Echoes of Destiny: Harry and Bellatrix's Second Chance (Complete)

Before Harry could depart from the flat, Bellatrix had insisted on accompanying him. Harry took the time to send a Patronus messenger to Amelia and then chafed as he waited for Bellatrix to follow his example and don robes suitable for dueling and battle.

When she was finally prepared, Harry rolled his eyes and held out his arm so that Bellatrix could take it and double apparate with him to a public Floo. From there, they made their way to the Ministry lobby, past the curious reception guards, and up to the DMLE's floor.

"About time you got here," Amelia said as they stepped off the lift. She was leaning against the reception desk. "What's the emergency?" she asked as she motioned them toward a private room near the lobby.

Harry hesitated as he tried to find a way to explain the situation while they walked.

Bellatrix detected the hesitation and spoke up as soon as the door to the private room closed behind them. "We believe that the Dark Lord has implanted a portion of his own soul into Barty Crouch, Jr."

Amelia looked shocked, but she took it well. She focused on Harry. "And you are nervous that Barty will cause trouble in Azkaban?"

Harry shrugged. "I think it is a possibility. I am actually amazed that the Ministry has prevented the bulk of the Dementors from defecting to the Dark Lord. With Barty in Azkaban, the Dark Lord has indirect access. That could lead to trouble. Mostly, though, we need to destroy this portion of the Dark Lord's soul as soon as possible-while we know where it is."

"How do you destroy a portion of someone's soul?" Amelia asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Harry hedged, trying to hide that he suspected it would involve a killing curse.

"Worry about that later," Bellatrix suggested. "You should just get him into more controlled custody for now."

"Well, yes, I agree with that plan," Amelia said.

"Summon up the normal squad or any spare Aurors on duty, and let's go," Harry said.

Amelia winced. "We can't just remove a prisoner from Azkaban without authorization. Ministry policy requires approval from Director Crouch."

Harry suddenly had an urge to strangle all bureaucrats everywhere.

"That is really inconvenient," Bellatrix observed.

"I thought I had a broad grant of authority from Minister Prewitt," Harry said.

"Not that broad," Amelia said. "If I can't do it, I don't think you can do it either. Shall I contact Director Crouch and have him come here?"

"If that's the only way," Harry said, beginning to pace impatiently. "While you're at it, summon Minister Prewitt. And while we're waiting for them, start gathering a team of Aurors."

Amelia lips twitched as she mock saluted. "I'll let you do the talking when they get here." She left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Harry," Bellatrix said, "if we take a bunch of Aurors and raid Azkaban, the Dark Lord's agents are going to notice."

"If we move fast, we can have Crouch barricaded in the Ministry or some other safe location before the Death Eaters can move," Harry said.

"I suppose so," Bellatrix said.

Several moments passed while Harry paced and Bellatrix stood still, her arms folded and lips pursed.

"Do you think he knows we have the other horcruxes?" Bellatrix asked.

Harry stopped. "I hope not."

"He might suspect, seeing as we went after the one in the Ministry. He might have checked his hiding places." Bellatrix said.

"If Amelia scares up enough Aurors for my visit to Azkaban, perhaps you could go and destroy the horcruxes we have," Harry suggested.

"My thoughts exactly," Bellatrix said.

"How are you going to deal with the walking and talking one?" Harry asked.

"Killing curse," Bellatrix said shortly.

"Great. That's probably our only option with Barty, too, isn't it?" Harry said.

Bellatrix shrugged. "I am sure I could spend a lot of time cooking up a way to separate a horcrux from a person. But, why bother? We can just arrange for an accident when Amelia is not looking."

"It might be more graceful to let him nearly escape so we can at least have an excuse for the dead body," Harry grumbled.

"What makes you think I would even leave a body anywhere to be found?" Bellatrix said, rolling her eyes. "I am an aspiring politician, not a lazy murderer."

The door to the room suddenly burst open to admit a red-faced Director Crouch. Despite being a relatively frail person, anger lent him a more imposing presence. "What is the meaning of this Black? What makes you think you can just walk into the Ministry in the middle of the night and start issuing orders to have a prisoner transported from Azkaban to the Ministry?"

"My husband has given no such order, dimwit," Bellatrix said. "He is politely requesting that you issue the order."

"I see no reason to order a condemned prisoner to be transported back here," Crouch barked.

"If you already knew of a reason, I am sure you would have already done it," said Minister Prewitt, his voice heralding his arrival in the room. "Perhaps we should find out what Mr. Black and Madam Black have in mind before we pass judgment."

Amelia followed the Minister into the room and closed the door.

Harry smiled gratefully at the Minister. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your sleep," he said, feeling a twinge of guilt as he noted that the Minister looked tired and pale.

"You are not the first and will not be the last," Prewitt sighed. "What is it we need to do?"

"What I say needs to be kept confidential," Harry said.

"Of course," Prewitt said, nodding tiredly. "Everything said here is to be confidential."

"We strongly believe that the Dark Lord has implanted a portion of his soul into… the prisoner," Harry said, deciding that it would be best not to emphasize that said prisoner was Director Crouch's son.

"Preposterous!" Crouch said.

"Somehow, I doubt that you are well-researched on the subject," Prewitt said, trying to sound as reasonable and non-accusing as possible for Crouch's sake. "I think we should accept this assertion at face value."

"Thank you," Harry said.

"The key to this inquiry is why we need to move the prisoner on short notice and with such little preparation," Prewitt said.

"Exactly!" Crouch said, moving to stand at Minister Prewitt's side and, in physical effect, trying to cut Harry out of the loop.

"I feel that it is more risky to wait," Harry said. "If we can capture a portion of the Dark Lord's soul, our footing in this war improves dramatically. We've been looking for this for months. It has taken a lot of effort to discover this portion of the soul, and I'm afraid it could slip away."

"Even if what Black says is true, the prisoner is going nowhere," Barty said, suddenly sounding reasonable and cool headed. It seemed that he was gathering his wits and getting past his base reaction.

"If I may, Minister Prewitt," Bellatrix said. "Surely it is dangerous to let a portion of the Dark Lord's soul be in such close proximity to the Dementors."

"Do you even know anything about Dementors?" Crouch asked coolly.

"No," Bellatrix admitted. "Somehow, I doubt that you do, either."

Minister Prewitt smiled. "I think we should get an expert opinion on the matter." He looked toward Amelia. "Summon Edward Foxe."

