Unforeseen Trials (Completed)

He shut the door to his and Daphne's private room quietly, the peculiar little fly stationary in one hand while he held a thick dossier and a letter with his name on it forwarded to him by Tonks in the other.

He knew what should take priority. DuPont and the war were both vastly more important than his friend in France.

' For who?' His subconscious rang in causing him pause. For society. For Daphne. For Tonks. For Sirius?

He snorted. His godfather would probably mock him mercilessly for not paying more attention to Fleur. He sure gave him shit for ignoring Gabrielle. " You could of had both!" I imagined Sirius crying in exasperation.

He recalled a drunken Sirius giving any equally drunken Remus romantic advice a few yule's back. " There's only one thing better than sister's, Moony, that's veela!" He pictured Sirius applying that logic to this situation. " She's a veela Harry! You can't pass that up… again… Merlin kid you could have had veela sisters!" Sirius's voice, full of laughter and a bit of envy, rang in his mind, causing him to snort in laughter.

" What about Daphne?" He would reply.

At this point his godfather would roll his eyes. " You're fifteen, Harry! Live a little!"

He chuckled to himself for a moment, setting aside DuPont's dossier in favor of something lighter.

In Daphne's mystery novels spies would engrave flies with recording runes to listen in on their enemies. He chuckled lightly once more. "I wonder who she's been listening in on."

Harry flicked his wand, enlarging the fly to the size of a quaffle to get a better look at it, noticing a small rune well-hidden on the inside of the fly's back-right leg.

The placement of the rune made him pause and he felt his demeanor change instinctively, a hundred scenarios dancing in his head, his gut telling him something was wrong. Who was she hiding this rune from?

He took a moment to compose himself, then activated the fly.

Its small mouth opened slightly, emitting the sound of two very familiar voices.

" Septima." The first voice said evenly. "Bellatrix…" The second voice replied.

He replayed that opening exchange four times before a combination of shock and disbelief had him retching on the floor in disgust. He recognized both those voices. Why was Septima meeting with Bellatrix Lestrange?

He avoided the obvious answer like the plague, refusing to entertain the idea till Sirius's voice once again filled his subconscious.

" Then there's the kingmakers, Harry." Sirius had said shortly after being attacked by Dolohov. " They're the dangerous ones. They have real influence, both in society and with Voldemort. They're the spies you never see. Kingmakers bring down empires. Kingmakers win wars."

He felt numb. Is that what Septima Vector was? The kind woman who was always there for him, the brilliant teacher who pushed him to his limits. His mentor. His friend.

A shiver ran down his spine even as a pit of rage threatened to erupt from within him. The ambitious, ruthless, brilliant orphan halfblood. She had gone to live with Lady Yaxley after her parents were murdered during the first war, hadn't she?

Her background would have rung true with Bellatrix and her master. She would have been the perfect choice. Tepidly he restarted the recording once more, this time pressing passed the introduction.

" This isn't like Goldstein." Septima started. "The Headmistress of Hogwarts must remain at Hogwarts."

His first year rival had been found dead right before the holiday. Professor Avery had been arrested for the crime before killing himself in custody. Avery is an old family. A member of the 'Sacred 28'. His actions seem so uncharacteristic of his station, in hindsight.

Only here was Septima Vector, Headmistress of Hogwarts, his godfather's would-be widow, the former head of Ravenclaw openly admitting to being involved in the boy's murder. ' Which means she killed Avery.' Or had him killed, more likely.

A series of events - her promotions after the deaths of Flitwick and McGonagall, Sirius working on recovering a memory before his death, Sirius's death bringing him and Septima closer - all seemed suspicious after-the-fact. All are things he should have caught.

' That's where she became suspicious.' He surmised, his mind turning back to a conversation the pair had had in the library a lifetime ago. He had on a whim confided in Fleur, a relative stranger, Gabrielle's older sister, the champion of Beauxbatons, not a friend. For some reason he had told her that Sirius had been obliviated. He never expected this.

