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Chapter 31
Preparations

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Beta-reader for the chapter is manta.sting.ray

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"Professor, I suggest you prepare many port keys, which should be spread throughout Hogwarts in strategic places. I also suggest not telling anyone of the looming evacuation other than the teachers, so the risk that the evacuation will be detected stays low. At the day of the attack, we will activate the port keys and let everyone come here to the castle and to prepare a trap for the demons. But for the preparations we need to have a lot of elves from Hogwarts to prepare everything in the castle. Also we need to have a lot of food to feed everyone. I know that the Potter's castle has even bigger kitchens then Hogwarts has, but the problem is the sleeping arrangements. We need the help of every elf we can find in order to prepare everything."

"Yes, Ms. Granger, we know. But for now ... hush!"

Hermione stayed quiet. Her eyebrows went up, but she said nothing further. "Professor McGonagall, why must Hogwarts evacuated?" Ginny asked the professor, "Hogwarts is magical, and is much stronger than Potter's castle."

"No, Ms. Weasley, Hogwarts was built as a school and to hold students and teachers, while Potter's castle was built to hold and to keep armies in and out. Potter's castle is 150 years older than Hogwarts, and it has extended dungeons; larger than those of Hogwarts. There is a network of dungeons, which goes on for miles and miles underground. Hogwarts is mainly magical, while Potter's castle was built in a conventional way, and the magic is used to make it stronger. Patrick Potter spent all of his life to enhancing and fortifying the walls of this castle, and his son Maurice Potter spent his life building magical defenses, which came alive when they were activated. Five nephews of Maurice Potter on his mother side spent their life times in finishing the defenses after the death of Patrick. You can find books in the Potter's library about them, Hermione. When I was a student in Hogwarts, I made several assays about them."

"Professor, what must we do to help?" Harry asked.

"Well Harry. I want to start with transferring the elves over to the Potter's castle. We have one hundred elves in Hogwarts and I'm thinking of transferring them today to add to the eighty elves already there. We need them to prepare living arrangements for the students and teachers."

"Professor is it possible to continue with classes for the students? "

"Yes of course, Hermione. We will continue the school, even when we leave the castle."

"When do you think that we can receive the first students? Hermione, Ginny and I are willingly to help with everything what needs to be done."

"Thanks Harry, but that is something I need to discuss with Professor Dumbledore. But there are issues of preparations, which can not wait. Let me talk to your house elf Batum for the preparations for the elves from Hogwarts. I think that you need to talk to your house elf, Harry. I think that he'll be very surprised to see eighty elves at his doorstep. How many elves do you have here in the castle? "

"We have four elves, professor. We have Batum, Sinny, Bana and Ninny."

"Ok, let's arrange the things for the elves. We have other issues to take care for."

With that, Harry and Professor McGonagall talked to Batum and prepared him for arrival of eighty elves. Professor McGonagall went back to Hogwarts to prepare for the departure of the Hogwarts elves.

In the meanwhile a very old wizard arrived at the Potter's castle for the installation of the extra defenses of the castle. "Harry Potter", the old wizard said. "My name is Mathew Strangler and my old friend Albus Dumbledore has asked me to help to reinforce the defenses of this castle. I have heard from him that you have developed new shields."

"Yes, Mr. Strangler, we have developed several new shields, but they will not be able to be used to defend the castle, because those are personal shields, and aren't large enough to shield the castle."

"I have magical objects, which supplies almost an unlimited amount of magical energy, which can be used to hold a shield to cover the castle. But for this, we need to change your spells for the shields. Shall we work on your shields so that we can use my magical objects?"

Harry and Mathew Strangler started to discuss ways to change the spells for the newest shields, so that they could cover the castle.

Professor Dumbledore came early in the evening to the living quarters of the trio. "Ginny, I have asked your family to come to Potter's castle this evening, because I suspect that the death eaters will attack your house. They will arrive this evening after dinner. "

Ginny looked very excited by the unexpected arrival of her family. "Ouch, that means that the elves will have some problems with their cooking," Harry mumbled.

"Harry, I heard that," Ginny said laughing.

"How are the shields going, Harry?"

"Well professors, the spells for the shields have been changed, and Mr. Strangler is busy connecting them now with his magical objects to supply them with a lot of energy. It seems that those mysterious magical objects are the same type being used to keep Hogwarts up and running."

"That's right. Do you have any idea when will be up and running?"

