already given enough to everyone else.”

“You have,” Amelia agreed appreciatively. “So, how many vampires are here?”

“Seventy-five,” Svetlana answered. “All of them have been personally trained by me, and we are at your disposal. Our orders are to ensure that this war is won.”

Amelia was wary of the creature and understandably so.

It had been centuries since vampires had been in Britain and the last clan had been driven out.

“We need them,” Harry sighed. “We do not have a strong enough auror force to win, but with them, there’s a stronger chance.”

Amelia swallowed deeply as she nodded and offered a hand to Svetlana who accepted it without hesitation.

“Then I suppose I should welcome you to Britain,” Bones greeted with a tight smile.

Svetlana giggled.

“Do not worry, we will not attempt to feed on your people. We have enough legally obtained blood to see us through.”

Amelia relaxed considerably, and though she would not admit it, the vampires were a much-needed boon to the war effort.