Amelia left the room, and an awkward silence descended upon it. After about ten minutes, Amelia returned with Edward Foxe in tow. Despite the late hour, the white-haired head of the Department of Mysteries looked as if he was at the top of his game.

"Greetings, Minister," Edward Foxe said. "It has been long since we crossed paths."

Minister Prewitt frowned. "Some of that is your fault."

"I suppose so," Foxe said as he took a seat. He looked at Minister Prewitt expectantly.

Realizing that Foxe was not going to ask what he wanted, Prewitt finally caved in and posed the question. "Do you have any expertise on the subject of Dementors?"

"I would be a poor Chief Unspeakable if I did not," Foxe said.

"The Blacks claim that a portion of You-Know-Who's soul has been embedded into a prisoner," Minister Prewitt said.

Harry, who was watching Foxe, thought he detected a startled twitch in the man's composure, but he might have imagined it.

"Obviously, the Blacks want to get their hands on this prisoner. The question is whether we should move him immediately or whether we should wait."

"Or whether we should let them near him at all," Crouch interjected. "This is a hare-brained theory and a knee-jerk reaction."

Minister Prewitt continued, ignoring Crouch's interruption. "The Blacks say there is danger to allowing a portion of You-Know-Who's soul so close to the Dementors and that we should move the prisoner sooner than later. I am interested in your opinion."

Foxe sat still for a moment as everybody waited for him to render a verdict on Harry's proposed plan of action. "Minister," Foxe finally said, "I know of no spell or method that the prisoner could use to cause trouble for us with the Dementors-"

"Thank you," Crouch said. "Min-"

Foxe's stern gaze silenced Crouch. "I was not finished, Crouch," Foxe said firmly. "Minister, despite my not knowing of any specific danger, it would be reckless to leave any… portion of the Dark Lord so close to the Dementors or even anywhere not closely supervised by actual wizards. I suggest that you give orders for the Aurors to assist Mr. Black."

"And take the prisoner where?" Prewitt said, waving his hand to silence Crouch.

Foxe shrugged and stood up. "Let the Blacks figure that out."

"Very well," Prewitt said, heaving a sigh as he used the table to push himself up. His deep breaths indicated how much effort it had taken. "Harry, take as many Aurors as you feel is necessary and take care of this."

"You are forgetting something," Crouch said very calmly.

"What is it, Barty?" Prewitt asked.

"A prisoner cannot be moved without my ratification."

"Then your give your approval, Barty," Prewitt said.

"But, I do not approve," Crouch said curtly.

"Look, Barty," Prewitt said, his voice getting rising, "I've made a decision, and I expect you to support me."

"I am not going to let the Blacks convince you to remove that prisoner from Azkaban! It could be a trick. He was a Death Eater, he was convicted, and now he's in Azkaban. That's where he stays." Crouch said tersely.

"We don't doubt that he's a Death Eater, you moron!" Prewitt said, practically now yelling. "We think he's too dangerous to keep in Azkaban. I want him moved."

Harry, Bellatrix, and Amelia were glancing at each other uncomfortably. Even Edward Foxe had turned from his retreat toward the door to stare at the confrontation.

"The Blacks are talking you into making a mistake," Crouch hissed. "I am not going to give the authorization."

"Then I'll fire you," Prewitt yelled. "In fact, consider yourself relieved of duty as of this moment!"

"Think again, Minister," Crouch said, his composure breaking as he yelled. "If you allow Harry Black to carry out this foolhardy plan, I will summon the Wizengamot for an emergency meeting and call for a no confidence vote."

"You impertinent bastard!" Prewitt exploded. "You think you can replace me? I have led this war since the moment Cygnus Black was assassinated. I have sacrificed everything to fighting this war! My sons, my time, my health, my well-deserved retirement… . How dare you even suggest a no confidence vote against me? Barty, you stand down, or else-"

Suddenly, Minister Prewitt was clutching his chest as he slumped to the floor, gasping as he tried to reach for the table to support himself.

"Oh, Merlin," Amelia breathed.

"Well, someone must have stepped in it good," the Auror standing opposite of Captain Frank Longbottom snickered as she and Frank listened to Minister Prewitt shout at somebody from the other side of the door.

"I hope he cusses them out good," Frank yawned. "Worst thing about being captain of the bodyguard is that you have to go on any field trips. If it weren't for this fool, I'd still be asleep."

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Amelia Bones ran out. "We need a medic!" she screamed.

Instantly, Frank pushed past Amelia and into the room and stared in horror at the Minister's prone form on the floor. A wizard he recognized as Edward Fox was kneeling over him.

"Forget the medic," Frank heard himself yell. "We've got to get him to St. Mungo's."

Edward Foxe shook his head as he got to his feet. "It's too late. He's dead. Heart attack, I should think." He looked around the room at those present. The only one who did not look particularly stunned was Amelia Bones, who was anxiously sharing glances between Prewitt's body and the lobby.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked.

"As per Ministry policy, I am now the Acting Minister," Edward Foxe announced.

"Not so fast," Crouch said. "I'm the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We're in a war!"

"Policy is policy, Mr. Crouch," Minister Foxe said smoothly. "I have been a Department Head for longer than you. As it is, I am affirming Minister Prewitt's decision to relieve you of duty. And, I am going to instruct Captain Bones to take you into custody until we understand fully why you have been acting so strangely this night. Mr. Black, until further notice, you will be the Acting Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Gather as many Aurors as you need, and do what you feel you must. Captain Longbottom, remain with me. The rest of you, leave."

In less than fifteen seconds, Frank Longbottom was alone in the room with Minister Foxe. Confused, Frank watched as the Acting Minister pulled out a chair from the generic desk and extracted writing supplies from a drawer.

"What is it you need, Minister?" Frank asked.

"I have a special mission for you," Foxe said as he began to scratch on a sheet of Ministry stationery with a self-inking quill.

"Okay," Frank said slowly.

"Acting Director Black is about to lead a contingent of Aurors to Azkaban to take possession of the prisoner Barty Crouch, Jr. I want you to be one of those Aurors," Foxe said, still writing on the stationery.

"Okay."

Foxe did not speak, but focused on writing. Eventually, he finished, signed his name, put away the quill, and folded up the stationery before handing it to Frank. "This is, in effect, a carte blanche . It absolves you of all responsibility for what you are about to do."