' What were we talking about?' A plethora of memories coursed through him as he brought himself back to that day in the grand library of Hogwarts.

Using occlumency to help recall the details, his eyes shot up in surprise. The mind healers had identified a window in which the obliviation occurred. He had told her that. The London Invitational fell in that window. He had been distracted that day with trying to impress Daphne and Alfred.

It all made sense. More than that though, it was all so obvious. How could he not have seen it sooner? Why wasn't he able to? Was his love for the older woman that strong? Is that why her betrayal hurt so badly?

The door to his abode opened and his tears stopped - Septima had helped him and Daphne create this room. His mind raced once more; Septima had done far more than that.

She had helped him create unique ward sets, the basis for his mastery in the subject.

It was because of her that he had asked Daphne out.

She had helped him protect Grimmauld Place in the wake of Sirius's murder.

' She knows everything. About me. Both personal and in regards to my abilities.' Which meant Voldemort knew everything about him. He had probably seen memories of him. She knew so much.

He felt tears begin to well in his eyes once more, threatening to overflow when a bright orange spell came out of nowhere forcing him to hastily dive to the left.

Flicking his wand into his hand as he hit the ground, Harry returned fire with a handful of bludgeoners of his own, hoping to buy himself a moment to assess the situation.

His opponent darted out of the path of the spells with ease, the shadow of a lithe female body turning to the side gracefully about to return fire when he recognized her and threw up his hands in surrender.

"DAPHNE!" He yelled, disrupting her counter.

She lowered her wand tepidly. "Harry?"

He was about to return when she silenced him and began to run several diagnostics on the room.

Both their eyes widened when the security runes began to shift between magnificent arrays of color. They'd been lax in their security and the traitor had taken advantage. She had heard every conversation they had ever had in this room. She had seen every experiment, every private moment.

They worked silently for several minutes disabling intrusions before Daphne broke spoke.

"Malfoy says it's Septima!" She began wildly, an animalistic growl in her exhausted voice, a fierce look in her tired eyes. "And I know you're close with her but I used legilimency on him and he's telling the truth… at least as he believes it."

In any other situation he'd rub her face in it. He had told her she needed to sit down with Draco and she had resisted for months. Rubbing her face in it with a grin and a mocking laugh would be a normal response under any other circumstance, but not now.

He tapped Fleur's fly by way of response.

Thirty seconds later she was shaking with rage while hot tears ran down her face, further still down to her thin neck and exposed collarbone. Not knowing what to do, he walked over and gave her an awkward hug. He wasn't good at providing emotional support, but he would for her.

Daphne melted into his shoulder. "She killed my family." She said quietly. "I'm going to kill her." Harry nodded. He wanted her for himself but understood. She took Flitwick and Sirius from him; Daphne lost her family. Their claims weren't equal.

He held her quietly for several minutes before he summoned the marauders map in search of the bitch. Daphne let go of him to join him in his search, her attitude shifting in an instant. She could grieve later.

Two pairs of green eyes swept over the magnificent map in search of their prey."She's not here." He said bitterly. They fell into another brief silence. "What's that?" Daphne asked, pointing to the large folder on his desk. In all the emotion over that woman he had forgotten about Tonks's letter and DuPont's dossier.

"What I had decided was the heavier bit of information." He laughed humorlessly. "Tonks sent a letter to go with a package from DuPont."She passed both over to Harry for him to tear into eagerly.

A savage smile passed over his face. "Tonks was warning us about Septima." He said with a cruel, bitter laugh. Apparently DuPont and the rest of Voldemort's leadership just learned about her." He said dismissively, eager to report the interesting part. "He also provided us with the ward scheme for a Death Eater stronghold." He said excitedly. "An old castle in a valley located in central Wales, a place called Denbigh."

Recognition lit up in Daphne's eyes. "Rosier told me about that camp before my meeting with Draco." She said. "It's run by Snape, Dolohov, and Lestrange." He replied.

A plan began to form in Harry's mind as he smiled in grim excitement at Daphne. One way or the other, the end was near. "I have the final horcrux."

