Ron had the DA up and waiting in the Great hall by the time Harry and the Headmaster arrived, having picked up Remus on the way down. Professor Snape had gone to alert the other members of the staff who were part of the Order of the Phoenix. With a clap of his hands, Dumbledore summoned a house-elf and requested a quick breakfast be sent up for everyone. Harry walked over to where Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville stood, taking Ginny’s hand and motioning for them to sit down, and the rest of the students did the same.

“I would like everyone to get something to eat, while we wait for the others to get here. It is going to be a long day, I fear, so eat while you have the chance.” Dumbledore told them as tea, fruit, toast, and porridge appeared before them.

The young people gather ate without speaking; they all knew why they were there. Professors McGonagall, Flintwick, and Sprout arrived with Snape, Moody and Hagrid following them. Seating themselves, they also began to eat at once. Several minutes went by, before the Headmaster was once more on his feet.

“Lord Voldemort has summoned his Death Eaters to gather for an attack on the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross in about three hours time. It is also suspected that he will have the support of the Dementors in this attack.”

There was a collective gasp around the room.

“The students coming back to school this morning have no ability to repel a Dementor attack, and would be easy prey. Anyone else in the area, parents and innocent muggles as well, would also be easy victims of both the Death Eaters and the Dementors.” He scanned the assembled students. “You have all had advanced training, and have all mastered the Patronus Charm, but I am reluctant to ask you to put your lives on the line. I do know that the teachers here and I would be able to hold the Dementors, but are not enough to deal with the Death Eaters as well. So I am asking those of you who are willing to voluntarily assist…”

“Professor Dumbledore?” Luna Lovegood stood up from her seat between Terry Boot and Hannah Abbott. “We were the ones who asked Harry to train us last year. We are the ones who wanted the ability to protect ourselves, and our friends from You-Know-Who. We are going with you.”

There was a roar of approval from the rest of the members of the DA, and Dumbledore looked at them with pride.

“Alright, finish up your breakfast and we will be leaving in a few minutes.”

The doors to the Great Hall opened again, to admit Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, who went directly to the Headmaster. Harry watched as the tall, bald Auror whispered to the Headmaster, waving his arms and seemed to be agitated.

“I bet the Ministry of Magic wasn’t very receptive when Kingsley told them.” Hermione’s voice was soft in his ear.

Harry looked at her grimly, and nodded. “That would not surprise me.”

They ate quickly and were ready when Professor Dumbledore stood a few minutes later and signaled for quiet.

“I need for you to divide into two groups; those who have the ability to Apparate over some distance, and those who have not yet learned.” The Headmaster looked around the room. “I did not say those who are licensed, I asked for those who had mastered the ability.”

The group divided into two group, with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione in the Apparation group, came Neville, Luna, Alicia Spinnet, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Michael Corner, Cho Chang, and Zacharias Smith. The rest moved to the other end of the table and sat down. Harry and his group were going to portkey to number twelve Grimmauld Place, from where they would Apparate on to platform 9 ¾. The rest of the DA members were going to portkey into the large prefect car on the Hogwarts Express as it came into King’s Cross Station where they would hide.

Time seemed to drag for Harry as the group waited in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, whose stomach was in knots as he paced the room. He could not help but think of the last time he had led a group of fellow students in to an unknown situation based on one of his visions. The last time had resulted in the death of his godfather, and he shuddered to think of someone else being hurt or killed because of him. Sliding down the wall by the fireplace, Harry attempted to clear his mind and practice his Occlumency.

“Harry?”

The slightly hoarse voice of Sirius Black wrapped itself around his consciousness, and Harry found himself sitting on the raised stone dais next to the veiled stone archway in the Death Chamber at the Department of Mysteries. “Hello Sirius.”

“What’s up, kiddo?” Sirius asked quietly.

“We are waiting for Voldemort to launch an attack on King’s Cross, it is the day students return to school after Christmas holidays.”

“And you saw this is a dream, I imagine, so now you are second guessing yourself and remembering the Department of Mysteries, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Harry studied the peeling rubber on the toes of his cross trainers. “I just don’t want anyone else to suffer because of me, Sirius, I still haven’t gotten over what happened with you.” His voice dropped to a pain filled whisper.

“And you know what I have to say on that matter, Harry. Besides, how would you feel if you had this vision, took no action, and kids were hurt or killed?” Sirius asked him.

“You know I would feel terrible and blame myself.” Harry responded.

“So, it’s all your fault either way then, right? Meaning, I guess, that you would have to error on the side of caution, and if Albus Dumbledore had any doubts, you and your friends would not be here, Harry.”

Harry chewed on his lower lip for a moment, lost in thought. “Yes, I suppose you are right, Sirius.”

“Then go, son, and do what you need to do.” Sirius told him. “And good luck.”

“Thanks.” Harry said with a smile.

A hand on his head brought Harry back to awareness in the kitchen, surprised to find that Severus Snape stood beside him, looking down.

“Should I summon the Headmaster, Harry?” The Potion Master asked him quietly.