"Well, according Mr. Strangler, they will be up and running this evening, but I suggest that you ask that him self. He is somewhere in the dungeons to work on them. "

Hermione looked at the professor Dumbledore with a serious expression on her face. "Professor, what is going to happen now? "

Professor Dumbledore looked very serious, and sat down in the sofa in front of the fireplace. "I am afraid that there will be a time where many people are going to die in the Times will be dark and full of terror. Many people are going to die. I'm afraid there is nothing we can do about it, either than waiting and seeing if we have a chance to retaliate."

"What about the ministry, professor?"

"Cornelius Fudge has heard what we had to say, but he did not want to call for the mobilization of aurors and other security personnel. The only thing he wanted to do was increase the security around the ministry buildings and some ministry personnel at home."

"When do you want to start the evacuation, professor?"

"When the first attacks from the death eaters are starting, Hermione. When that is according the intelligence that will take place tomorrow morning. When that is indeed the case, the evacuation will start then."

Fred and George sat next to each other on the large table in the kitchen of the Potter's castle. It was cozy warm because of the large kettles with boiling water on the stove. House elves were popping in and out of the kitchen everywhere, all of them busy to prepare the food for the evening and the following day, because they expected to receive the first students to arrive tomorrow morning. Fred was writing on a large parchment, while George was eating a big sandwich. "What are you eating, George?" Fred asked.

"I am eating a large sandwich with peanut butter, jam, chocolate, jam, mayonnaise, sugar and lettuce. Why ask?"

"You are nervous?"

"I guess I am. Our shop is closed now and we don't have income. I'm worried that the death eaters will destroy it. I can't help but to worry ... I am also worried about our sister ... what's happening with her and Harry and Hermione isn't natural. How can she stand sharing Harry with Hermione?"

"You heard Dumbledore, it is a disease they have, all three of them. They are bound to each other, and they can't help it. They will be in trouble if they are separated from each other, and then our Ginny might die!"

"But still, it is unnatural. I refuse to think what happens behind the doors of their bedroom ... by the way, did you take all the extended ears with you?"

"Yes, I did. They are with the rest of the goods from our shop in our rooms."

"I wanted to organize a good prank with Harry, he can use a good laugh. "

"What do you have in mind, George?" Fred asked with a mischievous smile on his face, his eyes twinkling.

At that moment Harry came into the kitchen. "What are you up to, you two?", Harry asked with a smile on his face.

"Nothing, Harry. We had some fun thinking about Sirius last night, when he arrived in his room and found his bed being charmed. I bet he couldn't sleep all night, when his bed was making remarks about his socks and underwear. "

"What did you do?" asked Harry with a large smirk on his face.

"We charmed his bed in a way that it is sensitive for smells. Because knowing Sirius, we knew that he would drop his socks and underwear on the floor and not take a shower when he went to bed, so there was something to remind him about that."

At that moment, a very malicious looking Sirius entered the kitchen, looking intently to the twins. "My bed was speaking to me all night. First it was about my socks, later about my feet, and when I took that damn shower, it was making remarks about my nails. After I cut them, it was starting to sing lullabies and declaring its love to me. What did you two do with my bed? "

Fred and George looked surprised to Sirius. "We only charmed your bed for the smells, but nothing more", Fred replied.

Harry was laughing. "I guess you didn't sleep long, Sirius? "

"No, I did not. In the morning my bed started to fall in love with me, and I was kicked out of my room. Fred and George, I expect that you charm that bed back as it was now, because the morning is still some hours away, and I want to spend that time sleeping ... for Merlin's sake, it's 4 o'clock in the morning ... by the way, what are you all doing up so early in the morning? Harry, did Ginny and Hermione kick you out of bed? "

"I could not sleep, and I wanted to ask for some chocolate here in the kitchen, but here I met the twins, and now you're here. What are you doing up so early, Fred and George? "

"We were hungry, and that stupid house elf Sinny was making such noise in the room next to us, that we could not sleep."

"What noise?", Sirius asked.

Harry smiled. "They are preparing the accommodations for the students, who will arrive today from Hogwarts. They transferring them all over to Potter's castle today. "

"I heard. Are all the elves from Hogwarts here already?" Sirius asked while looking at the chaos of elves everywhere in the kitchen.

"The majority of the elves are indeed here already, but the rest of the elves will arrive shortly after all students are transferred to the castle."

Four mugs with hot, steaming hot chocolate appeared in front of Harry, Fred, George and Sirius. Dobby appeared next to Harry. "Harry Potter Sir, drink your hot chocolate please and leave the kitchen to the house elves Sir, because we need all the space we can get." With this, he disappeared with a loud pop.