They scattered to the wind as the pair, sporting near identical looks of grim determination wordlessly exited the moving staircase into the stairwell. Without thought Harry pulled the sword on a suit of armor from its sheath. The armor jumped aside to reveal a large passage that would lead them to just outside the Ravenclaw common room.

As they walked they could hear voices echo off the cold stone stairwell.

Daphne flicked her wrist, a soft buzz encompassing their general vicinity as they continued shoulder to shoulder, forcing those they came across to move or risk being run over. "It was in the Chamber of Secrets then?" She said smugly before quickly adding. "Then why is it in Ravenclaw Tower?"

He didn't break pace as they stepped out of the passage and hung a sharp left.

"The only thing I found in the chamber was an exit that leads to the woods outside Hogsmeade." Harry said.

Coming to a stop he spun around and looked at her. "It's a hunting tunnel for the Basilisk, but Voldemort's magical signature was all over it." It was a credit to her spirit that she didn't react. "I think Voldemort plans to use Hogsmeade as a distraction to get the Horcrux."

She nodded resolutely. "Which is why we're going to destroy it."

"Exactly." He said, clearly not taking the hint.

"Why haven't you destroyed it?" She followed up in exasperation.

"Because it possessed me and I wanted you around when I did it, just in case."

She stared at him, lips puckered, mouth hanging slightly open and wide eyed. She looked like a fish.

"I found it in Riddle's room." He pushed on. They could worry about the possession later.

"The drawer?"

He nodded his head as the pair stepped into the stairwell leading to Ravenclaw's two-tiered common room.

Daphne followed him up, attracting several stares from his housemates but nothing further as they headed towards his room. They'd think they were off for a quick shag. Brazen, but not unheard of, they'd be given their privacy.

Throwing back the curtains on his large four poster bed, Harry removed a disillusionment charm to reveal his well-maintained four compartment trunk. Slicing his thumb and pressing it to a latch, the smallest compartment opened slowly to reveal a small marble box that had been shrunk to the size of a playing card.

Silently they disillusioned themselves before making their way to the female lavatory where Harry hissed at the sink furthest from the door, causing it to slowly dismantle itself, revealing a latter descending five hundred meters down into the bowels of Hogwarts.

They descended in silence as the threat of the unknown ran through him.

He had no idea what would happen when they destroyed the last horcrux. Would Voldemort be alerted somehow? Is it something you can sense? DuPont did not know so he was left with faith.

Faith. An annoying thing. It gave him anxiety.

The chamber was quiet except for the sound of water dripping from the pipes, forming pools of otherwise still water beneath their feet. "What should we do?" Daphne asked with a bit of nerve - his statement about possession no-doubt running through her mind. He smiled with more confidence than he felt. He enlarged the marble box to its original size and removed the lid. Harry felt a pull to the worn black leather cover and yellowing parchment staring back at him.

The book was so plain, so worn, so innocent looking; yet it was so enchanting all the same. It was nearly impossible to fathom the evil it contained. The thought of what the horcrux was capable of made him quiver in unease.

Yet the magnificence of the magic, the arrogance of the attempt, and the brilliance of the success was unquestionable. He wondered what that tiny bit of soul in the book was truly capable of.

A squeeze on his hand and Daphne's soft voice brought him back to reality.

"Harry." Her voice said with an uncharacteristic amount of worry. "You've been staring at that book for over a minute." The worry was mixed with fear. In return he worried. He had been staring for over a minute, how?

Shaking away his fear he gave Daphne a sharp nod as they both took several steps back.

"Fiendfyre." He said firmly, Lucifer's flame erupting from his holly wand.

The book screamed as a haze of black smoke began to gather above his head, slowly taking form. When he felt as though the horcrux was defeated, the screaming mess of black fog lunged at him from above forcing him to the floor, the mass barely missing him. Still he held the fire till one last death wail echoed off the pipes, leaving a pile of ash where the diary had been. He looked at Daphne and gave her a wicked smile.

Voldemort was mortal once more.

' She's telling the truth.'

