Voldemort knew that Amelia was as a formidable witch as he had ever met. There was a reason why he sent twenty of the fifty Death Eaters remaining to capture the DMLE offices where she was likely present. It was why when he entered the fray, he deliberately headed towards those first.

He was fortunate he had, as when he entered the DMLE offices, she was standing strong, not a single scratch on her as over a dozen of his followers laid either dead or incapacitated. Behind her, seven Aurors stood, projecting false courage. He smiled thinly, as he swiftly lashed out with a rose pink curse. He was amused when the curse was deflected with a casual twitch of the wand.

"Voldemort, as per the orders of the Ministry of Magic, you are under arrest. You may come quietly, or you will be captured via force." Amelia's voice was firm, as she raised her wand towards him. He merely laughed as six curses left his wand and he flicked his shadow forward with his free hand.

It happened rapidly, and it was only his reflexes and instinct that shielded him as a beam of solid light sliced through his shadow, curses and grazed his shoulder. He shrugged as he flicked his wand up, forcing the shadows in the room to condense and then rapidly expand into smoke. With the cover, he circled his wand, rapidly firing piercing curses, knowing that even if they were deflected it would serve his purposes.

As the smoke slowly cleared, he thrust his wand forward, and firmly flicked up, mumbling in a language lost to most. A black pulse of magic washed over the room, making all the Aurors in the room shiver.

The dead death eaters, even those freshly killed with the deflected piercing curses, slowly hobbled upwards. While it did not create inferi, that process required several hours of soaking in various potions and finishing in a ritual that tied the entity to the master, the Death Pulling Pulse curse was an extremely dark curse that forced a recently deceased magical to move according to the casters wishes. And Voldemort's wishes at this moment were a distraction.

He laughed as he lashed out with killing curses, uncaring if he hit the already dead Death Eaters or the Aurors that were trying to stop the corpses from moving.

Amelia, unlike her Aurors, was calm, as she aimed her wand at the head of one of the corpses, and calmly shot a hole through the entire face of the individual. As the corpse dropped she set it alight, before slashing her wand towards him. He snarled as he batted away the slashing magic, and responded in kind, his magic racing through him. His body blurred, his vision sharpened, and Amelia showed alarm for the first time as she threw up the strongest shield she could, only for it to shatter and throw her backward.

Still moving in a blur, Voldemort killed four Aurors with piercing curses, slashing and boring curses so swiftly, that it looked simultaneous to those who were untrained. Tonks, one of the only alive Aurors in the room, looked on in horror as Voldemort threw her partner into the wall so hard that the stone cracked along with several of his bones. A similar flick and Tonks flew into the opposite wall, through several cubicles.

Voldemort strode forward, fury on his face. "I wanted to kill you first Bones. I knew that you would be an issue but to this extent… Good that you die here." He raised his wand as the woman panted on the floor, cradling her middle, obviously holding broken ribs. He did ensure that she was flung with force after all.

He frowned as she smiled upwards at him, bloody teeth shining in the light. "Fuck you."

That was when he realized that she wasn't cradling her ribs but was shielding a glowing rune stone. A stone she dropped, before she lunged forward. Her wand sizzled with a white spell on the tip, even as he stumbled backward, and his shadow spike erupted upwards. Spearing through her, even as the white spell hit him.

The spell did nothing. Even as Amelia slumped slightly on the shadow spike, and the light left her eyes, Voldemort stood still. His magic rapidly cycled through his body, scanning and checking for anything amiss. With a slight shake of the head, he quickly realized that nothing was wrong… Amelia died before the spell could finish entirely. He took a step forward, grabbing Amelia's hair. With a slash of the wand, her head separated from her body, which erupted in white fire. In seconds the head was the only thing left. With a twirl, he strode out, ignoring the glowing rune stone that pulsed twice.

As soon as Voldemort had left the room, the rune stone pulsed once more, before blasting the room with a dispelling pulse of magic. Instantly the third Auror was freed from his combat as the corpses fell. Moving quickly he grabbed Tonks and Johns before retreating deeper into the Auror department. It wasn't the best idea he had heard, but when Madame Bones Ordered it, it happened.

Even when you had to watch your boss die.

Voldemort strode purposefully towards the Minister's Office, smiling the entire while. He smiled wider as he sense Minerva McGonagall ahead of him; her shadow was doing amazing things and the very air was shaking with magic. He strode forward, idly slashing through two ministry workers who were fleeing. Waving his wand, the shadows between two pillars extended, darkened, and solidified as he strode through them as if they were a doorway.

In many ways, they were. When he had absorbed Madam Flamel's memories, he knew that he would gain great knowledge… He did not know that she had personally killed the last Sandow Lord in 1322. While Darius Sandow was insane, even he as Voldemort could admit that his knowledge of shadow manipulation and the Shadow Plane was unparalleled. It was his only surviving work that allowed Voldemort to craft that Billowing Fear spell that he taught his followers for short-term flight. It was what he based his Erupting Fear variant upon, that allowed him unrestricted flight… though he loathed to use it as it was heavily restrictive in the magic to be cast while in use.

