Chapter Text
"Harry!"
Harry Potter jerked alert at Hermione's shout - then fumbled to keep his seat atop the Thestral he was riding. Around him, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Ginny clung to their own Thestrals, and Harry realized immediately that they were on the way to London, the Ministry, and the Department of Mysteries.
Bugger. There were worse places he could've woken up, but not many. But at least the timing gave him a chance to plan, however small that chance and rough that plan might be.
"Land!" He shouted back, past the rush of wind as they flew, and pointed downward to emphasize the command.
Moments later, his feet were firmly on the ground and he patted the Thestral's neck while he surveyed his surroundings as his companions joined him. He judged they were somewhere in Leicestershire, or perhaps Northamptonshire, but that was mostly a guess based on the rolling hills dotted with trees.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Did you have another vision?"
Harry shook his head. "No - I realized I'm an idiot."
"You're not-"
The protests came from several of them, but he held up a hand to forestall all of them. "I have something from Sirius - he said it's a way of letting him know if Snape was giving me a hard time."
"So?" Ron asked. "Snape's not here, is he?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but kept her voice reasonably normal when she said, "Harry could have used it to confirm his vision before we left."
"So what now?" Ginny asked. "Do we go back?"
"You can if you want," Harry said, "but I'm going ahead. I'm just - going to be a little more cautious."
"What do you mean?" Neville asked.
Harry took a breath. "I mean - it's still possible that Sirius is in danger. But…what if it's a trap? What if the visions were meant to lure me to the Ministry?"
He knew they were, but he couldn't tell his friends that yet. Possibly ever.
"Why?" Hermione asked. "Why would Voldemort want to lure you to the Ministry?"
"Other than he’s been trying to kill me since I was a toddler, I've no idea," Harry said, and hoped she wouldn't see through the lie. "But treating it like he would, like it's an ambush, only makes sense."
"What do you want us to do?" Ginny asked, and Harry smiled grimly.
"If you're still coming," Harry began, "we're going ahead, but we'll be careful. Everyone stay alert, ready for a fight. And I mean a fight - this isn't school, and if it is Tommy-Boy or any of the Death Eaters, they won't be casting stunners. Understood?"
He glanced at each one of his friends, got nods from all of them.
"Thanks," he said, and he knew it was inadequate, but he had no other words. He turned to remount the Thestral he'd been petting while he spoke, only to be surprised when it nuzzled his neck.
He paused to rub the Thestral's neck once more, and Luna's quiet voice drifted to him. "You don't have as many Wrackspurts as you used to."
Harry glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. "Yes. I'm thinking more clearly than I ever have before."
Luna smiled back and turned to scramble onto her Thestral.
Moments later, they were all airborne and heading for the Ministry once more.
BREAK
The first time he'd fought this battle, Harry hadn't known how to Disillusion himself, so Dumbledore had spent half his time protecting or shielding Harry, rather than focusing fully on Voldemort.
This time, though, Harry Disillusioned himself as soon as Dumbledore engaged with Voldemort to silently join the battle against the Death Eaters, laying down wordless covering fire to protect his friends and biding his time until Fudge and the Aurors showed up.
Well, if he were honest with himself - he was protecting one friend in particular. There was no need for Hermione to carry the scar from Dolohov's curse for the rest of her life.
Harry had already sent Bellatrix Lestrange through the Veil instead of Sirius, and he rode the high of that success while he circled the Atrium until he had a clear line of sight on Antonin Dolohov. Then he took aim and cast in Parseltongue.
"Rictusempra."
One of the things Harry had learned in the in-between space that manifested for him as King's Cross Station was that spells cast in Parseltongue could only be countered by spells cast in Parseltongue. No wonder people disliked parselmouths.
With any luck, Dolohov would laugh himself to death before the battle was over. Regardless, Dolohov was far less of a threat to Hermione - or anyone else, for that matter - now, and Harry forced himself to be satisfied with that as he registered the arrival of Fudge and the Aurors.
By the time Harry set himself up for a shot at Voldemort, Fudge should have had plenty of time to recognize just who - You-Know-Who - had made an appearance tonight.
Harry rushed forward to get a clear shot before Voldemort Apparated away. He took aim and relished the hiss of Parseltongue on his lips as he cast three spells in quick succession.
The first Severing Charm took off Voldemort's wand arm.
The second took off his head.
The Reductor Curse hit the floor near the largest group of Death Eaters who'd accompanied their Dark Lord, sending them flying, dazed enough that, with a little luck and the grace of Magic, they wouldn't recover before the Aurors could arrest them.
The post-battle silence lingered until…
"That-" Cornelius Fudge stared at the body on the floor. Blood pooled around it. "That's-"
"Harry." Dumbledore sounded infinitely sad. "What have you done?"
"Bought us some time," Harry snapped back, surveying the room, wand still ready.
The Atrium was full of people, many of them Aurors who were aware enough to do their job by arresting or stunning everyone who wore Death Eater robes. It was just a matter of time before one of them noticed Sirius.
Harry edged closer to his godfather even as Fudge looked up from the bloody mess on the floor.
In some of the novels Harry had read - not as many as he should have or would like to - he'd seen the expression, emotions warred on his face. Now he knew what that looked like, because Fudge's expression cycled among terror, fear, and confusion in no particular order and never quite settling on any single one.
"That's-" Fudge's voice dropped to a near whisper that still somehow echoed across the room. "You Know Who."
"I shall explain everything," Dumbledore said, "after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts."
"Harry - Harry Potter?" Fudge spun around and stared at Harry. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you lot from Tom Riddle," Harry replied. "Again."
"As I said, Cornelius," Dumbledore put in, "I will explain once I send Harry back to school."
"No," Harry said sharply. "Not until we're all - everyone who was involved tonight - questioned under Veritaserum or a strong honesty hex."
That was a calculated risk on his part. If they asked the right - or wrong, depending on your point of view - questions, Harry would be in a deeper mess than he already was. But the chances of anyone asking the right - or wrong - questions was slim enough that he'd decided to risk it.
"Mr. Potter," a woman's voice sounded careful, almost tentative. "Are you aware of whom you're standing so protectively by?"
Protectively? Harry checked his stance. Huh. Apparently, he'd taken the position without consciously deciding to. He shook that thought off and met the woman's gaze evenly.
"Yes, Madam. I said everyone, and I meant everyone."
Fudge's eyes widened. "Sirius Black! Aurors-!"
"Arrest him," Bones finished. "He'll be questioned along with everyone else…including you, Mr. Potter?"
"Everyone," Harry said again, wondering how many more times he'd have to say it.
"Now, Amelia," Fudge began.
"Now, nothing, Minister," Bones cut him off. "Mr. Potter has, as he pointed out, saved us from You Know Who again. Questioning a man before he's Kissed is a small price to pay."