As Harry lay in his bed, blissfully unaware of anything going on in the world, he smiled slightly in his sleep at the strange yet happy dream he was experiencing. He was high in the air on his Firebolt desperately looking for the snitch as the crowd cheered. The Gryffindor house team had somehow made it to the finals of the Quidditch World Cup and were playing Bulgaria and, of course, Viktor Krum. The game seemed to be going well, Harry imagined, and while he had not spotted the snitch he had managed to avoid several bludgers that had grown mouths and snarled at him as they passed by his head. Below him he heard a whistle and when he looked saw Daphne wearing a referee's uniform and calling a penalty on the Bulgarian team.

As he watched his girlfriend yell at a Bulgarian a speck of gold suddenly caught his attention. The snitch! Harry dove forward on his broom and gave chase but the little golden ball was doing its best to avoid him. Krum must have seen Harry flying after the snitch because he was soon on its trail as well. Eventually the two seekers were side by side battling for position. Krum, the larger of the two, should have been strong enough to bash Harry out of his way but in his dream Harry bravely held his position and with a powerful shove sent Krum tumbling to the ground. Now nothing separated him from the snitch. He could see it more clearly than ever now, and as he began to close the distance the crowd began to chant his name. HARRY! HARRY! HARRY...

"Harry! Wake up!"

Harry's dream world came to an abrupt end and he found himself back in his bed in his still dark room. His hand shot out to the table next to him as he clumsily tried to put his glasses on. When he did he saw that his godfather was standing next to him.

"Huh? Sirius?" Harry said, still not fully awake. "What time is it?"

"About three in the morning." Sirius answered. "Get your clothes on, we don't have much time to waste."

Harry nodded and began to change into his normal clothes. As he did Sirius paced around the room impatiently but did not explain what was going on. By the time Harry was tying his shoe laces he had finally woken up enough to demand an explanation.

"Sirius, what is going on?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore's finally agreed, we're attacking the Dementors tonight." Sirius said. "We leave in less than a half hour."

"And he didn't have a problem with me participating?" Harry asked, the shock evident in his tone.

"He's going to try and talk you out of it before we leave." Sirius warned him. "But Kingsley and Moody are both on your side. They aren't sure that the plan will work with just three people capable of casting the Dementor killing Patronus, but agree success is likely with four."

"Why now though? I didn't think he would ever agree."

"That's the other part of this." Sirius said. "Little Whinging was attacked by Dementors tonight."

"What?" Harry gasped. "The Dursleys were supposed to still be protected, that was why I stayed."

"They're fine, Harry." Sirius assured him. "But the wards have degraded faster than any of us predicted. They're still strong enough to keep anyone from locating where exactly they live, but are weak enough to allow them to narrow the possibilities down to about half of Surrey. That's still a pretty big area, Harry."

"I know." Harry answered. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Quite a few in the surrounding towns, but as far as I know only one person actually in Little Whinging got kissed." Sirius said. "A muggle boy. Named Piers something or other."

"Piers Polkiss?"

"Sounds right." Sirius answered with a nod. "Did you know him?"

"He was a part of Dudley's little gang." Harry replied. "He was a jerk and a bully, but he didn't deserve that. I don't see why this makes a bit of difference to Dumbledore though. I don't live there anymore, I'm not in danger."

"That's true." Sirius agreed. "But I think Dumbledore is still holding on to the hope that you will go back there next summer. Don't underestimate how persistant he can be."

"If they're smart the Dursley's will be gone by then." Harry said. "I sent Petunia a way to contact me if they were ever in danger, but she hasn't done it yet. They probably don't even know anything strange has happened."

"Let's get downstairs." Sirius said as he walked towards the door. Harry, who was now ready to leave, nodded followed him. "The others are meeting here first, then we will all head to Azkaban together. The decision to go tonight was only made a few hours ago, so we should have the element of surprise on our side at the very least."