As he strode through the Shadow Plane, he ignored the screaming and the rushing winds, his steps stayed steady and he exited. He strode forward, his smile vicious as death eater ran past him. He locked eyes with the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall flanked on one side by Percy Weasley.

He knew what a sight he was; covered in the blood of his enemies, holding the severed head of Amelia Bones, and walking through a shadow door as if he were the Reaper itself. He interjected himself into the conversation the two were having.

"I agree Mr. Weasley. Something is wrong here."

"Oh, Minerva McGonagall, I would whole heartedly disagree." Idly he tossed aside Amelia's severed head as if it were trash, before smiling cruelly and raising his wand.

"Now… I think it is time for me to claim my birthright Minerva. Hand over Hogwarts to me. Or I will take it."

His declaration was met as he knew it would be; with fierce spellwork from the Headmistress.

He knew immediately that they would die here. He had confidence that if it were anyone other than him, even if it were multiple people, he and the professor would have at least survived. But against him…

Percy Weasley gulped and took a slight step back. He could hear his mother speaking to him "Take your time! You won't be young forever," whenever he would spend the sunny days studying instead of playing like his brothers. He remembered his conversations with his father, him telling his seemingly mediocre father that he didn't feel as if he was talented at all. He remembered his Father laughing, and his mother smiling as she leaned against the doorway.

"Percy, you are the most steadfast of us. That is a power all its own."

He remembered practicing with Bill and Charlie earlier this year, expressing that he didn't understand what their father saw in Dumbledore. Bill laughed and Charlie rubbed his curly-haired head and replied. "Well Percy, I don't think You-Know-Who would let a poof like me live. Plus I'm a blood traitor… Yeah, Dumbledore is barmy, and he has done wrong by us as a family… But he is definitely the one I'd support."

Bill shook his head and said, "I won't support Albus either. I'm with Harry Potter. The kid is insane. Talented too. I watched the tournament… and the kid could run circles around us all and still duel a team of Aurors. That is who I support. If he supports Dumbledore, then so be it." It went unsaid between the brothers that it was Harry Potter that had saved their sister. It was Harry Potter who treated them with kindness and didn't ask them to risk their lives for things they didn't understand. The brothers continued their practice, though for Percy it was a monumental moment. It was that conversation that ended the argument that he had been having with his father about if he wanted to support Dumbledore or not. He had walked into the Burrow, surprising his family by appearing. Hugging his mother tight, he smiled as Fred and George made fun of his hairstyle and he grabbed Ginny when she hugged him. He had shaken his head at his father, who pulled him aside.

"I won't follow Albus Dumbledore. I will follow the family though Father." The hug the man gave him hid both their tears well.

He remembered his last conversation with Ron, knowing that he was supposed to speak sense into his youngest brother. His youngest brother was training himself into the ground. Something he was all too familiar with.

"I did that too you know." Ron looked up at him, his fingers playing with the frayed ends of his robes. Percy noted the normally warm brown eyes instead were slightly blown out.

"Brewed my own pepper-up. Went days without sleep, pushing myself to the limits and beyond. Pushed away anyone who would tell me that I was doing something stupid." He watched as Ron flinched slightly with each statement.

"Yeah… I did it too. You know… Fred and George are geniuses. They create magic like it's going out of style, and while they aren't academically inclined, no one who knows them can deny they are intelligent. They actually remind me of Uncle Fabian and Gideon… You never met them, but they were similar." Percy shook his head. "Don't get me started on Bill. Bill understood magic easily. He was an O student without trying. His hardest class was the classes without any wandwork… which was where Charlie excelled." Percy frowned as Ron looked away.

"I'm never going to assume I know what you are feeling Ron. I can't imagine the feelings you are experiencing. What I can say is that I grew up in the shadows of my brothers too. But when the tough choices have to be made… it isn't Bill, Charlie, Fred, or George, or even our parents on who I base a decision. Ron, that honor is yours."

Ron's face locked on Percy's and shock was written across it plain as day. Percy smiled sadly. "You made all the right decisions for all the right reasons. Hermione Granger fucked her future." Ron's mouth opened, either in shock at his brother cursing or to retaliate Percy didn't know as he continued. "Hermione Granger was accepted as much into our world, into our family, as anyone could be without being born in it. Hermione Granger and you had a relationship that was without a doubt a major aspect of your world and likely a positive one. But… destroying yourself to attempt to get that back is spitting in the face of all the decisions you made to get that relationship in the first place." Ron looked as if he was slapped, and Percy went for the kill.

"I based my decisions on the wizard that dove after his friends into a pile of Devil's Snare. I based my decisions on the wizard that would have faced a basilisk to save his sister. I based my decisions on a wizard who stood on his broken leg, pointed a wand at the most dangerous convict in Britain, and told him to leave his friends alone. Are you still him?"

Percy shook his head free of the memories of his family when Professor McGonagall cried out when her shield broke under a fire spell from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. His pulse rushed through his ears as with a cry, he blasted green fire down the hall.

