+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

*********

Chapter 35: The Golden Rule

*********

Outside on the Hogwarts ground, a small band rushed to complete their assigned task before they were exposed to the advancing line of Ministry Aurors. Passing the greenhouses, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle used the Incendio spell to start the buildings blazing. Within minutes they were an inferno. Crabbe and Goyle wanted to leave the grounds after that, but Draco refused. He had one other task of destruction he wanted to complete.

“I want to burn down the pathetic hut that great stupid oaf of a groundskeeper lived in; not like he’ll be needing it now will he?”

Pansy had stayed back to care for Bellatrix who had made a remarkable recovery once she was out of the castle, and away from Snape. As the party neared Hagrid’s old hut an arrow whizzed past Pansy’s ear, then another hit the ground near Crabbe. It took a moment for the party to locate the source; it was the Divination Professor, the Centaur known as Firenze, who was shooting arrows at them from near the hut. A few death curses were thrown his way, which missed, but managed to drive him away towards the woods.

“There may be someone hiding inside,” yelled Malfoy. “Crabbe, Goyle go around back, set it on fire, drive them out to us, Pansy and I will kill them.”

Inside the hut, Ginny and Neville knew that trouble was brewing, Firenze had whispered a hushed warning to stay quiet, and then he had galloped away. Then came the sickening thumping sounds of something hitting the roof of the hut and the backdoor area. Within seconds the smell of smoke confirmed their fears, the hut was on fire. The back way was already ablaze, that left only the front door.

“What do we going to do?” asked a frightened Neville.

“Only one thing to do, try to make a quick fight of it to disrupt them, then run as hard as we can for the woods, try to lose them in there,” Ginny replied. She had been in fights with Death Eaters before, but Harry had been with her then. Now she really and truly missed him, she didn’t even know if he was still alive. The two bolted through the door as fast as they could with wands in hand, prepared to send a flurry of curses towards the Death Eaters, but there was no time.

“Expelliarmis,” yelled Pansy Parkinson and the two Gryffindors wands flew from their hands. “Immoblius… Immoblius” followed, and Ginny and Neville went limp, unable to move. Pansy, followed by Draco, walked up to the two helpless captives.

“What did you do that for?” asked Draco. “Why not just kill them?”

“Two reasons, my dear Draco, the Ministry is close behind, hostages may be necessary. Second, you said your father died because of this one’s brother. That sounds like grounds for some revenge to me.”

“Harry is going to kill you for this, you bitch,” said Ginny through gritted teeth. “You too, Malfoy.”

“Is that so,” mocked Draco, “well for your information your precious chosen one is already dead, killed by the Master himself in his quarters. I saw it happen, he died pathetically, just standing there. He was so frightened he didn’t even try to fight back. But don’t worry that he’s without chums on the other side, your precious brother Ronald is there with him, killed by my Dad.”

“No, you’re lying, you son of a bitch,” said Ginny, followed by a grunt as Malfoy kicked her in the side.

“I’m afraid he’s telling you the truth, sweetness,” said Pansy. “I saw the corpse myself, he’s not only merely dead, he’s really quite completely dead.”

“Stop wasting time,” hissed Bellatrix from behind them as Crabbe and Goyle rejoined the group. “The Auror’s will see those fires and come here any minute. Draco if you want the prisoners then take them. I think we can come up with an interesting demise for them.”

In the light of the fire from Hagrid’s hut, Draco saw an old clay pot, it would do. He knew the location of a safehouse where Professor Snape had stayed with Wormtail. It had a set of cells although he had never been allowed down there for some reason. Using his wand, he turned the pot into a portal. Grabbing Weasley and Longbottom, the group touched the portal artifact and were teleported off the Hogwarts grounds with their prisoners.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Inside the hospital dispensary Wormtail was about to reach climax as he masturbated. He had started out watching the video on the screen but his thoughts had returned to long ago. Back to the days when he would come and visit James and Lily at their old house in Godric’s Hollow. It was a fairly simple frame house, nothing special except it was where Lily lived, and made love to her husband. Lily had never liked him much; he knew she was suspicious of him, of his interest in her. He wondered if they had ever really figured it out about what he had been doing to them.

James had never told Lily that Wormtail was an illegal animagus, that he could turn into a rat at will. When he was there and Lily would come on to James wearing sexy clothes and shoes, he knew she did it to get rid of him, and so that she and James could have sex. Little Peter Pettigrew would leave the house and change into his rat form, then scamper back in and go to the master bedroom upstairs. There he could hide in the room on the bureau or in a pile of clothes and watch them shag while he masturbated in rat form. Once he had actually found Lily’s warm damp knickers thrown on the floor near his hiding place and drug them to him. It had been the most wonderful moment of his life.