Those were her thoughts as she flicked her wrist, transfiguring Fleur's dead body into a croissant and placing a two hour timer on the pastry before placing it in her purse and slipping out the door.

A gruesome thought came to her as she reached Glasgow's apparition point, a wicked smile coming across her diamond shaped face as she disappeared with a pop, reappearing a half second later outside the French Embassy in Whisper Alley, several blocks from her apartment.

Grabbing the croissant from her purse, she leaned it against a brick column attached to a black iron gate in plain view of the busy road.

Chuckling to herself she traversed the five blocks back to her penthouse.

The spy slammed the door behind her as she entered her apartment. Without breaking stride, she made her way down a long hallway, passed the kitchen on the left, through the pleasant living room, up a small spiral staircase and into the master suite.

A solitary tear made its way down her cheek as she activated the security wards attached to her penthouse. She had been preparing for this eventuality for years, although she had hoped to avoid it.

' It's better to have lived your dream for a short period of time then not at all.' She told herself as she grabbed her pre-packed bag off her dresser while destroying the oblong vase connecting her room to her chambers at Hogwarts.

If she wanted to recapture her dream she would have to live in temporary exile while Bellatrix's Lord did his work.

She headed left on Merlin towards Memorial Park, a casual expression on her face as her forgettable travel bag rested over her shoulder. She wondered how long it would be until the auror's would come for her and quickly did the math in her head. Fleur had been dead for ninety minutes already. Assuming she had executed her own endgame before tea time, Septima figured she had several hours till her missives arrived from France.

She walked casually down the street passed the busy shoppers and towards the underutilized apparition point at the far end of the park that lay dead ahead. As she walked she chastised herself for being so reckless, for toying with the veela for so long. In the end her need to play with her food may have cost Septima her life's ambition.

' It's a setback.' She told herself. ' I'll be rewarded when it's all over.'

She felt the composition of the magic in the air begin to shift as a translucent dome spread over Whisper Alley. Her eyes widened in horror as the wanted sign on a lamppost in front of her changed from a gaudy picture of Bellatrix to her own picture from the Hogwarts staff directory. The auror's were early. Her estimation assumed Fleur had been in France when she sent those missives. Apparently Fleur had been much closer than Septima had anticipated.

A tinge of fear crept into her psyche. She was no soldier, she couldn't brawl like she cast a disillusionment charm over herself and assessed her position for the first time.

Instantly she spotted the plum robes and insignia of a dozen auror's watching the alley diligently, searching for her no doubt. She looked further, passed the auror's and across the park and smiled. If she could make it to the outskirts of the park she could still execute her plan.

She surveyed the area again, unseen under her charm as she stood in the shade of a willow. Four auror's. That was the path of least resistance.

The four auror's stood at staggered intervals in a semi-circle roughly one hundred yards in front of her. Two male, two female. Her eyes darted to and fro. If Voldemort's intelligence was correct then they were working in pairs, the older more experienced auror's paired with the fresh recruits.

Slightly further to the left, more out of the way than the other pair stood a woman, a senior auror around her size with dark skin and a stern look. Next to her was a smaller trainee, a cocky look on his pig-like face.

Disillusioned, Septima slowly reached into her pocket, searching for her poison laced pen knife.

She felt the cold silver entwine with her fingers and charged, hoping to cover as much ground as possible before illuminating the park in spell fire.

It was the more experienced auror that noticed her fading shimmer first. Caught by surprise, the auror, with red hair and plum robes, barely had time to react before Septima's small knife found the woman's carotid artery, painting the wet brown grass red.

Her attack caused a lady to scream as pandemonium erupted near the parks center.

"Avada Kedavra!" She stated with a flick, taking care of the second auror as the first gurgled on pools of thick red blood as their life faded from their body.

Her cover blown, Septima tipped back her blood stained face, her beautiful brown hair held together in a ponytail, and let out a howl of cruel laughter as she set to re-aim.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

She repeated a half dozen times, each curse claiming a life as the green light of death illuminated the early evening sky.

