Harry Potter And Bellatrix Lestrange

"The Dark lord sees the Order as an annoyance, at best," Moody continued, pausing only when Remus looked like he wanted to interrupt. "Face it, Lupin, the Order is far from the height of its strength. Much like the wizarding world, the Order of the Phoenix is long past its heyday, and in this conflict, we've not made much of a difference when it comes to taking the fight to Voldemort during the war."

"So, what did you mean by Voldemort wanting to get the Order out of my way?"

"Simple. Somewhere deep down in his twisted mind, the Dark lord adheres to some kind of perverse sense of honor. The battle you challenged him to was between you and him. He knows that the Order sees you as their enemy, and that most Order members at the very least dislike you."

"No thanks to Voldemort," Harry muttered darkly.

Moody chuckled. "There is that. I think that's why he feels some kind of twisted sense of obligation to make sure the Order won't interfere any further, so that you and he can have a 'clean' fight."

"It's absolutely crazy, but it makes sense. In a twisted kind of way," Hermione admitted.

Bella and Snape shared a quick glance, and both nodded in agreement. Having known the Dark wizard and seen his actions up close and personal, they realized that was just the twisted kind of thing he would do. "It also helped that he just managed to eliminate whatever little opposition the Order would've been," Bella noted.

"The timing couldn't have been better. Dumbledore was losing support among the population with the increased attacks. He probably saw a chance to take out the headmaster. I'm sure that was a big part of the reason," Snape argued in support.

"All right," Harry sighed. "That leaves us with just one task until the battle. We need to find a way of getting to that Rod. Preferably before Voldemort does."

"I'll send another contingent to Azkaban to guard the fortress against any possible intrusions," Queen Xerina spoke up for the first time since the meeting had begun.

"No," Harry shook his head. "If Voldemort is going after the Rod, then he's going to be doing it in force, and personally. If I were him, I wouldn't leave a weapon that could tear my soul to pieces lying around. Plus, the traitor may have told him about the prophecy, that he who holds the Rod would dictate his fate. If he is the one holding the Rod, you can bet that future's going to be rather rosy for him."

"All the more reason to increase security…"

"No. In fact, pull as many soldiers from there as you can. Put up wards, alarms, automated defenses, but leave only a skeleton crew there. When Voldemort comes, I want there to be as few casualties as possible."

"But shouldn't we try to delay him as much as we can? We cannot allow him to get to the Rod, and every single soldier there is willing to die to prevent that, if you give the order."

"No. Pull them off," Harry ordered sternly. "None of them will be a match for Voldemort. Besides, the Rod is still protected by that ward. When Voldemort comes, I'll fight him. I just hope that he won't come before the battle. Now, our main priority should be figuring out if we can get to the Rod."

...

"Lord Polairix," General Rotan greeted Harry as he and his party stepped out of the fireplace at the atrium of the Ministry on the day Voldemort had announced that he would attack. Arrayed around the hall were soldiers, all of them standing at attention, with Trazkabanian sorcerers interspersed between them.

"General. Count Hiscophney," Harry returned the greeting at his two commanders. Behind him, Snape, Remus, and Moody moved to flank the young Earl of the North. Bella had remained at the fortress, under heavy guard, due to her pregnancy, along with Hermione. The brunette had argued long and loud with Harry to be a part of this battle, but he had stubbornly refused to give in, then ordered her locked in her room with two guards in front of her door, and another half-dozen guards at the fireplaces to prevent her from slipping out to join the fighting later on.

The six of them walked up to the elevators that took them to the Minister's office. Bert Mockridge was waiting for them when they got there, and greeted Harry warmly, despite the suspicious glares from the aurors stationed around the room. "Sorry for them, but they insisted that my security couldn't be trusted to anyone but them," Mockridge shrugged.

"Personally, I can't really agree, but what do I know. I'm just a politician."

Harry chuckled and waved off the aurors, who bristled at being dismissed by a teenager. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll have some people put outside your door. Voldemort won't even get close to you. I'll make sure of that."

"We should make sure those two kill each other," one of the aurors muttered, only to find himself facing a fistful of crackling energy, courtesy of Count Hiscophney.

"I dare you to say that again," the Count hissed. When the auror gulped nervously and remained silent, the sorcerer withdrew, satisfied for now.

Harry and Mockridge watched the exchange with thinly veiled amusement. "It might be a long wait, Bert. We don't know when Voldemort is planning to attack, just that it'll be today, so we'll have to be on guard all day."

"All right. I just wish there was something more we could do to help." Mockridge sighed. "I don't feel right leaving you to face the dark lord alone."

"I've faced him before, Bert. Four times, and I've walked away four times. My track record against him is pretty good, and I don't intend to start changing that now," Harry said with a smirk that hid his nervousness. In the two days between then and now, they had not been able to break the ward. The Rod of Dominion still sat in its resting place, hovering behind an impenetrable ward deep beneath the fortress of Azkaban. At least Voldemort hadn't made a move to take it yet, which gave Harry some semblance of hope. He clenched his hand around the handle of his ivory wand. He would just have to rely on the training Bella, Snape, Remus, and Moody had put him through when they had realized they would be unable to break the ward.

"That's good. Good." Mockridge licked his dry lips. "We owe you a great debt, Harry Potter, one we'll never be able to repay. Whatever happens today, I'll make sure the wizarding world will never forget you."

"You're assuming you'll survive, Bert," Harry chuckled.

Mockridge smiled softly. "With you taking on the Dark lord? Harry, I have absolutely no doubt that you will succeed. I pray for you and your people, and your safe return. You already accomplished so much, but there's still more you could do. So much that the wizarding world could learn from you, about taking responsibility, about courage… so don't you die, today, Harry Potter. My blessings with you."

Harry looked up, touched by the older man's words. "I - thank you." He was about to say more, when an explosion rocked the building. Harry's green eyes met with Hiscophney's as the Count stepped back from the window and nodded.

Voldemort was here.