But then things had changed. James and Lily were often gone from the house, away on business trips they said. They must have had someplace else where they were staying, but they wouldn’t tell him about it. Of course, Sirius had known where they were, Peter had asked him about it and been told it was none of his business. Well he made it his business, but he lost Lily in the bargain. He would have given anything for just one night in bed with her.

As Peter neared climax he heard a sound at the doorway, opening his eyes he saw the school nurse standing there still alive. He thought he had killed her. Peter grabbed for his wand as he saw the equally surprised nurse bring her wand to bear on him.

“STUPIFY” Pomfrey yelled, but Peter was more agile than his looks led you to believe. He dodged the spell as it hit the pillows he had been reclining on, turning them into a mess of flying feathers. Panicked, Peter crawled on all fours behind the couch and began his transformation into a rat. Running through the tangle of what had been his clothing, Peter evaded Pomfrey long enough to make it out the door and into the hospital area. From there he ran into the hallway, up ahead there was the sound of strange voices coming from the main hall. It was the Aurors, the Ministry forces had entered the castle, and for the moment he couldn’t change back and escape. Fortunately, it’s easy for a rat to find a hole to hide in. Peter burrowed into a pile of rubble and decided to stay and wait it out. The Ministry had abandoned Azkaban, maybe they’d do the same here.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The fight to retake the castle had been relatively short and bloodless. The remaining Death Eaters had lost heart and sought only to escape. Most succeeded before the Ministry could set an anti-disapparation shield in place over the castle to bag the remainder. Those that were captured, mostly young recruits from pureblood families, not hardcore Death Eaters, surrendered without much resistance. Once they were carried back to the Ministry they would swear that they acted only under the influence of the Imperious curse, and identify themselves as purebloods. Their family connections would ensure that were treated leniently, it had always been done that way.

Euripita Balzhoff wept as she entered the main hallway again. She had stepped past the corpse of Hagrid as she came in. There was a report that Minerva McGonagall had been found dead in the side hallway. Other death reports began to come in as the Auror and Inquisitor teams spread out to scour the ruins of the castle for Death Eaters. It was found that a number of the Hogwarts house elves were suffocated in their quarters, but many had escaped because the warning alarm by the Headmistress had alerted them to the danger. The survivors went to work extinguishing the flames and trying to prevent the structural damage done by the Death Eaters from worsening.

Once the castle was declared secured, Minister Scrimgeour, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Erinyes Bartleby apparated into Hogwarts along with additional security forces. All were horrified at the loss of life and destruction wrought by Voldemort and his followers. Madam Pomfrey was thought to be the only faculty survivor until Firenze showed up with Fang. It was he who told the Ministry about the capture of Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom. Alerts were immediately put out for the arrest of Malfoy, Parkinson, Goyle, and Crabbe, but nobody had a clue where to find them. Luna Lovegood was reported among the missing and assumed dead or captured.

The only real joy felt by the Ministry was that student casualties were not worse. Kingsley had been the one to have to tell Arthur and Molly Weasley about the death of Bill last summer. Now he would have given his left nut if he could have avoided having to tell them of Ron and Ginny’s fate. Erinyes Bartleby was overjoyed to see that her granddaughter had survived, and extremely intrigued to find out from Cho Chang that the Ravenclaw saviors had been Harry Potter and Remus Lupin.

Scrimgeour simply sat in the hallway and tried to figure out how he was going to explain this disaster to the populace after the Ministry had used all its best spells and enchantments to secure Hogwarts. Scrimgeour had gone on record as saying the castle was absolutely secure, but now it had fallen from inside, just like Azkaban. Cornelius Fudge was already actively moving for a vote of no confidence against him in the Wizengamot because of Azkaban, now this movement would only gather strength. Seeing Mad-Eye Moody enter the castle door after a long hard look at the fallen form of Hagrid, Scrimgeour motioned him over.

“Moody, I want you to do something for me,” he said wearily, “find out how the bastards got in here. Where was the flaw in our wards? Was it a traitor, if so, I want the bastard’s name. Do whatever you have to, get what you need, I’ll clear it with Kingsley and Erinyes. If anyone impedes your progress you send me an owl and the blockage will disappear. Understood?”

“Yes, Minister,” said Moody with a tired looking grimace. He walked off into the castle structure knowing where to start his investigation, with Harry Potter, if he could find him.