She turned on the auror's who had converged on her location and smiled once more. "Avada Kedavra!" She yelled twice more, annihilating the auror's as they came.

The wonton murder had bought her some time, which Septima used to calm herself. She could feel herself tiring. She had to get out.

A deadly smile caressed her lips as a simple plan formed in her mind.

Taking aim at the cream gazebo fifty yards ahead, Septima kept her wand steady. Fiendfyre!" She yelled, the deadly spell foreign on her lips.

Cursed flame leapt from her wand, devouring the gazebo in an instant before reducing it to ash, leaving the flames yearning for more as they spread through the park devouring grass, tree, and flesh with ease.

The park smelled like death as she repeated the spell several more times, blocking off a large portion of the park and filling the air with plumes of thick black smoke as Whisper Alley caught ablaze.

Off in the distance a loud explosion sent twenty pounds of shrapnel through the heart of Whisper Alley, the explosion from her building surrounding shoppers and residents alike with cursed flame.

All around her people screamed in terror and in agony while loud sirens announced the arrival of emergency services. Amongst the death and carnage Septima found herself truly relaxed for the first time in months.

' What the hell, why not?' She thought, raising her wand to the sky with a smile.

"Morsmordre!" She bellowed, the Dark Lord's mark filling the sky as she reached her apparition point and disappeared with a barely audible pop.

Her cat like eyes observed the common room from behind the pages of a nondescript book, falling on the solitary figure sitting unmolested in a comfortable leather chair near the fire.

The blonde haired prefect arrived physically unharmed more than an hour prior, yet Lady Greengrass had yet to make an appearance. To the unknowing Draco looked himself. His well-maintained physical image remained unblemished. It was his eyes that gave him away, they always gave him away.

Her own eyes darted around the room again as she waited for Lady Greengrass to return, unsure what came next.

She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited, eager to prove herself. Her family couldn't afford to make the same mistake as her father. Their dwindling fortune depended on her success, her wits.

In a sea of shit the Rosier's had the ability to distinguish themselves, to establish themselves among society's elite for the next generation. If only she would be given the opportunity.

Potter would win this war. She could see it. She could feel it in her bones. It took more than power to take society; it took intelligence, cunning, cruelty, and a touch of humanity.

The Dark Lord lacked the last bit, Lord Potter did not.

A noise brought her attention back to the common room's entrance where her target stood. Chin up and chest out the room came to a halt the second she was noticed.

The snakes in the den parted like the Red Sea as Morgana's cruel green eyes met her sapphire stare.

Upon seeing her Daphne made a beeline her way, knocking over inkwells and terrified first years as if they were of little consequence. From the corner of her eye she saw Draco silently stalk away, no doubt eager to avoid the woman who let him live, his master.

Daphne did as well, allowing her prey to leave uninhibited before pausing directly in front of her as the common room watched.

"Come with me." She commanded, ignoring the stares as she shivered in pleasure.

Wordlessly the fourth year stood, her own body language imitating Daphne's as they left the room. "Where are we going?" Calypso said gently when they were out of ear shot.

Daphne ignored her inquiry, leading her in silence to an unassuming end table next to an equally unassuming bookshelf in the hallway separating the common room from their quarters.

She squashed her confusion in lieu of admiration as she watched the woman in front of her twirl her wand with ease through the air, giving them all the privacy they desired.

"You are exceptional." Calypso said breathlessly. The blonde beauty didn't acknowledge her comment, choosing instead to hiss at the bookshelf.

Calypso was about to ask what the hell Lady Greengrass was up to when the bookshelf disappeared revealing a large enclave with plenty of comfortable seating "What the hell is this?" Calypso said, temporarily ignoring the fact that Lady Greengrass was a parselmouth.

"A room connected to the Chamber of Secrets." Daphne said seriously.

Her eyes lit up as she began to spout off several questions before Daphne put a hand up to stop her. "Rosier I don't care about your idiotic questions." A sour look came across her face which the older girl pretended not to see. "If Hogwarts were to sound the alarm, I need you to hide as many students as possible in this room."