As they walked down the stairs Harry could hear several people talking before they even reached the kitchen where the Order of the Phoenix was gathering. Already present were Mad Eye Moody who was grinning about something as he talked to Kingsley Shacklebolt. Tonks, Arthur and Bill Weasley, Amos and Cedric Diggory were all sitting at the table drinking coffee in an effort to wake themselves up. A very nervous looking Mundungus Fletcher was talking to Hestia Jones who looked like she would rather be somewhere else. Severus Snape stood in the corner looking on indifferently at the assembled group. A moment later the front door opened and Emmaline Vance walked in followed by Minerva McGonagall. Harry, meanwhile, sat back and watched in interest as the Order of the Phoenix prepared for its mission. For some of them it was the first time they had ever done anything like this, while for others it had been many years since the last time. A few seemed calm or even, as in the case of Mad Eye Moody, excited about what was to come. Others, particularly Mundungus Fletcher, appeared as if they were terrified by the idea of assaulting Azkaban.

"I didn't realize it was 'bring a child to work' day, Black." Snape sneered as Harry and Sirius walked towards the part of the room he was standing in.

"Shut up, Snivellus." Sirius replied. "I'd rather have him watching my back than you."

"Are you sure you'll even be able to produce a Patronus?" Snape asked. "I've heard that long time prisoners of Azkaban often find it impossible to do."

"He can, I've seen it." Harry said. "I'm surprised someone like you can do it at all. What memory do you use then, yelling at your Potions class?"

"My Patronus?" Snape laughed, "If you only knew, Potter, then you would be most surprised. But I'm not about to tell a brat like you." Snape turned and walked out of the room, but from the look on his face it seemed as if he had found something about the conversation very amusing. Harry shrugged, not understanding what Snape thought was so funny, and let the man go. Sirius seemed to have relaxed a little after the verbal confrontation with Snape, as if the familiar event had put him at ease.

The sound of the floo activating caught Harry's attention and when he turned to see who it was he was surprised to see Daniel Greengrass walking in with Daphne right behind him. Harry went to meet them but as soon as Daphne saw him she ran to her boyfriend and pulled him into a worried hug. Daniel, meanwhile, went to join the ongoing conversation between Moody and Shacklebolt.

"I'm glad you're here." Harry said quietly as he held her. "Are you going, too?"

"No, dad doesn't want me to." Daphne replied. "He wants me to stay behind and get things ready for if any injured people get brought back here. I told him I'd rather be there with you, but he wouldn't budge."

"They're only letting me go because they need my Patronus." Harry commented. "Otherwise I'm pretty sure I would be right here with you."

"It's stupid." Daphne said, a little angrily. "I've faced the Dementors twice already, that should be enough to prove that I could be useful."

"I know." Harry replied. "But we never would have been able to get this much help if it wasn't an official Order of the Phoenix mission. I think everyone is still a little bit shocked that this is actually going to happen. According to Sirius things like this almost never happened during the first war, especially after Dumbledore heard the prophecy."

"It'll work, Harry. And you're going to do fine." Daphne assured him. "You just promise me that you'll make it back here in one piece."

"I'll try my best." Harry said. Daphne sighed, knowing that she could not reasonably expect anything more than that. Harry sensed her uneasiness and leaned in to place a comforting kiss on her lips. When it ended Harry saw that Daphne was smiling, hopefully a sign that his idea had worked. Their moment was interrupted, however, when Harry heard someone loudly clearing their throat behind him. When he turned he saw that it was Professor Dumbledore who was eager to talk to him.

"Good morning, Harry. And to you Ms Greengrass." Dumbledore said quite cheerfully considering the time and what they were about to do. "I was wondering if I might be able to speak to you."

"Certainly, Professor." Harry answered. "I'm sure you won't mind if Daphne stays, will you?" Dumbledore frowned a bit at this, but did not fight it.

"Of course." Dumbledore replied. "I would like you to reconsider participating in the morning's activities. The Dementors are dangerous at normal times, I am unsure how they will react when their very existence is being threatened."

"You need me, Professor." Harry responded. "Even Moody and Shacklebolt know that. I can help make the world a safer place, and that is something I would gladly do even if there is danger involved."

"You are a brave young man, Harry, with a noble and mature personality." Dumbledore said with a smile. "I only wish you would give greater concern to your own safety and to the lengths that others would go to ensure it. Protecting you is perhaps the most important role the Order of the Phoenix has. If we fail in that then we have perhaps failed in everything else as well."

"I don't believe that." Harry replied. "I've thought about the prophecy a lot since I heard it, and I don't think that it means I am the only one capable of beating him."