"I think you had better explain what you want and give me a good reason for why it is necessary," Frank said, not bothering to mask his suspicion.

Foxe leaned back in the chair and steepled his fingers as his eyes bored into Frank's. "I want you to ensure that an unfortunate accident occurs during Director Black's mission to Azkaban."

Her thoughts racing at the speed of panic, Amelia watched Harry and Bellatrix converse briefly in a quiet corner while Amelia's lieutenants organized the usual squad and recruited other Aurors to join. Harry, now Acting Director, would still be expecting her to accompany him to Azkaban. But, would Bellatrix be coming, too? With bated breath, Amelia watched.

Her fears were realized when Harry and Bellatrix's conversation ended. Bellatrix was making for the lift doors. Amelia knew she had to act. Swiftly, she crossed the lobby and overtook Bellatrix. "We need to talk," Amelia said, perhaps too urgently.

Bellatrix turned around and arched an eyebrow. "About what?"

"I know what you're planning," Amelia said.

"What am I planning?" Bellatrix asked, her lips quirking a small smile.

"Before the sun rises, you will have summoned the Wizengamot for an emergency meeting and attempted to have yourself installed as Minister of Magic." Amelia said, trying to keep her voice steady. "But, you don't have enough votes. I've counted."

"You have far fewer," Bellatrix said dispassionately. "In fact, you are not even a plausible candidate."

"How dare you?" Amelia retorted, letting her pride get in the way.

"You do come from a respected pureblood family," Bellatrix admitted offhandedly. "But your career has left you as nothing more than an Auror captain. Nobody really thinks of you as any sort of administrator or public figure. As for votes, I think I can get enough from Crouch's crowd. Foxe has him detained, so he can hardly do anything. An emotional account of Prewitt's last moments coupled with the fact that my husband is even now on the front line of the war will convince sway enough of Crouch's would be supporters to sweep me into office before anybody else can mount a campaign. They won't even have buyer's remorse. My husband and I will end this war quickly and begin rebuilding our world.

Amelia knew that Bellatrix was bluffing about the strength of her momentum. In most cases, Amelia could have taken comfort in that and proceeded to mount a campaign or support another campaign against Bellatrix. But, Amelia knew, or at least strongly suspected, that the Foxes were on Bellatrix's side. With Edward Foxe as Acting Minister, Bellatrix's victory was inevitable. If Bellatrix did not realize that, perhaps Amelia could redirect the momentum to an option both she and Bellatrix could live with.

"I realize that I don't have enough support to make a bid to be Minister," Amelia admitted, trying to sound bold, candid, and as mercenary as Bellatrix, "but I have enough votes to give you an easy and quick victory. If I don't support you immediately, the vote will be delayed. Crouch and Prewitt's former supports will regroup, probably behind Edward or Andrew Foxe. You will still have the supporters you have now, and I will still have my supporters. The people now in power will want to stay in power, so they will vote for the other guy. That makes myself and my allies the swing-vote. Basically, you don't win without me. The question is, do you want to win sooner or later? And let me add, if you wait, I might get a better offer from the other side."

Amelia could feel the anger emanating from Bellatrix, even though the violet-eyed witch was masterfully retaining her composure.

"If my husband doesn't want to work for the Ministry, you can be Director of the DMLE," Bellatrix offered in a terse voice.

"It will cost you more than that," Amelia said.

"Name your price, then," Bellatrix said.

"Two things," Amelia said. "I want it to be your husband who is installed as Minister of Magic, and I would expect to be named his Senior Undersecretary."

Seeing the fury in Bellatrix's eyes, Amelia rushed to explain her reasoning. "Bellatrix, if you were more mature and if we were in the middle of a peaceful time, I think the magical community would prosper under your leadership. But we're at what is hopefully the end of a war. Your husband is an inspirational opposite to You-Know-Who. If we win, he is the one who can set the best post-war tone. I have seen him interact with both our most dedicated Aurors and the Death Eaters we have arrested. If your husband is the one to end the war, it will stay ended . And then, in ten or fifteen years, you can be Minister. I promise that I will vote for you then."

"My husband has no political prowess whatsoever," Bellatrix bit back.

"But you do," Amelia said. "You can protect him while he does what he thinks is best."

"And, how do you expect to be able to vote for me over a decade from now?" Bellatrix demanded. "It will be kind of hard to vote for me if my husband is Minister."

"I think we both know that convincing Harry to become Minister will be hard enough. Convincing him to remain so for more than a couple of years will probably be impossible," Amelia said.

As the lift carried her to the Ministry atrium, Bellatrix let out a scream of anger and pounded one of her fists against the side of the lift. She pounded again and again. The clang of a bell announced that Bellatrix had arrived at the Atrium. As she stalked toward the exit, Bellatrix's rational mind came back online.

Amelia's observations and motivations were probably correct. Bellatrix was still angry, though. She did not like to be defied. The unfairness galled her as well. She was confident that Harry had no desire whatsoever to be Minister. Politics was her dream. And then there was her father, Cygnus Black. As he had unknowingly eulogized himself, Minister Prewitt had emphasized that he had fought this war. But, it was Cygnus Black who had had the guts to start the war. Would it not be appropriate for his own daughter could be the one to end the war? A Minister Black II, as it were?

Harry is a Black, now, a small voice reminded Bellatrix. Your father did not want to be Minister, either. In fact, Harry might well be the actual heir to the legacy of Cygnus Black, Orion Black, and Romulus Malfoy .

Just as Bellatrix reached the Ministry Floo portal, her unconscious mind finally was able to produce Bellatrix's consolation prize-the new plan for Bellatrix to be Minister. As soon as the war ended, she could take strides toward building the Black financial empire, rebuilding Ravenbourgh, and constructing strong ties in the Wizengamot. When Harry stepped down, Bellatrix would be ready.

"This does not make me comfortable," Harry commented as he stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean adjacent to the northern shore of Scotland. In the dark, he thought he could see the menacing form of Azkaban rising up from the ocean.

"That's the point," Amelia said. "Nobody is supposed to be comfortable with approaching Azkaban. Fortunately, we're official Ministry personnel and can pass the defenses without any problems." She waved her wand, and a staircase instantly materialized in the rock of the cliff.