Harry laughed sheepishly and took his mug with chocolate. "Let's go to the dining room and drink our hot chocolate, before we get in trouble with the elves." All four of them went to the dinning room, where they sat at one of the big tables. There were many elves working on the large tables. The dining room was magically enlarged and there were five large tables placed in the house colors of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin colors. "I see that we have Hogwarts coming to the Potter's castle. Are they continuing school in this castle?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, they will continue school when all students are here. The class rooms are being prepared in the dungeons right now. Professor McGonagall is still busy preparing everything for the students today. She plans on continuing the classes at the beginning of the coming week. "

Fred and George stood up. "We will take that charm from your bed, Sirius, so you can sleep. ". With that they disappeared too the large hallway.

"What are you going to do today, Harry? "

"We're going to the stables this morning to secure the horses. We don't want to let them get hurt."

"Where do you plan to put them?"

"We found a family, living not far from here. They are friendly enough to take care for them. We plan to move the horses to their house today. Then we come back and see if we can help professor McGonagall with her work. "

"Why do you want to move the horses away from the protection of the castle, Harry? "

"The protections and the shields of the castle do not cover the stables, Sirius. We can not allow the horses to wander free in the castle, especially with all the students here, so it is better we move them away into the care of someone else, it is better in this way. That is what Ginny wants, because she loves them very much. "

Sirius looked at Harry. "How do you feel Harry? I have noticed that you have changed and matured so much, you don't seem to need anyone any more."

"I don't know, Sirius. If you asking me about my guilty feelings, yes, I still have them, but the thoughts are not driving me mad anymore as it did before. I also feel much more stable than before. I don't feel so bad anymore. But I have extreme intense and powerful feelings towards Hermione and Ginny. I don't know what it is which makes me feel that way ... I guess it is the disease."

Harry looked down to his mug with chocolate. "I know it is wrong what we are doing, it is so unnatural, but it feels so right. I give everything for my two girls, and what makes me sad now is that our wedding is postponed again."

Sirius looked surprised to Harry. "Oh Harry, I feel so bad, I totally have forgotten about your wedding. What happens now?"

"We spoke yesterday evening with professor Dumbledore, and we have decided to postpone the wedding to a later date. We are thinking to postpone the wedding to the spring next year. We hope that there is something left to celebrate, with all the evil being unleashed very shortly."

Harry looked up from his mug. "What are you going to do today, Sirius?"

"Well, I have some business with the Order in the morning, and then we'll see how everything goes."

Harry looked sad to Sirius. "Be careful out there, Sirius."

Sirius stood up and patted Harry's shoulder. "Harry, if you need something, come see me ... I am always there for you to talk to and to help you."

Birds where twittering everywhere in the bright, early morning, while Harry, Hermione and Ginny were walking hand in hand towards the stables. The trio was quiet and was enjoying the freshness of the early morning. The sun was shining and already gave some of its warmth, turning the trees into one bright mass of lustrous colors of green, brown and yellow. "What a lovely morning," Hermione exclaimed. Her face was shining, while Ginny was making content little sounds as if she was laughing. "I love the early morning rise of mother nature. I love to walk in the morning outside. I missed this so much ... every year in the burrow I walked in the morning hours like this to my own tree, and it was so peaceful and quiet ... I feel being recharged. "

Harry smiled, but said nothing. The trio reached the stables, approaching the door. Harry pulled on the handle and the large door opened slowly. The trio entered the stable, and looked around, slightly frowning. On the left side of the stable were boxes where the horses were being held, but they did not see any horses. The stalls were all empty! On the right side he could see more boxes, but they were empty as well. Harry walked to the box where Ginny's horse was normally held and opened its door. There was nothing, not even the straw on the ground. He turned his head towards Hermione, who was checking the other boxes.

Ginny's voice appeared from his right. "Harry, look at this!"

She held a piece of parchment out. Harry and Hermione walked to Ginny and took the parchment from Ginny. Harry turned the parchment to both sides.

"It's only an empty parchment, Ginny. Nothing's on it. How did this parchment get here and who did this? What happed to your horse and where is everything? We had five horses here yesterday!"

Suddenly the light seemed to change, like a shadow falling upon them. A feeling of dread welled up from his stomach. "Something bad happened", whispered Harry softly, looking wildly around him. He grabbed the hands of Hermione and Ginny. We need to get out of here, I am afraid it's a trap! Let us apparate away out of here."

Harry tried to concentrate into apparate away with the girls, but nothing happened. "It is blocked with anti-apparate shields," Hermione exclaimed in fear.