Moody surveyed the damage and started assessing the results. Strategically, Voldemort had failed, he had shot his wad and came up short, but that wasn’t how it would be viewed by the magical community. Hogsmeade was a pile of ashes and chimneys. Hogwarts was a dead, crumbling, and burned out building. The living magic force that had sustained it for a thousand years had been destroyed with the death of Merlin. The only good news was the relatively light number of civilian and Ministry casualties inflicted compared to Voldemort’s original intent. Nine Hogwarts students had been killed either in the castle or in Hogsmeade, about two dozen seriously injured, and three were unaccounted for. The faculty and staff of Hogwarts was decimated, the school could not continue operation. All the students would be sent home. Only two Ministry employees were killed, and 18 seriously wounded in the action. The cloaks had earned their worth in the lives they had saved. The Death Eaters had not counted on engaging a force that was so well protected against them, and had deployed as rapidly to the correct point of battle.

The Death Eaters own casualties had been severe, nearly 30 of their number were thought killed, and over a dozen others had been captured so far. All those captured had immediately claimed to have been under the effects of the Imperious curse, but Moody knew that old excuse didn’t work anymore. The whole lot was bundled off amid loud protests that they were Purebloods and demands to see their Solicitors to the Inquisition for intensive questioning and a future trip to see the Dementors in the basement. Voldemort had escaped along with the core remainder of his followers, including Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew, and Bellatrix LeStrange.

“It could have been a hell of a lot worse,” thought Moody, “putting that Dark Mark over the castle was the stupidest thing a Death Eater could have done, if it was a Death Eater who did it.”

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

As the first full rays of morning sunlight shown through the windows, a tearful Harry Potter sat on a bed in the Hogwarts hospital ward staring down at the sheet-covered body of his best mate. Nearby, Hermione Granger lay on a bed having her broken arm being healed by Madam Pomfrey. Harry realized that Voldemort must have attacked through the secret passage behind the mirror. He had forgotten that Tom Riddle had once been the Hogwarts Head Boy too, he knew about the secret way out and in. Harry had told no one about the mirror, and now Ron was dead, Hermione badly injured, and Ginny and Neville captured.

All the other things he had valued seemed worthless now; he’d have given the Golden Unicorn and the Garden of Delights to Voldemort just to have them both back alive and safe. But he knew they were probably dead, or worse, wishing they were dead. Remus Lupin came in and sat down beside him. Harry had already explained to him how the mirror and the passage out of the castle had really worked.

Remus leaned over to whisper in Harry’s ear. “It wasn’t your fault, Harry,” he said. “You didn’t know the true nature of the passage. Don’t forget that you are still just seventeen. There are a lot of older, more experienced wizards who wouldn’t have made the connection either. You can’t hold yourself responsible for not figuring out every conceivable angle. It was only by accident you even knew of the passage’s existence a few weeks ago. It was Voldemort’s fault, not yours; say no more of it to anyone. It’s our secret.”

There was a popping sound as Molly and Arthur Weasley apperated into the hospital ward along with Fred and George. Molly screamed as she saw Ron’s body on the bed and ran to him to embrace his corpse.

“YOU DID THIS!” she shrieked at Harry. “I knew you’d get him killed, and Ginny too. I warned them to leave you alone, but they wouldn’t listen, now my babies are dead, they’re dead because of you. You get everybody around you killed, everybody dies except you.”

Arthur Weasley could only stare at Harry with a sad tear stained face. He didn’t have a look of accusation on his face, but it was easy to tell that the thought had crossed his mind more than once this night.

“It’s not fair to blame, Harry,” said Hermione grimacing in pain as the bone growing potion did its work. “Ron gave his life for me, not Harry. He could have left me to die and escaped, but he came back and sacrificed himself because he loved me. That gave me the same protection as Harry had when his mum sacrificed herself for him. It saved my life and most of Gryffindor house too. He died a hero saving the lives of those he cared about; it had nothing to do with Harry. Harry wasn’t even there.”

“Who killed him?” asked Arthur Weasley. “Who killed my boy?”

“It was Lucius Malfoy,” said Hermione. “And Mr. Malfoy was killed seconds later when his death curse to kill me rebounded back onto him due to Ron’s sacrifice. He’s dead.”

“What about my Ginny?” cried Molly Weasley looking back at Harry.

Even though Harry felt guilty, and knew that Molly Weasley was distraught and grieving, to blame Ginny’s fate on him, but after what she had done to drive Ginny away from him, it was too much for him to bear unanswered.