The green flames ate through the crimson flames of Voldemort, who merely cocked his head before launching a wordless killing curse at Percy. Percy whipped his wand through the air, wordlessly conjuring an eagle who took the curse, exploding into feathers that sharpened themselves into razors and darted forward. Percy took a single step forward, and his magic pulsed in his body.

The world slowed, though Voldemort kept moving as if he was unaffected. Percy cast as fast as he could. Seven cutting curses flew through the air, following in the shadows of his razors even as he flicked Minerva back with a banishing charm. He knew that she was weaving magic, and he wasn't disappointed as a golem of stone rippled upwards out of the floor.

Its fist flew true as it erupted upward, even as Voldemort destroyed the razors and deflected the cutting curses. With a snap, the golem's fist buried itself into Voldemort's sternum. And the two Gryffindors didn't stop there.

Percy mustered up all his rage, all his fear, and all his hatred for Voldemort, and bellowed a spell he knew he shouldn't have read in his days in Hogwarts' restricted section. He slashed his wand through the air.

"Onibi!"

Minerva immediately shielded, knowing exactly what that spell did. She was lucky she had the reflexes she did, as the golem in front of them instantly shifted into a wall all the air around Voldemort instantly transfigured into white-hot flames. Working swiftly, knowing that if anyone could survive an instantaneous hell storm, it was Voldemort, she transfigured the wall from stone into crystal. Crystal that she then blasted into in dust, cursed to be razor sharp and bloodletting, and banished into the firestorm that was still raging for a moment.

Percy grits his teeth as he continued the transfiguration. He could feel Voldemort inside the orb, even as his robes and hair all whipped into the vacuum created by his spell, the air rapidly transfiguring as it touched the magical area. Even as the wall rose, crystalized, and then was blasted into dust, the spell continued. He mentally prepared himself, knowing that it would likely kill him to perform the next feat of magic. He knew it was possible. He knew it because he wrote a paper on the theory.

He vanished the fire, ending the spell just as the dust passed where he knew Voldemort was. A Voldemort that was nothing but smoke and shadow. Voldemort screamed as the dust passed through him, without killing him.

Percy hopped Minerva knew how to shield instantly, as he shoved his wand tip into his other hand's palm. This was only possible because his magic surrounded Voldemort… and it was only going to work once. He felt the magic in his body shudder, as he spoke his next spell, another spell that he had read in the restricted section of Hogwarts.

"Sombrak!"

He forced the vacuum that still surrounded Voldemort to collapse, instantly.

With a rush of air, the entire floor of the ministry shifted towards the vacuum that suddenly didn't exist, as the space imploded. A thunderous boom shook the hallway, filling the area with dust.

Percy's vision swam and it was strangely disjointed, as if one eye wasn't lined up properly, and his ears rang as he collapsed. His chest burned, and blood flowed from his nostrils like a river. The concussive force of that combination made it clear that it was not meant for interiors. He struggled to move, his body not responding to his commands.

In a rush of air, the dust cleared. Percy could barely see him, but what he saw would be ingrained in his memory for the rest of time.

Voldemort seethed. His nonwand arm was hanging from his body by the barest of margins. His left foot was gone as was all the hair on his head and several layers of skin that were burnt and then blown off. His internal injuries would have killed a normal wizard. That combination could have likely felled a giant. His eyes locked on the culprit.

Percy Weasley was not in a good way, even Voldemort could see that. One of his eyes had popped from its socket due to the concussive wave, and hung limp. The boy's legs twitched uncontrollably, likely from spinal damage as it was clear the boy was paralyzed. Voldemort hobbled forward, ignoring the pain of walking on the rapidly healing stump that was forming into a new foot.

He placed his newly regrown foot on Percy Weasley's throat as he pointed his wand at the lump of flesh that dared to injure him so. He gathered his magic, the wand tip glowing white before it blinked out, and his eyes widened.

His body was racked with tremors and spasms as agony ripped through him. He turned his magic inward, trying to find the issue. He was unsuccessful before a dozen stunners flew toward him. He whipped his wand up, instinctively throwing up a shield that protected him as the Aurors strode forward, their wands lit with red light. All but one, a woman whose hair was rapidly shifting from pink to red.

"As ordered by Amelia Bones. You are under arrest. Your cooperation will not be necessary, but it will facilitate your survival. We have permission to kill you Voldemort. Surrender, or die." The wand in her hands twisted, and so did his insides. Instantly his mind went back to the white light that Amelia Bones had hit him with. The spell he assumed did nothing as he had killed her at the same time.

His respect for the witch grew as he forced his body weight down, crushing the throat of Percy Weasley, and occluding the pain into the depths of his mind. He knew that such a thing was a terrible idea in the long term, but for the moment, when he could think of nothing other than murdering everyone in front of him before conquering the Ministry itself, he would handle any fallout later. He gestured with his wand, unleashing an overly powered concussion curse in the middle of the pack, ignoring the fool who was shredded by the force as the hallway nearly collapsed from yet another implosion. Three killing curses and a dark slicing curse slayed another four before he deflected six spells and dodged around the lion that the female auror sent after him. With a twist and a jab, the lion became a serpent of fire that he whipped forward.