Harry moved to follow, but a couple of Aurors slipped in front of him, forcing him to follow. Since departing the Ministry, Harry had noticed that the Aurors were behaving differently in his presence than they had been during the nights when he had accompanied them on raids. Most notably, they were making it impossible for him to take two steps without some of them taking those same steps first. He had complained to Amelia, but she was unsympathetic. Apparently, it was an inconvenience the Director of Magical Law Enforcement was expected to endure.

Harry and his cohort descended the staircase revealed by Amelia and emerged onto a stone dock that sat in the shadow of the cliff. In short order, Harry and his Aurors were boarding a pair of boats and then floating toward the prison.

"I would prefer if I could accompany you upstairs," Professor Dumbledore said to Hermione as they arrived outside Harry and Bellatrix's flat in Manchester.

"I would not mind your company," Hermione said as she surveyed the street. "But, the fact of the matter is that the flat is extensively warded, and you are not keyed in."

Dumbledore looked around, too. "Do you know of these wards for a fact? Or are you going on what Madam Black has told you?"

"I'm going off of what Bellatrix told me," Hermione admitted. "I don't think she'd tell lies about wards, unless she was downplaying them. It will only take me a couple of minutes, Professor. She has the defenses around the horcruxes set to destroy them. The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can meet Bellatrix and the rest at Privet Drive. That's where the real action will be."

"I know," Professor Dumbledore said. "I shall wait out here. Make as much noise as you can if you encounter trouble. I will do my best to come to your aid."

"Okay," Hermione said, leaving the Headmaster and climbing the stairs to the flat and then letting herself in. Within a minute, she had walked through the flat and then up the stairs leading to Bellatrix's so-called laboratory. From the looks of things, it had been a while since Bellatrix had been doing anything up there.

The diadem and the locket hovered over one of the empty laboratory tables, slowly rotating under an unnatural light source, reminding Hermione of a museum at night. Not normally afraid of the dark, Hermione waved her wand and brought light to the room. Satisfied that she was the only person in the room, Hermione commenced the procedure that would trigger Bellatrix's destruction wards but not trigger any of the other wards designed to maim or kill whoever might try to steal the horcruxes.

Casting spells as carefully as she had as a first-year student barely learning wand motions, Hermione attached shield charms to each corner of the table. As they touched the table corners, the charms changed color, indicating that they had connected with Bellatrix's ward scheme.

Taking a deep breath and hoping that Bellatrix's calculations were correct, Hermione cast the spell that no thief in his or her right mind would cast while trying to steal the horcruxes or protect themselves from Bellatrix's ward. "Reducto!"

The table absorbed Hermione's spell and for a second, all was still. Then, a curtain of magic swooped around the table powerfully enough that Hermione felt her skin prickle. As she watched, two bowls appeared on the table below the horcruxes. In them, according to Bellatrix, was basilisk venom. The two horcruxes then plunged into the bowls. Steam and sparks erupted from the bowls as the horcruxes died. Now, there was only Tom on Privet Drive, Barty Crouch, Jr. in Azkaban, and the snake Nagini.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she departed from the Blacks' flat.

In the dark, Harry's boat docked at Azkaban's harbor. As his self-appointed bodyguards disembarked, Harry listened to the water in the harbor lap quietly at the stone walls and mentally contrasted the sound to the roaring of the ocean around the prison. As dangerous as the ocean sounded, Harry decided he liked its sound better.

Soon, Harry was able to get off the boat. He followed the Aurors who were more familiar with Azkaban up to the looming entrance. The main doors were probably at least three stories tall. Harry wondered why the extravagant architecture was necessary, but quickly dismissed the question from mind as he realized he could potentially be in hostile territory.

"Halt! Who goes there?" called one of the guards near the main doors shouted as soon as they came within hearing distance.

"Captain Bones, Captain Longbottom, and a large squad of Aurors escorting the newly appointed Acting Director of Magical Law Enforcement, Harry Ashworth Black," Amelia yelled loudly.

The guards at the doors were silent for a few moments. "What is the nature of Director Black's business?" the guard shouted back.

"Official, confidential, and formally sanctioned," Amelia called back. "Now let us in before your new boss gets annoyed."

"You may approach," the guard called.

"Couldn't they have just asked us this when we get closer?" Harry said as he and the Aurors approached the doors.

"It would be too late if we're hostile," Amelia said.

"And how do they even know that I'm legit?" Harry continued, wondering about Azkaban's security procedures.

"They have all sorts of dark magic and dishonest testers. Your Ministry position is news to them, but the detectors will have confirmed that I'm telling the truth," Amelia explained.

Harry thought it all sounded kind of old-fashioned, but he supposed the system had been working for long enough. They approached the doors and watched as the guards went through a laborious process to unlock the doors from both the inside and outside and then open them.

Shivering at the thought of being so close to Dementors, Harry stepped into the prison and loosened his wands in their holsters. The guards shut the doors, and those that had been stationed on the inside escorted Harry, Amelia, Frank, and some of the Aurors to the warden's office.

The warden's annoyance at being awoken was offset by his eagerness to rub shoulders with not only the new Director of the DMLE, but Harry himself. Apparently, Harry's fame as the Ghost of Ashworth had found its way to Azkaban's bonnie shores via new prisoners and the occasional Auror.

"Yeah, we have Crouch locked up on the top floor," Warden McGayle declared once pleasantries had concluded and Harry had stated his business. "It's the highest security, of course. The higher the floor, the more Dementors we have on it. The guards sleep on the bottom floor during their week-long shifts."

"The top floor?" Amelia questioned. "That seems odd. He wasn't convicted for nearly as many crimes as the other prisoners up there."

"Direct orders from Crouch, Sr.," McGayle explained. "I guess he was pretty angry at his son."

"Let us hope it was anger," Harry said, remembering Crouch's odd behavior less than an hour previous. "Please be so kind as to have your guards fetch Crouch from the top floor. We'll take him and be on our way."

"Just where are you planning on taking him?" McGayle asked.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said vaguely.

The warden looked at Amelia and then to Frank before focusing back on Harry. "I don't want to defy you, Director, but I can't sanction you taking prisoners out and making them conveniently disappear."

Harry sighed. "Look, Warden, this isn't some sort of secret execution squad. This is us removing a prisoner from the influence of the Dementors because we believe he has undergone some dangerous magical transformations. I'm taking him to a heavily guarded Ministry holding cell. Now send your Aurors for him so we can be on our way."

"All right, sir," the warden said, suspicion still in his voice. He gave the command, and the group waited for Crouch to be brought down to the office.