“What happened to Ginny had nothing to do with me,” shouted Harry. “You told her to leave me and she did, first to Dean Thomas and then to Neville Longbottom. If she had still been my girl I could have protected her from Malfoy, and she wouldn’t have been outside the castle on the grounds after curfew. Ginny was through with me, just like you wanted her to be, and that’s why what happened did happen. So don’t blame me, you know where the real culprit lies in this.”

Leaving Mrs. Weasley staring wide eyed in horror, Harry stomped out of the hospital and went to return to his quarters, only to remember that the tower had been partially collapsed. Everything he owned here was destroyed except for Hedwig, who had been in the owlery overnight and was safe. For lack of a better place to go, he went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. There he found Professor Balzhoff picking through the charred debris to try and find if any of her personal belongings had survived the fire that had raged in the room and her quarters behind it.

Harry came up to her and hugged her; he was trembling in both anger and pain. “Are you all right,” Harry asked.

“I’m fine,” came her reply. “Roe was badly injured, but the healers have sent word that she will recover. It seems that a large vial of fresh Phoenix tears arrived at St. Mungo’s from an anonymous donor to help heal the wounded. It probably saved her life. The Healers say she could be up and about by tomorrow if she continues to respond to the infusion. I am very grateful to that anonymous donor.”

“Why tell me?” asked Harry.

Euripita just smiled. “Because I have a very strange feeling that you might know who it was. Anyway, I heard a strange rumor that the Death Eaters who had been captured were bragging that the Chosen One was dead, killed by the Dark Lord himself. Don’t tell me you’ve gotten into the Horcrux making business too?”

“No,” said Harry, trying to think up a plausible explanation. “You’ve already seen that I can dodge curses pretty well, and I’m not bad at playing possum when I need to either. Voldemort was just too overconfident of his own skills to check his kill. He’s done it before.”

“That’s exactly why I wouldn't have expected him to do it again; he rarely fucks up the same way twice.”

“I guess he had a lot on his mind at the time,” said Harry. Knowing that she didn’t believe a word he was saying, Harry figured it was best to change the subject away from him. “Anyway how are you fixed?”

“Fixed?” she said disgustedly. “Try fucked. Everything I own except what I’m wearing is gone, either burned up here or in the room I had at the Three Broomsticks. I’m not official with the Ministry so I can’t crash there, and I don’t have any friends presently available to take me in. I don’t have any money on me, and even though today was supposed to be payday, somehow I don’t think the check is going to come through. I guess I’ll have to find some rich and horny old wizard and suck cock for my bed and breakfast.”

“I’ve got a fairly safe place you can stay in London. I’ll help you with your money problems.”

“You’re going to be my sugar-daddy, huh?” she said with a mixed look of disbelief and intrigue. “Do I have to swallow your load too?”

“No,” laughed Harry. “Not that you wouldn’t love it if I let you, but I have really high standards in that area now. However, there are other personnel needs I have at the present moment. I’ve learned a lot from you this past couple of months. Since it looks like you’re between jobs for a while, I’d like to hire you on as a personal security consultant. You’ll find I pay better than Hogwarts, and you’ll still be able to be around your …friend … when she gets well.”

“How much does the job pay?”

Harry thought for a moment, “Two thousand Galleons up front sign-on pay, two thousand a month thereafter, plus room and board, and a generous expense account available by negotiation. Oh, and ten thousand severance pay when the job is done, assuming you live that long.”

“Where are you able to get that kind of money?” asked Balzhoff with a look of shock that Harry found amusing. “Are you part goblin, or something?”

“First job rule; no questions asked about where I go, or what I do, or how I come up with the money. I’ve had enough of that shit already this semester, and I won’t miss that part of Hogwarts.”

“I’ve always been a firm believer in the Golden Rule; whoever has the gold makes the rules,” she replied. “However, I need to know what I would be expected to do as your personal security what-cha-ma-call-it?”

“Keep me alive long enough to destroy Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.”

“Well, that explains the ‘if you live that long’ part of the job offer,” she said cynically.

“So, do we have a deal, or would you rather be on your knees enjoying a hot and creamy, high protein breakfast drink tomorrow morning?” asked Harry while extending his hand.

“You’re going to take the bastard down … for good this time?”

“No … we’re going to take him down, if you’re in.”

“Then I’m in,” she said with a smile as she took his hand. “I still have too much of a gag reflex anyway.”