The serpent was wrestled from his control as an angry Minerva McGonagall whipped her wand around her body. Each rotation tore a paper-thin layer of stone from the hallway around her, as it was transfigured, fused with the fire serpent, and swiftly settled into the wings that slowly settled on her back.

Wings made of red iron.

Minerva hated this. She hated war with a passion. She loved to teach, educate and help others thrive. To watch as those she had helped cultivate were wiped from this earth. It was a burden and a hurt that only compared to when she lost her husband. It was what drove her to do this. To utilize this magic she had learned from her master.

She had applied for an apprenticeship through the ICW, and it was only one transfiguration master who would accept her due to her widow status and her blood. She had apprenticed under Michael Scarvosky, a man who was under house arrest for his actions during Grindelwald's war. He had never been convicted of anything heinous, largely due to lack of evidence, but it was whispered that he had been one of the Dark Lord's strongest followers. Such whispers were never confirmed, and Minerva paid them no mind during her learning.

He had taught her much before he taught her how to get wings. He taught her values and metrics that a magical must understand when dealing with transfiguration; how matter reacts to magic is important and brushed on the alchemical. His teachings, and her eventual mastery of them, ended her apprenticeship in under two years. One of her last meetings with him played in her mind; he bowed her out of their shared space before both of them allowed life to whisk them away. It was later when she had applied to the transfiguration position that Dumbledore told her honestly what her master was capable of.

Her wings flared wide, her intent clear. She would use a monster's gift to slay another. For the killing of her students, for the future of her nation, and because he pissed her off.

Voldemort whipped his wand down, striking down another Auror even as he apparated in place to allow a spell to pass through the space he had occupied. He twisted, forcing up the floor, banishing it towards Minerva, who without a twitch, bashed the debris away with a single wing of red iron. The other flared out, and feathers of metal blasted out, skewering the hallway where Voldemort darted in and out of smoke. He had tried to transfigure the metal into other substances, but it was constantly being transfigured back. He had tried to melt it, which worked for a moment before the melted metal was flung towards him. With a thoughtful hum, he settled on a course of action. With a swirl, Voldemort conjured a spectral sword of black energy. Grasping the sword firmly, he swung.

With a scream of rushing magic, a black wave erupted from the sword, cleaving through one of Minerva's wings. Along with the wall and the ceiling, and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the path of the severing wave.

Voldemort smiled. While it didn't destroy anything it 'cut', the Void Cleave curse was in fact a valid way of eliminating an issue without killing it. He spun the sword around, stabbing backward and willing the wave backward. Erupting in smoke, he blasted himself backward, through the opening his curse created as he pointed it toward Minerva. He glanced to the side as the female auror raised her wand.

With a twitch, he pointed the sword tip toward her and willed her to vanish.

With a rush of black, the sword vanished, as did the top half of the wand of Nymphadora Tonks as Minerva banished her out of the way of the Void Cleave curse.

Voldemort rushed down the hole, his battle with Minerva and the remaining five Aurors forgotten. He knew a battle of attrition was not the best utilization of his efforts. Especially when it only took one lucky shot to hamper him as that Percy Weasley did. He was still infuriated by that, but he shook it away.

He solidified and sank into the shadows. He would kill them all, yes. But first… he had to merely get past them.

Harry strode through the fireplace in the Atrium with a sense of purpose. His wand was out, as were the wands of those with him. Sirius, Flitwick, Cedric, Fredrick, and Arthur Weasley strode through the halls of the Ministry of Magic.

Their wands were blurs, as were their spells. The battle for the Ministry at this point was well underway, and each combatant that was there previously had been in combat for several dozen minutes. Most were fatigued, injured, or in defensive positions. Positions that were inconsequential to someone like Arthur, Cedric, Sirius or Harry. Harry merely blasted through them casually, Cedric was trained to curve spells just as Alastor Moody once did and Arthur's accuracy was such that he sent a piercing curse that he then hit with a redirection charm so it killed his target. All with a single glance. Fredrick and Flitwick alternated with shielding and eliminating opportunity targets. Sirius however was the wild card, transfiguring the furniture, colliding curses sent after them, and using his own family magic to ensure that those opposed them would never do so again.

It was a well-working machine, and thus the group effortlessly made it to the third floor, where Harry stopped them by blasting a desk into a darkened corner with a banishing charm.

"You can come out. I can sense you."

From the shadows of an overturned desk, a man in a silver vest stood. His hair was wild, and he was covered in the dust yet he was uninjured. His eyes were rimmed in gold, and his fangs flashed as he smiled and bowed.

"Herr Potter. It is a pleasure. My Lord Grindelwald extends his condolences. My apologies for my presence. I was just about to leave when you hit me with a desk." Klaus cocked his head as he looked a the shortest of the magicals in front of him. "Tell me, Flitwick correct?"

Harry's eyes narrowed as the small professor nodded. "Are you aware of the Nation's position at the moment?" Klaus' words held silvered honey, and Harry blurred as the vampire did the same.

Klaus mentally cursed as the Potter boy appeared in front of him as he tried to dart past. His orders were clear… do not get captured. But He also knew that he was the least martial of the Lieutenants. He was a spy, an assassin, not a front-line combatant. He mentally prepared himself to throw himself at Potter when the boy spoke.