"Perhaps not." Dumbledore allowed, "But that does not change the fact that your safety is paramount. I will not stop you from coming because, as you have pointed out, your participation will make our efforts much more likely to succeed. I only ask that you not take any unnecessary risks."

"I'll try." Harry promised.

"Good." Dumbledore said with a nod. "Now, I believe Professor Moody is going to give a briefing before we leave. You should not miss it." With that Dumbledore walked to the kitchen where everyone was gathered. Harry grasped Daphne's hand and together they followed him in. At one end of the kitchen Mad Eye Moody was attempting to get everyone to quiet down so he could speak. Eventually they did and Moody began his speech.

"Alright. Now that we're all here let's get down to business." the old Auror began. "Our target tonight is Azkaban, but more specifically the Dementors that live there. As you all may know there are anti-portkey and anti-apparition wards that extend for more than a mile in all directions around the island. We will be apparating to a point outside the wards and traveling by broom to the island itself. For those of you who don't have a broom of your own, we have spares. Once we reach the island we will break off into four teams, each consisting of one wizard able to cast a Patronus powerful enough to kill a Dementor and a couple of others to back them up and try to keep the Dementors on the island. The defenses of Azkaban are powerful, but they were designed to keep prisoners in and any who would wish to free them out. Neither of those apply to us and so you will find that the Dementors will be quite open to attack. Any questions so far?"

"Who are the four?" Amos Diggory asked from the back of the room.

"Me, Kingsley, Albus, and Potter." Moody answered. The last name caused some brief surprise amongst many members of the order. My group will come in from the north, Kingsley's to the east, Albus's from the South, and Potter's from the west. You're free to join whatever group you want, as long as they end up being equal in size. We will need the rest of you to use your Patronuses to contain the Dementors while we attempt to kill them."

"What about the guards stationed at Azkaban?" Tonks asked. "I know some of them, they're not bad blokes."

"They shouldn't be harmed by the Patronuses. You are all to remember not to engage the guards in battle unless they attack first, which I don't think they'll do. With luck, we should be out of Azkaban twenty minutes after we get there." Moody explained. He then reached into his coat and pulled out a bag which he threw onto the table. As it landed it came open and few chocolate bars from Honeyduke's fell out. "It's chocolate. Everyone needs to eat one as soon as we get to Azkaban. Keep a few on you for if you feel like you need it. I'd also recommend eating one once we get back. Well, that's it. Anybody else got something they want to say?"

No one did. Some of the assembled group began to look around as if suddenly realizing that this was really going to happen. Most of them were ready and eager to begin, but a few were clearly not feeling as brave.

"We leave in five minutes. Be ready." Moody said gruffly as he finished the meeting. The small crowd began to disperse at that point, including Harry and Daphne who made their way to the closet where Harry kept his Firebolt. He smiled knowing that he would have the fastest broom of anyone that night. Daphne said very little over the next few minutes, but it was clear that she was both worried about Harry and upset she could not also go. Soon, the time to leave approached and so they walked to the living room where most of the Order was waiting. Sirius was standing next to Daniel Greengrass, Tonks, and Hestia Jones and waved Harry over.

"Harry, we'll all be accompanying you tonight." Sirius informed him. "Is that OK with you?"

"Sounds good." Harry answered. He looked around the room and saw that the other groups had similarly been formed.

"You two better take care of each other." Daphne demanded as she looked back and forth from Harry to her father. "I mean it."

"Harry, you'll find that my daughter often has stubborn and demanding tendencies." Daniel said, smiling. Harry, however, was smart enough to agree with him.

"I wouldn't change a thing about her." Harry said, earning a smile from Daphne and a laugh from everyone else.

"Listen up!" Moody yelled from the front of the room. "We leave in thirty seconds. At least one person in your group should have the apparition coordinates, just side along apparate with them. Good luck, and good hunting!" Shouts of agreement and nervous laughter met Moody's announcement. Daphne, knowing it was time for them to go, reluctantly let go of Harry's hand as the rest of them made sure they were touching another member of the group. The last thing Daphne saw before the disappeared was Harry waving at her. Then the house was eerily quiet and empty. It made her feel a bit sad, but then she remembered she had work to do and got started on it.