They moved quickly to the doors of the stable, which were still standing open. But Harry saw that the light outside was changed from the bright intensity of the morning to a looming glow of dread! "Stay close to me, girls. Something is going to happen. Activate your personal shields!"

The trio looked warily out of the door into the gloomy fog. "What shall we do now," Ginny whispered. "Let's wait here and see what happens," Hermione replied softly. Her fingers were grabbing Harry's and Ginny's hands painfully. "I am afraid Harry, something bad is going to happen very soon."

The gloom looked to spread it self into the stables, while Harry, Hermione and Ginny walked slowly backwards to the extreme end of the stable.

"Do you know the spell corpus corporis appareo? It is a spell to summon skeletons, which will attack anything alive with its swords."

Both girls nodded. "If we will be in trouble, and there are a lot of death eaters around us, summon as much as skeletons as possible, but summon the skeletons between the death eaters, not in front of them. In this way the damage is the largest, and they will have something else to do then to curse us."

The fog reached the trio. Harry felt the familiar feeling of a port key in his stomach. Suddenly the environment around him changed from the fog around them into that of a stone corridor. They had been transported via port key into this narrow cave!

Harry immediately heard the sound of a lot of people, he heard the screaming of several women, wailing of children and sadistic laughing. He heard the sound of people moving, feet stamping on the ground, sounds of pots and pans ... and he noticed the smell of rotting meat, the sickening smell of burning flesh.

In front of them he could see that the stone corridor headed to a large cave. The cave had a high ceiling and was full of people, and small buildings, tents and other constructions. In the far back of the cave he could see a podium with a lot of figures around it. Behind the podium he could see a dragon, its head turning left and right, smoke coming out of its nostrils. It was very hot in the cave; he could see many fires burning throughout the hall. Harry turned to look back to see if the cave lead backward, but he looked to a stone wall. They were trapped!

A hissing and rasping sound of a terrible voice could be heard. "Welcome againnn ... Harry Potterrrr" The strangled voice sounded everywhere around them. "shhsssssssssssssss ... what a nice surprissssssssssssssssse that you like to joinnnnnnnnn ussssssssss ... and I sssseeee that you brought yourrrrr brides with you. "

Harry's head abruptly turned towards the platform at the far end of the large hall. "That is Voldemort sitting on that platform ", hissed Harry to the girls. Stay close to me!"
"There are hundreds of death eaters here", whined Hermione. "What shall we do?"

"Look-k-k-k-k-k at this disssssssssssssssssssssgustinggggg fffffffigure herrrrrrrrre, Harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry. Thisssssssssss isssssss Corneliussssssss Fud-d-d-dge and he wantsssssssss to joinn me, don't you Corneliusssssssssssssssssssssssss? ... CRUCIO!"

Harry and the girls could see a large chair on the platform, and could see a person on the chair, assuming that it was Voldemort. They could also see the beam of the crucio curse from Voldemort to a figure in front of him, crawling on the ground.

"I have buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurned and cooooooooooked hisssssss wife and two children alive, like I will cook-k-k-k-k-k all of the womennnnnnn and childrennnnnnnnnnn herrre present-t-t-t. When we arrrrrrrrrre finisssssssssssssshed with themmmmmmm ... we will attack-k-k-k-k the resssssssssssssssssssst of the wizzzzzzzzzard world-d-d-d."
A terrible shrieking laughter appeared all around them.

"You two will summon the skeletons between the death eaters left and right, while I will attack Voldemort with everything I have. On my count to three!"

Hermione and Ginny pointed slowly both hands with fingers spread towards the death eaters in the large hall. The attention of the death eaters were all directed to the trio. Slowly they started to walk into the hall. "One, two ... three"

"Corpus corporis appareo!"

From each finger of the hands of Hermione and Ginny a purple beam appeared straight into the masses of the death eaters. Where the twenty beams ended, grayish skeletons appeared with clicking noises, in each claw a large sword ... immediately the skeletons started to swing the swords around themselves, and the first death eaters died with decapitated limbs and heads. Immediately the death eaters started to panic. To the right of the trio, women started the scream in panic, many children were with them. "Don't send any skeleton to the women and children to our right", Harry yelled to the girls.

"Corpus corporis appareo!"

Twenty more skeletons appeared between the death eaters and the screaming and curses from the death eaters became louder, and they started to run away from the wielding skeletons. Blood was everywhere, and the skeletons started to move through the crowded death eaters, death and destruction in their path. Several spells were hitting the skeletons and other death eaters, but the skeletons kept going, cutting heads and limbs from the bodies they encountered and those who were not fast enough to escape. The figure on the large chair stood up, sending beams of bright violet light towards the first approaching skeletons, which dissolved into clouds of dust. The sound of the battle between the skeletons and the death eaters became louder.