"Before you go Klaus. I have a message for you." The two locked eyes for a second but that was all Harry needed as he threw a single image into Klaus' Occlumency shields.

"Cain says you are a disgrace."

Klaus stumbled slightly, which was all the wizards needed as the Vampire lit up with stunning red light. With a flick, Harry wordlessly removed the vampire's feet.

"He won't be able to run now. Sirius, send for some aurors. Use a Patronus. We are killing Voldemort today."

Voldemort eased out of the shadows and frowned. He knew that magic in the air. He was surprised that he had even come from the castle to defend the Ministry. He shook his head, and mentally prepared himself. He sank back into the shadows, leaving the Minister's office with his prize stuffed in his pocket. The two wands were slipped into the space easily. All proof that he was there was the minister's portrait and desk alight with black flames.

He emerged in the Atrium before pointing his wand at his throat. Using a simple amplification, he bellowed.

"POTTER! I GROW TIRED OF YOUR CONTINUED EXISTANCE! COME FACE ME!"

He waited patiently as several appeared, most he struck down, baring those who wore his mark. Soon, he was flanked by his remaining faithful. A paltry number of them, having only twenty or so, but he was Lord Voldemort. Should he desire, he could conquer this entire country alone. It was with that thought that he finally saw Potter appear.

He strode from the lifts with the grace of a predator. Gone was the boy who was afraid and angry at him for appearing at the end of the Hell Run. Gone was the man who only could fight him with a mask on his face.

"The Storm of Britain finally faces the Dark Lord Voldemort. Finally meets his dea-"

"Shut up Tom."

Voldemort frowned as Harry flicked his fingers, his entourage separating from his sides. Voldemort's eyes blazed in fury. "Do not interrupt me again Harry." The coldness of his voice made the room's temperature drop.

"I have long awaited someone to truly face me. I will kill you, Harry. I will enjoy watching life leave your eyes. But, we will not do so here. It is… too cramped…" Quick as a viper, Voldemort blasted Cedric into Fredrick, banished Flitwick back, and deflected Arthur's curse into another death eater, who fell rotting.

"That is very dark magic, Arthur Weasley. I now know where your son learned his favorites tonight. Too bad… he could have been greater than you.." Voldemort caught the piercing curse that flew towards his eye with his wand tip, laughing. He overpowered the magic on his wand tip, shifting it slightly before jabbing upward.

In a rush of light, a hole was drilled into the ceiling of the Ministry of magic, and Voldemort erupted into smoke.

"We will duel Harry Potter… don't you worry. It will happen soon." In a rush, Voldemort and his remaining Death Eaters escaped from the Ministry, through the hole that Voldemort had created. Harry frowned. He looked to each side before sighing.

"Let's get this cleaned up. Someone locate the Minister and let's gather the wounded. We are taking them all to Hogwarts. That is where he will attack next."

Several hours later, Voldemort erupted into the room where he kept Perenelle chained to a cross made of rune-covered dragon bones. While he took her memory, magic, and portions of her essence, he still kept her husk just for this moment.

For that was all she was now. A husk that held the fragile form of Perenelle Flamel. He gently caressed the hollow cheek of the woman. He raised his wand and began to chant, ignoring the screams as she fought against the magic. Fiery runes in sick languages appeared in the air around Perenelle as slowly her appearance became younger. Soon she looked no older than forty, and her hair, while still silver and missing chunks, hung healthy around her face.

Voldemort tapped his wand on her forehead, anchoring the fiery runes to her before striding backward swiftly, his wand still pointed at her forehead. In a rush, the runes slammed into Perenelle, forcing her to scream in agony as their sigils were seared into her flesh. Voldemort snapped his fingers, smiling as his faithful House Elf deposited the item into his hands.

Recovered from the distortions around Azkaban's former location, Bellatrix's wand shook slightly as if in anticipation. While it was impossible to bring someone back to life from death, it was not impossible to give those who have strong magic, and even stronger will, a vessel to utilize on the living plane. Commonly used in Japanese magics these vessels often held special powers that were unique to the spirit that was utilizing them. Such vessels included Mage Emperor Sozin, who was a vessel for his own father Agni. Granting him great control of Fire, he also went mad due to having another in his mind, one that was questionably sane in the first place.

However, that would not be an issue here as Voldemort chanted in a mix of Mandoran Japanese and Hindi to bind Bellatrix's essence to the husk that was Perenelle. In a flash of bright blue, the ritual was complete and Voldemort panted slightly.

"Thank you, Master." A voice came from Perenelle, whose mouth hadn't moved. Her eyes were wide in panic as her body straightened and the voice continued. "This body… it is strumming with Dark Magic. I feel as if I were just graduating into your presence once more my Lord." With a flick of her left hand, and Bellatrix's wand flew to its mistress' hijacked hand. A flash of light and Bellatrix made the body bow to her master.

"I am pleased to see you once more my dear. Come, we have much do to." With a twist, Voldemort strode from the room, and Bellatrix hurried behind.