“No, sir, its alright, just a bit of a pep talk was all.” Harry stood up, and met the dark eyes. Snape studied him for a moment before nodding and moving to stand beside Tonks and Bill Weasley, who had appeared in the kitchen.

Under the direction of Professor Snape, the group at Grimmauld Place Apparated on to the secure platform at King’s Cross just before the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. Stepping back into the shadows, they had themselves positioned and ready when the first students began to appear with their parents. The platform slowly filled up, children running and chasing each other and exchanging goodbyes. Harry had almost thought his vision was a false alarm, until he saw Lucius Malfoy step through the barrier, Draco was no where to be seen.

Malfoy moved on to the platform, scanning the area slowly, before sending wand sparks into the air. Harry tensed in the shadows, waiting for the signal to move, when his scar seared white-hot. Snape standing to his left looked at him sharply, and Harry nodded once. Trying to smother another gasp of pain, he pulled the vial of special potion from his pocket, and drank it. It managed to instantly dull the pain, just as the platform exploded in motion.

Black robed Death Eaters in their white masks Apparated on to the platform as adults and children ran screaming in every direction. Harry gripped his wand tightly, the pain still throbbing in his scare, and he knew Voldemort was here, somewhere on the train platform. He searched for the tall skeletal figure, knowing that he needed to see the evil wizard first.

“Now!” Hissed Professor Snape from deeper in the shadows to the left of Harry.

Striding boldly forward with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny behind him, Harry hoped that no one could see how badly his knees were shaking, as he extended his wand towards the closest Death Eater and blasted him with a stunning curse. Other members of the DA followed Harry’s lead and soon the platform was full of dueling pairs. The DA members on the train were doing their best to get students on board, feeling they would be safer there. Harry led the others and moved around the edge of the main battle, trying to get to where they could cover the students running toward the train.

“Diffinido!”

Harry heard the spell that was yelled at him, and dived to the side, but was hit in the leg by a deep cutting curse. He rolled to the side, as Hermione stepped over him.

“Stupefy!” She yelled, Ron moving to back her

Watching the Death Eater drop with satisfaction. Harry cast a simple healing charm, hoping to stem the flow of blood and braced his leg with a spell so he could move freely. Ginny helped him back up to his feet, and he pulled his friends in close.

“Voldemort is here somewhere, my scar is on fire.” He whispered urgently.

Looking up, he found that they were in the middle of the battle again, and began throwing a blasting curse at every Death Eater he could see. Harry could see people down on the ground, but did not have time to stop. The battle seemed to go on and on, with hexes and curses thrown by Voldemort’s followers at random and they did not hesitate to use any of the Unforgivables. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry caught a glimpse of a tall, figure dressed in robes of royal blue, and a feeling of relief went through him. Dumbledore was here and everything would be all right.

A burst of green spell light flashed across Harry vision, and he dove to the side where Ron stood in the path of the curse. Harry felt the brush of the spell skim his right arm, as he knocked Ron out of the way. Rolling around, Harry fell the first time he tried to get up, feeling a little dizzy, his right arm hanging limply at his side. His wand dangled from his limp fingers and Harry grabbed it awkwardly with his left hand. Ron helped him to his feet, just as they heard the sound of many people Disapparating.

Looking around, Harry could see that all the Death Eaters had disappeared and the bright winter day grew dark and cold. The bone chilling cold he had felt before, the one that he knew could only be caused by Dementors. Peering up at the sky, Harry saw them coming in a mass of black. If there had been hundreds that night in his third year, when Sirius, Hermione and he where by the lake, then there were thousands of them today. The platform went dark and the screams started. Harry found that his right arm was still hanging unless at his side.

“Potter!” Harry heard Snape’s voice over the din. “Potter, use the medallion!”

Shoving his wand into his back pocket, Harry pulled the phoenix medal out from under his jumper. The pull of the Dementors was getting stronger, and Harry cleared his mind, closing his eyes. Focusing on his magical core, Harry visualized a thick strand of magic and sent it streaming out through the medallion.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”

Harry could feel the magic pouring out of him, and his knees buckled. He would have fallen if several sets of hands had not caught him and held him up. Opening his eyes, he saw a huge silver stag trotting across the platform, meeting up with an equally huge phoenix soaring through the air. An assortment of smaller Patronus’ also surged around the platform; an otter; a swan, and something hairy that Harry could not quite identify. Slowly, the Patronus’ drove the Dementors away, and Harry let out the breath that he didn’t realize he was holding.

The bright sunlight returned and Harry tried again to stand on his own, but found he didn’t have the strength. Ron had him on one side, and Harry was surprised to see Snape on the other. Albus Dumbledore was walking among the injured that lay on the floor of the platform, and Remus came running from the train, where he had been stationed with the other half of the DA.

“Harry, are you alright?” He asked anxiously.

“I caught a couple of hexes, Remus, but I’m fine.”

“Bloody hell, Harry, you were hit with a cutting curse and then brushed by that killing curse that was aimed at me!”

The next thing Harry knew, he was portkeyed directly to the hospital wing, and passed out just as he dropped to his knees on the floor.