Calypso smiled. Heroes were never forgotten.

Her smile quickly faltered. "What about the other issue I had talked to you about?"

Miles wasn't the only marked student, the dark lord would mark anyone over sixteen. Theodore Nott, Crabbe and Goyle, Parkinson. They were a threat to the school and an opportunity for her.

Daphne spent several moments staring into her soul. "Make an example of Nott. I don't care about the rest." Calypso nodded. She could do that.

They spent several minutes hissing at the entrance in practice before a commotion from the common room became too much to ignore. The two allies made their way back to the common room only to be met with stares.

Calypso nearly snapped at the crowd, the tension of the room making her uncomfortable, only for a comforting hand to rest on her shoulder. Wordlessly Daphne looked at the assembled crowd an eyebrow raised, a queen waiting for her court to inform her of the news.

It was Malfoy, who was stalking near the back, who broke the silence. "Our lovely Headmistress burned Memorial Park and half Whisper Alley down as the auror's closed in. They also found Fleur Delacour's body on the steps of the French Embassy."

With a curt nod Daphne Greengrass marched from the common room wand in hand, death written across her face.

The moment he and Daphne parted, Harry made his way to Grimmauld Place. Taking a tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow to the edge of the Hogwarts wards and apparating to the ancient families receiving room, his signet ring allowing him to pass through the wards uninhibited.

He didn't pause as he made his way through the patriarch's office, through an illusion and to the London townhome's keystone. It had taken them all of three seconds to realize that not only had the traitor helped them create their room at Hogwarts, she had access to Grimmauld Place as well.

He was taking care of that while Daphne was " inspiring female leaders," whatever the hell that means, before meeting him here. They had a battle to plan.

It took him less than five minutes to remove the woman's signature from the list. It was hard to comprehend what the last thirty minutes had been like. He figured when he came up for air the full extent of her betrayal would engulf him in grief and anger.

At the moment, Harry had no need for grief, the anger would do.

His primary task done, he made his way to the fireplace, placing calls first to Tonks then to Minister Bones herself. Tonks had said it best; the Order is finished, the auror's were their next best bet, even if they were about as trustworthy as a Malfoy.

He made his way to the icebox, lost in his thoughts as he sipped his butterbeer and waited. Voldemort was mortal. He's erratic and they now know not only where he trains his army, but the defenses surrounding that training ground as well. The ides of war were reaching a crescendo, they couldn't afford to fuck it up.

The three women arrived almost simultaneously with Daphne shoving her way through the doorway to the patriarchal office first followed by Tonks. Minister Bones, being the last one through, closed the doors thus activating the rooms security measures.

Harry wasted no time in getting to the point, skipping the pleasantries and not bothering with calling an elf. They couldn't afford to dawdle. "We now know who the traitor was."

Daphne butt in. "Minister what's the latest death toll?"

"One hundred and forty six." Minister Bones stated solemnly without missing a beat. "One hundred in the flames at Memorial Park, forty five in the blasts at her residence, and Fleur Delacour."

Tonks, covered in ash cut in. "Another dozen or so are critically injured though the flames are under control; most of Whisper Alley lies in ruin."

A stream of emotions crossed his face before Daphne finally took mercy on him. "We all realized her treachery at the same time, either from DuPont or Fleur. Minister Bones sent auror's, including Tonks, after her. They caught up to her in Memorial park where she slit an auror's throat and burned the place to the ground with fiendfyre. Then, for some reason, auror's tried to break into her penthouse and blew everyone up."

Silence confirmed Daphne's synopsis.

"How can you allow your auror's to use BRUTE FORCE on the women who literally wrote the definitive book on security wards' penthouse!" With each word his volume rose, finishing with a yell.

The Minister of Magic rose to her feet before peering over his desk at him, most of her body weight resting on her arms. "Who the hell do you think you are questioning my awareness you little shit." She spat, her face reddening as he kept his face impassive. "The three of you!" She yelled, pointing her finger around the room, including at a now pissed off Tonks, in her rage. "Practically gave the bitch a key to your vaults!"