Harry stood stoic as the Minister of Magic ranted at him. The duo stood in the Great Hall as dozens of Ministry personnel, Healers, and other magicals scattered round attempting to not listen to the Minister scream at the Storm of Britain. Titerius screamed, "And where were you?! WE COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"

"Shut up." The words held a power that made Titerius flinch. "Now, that you are done, Minister. The facts are that there would be no "We" anything. I have brought your ministry to Hogwarts as requested by the ICW. I have saved all those I could in the Ministry battle, as instructed. I have ensured that you lived and that the Headmistress survived as per the mandate of the ICW. If you would like further information on those mandates, speak to Cedric. If you would cease screaming in my face, I have a vampire to interrogate, before sending him off to the Courts. There is limited time to do so, as it will take at most four hours for his escorts to arrive. So, shut up. Do your job, and get out of my way." Harry turned swiftly, gesturing towards Flitwick and Arthur, who held a bound Klaus between them. The Vampire was silent as he hovered slumped, still Stunned. Without a word, the trio headed toward the dungeons.

By the time the duo had secured Klaus to the transfigured steel chair with ropes and chains, Harry had made himself comfortable in a conjured fluffy armchair. He waited patiently as the Vampire slowly regained consciousness, smiling when the Lieutenant finally looked up from his chest.

"Good. You are awake. You will notice that you are missing your feet. I don't want you running. You will also notice that you are chained and bound. I am aware that you can escape, I am also aware that you can likely slip past me." Harry leaned forward, as two slivers of porcelain appeared on his temples and Klaus flinched as the pressure in the room doubled. "I will guarantee you that you will not leave this castle in one piece, you will not return to Grindelwald, and I will ensure that your last moments on this earth are the most painful existence I can imagine."

Klaus took a deep breath before he smiled warmly. "My liege warned me that you would be dangerous. Warned me that you wouldn't hesitate. But… I did not listen. I knew you were inbound to the Ministry, but to think you could find me, capture me… that you knew that name. Full of surprises you are Herr Potter."

"I live to entertain Klaus." The dry sarcasm made the Vampire smile brightly.

"Wonderful. A man of humor. I do have a message if you were to capture me. As per the agreement of my Lord… He will burn this island to the ground if you do not release me back to the continent." The sentence was said with such certainty that the younger man knew that Klaus believed that entirely.

"Klaus. I don't think you understand what is about to happen. I will release you back to the Continent. After I snap your mind, plunder your memories and learn everything I need to about your Lord. Only then will you wake up on the shores of your nation" Harry raised his wand in a blur, pointing it between the Vampire's eyes.

"Legilimens."

Two hours later, Klaus slumped in his chair as he huffed. Sweat dotted his brow, and his head pounded. Yet still, his shields held. The boy had power, oh did he have power. But the skill to bring it to maximum potency? Not quite. He was still a master Occlumens. In fact, in many ways, he was the strongest Occlumens in the world. No witch or wizard could conquer his mind, of that he was certain. He raised his head as he glared at the boy in front of him.

"Ist das alles, was du hast, Schwein?" He spat in German. Harry shrugged, looking at his watch.

"It is actually. It seems I am out of time. I didn't think I would be successful, but I still had to try." A knock interrupted them, as the door opened with the same motion. Klaus froze as Evangeline Maria Zima entered the room.

"Hello little brother. Our Liege would like to…speak with you."

Hermione fidgeted as she stood in front of her leader Grindlewald. An air of crackling energy surrounded him, as he looked at the box that was delivered to him. A single look inside made Hermione shudder. It wasn't often that she saw Gellert angry but as he looked in the box he raged. Slowly the man gathered his temper.

"Congratulations General. You have been promoted to Vice Lieutenant. As of now, you are the head of the Fenrir Corps. Consider your superior… unavailable." Gellert told Hermione, even as he didn't stop peering at the severed feet of Klaus. She nodded and turned from the room. She ignored the whispered apologies of her leader toward his Lieutenant as she shut the door behind her.

Harry flipped through the dozens of reports on his desk as Minerva, Sirius, Nicolas, Titerius, Cedric, Flitwick and Kingsley, who was the new Head of Magical Law Enforcement, all sat around the room. It had already been a week since the sacking of the Ministry of Magic, and currently, the Department of Mysteries had locked down the entire building, insuring no magical or muggle for that matter, would enter until the end of the war. "The Courts are handling Klaus. The ICW is gladly taking our prisoners of the moment." Cedric finished his portion of the reporting as Harry nodded. Nicolas frowned.

"There is something I don't understand. Minerva, your memory. It had Voldemort enter the room through the shadows. Correct?" Nicolas asked. At her nod, he sighed and slumped. "It is as I feared then. Voldemort likely has killed my Perenelle and stolen her memories. After Azkaban we suspected, as even Voldemort would have struggled against both Albus and Grindelwald, but that all but confirms it."

Titerius asked meekly, "While we offer our condolences for your loss Master Flamel, how do you know?"