About twenty minutes passed before the Aurors returned, empty-handed.

"Where is he?" McGayle demanded.

"The Dementors won't allow us onto the top level," the ranking guard present announced.

"Every Muggle that lives on this street is probably staring at us," Alastor Moody groused as he yawned and glared suspiciously at the dark houses on Privet Drive.

"No, just Aunt Petunia," Rose said as she made a rude gesture in the general direction of the Dursley house. "The rest are all asleep."

"Rose!" Lily exclaimed as she surveyed the group. Everybody present was tired and a little grouchy, but when Bellatrix had sent her house elf to summon them to a horcrux destruction mission, not one had hesitated to volunteer their services. All of the Potters except John had come. Sirius and his son, Leo, were there, as was Alastor Moody. Now, they were just waiting for Bellatrix, Professor Dumbledore, and Hermione.

Moody's wand was already out. "I say we stun and obliviate her."

"Alastor," Lily said, "whether we were here or not is irrelevant. And, I'm not even sure Petunia is watching us. Rose is merely commenting on my sister's propensity for snooping on her neighbors. I'm sure she's in bed, too."

The debate was interrupted when Bellatrix appeared next to them with a faint pop.

"Where have you been?" James Potter demanded.

"Here and there," Bellatrix replied. "Mostly there, though."

"You're hilarious," Sirius Black said. Nobody could tell whether he was doing deadpan humor or was just completely un-amused. His emotions had become difficult to read since his wife's death.

"What does it matter?" Bellatrix asked. "Do any of you really want to proceed without Dumbledore being present?"

"She's right," Rose observed.

"We can at least go into the house," Lily suggested.

Bellatrix motioned for them to follow, and the group silently made their way across the street and up to the front door of #2 Privet Drive. Bellatrix let them in, and the group gathered in the living room.

Sidra reached for a light switch, but was stopped by Moody. "No lights!"

"Erect barriers at the windows if it bothers you," Sidra said snippily. For all her defiance, though, she waited until Moody had cast charms on the windows before actually flipping the switch.

In the lighted room, Bellatrix was examining the surroundings. "You are going to have to remind Draco to clean house more often," Bellatrix said to Sidra.

"I'm not his babysitter!" Sidra whined.

"You are whatever I ask you to do," Bellatrix said blithely. "I want you to spend at least a couple of hours a week nagging Draco to clean the house or do something to improve whatever businesses he has going on. You are going to be his surrogate aunt. And, right now, I also would like you to go upstairs and cast a stunner on him so that he's none the wise we were ever here."

Sidra was not pleased, but she was not about to defy her boss. Muttering angrily, she drew her wand and crept up the stairs to where Draco's bedroom was located.

A knock at the door signaled the arrival of Hermione and Professor Dumbledore. James opened the door to admit the two latecomers.

"Were the other horcruxes destroyed smoothly?" Alastor asked as soon as Professor Dumbledore entered the room.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "There was no difficulty. We can now focus on this horcrux. Perhaps, Madam Black, you could give us more details." He said this last sentence loudly, so that Bellatrix, who had left the room, could hear.

"Why do you need details?" Bellatrix asked, returning from an inspection of some of the other rooms of the house. "Suffice it to say I activated the horcrux for certain purposes. Because of that, I think it is safer to have more than a few people on hand to destroy it. A simple Killing Curse will do, I think."

"I think it would be better if you were a little more upfront with us," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps you should explain how it is that Draco came to live here and how Peter Pettigrew has completely disappeared."

Bellatrix shrugged evasively. "Peter Pettigrew was an idiot. The Dark Lord's enemies have benefitted. As for Draco, my family matters are none of your business."

"So you did not force Mr. Pettigrew to do anything?" Dumbledore inquired, looking over his half-moon spectacles into Bellatrix's face.

"What does Peter have to do with this?" James asked sharply.

"Madam Black?" Dumbledore asked. "You did not force Peter to do anything."

"He did nothing against his will," Bellatrix said, mentally splitting hairs.

"What do you two know that we don't?" James demanded again.

Dumbledore looked away from Bellatrix and toward James and Sirius. "As part of the search for horcruxes, Bellatrix activated one of the horcruxes. But to do that, she needed somebody to sacrifice themselves."

Lily gasped.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"That person was Peter Pettigrew. I suspect he had already done part of the process before Bellatrix came across him. I imagine that he chose to finish the process in an attempt to escape from Bellatrix, and perhaps Harry. So, the being we are going to kill tonight is only half Peter."

"The idiot is totally gone. He's all Tom, now," Bellatrix said.

Lily was looking at Bellatrix, her eyes narrowed.

"Sounds fair to me," James said, apparently not begrudging Bellatrix whatever she had done to Peter. "I'd like to volunteer to do the honors, even if Peter is completely gone. He betrayed us and put my children at risk."

Sirius drew his wand. "I'll help."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will escort you. Alastor? Perhaps you would help us. Madam Black, if you would explain the wards on the cell, we can take care of this for you. And then, someday, I would appreciate it if you gave me more information about how 'Tom' came to be."

"You can buy my memoir from Flourish and Blotts like everybody else shall," Bellatrix said.

"Sound the alarm!" Warden McGayle commanded.

"Wait," Harry said. "Are you sure you want to inform all your prisoners that there is trouble?"

"It isn't as if the prisoners can riot," the warden said. "We have specific procedures for a Dementor uprising."

"Then follow your procedures, and we will alter them as we later find necessary," Harry directed.

The warden nodded to the guard that had brought the bad news. He left the room, the warden following closely behind, and within a few seconds, a deep horn sound echoed loudly through the walls of the prison.

"What are these procedures?" Harry asked loudly, looking around at his own people to see if any of them knew.

"Each prison level is accessed via the stairwell inside one of the thicker walls of the prison," Amelia explained succinctly. "There are multiple gates between the stairs and each level. Any guards on the prison levels will retreat to the stairwell and shut the gates, locking the Dementors in. If there are no guards on the floor, the gates shut automatically. The same happens if the guards are killed and no guards are thus left on the floor. If the Dementors are already past the gates when they shut, the guards will be able send Patroni through the stairwell and force those Dementors into the tower above the staircase."

"What about the prisoners?" Harry demanded.

"They're locked in their cells," Amelia explained. The Dementors cannot open gates or cell doors. They have no keys, and the gates and doors are warded against them. They'll be trapped on the floors."