“My secret home in London is located at number 12 Grimmauld Place. Pick out a bedroom on the second floor and make yourself at home. Watch out for the contrary bastard of a house elf named Kreacher who is supposed to be watching the place for me. If he gives you any trouble, just let him see your boots and tell him you need to show him something in the living room. He’ll probably shit his diapers just from the memory. I’ll send your money there and some petty cash for expenses.”

“All right, when I’m done sorting things here I’ll go there and settle in.”

Stepping out into the main hall, Harry began to realize that he was exhausted and hungry; he’d had no sleep or breakfast. Hermione would be all right and she could go back to the Inquisition hospital ward and rest. Nothing more could be done for Ron and it was probably best that he be out of the Weasley’s sight for a while. Ginny and Neville were gone and there wasn’t a bloody thing he could do about it. Luna was getting the best care she could; there was nothing he could do for her either. He determined to slip out and go to Godric’s Hollow or the Garden of Delights to rest. Maybe by evening something would be known.

“Harry, Moody is looking for us to ask questions,” Lupin said as he walked up quickly. “He’s been made head of the investigation by the Minister; we’ll have to talk to him.”

“What will we tell him?”

“The truth, or as much of it as he needs to know,” said Lupin with a grin. “The rest we can make up. Are you headed back where we left from?”

“Yes, as soon as I can get out of here, I can’t stand it anymore. What about you?”

“I’ll go to Grimmauld Place if it’s all right with you. However, I wouldn’t mind a trip to you-know-where sometime. It’s been a long time for me.”

“Pay your money at the front door, that’s all it takes,” said Harry with a grin.

“I don’t suppose, being an old friend of the family and all, I can set up a tab? You know, fuck now, pay later.”

“I’ll see if I can put in a good word with the management,” said Harry. He was actually happy to have someone to talk to that already knew the secret about the Golden Unicorn.

The conversation abruptly ceased as Moody approached. “All right you two, what happened last night? The Death Eaters were saying that Harry was dead. How did you get in here, Lupin? The last I got from Minerva you were supposed to be gone last night?”

“I can explain my part very easily, Alastor,” said Lupin. “I started thinking about the last time Voldemort tried to kill Harry. It was midnight on All Hallows Eve, he was trying to tap into the power of the old magic. When I realized that the same situation was arising again, I figured he’d try the same trick. I returned early and waited to see what would happen at midnight. I was patrolling from the roof when the alarm was sounded by Minerva, I came down. Death Eaters were everywhere, in the confusion I ran into Harry somewhere and we threw in together to stop the attacks on the student house commons.”

“What about you, Harry?” Moody asked.

“Voldemort surprised me in my rooms and took a shot at me. I was too quick, thanks to your training, I barely dodged it and played dead. He must have been in too much of a hurry to check, he just left. I waited till the room was quiet then got up and went down to fight, that’s where I met Professor Lupin. We joined forces.”

“Now for the big question, do either of you know how the bastards got in here?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Lupin speaking up quickly. “Voldemort used to be a student here, and he’s visited several times since he graduated. Also, he cohabited Quirrell’s mind for a year here not all that long ago. I think he left behind some kind of portkey charm, or backdoor entry spell that only he knew how to use. He must have planned one day to use it to get inside here; he just held it till the right moment.”

“But why not use it before now,” asked Moody.

“I think that’s rather obvious, Alastor, the one wizard he truly feared, Albus Dumbledore, was in residence here. Albus placed a number of his specially constructed defenses in and around the school. With Albus’ death those defenses ceased to operate. Tonight was the first All Hallows Eve since Albus’ death. I don’t think it was a coincidence he struck tonight. It’s even possible that Albus’ death was only a necessary prelude to what happened last night; this could have been the main coup he was planning all year long. That might be stretching a bit, but it’s the only explanation I can think of that fits what we know.”

“Do either of you know where they entered at?” Moody asked.

“No,” said Lupin, “and I’m thinking you won’t find it either. It could have been a secret doorway in an alcove that only exists at Midnight of the Hallows, or that can only be used one time, or can only be opened by a specific wand. The rest of the time it literally doesn’t exist in our world. It could have been practically anywhere in the castle, the more obscure the better as far as Voldemort was concerned.”

“It sounds like something that bastard would do,” agreed Moody. “I’ll work it from that angle. The school is closed, probably for good by the look of things. We’ll hang around to see what can be salvaged. Where will you be, Remus?”

“Grimmauld Place, I need some rest before the next full moon comes up.”

“All right, I guess Harry will be at his secret shagging getaway he chooses not to share with his old pal Moody. Although I think I know where he’s going.”