Nicolas nodded, "He is shadow walking. It is a manipulation of shadows to enter into a semi-plane. It's not dimensional magic, but more of a state of being that allows near-instantaneous travel similar to apparition. Where apparition utilizes magic to create a warping point anchored in the air, Shadow walking does so via shadows. The darker the shadow, the easier the magic. It was a lost art, but it also was one that held major downsides."

Flitwick nodded, "Several downsides are all based on how magically expensive the technique is. All goblins are aware of the art, as it is a method of travel available to us, to do it would likely kill your average magical from the sheer experience. If apparition cost a cup of magic, shadow walking would cost the equivalent of the prefects' bath."

Nicolas waved his hand while shaking his head. "Such a drawback is easily mitigated with a high enough affinity towards the magic. Goblins by nature are creatures of rock and fire. A subtle element such as shadow magic is one that most of the goblin nation would struggle with, even if I suspect you would be rather skilled with it Filius. No, I also suspect that he has gained my wife's runic mastery. While she was never as skilled as Grindelwald, she was extremely gifted in energy management and entanglement runes, and magical theory. I dare say she may have known more theory about magic than I do, and I invented several of the sub-branches."

"Essentially, we are dealing with a super-powered Dark Lord then?" Cedric asked. A frown was on his face as his words registered in the room. Harry shook his head quickly in response, however.

"No, we aren't dealing with a superpowerful Dark lord. We are dealing with an energy-efficient Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore always said that his biggest weakness was that Voldemort was overly aggressive with his dueling style. He wasted energy often, which from the memory of our Headmistress, is still an issue he has. However, he also mitigated that issue massively. The longest he had dueled previously was fifty-seven minutes, against Professor Dumbledore, where reports dictated that both were exhausted when he retreated. The Ministry attack was sixty-three minutes. He only retreated as he didn't wish to duel me there. He wants to kill me as he takes our home." Harry said nothing about what he had witnessed on Azkaban Island. He knew that Voldemort was mortal and that he could be beaten. He had watched as Grindelwald and Albus both landed hits. Kingsley similarly was silent, knowing that Voldemort was far from invincible, as Amelia Bones had proven during the ministry battle.

Kingsley did decide to speak up over a different topic however, "We do have good news. Our insiders have discovered that there are a mere twenty death eaters in total. Of them, only five are loyal to Voldemort. The remaining are mercenaries or ours. There is a report of a hooded woman that is accompanying him at all times though."

Titerius nodded. "We must assume that she is hostile on par with even our top fighters. Should she engage us, we should have our top assets face her." He glanced towards Nicolas who nodded with a frown.

"While reports state that Bellatrix Lestrange was killed by Frankenstein, it is not out of possibility that my former apprentice merely showed the illusion of her demise. I'm unsure if she could have survived the planear distortion Albus caused, but if anyone could, it would be that foul wench." Unspoken, was the fact that Nicolas would ensure that if she did survive, it was merely temporary.

"When the attack comes, our first priority will be the students. The emergency measures have been enacted, and all fireplaces will activate upon my, or Remus' signal. All students under the age of fifteen will be escorted by a professor or auror and at least three adults. All students who have sat their OWLs, as per ICW mandate, are to be granted the option of fighting." Minerva's perched lips showed exactly how she felt about that, but she continued on. "All fighting should be kept from the interior of the castle if possible. If impossible, do not allow them into the dormitories. Those will be the slowest to clear out."

"What of the Forest denizens?" Titerius asked the room. Harry nodded towards Flitwick, who was the point of castle defense. "We have confirmation from Hagrid that the Centaurs, the Acromantula and the Trolls will not be participating in the battle. They will not interfere in any way. The Direwolf pack, and other…creatures… that are present have not communicated their intent, though the Centaurs are certain that they will not partake in attacking the castle as it, 'houses young. A blight of killing youth is not one to embrace lightly.'"

Cedric nodded relieved. He had trained to fight Centaurs and it was a hassle, to say the least. "Expect that he will bolster his numbers with creatures that have agreed to fight. Werewolves, Giants, six Naga, two Chimera, and possibly the worst of all… an Ogre was sighted with his group." The magicals all scowled as they thought of the juggernaut that was an Ogre. All remembered Ur and the grace of magic that allowed Fluer Delecour to avoid fighting him.

"It's the Hell Run all over again," Harry muttered as he wrote down all he could think about the weaknesses of the creatures mentioned.

"Luckily no Kirin this time!" Nicolas laughed as the room lightened slightly. Kingsley snarked, "No dragons either. It's like they are trying to make it easy for us."

The group laughed as Sirius sighed dramatically, "He couldn't even be bothered to bring Veela. I mean come on… I wanted something nice to look at as he got his due…" As the laughter died down a serious face appeared. "If the Ogre is legitimate, I will handle it. I have a few ideas to deal with that magically resistant skin, courtesy of the Blacks."

Harry frowned but nodded. He would wait to speak to Sirius alone, "I think it obvious that Voldemort is mine. I will kill him, and mount his head on a spike for all to see."

"No need to be so vulgar kid." Sirius joked.

Harry sheepishly smiled. "Too far?"

Minerva nodded seriously as Titerius looked at him in disgusted shock. "I'd say a little too far Harry."