"Basically," Frank Longbottom declared, "now that the alarm is sounding, it will only take two or three minutes to contain the Dementors. Your problem, now, is getting onto that top floor."

"It may be better to come back when the Dementors have calmed down," Amelia speculated.

Harry shook his head as he paced back and forth. Finally, he stopped and looked at those who had come into the office with him. "Send to the Ministry for as many Auror reinforcements as can be spared without leaving the Ministry itself vulnerable. I want them stationed all together at the part of the shore closest to the prison. Tell them to bring brooms, too."

"Are you expecting a battle?" Frank asked, clearly aghast.

"Yes," Harry said. "We've been forced to move too slowly. The Dark Lord's spies will have reported of our expedition. Not only will he be willing to sacrifice much to protect Crouch, but he will see the advantage of breaking out the most dangerous of Azkaban's prisoners and taking some of the Dementors with him."

"You forget that Azkaban is a fortress!" Frank retorted. "I think you're overestimating the Dark Lord. Just how do you think he's going to achieve all of what you just said?"

"Simple," Harry said. "He and his Death Eaters will fly in and blow off the prison's roof. Hence, I want Auror reinforcements stationed together on shore to harass the Dark Lord's forces as they arrive and try to siege the roof. Meanwhile, we shall be fetching Crouch and moving all the other prisoners off that top floor as fast as we can. Hopefully, we can contain the Dementors, too. If the Death Eaters show up, we fight and get Crouch out of here and to a Ministry holding cell.

"How are you so sure this is what is going to happen?" Amelia asked.

That's how he did it in the Lost War when he went after Azkaban, Harry thought to himself. But, he was not prepared to explain that to anybody. "It doesn't matter how I know. I gave orders. Now follow them!" Harry said sternly.

Rose Potter stood on the front lawn of #2 Privet Drive as everybody slowly filed out onto the driveway and prepared to depart. Rose had assumed that they would all go home after the horcrux destruction festivities, but Moody and Dumbledore had been asking Bellatrix several questions about the abrupt change of power in the Ministry hierarchy and about Harry's mission to Azkaban. It sounded as if they wanted to be at the Ministry when Harry and the Aurors brought Crouch there. And then, Bellatrix had been making ominous hints that something big was going to happen within the next few hours and that the Order might want to gather. Rose knew her mother well enough to know that she would want to be in on all this action.

The final points of discussion between Bellatrix, Rose's parents, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Moody had concluded, and everybody was preparing to apparate away when they were interrupted.

"You!" Petunia Dursley shrieked, suddenly coming into view from the darkness surrounding #4 Privet Drive.

"Obviously, it is I," Lily said crossly. "We were minding our own business, so why don't you buzz off?"

"No!" Petunia said, "not you. Her!" She was pointing at Bellatrix.

Everybody stared at Bellatrix. Despite the group's focus on her, Bellatrix seemed oblivious to the attention of everybody else as she glared balefully at Petunia. Then, quite deliberately, Bellatrix dragged her thumb across her neck before suddenly disappearing with a loud pop.

"What was that?" Lily demanded.

"Nothing," Petunia said, now looking very scared. "I'll just go home now."

"No, you tell me!" Lily said, stalking up to her sister and grabbing her by the arm. "How do you know her?"

"I was mistaken," Petunia said lamely.

"I saw her threaten you," Lily said. "You've both seen each other before. I promise, she can't touch you, even if she wants to."

It took a great deal more persuading on Lily's part as the Order members present looked on, but Petunia finally felt safe enough to give expression to her vindictiveness. "Right before last Christmas," Petunia said. "She is the witch who broke into my house and stuffed the sports section into Vernon's mouth."

"What?" Lily exclaimed. "Her? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes," Petunia said. "It was her. She busted in, stole some box of gold that had been hidden in the fireplace, and then left."

"Why would she have gold in your house?" James asked, sounding very confused.

"It would explain why she ending up buying the house next door," Rose said offhandedly as her mind raced to find the explanation for Bellatrix's strange interaction with the Dursleys.

"I get that, now," Lily said. "But why the connection in the first place? Why would Bellatrix hide gold in my Muggle sister's house?"

"I thought you would already understand," Petunia said.

"Err, no," Lily said. "Why would I know about that witch's unhealthy fascination with you?"

"Before leaving the house with the gold, she said that in a roundabout way, I was her aunt," Petunia said.

"That's absurd," Lily said slowly. "She's pretty much an inbred member of the Black family. There is no possible way that she could be related to us."

"Bellatrix could be an in-law," Rose suggested, her logical mind allowing her to plow past the improbabilities of the situation.

"What?" Lily said, turning and staring at Rose.

"I think it is time we ask Harry more about his future," Rose said.

The Azkaban guards did not have a pre-planned policy for removing the Dementors from a floor entirely because the strategy of the standard plans relied on the floors themselves as being the holding places for Dementors during an uprising. However, there were enough guards, Aurors, and Patroni to make it possible for a contingent of Aurors and guards led by Harry to go to the top of the staircase, open the top floor's gates, run to the far wall with the Patroni escorting them, and then turn around and drive the Dementors into the stairwell. Harry had stationed the other contingent of Aurors and guards on the stairwell just below the top floor. When the Dementors fled the top floor, they used more Patroni to drive those Dementors into the tower above the stairwell. The process had been safe, but exhausting.

Harry was still leaning against the far wall of the top floor catching his breath when Amelia came to him with a chunk of chocolate. "Looks like you need this," she said.

"Thanks," Harry said, not even bothering to argue. Eagerly, he bit into the chocolate and closed his eyes as it melted in his mouth and replaced the strength the Dementors had taken from him via only minimal contact.

Frank Longbottom walked up. "Everything is locked down and safe," he announced. "The Warden will have a jolly time getting things back to normal, but we should be safe to get Crouch and leave."

"Good," Harry said, suddenly becoming aware of faint laughter coming from one of the cells. "I am guessing our boy is locked up in that one."

Both Amelia and Frank looked at Harry quizzically.

Harry wondered why neither of them were volunteering to fetch him out. "Well, let's get him and go home," Harry said.

"Right," Frank said slowly.

Suddenly, an explosive thud shook the prison to its foundations. Harry looked up at the ceiling, where the sound had originated. "Not good," he said.

"You were right," Amelia gasped as another thunderous explosion crashed into the roof.