"Corpus corporis appareo!"

Twenty more skeletons appeared again between the death eaters. Death was everywhere. More and more skeletons turned into clouds of dust, but it was already too late. Many death eaters laid on the ground death or wounded, and the rest of the death eaters were grabbed by a panic. They were running towards the podium, where Voldemort was sending spell after spell to destroy the skeletons.

"Corpus corporis appareo!"

Twenty skeletons appeared around Voldemort, who was trying to destroy the approaching skeletons, while the remaining skeletons were busy to kill every person in their path.

"Concentrate on the death eaters, let Voldemort to me," hissed Harry in concentration.

"Abscido fronts," Harry yelled, pointing both hands towards the man on the platform. A white beam of light flew straight from his hands towards the platform, where it exploded into a flash of light. The explosion missed Voldemort, but hit a death eater standing behind him; his head exploded from his body.

"Aduro contendo, aduro contendo, aduro contendo, aduro contendo, aduro contendo!" Large fireballs flew from Harry's hands towards Voldemort, who was shielding himself against it, and setting his environment on fire. Beams of purple light came from Voldemort heading towards the trio, but bounced harmlessly from their personal shields. More beams hit their shields from all sides.

"Corpus corporis appareo!"

"Aduro contendo!"

More skeletons appeared between the death eaters, who started to panic again, Voldemort could not destroy the skeletons because he was busy with the confrontation with Harry, and the skeletons had full control of the battle ... more and more the death eaters started to die.
Voldemort was surrounded by a wall of fire and destruction, caused by the fireball spells of Harry.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Voldemort was sending the killing curse straight towards Harry, but to his surprise the curse bounced off his shield.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Two more green beams of deathly energy surged towards the trio, and bounced again from their shield. Harry started to tire because of the effort it took him to keep the shields up and decided that this is the time to end it as fast as possible before the shield will break down.

"Diabolus dilato carcer!"

His voice echoed throughout the hall, a silence suddenly broken by loud screaming. On the platform darkness appeared, blacker then black, like a black hole ... movement in the blackness ... large and gray shadows appeared and stepped out of the hole, towards Voldemort. The shadows had a form of large creatures with wings, red, glowing eyes, directed to Voldemort. One of the shadows reached its claws towards Voldemort, touched him ... Voldemort was screaming now, his head looked like it split ... where his mouth use to be was only a slit visible. Shrieking sounds appeared from the platform, more and more shadows appeared out of the black hole, and all of the shadows were approaching Voldemort.

Suddenly a huge snake appeared from behind the platform, attacking the shadow figures. Hissing, screaming, cursing and spitting sounds were heard by all in the hall. Voldemort was fighting for its life and that was something new. The dragon was flipping its wings restlessly, its large head wiggling high in the air, and blew out a beam of fire towards the approaching shadows, who were untouched by the heat and violence. The basilisk bit the first shadowing figure, which touched Voldemort, and the large snake started to burn. Voldemort bounced back from the scene and turned around to the dragon to escape.

"Aduro contendo", Harry yelled, pointing his right arm to Voldemort. Voldemort was hit straight in his back, and flew from the podium ... his back still smoking. Voldemort stumbled to the dragon, with several shadows following. Voldemort looked quickly over his shoulder fearfully to the following daemons, took something from his robes and disappeared. "He port-keyed away," Hermione yelled. The shadows swirled around, confused that their victim disappeared, and one after the other they disappeared as well.

"Harry, you summoned daemons! How could you?!"

Harry was screaming over the noise of the battle. "Hermione, the daemons are only bound to Voldemort now, and they will never touch anything else, than only him. When they have him, the daemons will disappear to their realm again never to return, but taking Voldemort with them. As from now, Voldemort is being hunted by 20 daemons and those are very hard to get rid of."

In the meantime many death eaters who were still alive moved to the far end of the large hall, and they seemed to disappear into a large entrance.

"They are escaping, what we shall do?"

"Let them, Ginny. The alternative is to kill them all, and that I don't want that," Hermione said quietly. The trios turned their back to the wall of the hall, and were watching the bloodbath from there.

"Let's send those skeletons back where they came from; let the rest of them escape. There are not many left alive anyhow."

The trio sent spells to the skeletons and they disappeared one after the other with a loud crash.


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Beta-reader for the chapter is manta.sting.ray