"Fuck off, Minister." Tonks sneered. "You campaigned on your competency as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement but your entire administration is corrupt. For fucks sake you still take meetings with Malfoy!"

Minister Bones blanched and made to retort when Daphne's voice cut through the room. "Enough!" She yelled, silencing everyone in the room except for herself.

She threw the dossier compiled by DuPont onto the heavy wooden desk with a loud thud.

"Harry's spy in the Death Eater's passed us this dossier, the validity of which I confirmed with three sources of my own." Harry shot her a questioning look. Miles Bletchley had told Calypso Rosier, Malfoy would know as well, he assumed; but that was hardly good enough for Daphne. Who was her third source?

' Snape.'

Her head of house was listed prominently in the dossier, he was also in his office when Harry had left.

Daphne continued as Minister Bones browsed the dossier, a rare look of hope on her face. "We have everything we need to permanently cripple, or even kill Voldemort tonight."

The room had settled considerably since the initial outburst so Daphne unsilenced the room.

"I need to know your sources." The Minister said bluntly as she read through the intelligence.

Daphne and Tonks both gave him a glance, he replied with a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. DuPont wouldn't want his name involved.

" My three sources, are Calypso Rosier who heard the information independently from a drunk Miles Bletchley. Severus Snape, who has provided Harry and myself countless bits of information, information that we have consistently passed along to you, Minister. You've unknowingly found it reliable in the past."

Harry kept the shock off his face but didn't call her out. Whatever Daphne negotiated between them and Snape, he'd play along.

"And Draco Malfoy. Draco also was the one to warn me of Septima Vector. He presented evidence that convinced me she killed my family, Minister Bones."

He marveled at her resolve. A year ago Daphne would be a ball of rage. It's amazing what a year of death can do for your perspective.

"We have a rare opportunity, Minister. Voldemort doesn't know we have this information, and for the first time in sixty years he is completely mortal. She glanced at him tepidly, hoping to seek approval at having revealed their greatest secret.

The room was silent again. Daphne looked at him as if begging him to speak for her, but he wouldn't. This was her moment.

"Through our own sources we have been able to confirm that Voldemort survived through the help of a device called a horcrux."

Minister Bones' eyes widened and her face contorted in disgust.

"Oh good. You know what those are. That saves us some time." She said with some relief. "Voldemort made seven horcruxes, though he only made six on purpose. Harry was an accidental horcrux. We can get into the details some other time but the point is we have destroyed them all."

"Does he know you have destroyed his horcruxes?" The Minister asked.

They shared a glance. "We don't know." Daphne said with a tinge of disappointment. "There's no reason to suspect he does, but we don't know."

Minister Bones accepted Daphne's explanation without comment before finally bringing up the elephant in the room. "Even with all that we still have to destroy Voldemort." Bones said pointedly.

Tonks smiled, her hair a magnificent fire red. "His lack of humanity leaves him unpredictable. Harry and Daphne's intelligence confirms that the Dark Lord tires quickly and is unpredictable in his emotion."

Harry smiled grimly. "Voldemort won't be able to pass up the opportunity to kill me in front of all his supporters." He began. "If we can draw him to Denbigh we can finish him for good."

Minister Bones still looked skeptical. "How do you suppose we do that? Even weakened the man killed Albus Dumbledore."

The Minister had a fair point. Albus Dumbledore had been considered one of the greatest sorcerers in the last millenia at the time of his death; but he had also been nearly one hundred and fifty years old. "Albus was intelligent and capable at the time of his death, but he was hardly the warlock that defeated Grindelwald." Harry stated bluntly. "If we draw him into open battle we can collectively kill him."

Minister Bones still looked skeptical. He couldn't particularly blame her. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" was evil incarnate. Even saying his name was said to bring his wrath. The minister herself had lost her entire family to the monster.

"We're losing this war, Amelia." He said softly. "If we don't take advantage of this opportunity we will have lost."