When they arrived Harry found that they were on another, smaller island not far from Azkaban. The impressive prison fortress was easily visible in the moonlight and Harry was briefly glad that their objective was not to invade Azkaban.

"Stay together until we reach the island!" Moody shouted as he mounted his broom and took off with a grace that Harry did not expect. Despite the man's difficulty walking he could still move like a bird in the air. Harry obediently lifted off the ground on his Firebolt with the rest of his group near him. Once in the air they flew at a steady pace through the clear and cool night air, making sure that all those with slower brooms would have no trouble keeping up. As the minutes passed Azkaban drew nearer and for the first time Harry could see it clearly. A layer of fog seemed to the island, though there was no fog to bee seen anywhere else. The closer they got, the lower the temperature seemed to drop. The warm July night had quickly turned into one that felt like it belonged in late fall. Looking to his left, Harry could see that Sirius was very unhappy about returning to the prison where he had been wrongly kept for all those years. He did not look scared however, just angry.

Soon the groups were close enough to the island to begin splitting up to head for their assigned sides. Harry's group approached the west side of the island and landed quietly. All four of them began to look around for any sign of trouble, but it was clear that they had not been spotted yet.

"Chocolate everyone." Daniel Greengrass commented as he pulled out a bar from his pocket. The others soon followed suit and though Harry had not thought that the Dementors were having an effect on him already he immediately felt a little better. The sheer number of Dementors present on the island meant that their impact could be felt from much further distances.

"We wait for Moody to send up a flare, that is our signal to begin." Hestia Jones said as she held her wand out ready to cast. Harry did not know the woman very well, but she seemed to be confident in her abilities. Realizing that the time to act was drawing near, Harry began to concentrate in preparation of casting his Patronus. This mission was important and he was eager to prove that he deserved a place on the battlefield next to anyone in the Order of the Phoenix.

A bright red jet of light streaked into the air from the north, and a moment later the night sky was suddenly illuminated from the glow of over a dozen Patronuses. Harry's stag raced towards the prison as if it already knew what role it was supposed to play. It passed through the walls as if they were not even there and Harry was forced to adjust to not being able to see his Patronus. Through the magic he could still feel the link between them and instinctively knew when he needed to supply more power and when he needed to focus more. Moments later he felt a small drain in power from the magical creature and knew it had just killed its first Dementor of the night.

Suddenly shouts could be heard from inside the prison as its guards realized something out of the ordinary was going on. Lights turned on all over the island and several guards ran outside to see what was happening. Thankfully they realized they were outnumbered and made no move to stop the Order of the Phoenix. The Dementors meanwhile had continued to fall at a steady pace, but with only four Patronuses capable of destroying them and over one hundred Dementors it was clear the process was going to take some time. After only a few minutes the Dementors seemed to all realize at once that the battle was lost and attempted to escape the island. The evil creatures poured out of every exit in the castle until the night sky was darkened by their presence. Knowing that their part of the fight had arrived, the rest of the Order began attempting to contain the escaping Dementors. They were soon trapped between the out ring of Patronuses and the four more powerful Patronuses behind them. In the initial moments a few Dementors were able to successfully flee the island, but as their numbers continued to drop it became easier for the Order to prevent them from escaping.

Sweat poured off of Harry's head as he continued to pump as much of his strength into his Patronus as he could. As he watched Prongs tear into another Dementor he smiled in pride at how well the ambush had gone so far. Ten minutes after the battle began there were fewer than fifty Dementors left on the island, and their numbers were dropping constantly. Harry guessed that it would take less than five minutes to destroy the rest.

"INCOMING!" Harry heard a voice shout, but he did not dare turn away from his task to look at what was approaching them. The others though turned and saw a group of wizards in dark robes flying on brooms towards them, although they were still far away. They were coming in from the south, which meant that they would run into the group led by Professor Dumbledore first.

"Damn, Death Eaters!" Sirius yelled. "Probably still three or four minutes away. Do you think we'll be done by then?"

"It'll be close." Daniel replied. "A guard must have contacted them somehow."

"How many?" Hestia wondered aloud.

"I can't tell. Maybe a dozen." Sirius answered. "But I have the feeling Voldemort will be with them."

"At least we've got Dumbledore here." Hestia replied nervously.