"I'll dial it down for the masses, promise. Minister, we should go over the aftermath protocols." Titerius shook his head free of the cobwebs and nodded.

The meeting continued until all the relevant topics were covered. As most left, Sirius and Minerva stayed in the room, waiting as Nicolas shut the door after stating that he was going to check on Aberforth.

"Kid, how are you handling things?" Sirius didn't bother mincing words as he watched his godson's posture loosen.

"It is so much harder than he made it look, Sirius. I don't know how Professor Dumbledore did it. Everyone expects so much…" Harry ran a hand through his hair as Minerva smiled softly at him.

"You are handling it fine Harry. You just need to cut down on the vulgarity and aggression a little bit. It puts off the politicians." Harry barked out a laugh.

"Did you see his face though when I told him I would mount Voldemort's head? It was perfect!" Sirius nodded in agreement.

"While it was great, and don't get me wrong, I will be bottling the memory of Titerius' face to relive at my leisure, we are aiming for more…Calm and Confident. Not Vengeful Warlord vibes."

Harry shook his head. "Im the Storm. If they want to test me, they shall discover what it is like to be smashed on the rocks. I need to project that image of imperial inevitability. Of Absolute certainty that what I want shall come to pass. I just took it a little too far this time. Ill ensure it doesn't happen again."

The two agreed and continued to talk, as they were served some finger sandwiches by a Hogwarts elf. Harry swallowed his mouthful before looking at Sirius. "Why are you going to handle the Ogre? You know how dangerous they are right?"

The man nodded as he sipped at a glass of pumpkin juice before wincing. Looking at it with disgust, he sighed. "I really don't like Pumpkin juice anymore... Mipsey!" With a pop a house elf appeared. "Can you swap this juice for some milk or some fruit-infused water?" With a snap of her fingers, the elf switched the glass with grape and orange-infused water. "Thank you." With a crack, the elf disappeared. Sirius took a sip and sighed in happiness before answering. "Honestly? Out of all of us, the only ones that could really handle an Ogre are me, Flamel, Minerva, Flitwick and of course you. Minerva and Flitwick need to be dealing with the students. You need to handle Voldemort. Flamel will be busy handling that woman. That leaves me. Don't worry kid, no ogre is killing me. I'm not ready to leave you yet." Harry nodded as he stood and walked around the desk to hug his godfather. Sirius stood and hugged him back with one arm as the other yanked Minerva up out of her chair, and into a three-way hug.

"I'm not the only one that is going to be hugged her Minny! Get in here!" The two ignored her half-hearted protests as she hugged them both.

It would be the last calm moment before the Storm met the Dark Lord for the final time.

AN: Wow. Its been a bit. Sadly, my computer and the internet, specifically the wifi, don't get along. uploading this is a lot more difficult if you can't access the internet! Plus working myself to the bone... etc. It is what it is. Here is the last chapter before the final battle between Harry and Voldemort.

Full honestly time. There are 3-6 more chapters of this. Those are primarily written in outline form already. Then, the story will continue... just in another book. That's right, There is a sequel. I realized as I outlined the next several chapters, that the story I will tell after the aftermath of Harry Vs Voldemort, is way too intense to be the second half of this one story. the Full tale doesn't end for at least another 200k words, and that is way too much for a single story. Already I find myself wanting to showcase more; show what is going on elsewhere that will impact the story for the latter half, but that is not for this moment.So, with that, here is the plan. I will finish this story by the end of the year, and upload one other little piece in this universe. That is the small story about Adrian Frankenstein. Then, buckle up... because the fun I will have after this is what I look forward to the most. I find myself intrigued by what the various plot threads will garner from you all. So with that said let's talk this chapter.I have for the first time, got to write a character I have wanted to write for literal years at this point in Minerva McGonagall. This is the first time we see her go all out, and we learn exactly what she is capable of... and if this is what she is capable of, what is Scarvosky capable of? Ever since introducing him, I wanted him to be Minerva's Transfiguration Master, as having her apprentice under Dumbledore was so played out. It adds to realism as well. I modeled the magical Lieutenants after several references, along with the history of the time period. In reality, several scientists from Nazi Germany were... appropriated by the surviving powers for their knowledge, with the justification that "There was not enough evidence" to lead to their execution in the Nuremberg trials. Add in the fact that the magical community is notorious in canon for letting people off the hook for things they actually did, ala the Malfoys and various others, it just snowballed.

I also had fun finally being able to talk about Rookwood. I love the idea of a man who got snared by the wrong master because he fucked up... not because he got a shift in morality. Speaking of such a thing, don't think I have forgotten our Potions Master in the dungeons... He is still around, he is just being sneaky. Rookwood's turn has been a thing since I wrote him in, and the next chapter will likely feature our favorite bat, if not the next one.

Finally, Harry. We see little tidbits, but there is a lot going on for him. Albus is dead. So what is our protagonist supposed to do?

Also, I was aware of the error in chapter 38. It has been fixed. Any spelling mistakes are my own, as this chapter is unbeta'd. My previous beta sadly passed onto the next great adventure. Well wishes to Astrid.

Until next time!

Zero