“You do?” asked an astonished Harry.

“Yeah, you hooked up with that Fleur Delacour girl in Godric’s Hollow last summer a day before Tonks was killed. I’ve checked up on her. Her mum runs the Golden Unicorn for the Goblins, and the family has a very nice house there, very nice I hear. There is also a younger sister who’s supposed to be as good looking, or more, than Fleur. You know both girls and they were quite taken with you back then, or so I’m told by my sources. So I think you’re shacking with one of the Delacour daughters. Staying at their place in secret. Planning to go into the whorehouse business, Harry?”

Harry could only blush and grin, Moody’s assumptions were surprisingly close to the truth, but far enough off to protect his real secrets. He looked up to see the most curiously amused grin on Lupin’s face. “No comment,” was all Harry said.

“I see,” said Moody in that particular tone of voice he had when he felt he had won. He had figured out Potter’s little game. “Well then, get out of here you two, but be available, especially you Potter, you are still on the Ministry’s Auror rolls you know.”

Harry started to walk to the school front gates when he remembered that he could apparate from inside the building now. He apperated to Grimmauld House and called Dobby to him. Harry had finally learned to be suspicious, and cautious. Dobby checked Harry for tracking devices and pronounced him clean. From Grimmauld House, Harry apparated to Diagon Alley, where he walked to Gringotts bank under the cover of his invisibility cloak to withdraw some money for Balzhoff. By mention of Mr. Fartzmeller’s name, Harry was carried to a secure disapparation area for special bank customers. Those who wished to leave the bank premises unobserved could do so here by their choice of methods without fear of being tracked. From there, Harry used his owner’s medallion to return to the Golden Unicorn.

“Let them try to follow me through that,” mused Harry to himself as he called Dobby to him. He passed the money to Dobby with instructions return to Grimmauld Place, to give the money to Professor Balzhoff, and to stay there and make her comfortable as he didn’t trust Kreacher. With Dobby gone, Harry called Jizzlobber to him, he told him of how Poontang had died as an act of supreme loyalty to him and that her memory would be honored above all others. He was sad to have lost her, but proud of how she had died. Harry told him to take time off, but he just asked to return to work so he wouldn’t think on his wife’s death too much.

Finally, Harry called Bustanut to him. Harry ordered breakfast and told the elf to awaken him if there was any news of Ginny or Neville. After finishing his breakfast, he lay down. Harry needed release, physically, mentally, and emotionally; but he knew that the events of the past night were just too much. He couldn’t seek his own pleasure while his best mate for six years lay dead, Hermione lay in pain, physical and mental, and his beloved Ginny was missing and in Voldemort’s hands. He just couldn’t. Harry thought that he wouldn’t be able to sleep either, but the exhaustion that now filled him was relentless. Within a minute he was sound asleep, not knowing that a score of elves were stationed around his room. They were there of their own volition, to protect their good Master even if they must pay the ultimate price that their dear friend Poontang had paid. Master was well protected and could sleep in safety.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

While Harry drifted off to sleep the activity around Hogwarts intensified. Teams of Aurors and Inquisitors combed the area around the castle looking for Death Eaters who were unable to disapparate after the shield had been set in place. By one’s and two’s they were found hiding or trying to run. All of the planning had focused on the attack and the thought of an escape plan had not been considered as such thought would have been considered defeatist.

Temporary restraining cells were established to hold the collected persons. A number of those found were alumni of Azkaban who’d been involved in the breakout. Several of these had attempted to go down fighting, but strict orders had now been given directly from the Minister to take them alive. He wanted the information stored in their heads concerning Death Eater activities extracted by whatever means it took, especially the locations of hideouts and safe houses they had been using to defy the Ministry. The Inquisitors would be working overtime.

The surviving students were questioned by the Aurors then told to pack their belongings and prepare to leave the school. Outside, terrified parents who had learned of the attack were now showing up in large number at the boundary of the apparition shield, all were demanding their children.

The parents of the dead or injured students were carried aside to be told of their child’s status. The bodies of the murdered faculty were solemnly removed from the castle and arrangements made for the house elves. Late that afternoon the last remaining small fires had been put out. As the darkness of night came on the now dead structure looked like a skeleton. Only the hospital wing had escaped destruction, it was turned into a headquarters area with Pomfrey remaining there. The only lights were those made by the Ministry officials completing their searches and other assignments. Moody worked with his team till they were too exhausted to continue. They would break off for now and attack it again in the morning.