"Harry, can you cast and fly at the same time?" Daniel asked as he glanced back and forth between the dying Dementors and the approaching Death Eaters.

"I can try." Harry answered uncertainly.

"We should regroup around Dumbledore, we don't want to let them isolate us and that's where the others will be headed." Daniel explained. "You just focus on casting, we'll ride right beside you and help guide your broom." Harry nodded and hopped back on his Firebolt as the others mounted their brooms as well. With Sirius on one side and Daniel on the other Harry was able to fly towards Dumbledore's group and continue the assault on the few remaining Dementors without a problem. By the time he arrived there were fewer than ten Dementors left. As the last ones fell Harry finally ended his spell and attempted to rest for a moment before the next fight began.

"What do you want to do, Albus? We might be able to make it out of here before they reach us." Moody said as he landed next to Dumbledore. He took the time to look around at their group which was unharmed from the attack on the Dementors but most were a little tired. Snape had fled, apparently in accordance with Dumbledore's instructions, when the Death Eaters were first spotted. That still left them with a group capable of repelling most attacks though.

"No, old friend. That is not an option." Dumbledore answered sadly. "They all appear to have the fastest brooms available and could pick those of us on slower brooms off one by one. We must drive them off before we can make our escape."

"Fine by me!" Moody replied with a grin on his face. The others heard the conversation and understood what it meant for them. Mundungus Fletcher, one of the less reliable members of the Order, decided that he had had enough of the fight and hopped onto his broom and flew off in the opposite direction of the Death Eaters leaving the rest behind. Since he was alone the Death Eaters probably would not even attempt to chase him down, but it left the Order with one less wand to use.

Moments later the group of Death Eaters, led by Lord Voldemort, landed on the island about one hundred feet from the Order of the Phoenix. As they followed their master as he walked towards their sworn enemies they made no attempt to attack them. Soon the distance between them had been halved and both groups could see who they were facing. Voldemort had brought with him Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Barty Crouch Junior, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, and Gabriel Greengrass.

"You're outnumbered, Tom." Dumbledore said calmly. "It would be foolish to attack us now."

"And you're outclassed, Dumbledore." Voldemort replied. "Tonight you and your pathetic Order will pay a heavy price for the minor victory you achieved before we arrived. As for being outnumbered, perhaps you should think again. I've always known that I would eventually have to overtake Azkaban, do you really think I did not plan ahead for that day? You have fallen in to a trap nearly thirty years in the making. Tell me Dumbledore, do you know what Azkaban does with their dead? I do."

Before anyone could respond Voldemort cast a spell aimed at the water around the lake. For a moment nothing happened, but then the first corpse pulled itself up onto dry land. Soon Inferi were climbing out of the water all around them. Every dead body that had been thrown into the sea for the last thirty years had been caught in a spell that Voldemort had cast which turned them into his mindless slaves, and now he was calling on them. In all there were about seventy five of them and although they could not do magic it did tip the scales in Voldemort's favor.

"Flame spells!" Moody yelled, instructing the others on what to do. A moment later the calm that had existed shattered and the battle began in earnest. As the rest of the Order began casting spells which hurled fire at the inferi Dumbledore concentrated on shielding them from the attacks of the Death Eaters. For a moment the plan was successful, mostly because Voldemort had not yet entered the battle but instead stood by laughing at the spectacle before him. But as his inferi started being pushed back into the sea he realized it was time for him to make his presence felt. The Dark Lord began with something simple to get Dumbledore's attention: an Avada Kedavra aimed at his head.

Dumbledore was easily able to conjure a stone wall to block the curse, but he knew that he would no longer be able to shield his allies from the Death Eaters. With that the two most powerful wizards in all of Europe, perhaps in the world, began to duel. Harry, like many others on both sides, momentarily lost his focus as he watched the two do battle. Voldemort had levitated dozens of large rocks from off the ground and began hurling them in rapid succession at Dumbledore. The Professor, however, was not harmed and instead used the boulders to form a massive golem that he animated and commanded to attack. The golem was able to crush several inferi before being blasted apart by one of Voldemort's spells. A blast of energy from Dumbledore sent Voldemort flying backwards, but the Dark Lord was much too powerful to be defeated by a move like that and was able to stop his brief flight and hover in midair. As the battle raged on between them neither man appeared to be gaining a clear advantage over the other. The rest of the combatants, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, slowly moved away from Dumbledore and Voldemort as they continued their fights.