"I hope our reinforcements are here," Harry sighed.

"Guards!" Frank yelled. "Open the cell doors and hit every prisoner with a bludgeoning charm. I don't want them waking up without medical attention."

"Do it!" Harry yelled, ratifying Frank's orders.

"I'll get Crouch," Frank said already moving toward the cell.

"All right," Harry said. "Amelia, organize the Aurors to cover our retreat. We'll try to get off this floor as soon as we can. Once we're deeper in the prison we can assess whether to hold our position or make a run for it back to shore-unless we can bring down the wards."

"They'll have wards keeping us in," Amelia said shortly as she dashed away to take command of the Aurors.

Harry decided to help Frank. He jogged over to the cell just in time to watch Frank open it. Inside, Barty Crouch, Jr., sat, grinning like a maniac.

"Bravo, Lord Black," Barty said. "I wondered how long it would be until you realized your mistake. However, it is too late for you to do anything. It became too late the minute you arrested me."

"What is he talking about?" Frank asked.

"It's simple," Barty said. "If you had left me in Azkaban, Lord Voldemort would have won eventually. But now that you have come to remove me, Lord Voldemort will win sooner. There is no good outcome for you."

"I can't say I was ever impressed with your logic," Harry said. "I don't see how you find serving the Dark Lord more fulfilling than being an honored Auror."

Barty snarled. "You'll never understand."

"I think I understand more than you realize," Harry said. He looked to Frank. "Secure him, and let's get going."

Harry turned his attention to the guards who were assaulting the prisoners and the Aurors who were preparing for the roof of the fortress to be breached. "Guards," Harry yelled, "each of you take a prisoner hostage and begin your retreat to the lower floors of the prison. Aurors, hold as long as possible or until the guards and prisoners are clear. Then retreat and block access to the stairwell."

A particularly loud explosion thudded against the roof, shaking even the floor, and a large portion of the roof caved in. Behind Harry there was a muffled shout and then a flash of green light. Harry spun around, wand at the ready, to discover Frank Longbottom standing over Crouch's dead body.

"What happened?" Harry demanded.

"It was the explosion and shaking ground," Frank said quickly. "He lunged at me, and I thought he was going to get my wand. My reflexes kicked in, and I shot the killing curse at him. Normally I would have just shot a stunner or something, but we're in the middle of a battle here."

Harry frowned, the expression on his face depicting suspicion.

"I'm sorry, Director." Frank said. "It was an accident."

The instant Alastor Moody apparated into the Ministry, he could tell that something was amiss. "We need to get upstairs!" he yelled to the other Order members who had also appeared.

The Potters and Blacks were breathlessly trying to draw conclusions about Harry relation to Petunia Dursley, but they followed. Moody, who could not care less about Harry's origin, rushed to a lift, and not bothering to hold it for anybody else, punched the button for the DMLE's floor. He arrived in the lobby to find Aurors rushing everywhere.

"What's going on?" he demanded as he grabbed the first person he recognized.

"The Dementors are revolting, and they think You-Know-Who is going to attack Azkaban," the middle-aged witch told Moody urgently. "Director Black has ordered reinforcements be sent to the shore off Azkaban."

Moody spun around to see the Potters, Blacks, and Dumbledore emerge from the lift. "It looks like there is going to be a battle at Azkaban," he said curtly. "I'm going."

"I will gather Order members," Dumbledore said, already walking toward a fireplace from where he could send Floo messages.

"No doubt there are already orders for us to go as well," James sighed as he and Sirius made their way deeper into the department offices and left Lily with her two daughters and Sirius's son.

Not wasting another second, Moody filched some Auror-issue equipment and used a Ministry portkey to travel to the shore of Azkaban. Explosions were echoing in the air and light was flashing as he appeared about thirty yards away from a group of Aurors stationed on the shoreline. He rushed over to find that Kingsley Shacklebolt was in command.

"What's our status?" Moody asked.

"Death Eaters are trying to breach the roof of the prison," Shacklebolt said, sounding calm despite the chaos around him. "We're giving them plenty of trouble. As soon as I get enough forces, we'll take to the air and engage the attackers directly."

"What about Director Black?" Moody demanded.

"We don't know. He hasn't communicated to us since sending for us." Kingsley answered. "He might not even realize we are here."

"I'll see to that," Moody muttered, casting a Patronus.

Harry was not satisfied with Frank Longbottom's explanation, but now was not the time to quibble. "Get his body. We're taking it with us," Harry said, turning to supervise the situation. Having a second thought, he turned around. "We're taking it with us, but if anything happens to prevent us from making it back safely, it is your job to ensure that the body is destroyed with Fiendfyre. Do you understand?"

"As you command," Frank said agreeably.

Harry spun around again and observed that the guards had removed the prisoners from the floor. "Aurors, retreat!" Harry yelled, trying to be heard over the explosions. Not only were the attackers firing barrages against the quickly failing roof, there seemed to be additional explosions in the air outside. Perhaps reinforcements had arrived.

"We don't retreat until you do," Amelia said, coming to Harry's side.

"I'm on my way out," Harry said curtly, striding to the stairwell and making his way down. He rushed as quickly as he could to the ground floor where he found the prison guards with their hostage-prisoners from the top floor. "Find a room, lock them in, and conceal the entrance," Harry directed. Warden McGayle was standing there, looking surprised. "Help them," Harry directed.

Harry was trying to think of what the next step should be when a familiar Patronus burst into the prison through one of the narrow slits near the front. With it came Moody's voice. "Harry! At my next sending we will have enough reinforcements to cover your retreat from the island. Signal us when you are ready. We'll cover you from the air, but be prepared to return spellfire."

It seemed like a good enough plan to Harry.

"Come on, Mom, everybody else is going," Rose wheedled. "You let me come to the Ministry battle."

"You had a vision guaranteeing your safety," Lily said curtly. "And, I don't want to put Leo in danger without Sirius knowing."

"We'll have a portkey and can leave at the first sign that things are getting too dangerous, Mrs. Potter," Leo said.

Lily pursed her lips. "All right, but you both hang onto the portkey at all time, and Leo is the one who decides when to activate it."

"Deal," Rose said, even though she looked slightly annoyed by the conditions.

Sidra smirked, inwardly congratulating herself on being old enough to go into the battle without begging permission. While Lily was occupied with ensuring that Rose and Leo would be safe, Sidra went to grab one of the Portkeys provided by the DMLE for volunteer fighters. Halfway there, she was intercepted when somebody grabbed her arm and dragged her into a private room. It was Bellatrix.