The inferi were rapidly falling to the combined efforts of Mad Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Moody was using all of his power to create a whirlwind that he sent spinning through the ranks of the inferi. As he did this, Kingsley poured his efforts into sending flames at the tornado. Normally the flames would have been blown out by the wind but the experienced Aurors were able to combine their spells and create a whirlwind of fire that sucked the inferi towards it and then spit them out in a ball of fire. Together they managed to destroy more than half of the inferi before they were interrupted by attacks from the Carrows.

Harry, meanwhile, was being shielded from the Death Eaters by Daniel and Sirius so that he could focus on attacking the inferi. Luckily for him the inferi were not fast or able to defend themselves from his well aimed Incendio's. The inferii were simply a distraction, something they all realized, but they could not be ignored. Finally all of the inferi around them had been burnt or driven back into the sea and Harry was able to rejoin the battle against the Death Eaters. He happily took over the task of dueling Barty Crouch Junior from Daniel, leaving him to focus on his brother Gabriel alone while Sirius yet again battled Bellatrix.

"You're a fool, Daniel!" Gabriel Greengrass yelled between spells. He looked much like his older brother, but the time in Azkaban had left him thin and with long greying hair. "What would father think?"

"Don't you dare mention him!" Daniel roared as he cast what would be considered by most to be a dark spell which conjured a magical band of energy around his brother's neck that began to constrict, cutting off his flow of air. Gabriel would have died if it were not for Bellatrix noticing the curse and casting the counter to it on her fellow Death Eater. "I know it was you, Gabriel! I know what you did to earn that Dark Mark!"

"Father was a fool not to join the Dark Lord!" Gabriel countered. "He deserved to die!" Throughout the brief conversation the two had not slowed in casting spells at each other, but Gabriel's admission that he had killed their father enraged Daniel and he ceased caring what anyone might think of the spells he was using.

"Crucio!" Daniel yelled. Gabriel was caught of guard by his brother's spell and unable to avoid it. He immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Harry looked at Daniel in shock that he had used an Unforgivable, but other than him or Sirius no one else seemed to have noticed. Eventually Daniel was forced to release the spell to block an attack from Bellatrix, allowing Gabriel to roll away and seek shelter behind a boulder as he regrouped.

Harry was beating Barty Crouch Junior, and they both knew it. This time around Barty had not managed to land a single spell on Harry and was beginning to seriously consider retreating in order to save his own hide, like he had done the last time he faced Harry. A high-powered Reducto had forced Barty to produce a shield which rapidly drained his magical reserves and he knew that the fight would be over for him soon unless he escaped. And so he turned and ran, leaving Bellatrix to face Sirius and Daniel alone. Harry, unwilling to let Barty escape again, jumped onto his Firebolt and soared towards him. No man is fast enough to out run a Firebolt, and so within seconds Harry was only feet away from Barty. He conjured a whip made of flame from the tip of his wand and swung it with all of his strength towards the fleeing man. As the spell hit Barty in the neck even Harry was surprised by the power behind the spell. It did not knock Barty to ground. Instead the force of the fire whip combined with the speed at which Harry was traveling on his broom enabled the magical energy to slice cleanly through the man's neck, decapitating him. The momentum caused the rest of his body to run a few more steps before crashing down to the ground. Harry stopped flying and hovered in the air above Barty's body, still quite surprised by what had happened. He did not realize in that moment how vulnerable his position was.

Voldemort had seen Harry chase down Barty, and when he stopped to observe the damage Voldemort knew he had a chance to strike at the Boy-Who-Lived. It would have been so easy to kill him, but Voldemort knew he needed the boy alive if he hoped to regain his former strength. He knew however, what he thought was the perfect spell to use in the situation. The spell that erupted from his wand was a swirling ball of yellow and purple light. The moment Dumbledore saw it he also knew that he would not be able to prevent it from hitting Harry. Harry turned to leave just in time to see it soaring towards him, but could not move in time to avoid it. As the spell hit him Harry fell to the ground though he was unconscious before he hit it. The battle continued to rage around him and though eventually the Order of the Phoenix would be able to drive off the Death Eaters, Harry was not aware of it.