"Well, well, if it isn't cousin Bellatrix," Sidra smirked.

"Is that what she told you?" Bellatrix asked.

"Is there something you'd like to tell us about Harry?" Sidra asked smugly.

"I have nothing to say," Bellatrix said shortly. "Except that you are not going to the battle."

"What?" Sidra exclaimed.

"I've got work for you," Bellatrix said, producing two folded parchments from her sleeve. She held up one of the parchments. "This is a list of certain Wizengamot members." She held up the other parchment. "This is a letter I want duplicated and sent to each of them. When they receive this letter, they will come to the Wizengamot wing. I want you to put them in a room and keep them there until I need them."

"I can't just lock a bunch of people in a room!" Sidra retorted.

"Well, you will," Bellatrix said. "Perhaps you can recruit some of your friends-for instance, the ones who will not be allowed to the battle."

"And what are you going to do?" Sidra asked.

"Go to the battle," Bellatrix said. "I'll let you know how it goes."

After considerable debate, Harry, Amelia, and Frank agreed that they would have to be satisfied with packing everybody into the two boats they had brought to the island with them and a third boat that had already been at the island. Opening the prison doors proved to be a laborious task, but somehow, it was achieved without the Death Eaters flying in the air above noticing. Using all sorts of concealment charms, the large group ran to the dock, boarded the boats and cast off.

"Who here has a really small Patronus?" Harry asked.

One of the guards admitted to having a guinea pig for a Patronus.

"Great," Harry said. "You're sending a signal to let the Aurors on shore know we're coming." Briefly, he explained the procedure, and concluded by asking the guard to try his best to direct the Patronus to move under the water until it was a considerable distance away from the prison.

The guard cast the patronus, and in seconds, it was on its way. Even if one of the Death Eaters above had been looking for it, they easily could have missed it. Two minutes later, the spellfire coming from shore intensified, and Aurors were suddenly flying over heard and targeting Death Eaters.

"Get these things moving faster!" Harry commanded.

The boats were soon moving fast enough to skip over the water. Satisfied, Harry looked back and watched as the reinforcement Aurors completely overpowered the Death Eaters attacking the prison. With satisfaction, Harry observed that many of the Death Eaters were already retreating. They had been expecting only a standard prisoner transport escort and the Azkaban guards, or maybe a few more Aurors if there was a spy in the Ministry. But, they had not expected a show of such force from the Ministry so quickly.

Harry was feeling rather pleased with how a nearly disastrous situation had righted itself when he watched with horror as one of the remaining Death Eaters targeted the tower that sat over the prison's stairwell. The explosion did not destroy the tower, but it breached it enough to set free the Dementors locked in.

Harry gritted his teeth as he saw the swarm of rebel Dementors head for the Aurors. He held up his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"

"Merlin's beard!" Moody shouted as an explosion of white light erupted from the water near the shore and rushed toward Azkaban and the Dementors that had just swarmed out of the breached tower.

The Aurors on shore gaped as the white light pulsated and drove the Dementors back toward Azkaban. When their eyes adjusted to the spell light, they were able to make out the form of a stag galloping across the water.

"Increase spellfire, laggards!" Moody yelled, hoping that the Aurors would be intimidated enough to take orders from him.

"The Death Eaters have retreated, I think," came Dumbledore's voice.

"Better safe than sorry," Moody said, allowing himself to be distracted. "Did you see that Patronus?"

"Yes," Dumbledore commented, "it was quite powerful. This confirms that Mr. Black is indeed a wizard with which to be reckoned."

"Was that Harry Black's Patronus?" James Potter asked as he approached the group with Sirius in tow. Both he and Sirius had a strange look on their faces.

"Yes, sir!" Moody said triumphantly. "Now if only we can convince whoever becomes Minister to keep Director Black in place. With him in charge, the Death Eaters will surrender and You-Know-Who will drop dead!"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I don't know that Harry will be the Director for long, Alastor. But I think you will be satisfied with the results, anyway."

James and Sirius did not respond, but disappeared in the crowd.

The boats had docked below the cliff and the Aurors and guards were making their way up. Last up was Harry and Frank Longbottom. Longbottom was levitating Crouch's dead body. When he was a few feet away from the edge, he allowed the body to drop.

Meanwhile, ranking Aurors surrounded Harry to give reports on the situation.

"I know, I know, I was here," Harry said, motioning for them to back away. He stepped to the edge of the cliff and squinted at Azkaban. His Patronus could still be seen hovering near the breached hole in Azkaban's tower. Apparently, it has driven the Dementors back into the prison.

"I need an Auror Lieutenant and a couple of volunteers who can cast Patroni," Harry called. Several people stepped forward, and Harry picked out a pair of witches and a wizard. "I think you can probably use your Patroni to keep the Dementors in Azkaban. You might have to spread out a bit and use three Patroni. I don't think the Dementors can travel very far over water. Maybe if I keep my Patronus up until yours are in place, you can prevent them from getting out of there entirely."

"We might need more than that," Amelia interjected. "The Death Eaters could come back and try to spring the Dementors."

"That would be regrettable," Harry said, turning to focus on the prison. "Yes, we'll have to come up with a more long term solution."

Moody and Dumbledore stood apart from the Aurors and Harry, observing.

"He seems to fit into this battlefield leadership role pretty easily," Dumbledore said. "Not too controlling, not too weak."

"Probably experience from the alternate future," Moody said. "I don't know how he's about to handle the Potters and Blacks, though."

Dumbledore smiled as he watched Lily, James, and Rose Potter make their way through the crowd to Harry. Bellatrix was also coming toward Harry from another direction. "Maybe Madam Black can get him out of here before the Potters can launch that discussion."

"She can try, but Lily is awfully persistent," Moody said, grinning sardonically.

A small cry sounded in the crowd, and then someone shouted. Startled, Moody watched as the once dead Barty Crouch, Jr., leapt up from the ground, holding a wand that he had apparently stolen from an unsuspecting Auror. Grinning triumphantly, he pointed the wand at Harry and screamed. "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry turned around just in time to collide with the flash of green light head-on. The force of it propelled him into the air and off the cliff. With horror, Moody watched as Harry Ashworth Black died and his body plunged toward the ocean below.