It was ten to nine, December 21st, and Tonks was still unsure how she was supposed to get to this mission, this meeting. There had been no information from any of the Auror's office usual informants other than a cryptic warning that he would call his followers to him.

Tonks pondered the conundrum as she walked down Diagon Alley next to Tulip, who had dragged her Christmas shopping and who was currently talking about her struggles with her music career.

Nymphadora was suddenly pulled from her thoughts as she saw the strangest thing in front of her.

Black tarps materialised in the air above the alley and started descending across the fronts of every building on the street. Tonks looked stunned at what had happened, noticing some others were reacting to the tarps as well. The majority though, including Tulip, were oblivious to their presence.

"What's wrong Tonks- you want to go in a pet shop?" Tulip asked puzzled at the stunned expression on Tonks face. Nymphadora turned to her friend and asked in confusion:

"You can't see the banners, or tarps or whatever that are covering every building?"

Tulip looked at Tonks like she was crazy and replied: "Nooo... can you?"

Tonks looked back at the buildings- some people were passing through as if invisible, others were walking up and touching the iridescent light blue bird, which looked like a Phoenix to Tonks eyes and carried a skull in one claw and a snake in the other, clearly mocking Lord Voldemort's Dark Mark.

The witches and wizards who did touch the bird disappeared instantly when they did. It suddenly clicked in Tonks mind:

"This is it. This is how he's calling his supporters. Only those who know of the meeting can attend." Tonks exclaimed excitedly.

"He? Who's he? What are you talking about?" Tulip asked in confusion before Tonks shopping bags were thrust into
Tulip's already full arms.

"Sorry work emergency, I'll meet you at Dean and Penny's after."

Tulip watched as Tonks moved forward, held her hand out to thin air, and disappeared.

—~—

Tonks felt the world spin, realising the tarps were portkeys, before she came to a sudden stop in a dark chamber of some sort.

It was huge, already packed with at least 150 people, and it resembled an eighteenth century structure, a mausoleum of some sorts. Tonks had no idea she was in Edinburgh, in the most haunted cemetery in the world, Greyfriar's Kirkyard.

Tonks looked around at the crowd, recognising a number of faces from the criminal underworld and Knockturn Alley. She stopped dead in her tracks though, shocked as she looked at the last person she ever expected to see at such a place...

"Chiara?" Tonks asked bewildered. Chiara turned and smiled, running up and giving Tonks a big hug.

Tonks, Chiara and Penny had all been Hufflepuffs together, and were all part of the Cursed Crusaders. They were dormmates for seven years and grew to be as close as sisters.

"Chiara, what are you doing here?" Tonks asked her close friend as her head was still spinning. Chiara simply smiled:

"I'm here to listen. This Lord wants equality for people like me, Tonks. I'm sick of it. Of having to hide away in the shadows. Pretend everything is fine. Live in fear in case someone finds out. Let's just listen to him, ok?"

Tonks nodded and asked: "Do you know who it is?" as she looked around nervously.

"No. But it should be starting soon" Chiara smiled excitedly. Just as she spoke a man with a beard and a black suit walked out to the middle of the mausoleum floor. Tonks couldn't believe who she saw.

It was Jackson Selwyn. Cruel, sadistic, murdered his own wife Jackson Selwyn.

"Selwyn. You're the new lord?" Someone called out from the crowd. Jackson laughed.

"Me? Certainly not. I'm just an innocent man who was falsely imprisoned by a corrupt Ministry until I was rescued from Azkaban by our new Lord. Thank you all for coming. I now present you the man you all came to see!"

Jackson smiled as he stood back, clapping, as did a number of others. He bowed as a large figure emerged from the darkness of one of the mausoleum tunnels. Chiara's eyes lit up. Tonks's jaw dropped- the Minister had been right all along...

It was Y/N, who held his arms our to the side and smiled at the applause before he began to speak in a deep and booming voice.

"I thank you for coming. My brothers. My sisters. You are here tonight because you are brave. Each and every one of you. All of you have the same feeling I do. The same gnawing pain in the pit of your stomach. The pain that tells you something is very wrong with our society. All of you here are brave enough to heed the call for action. For change."

Y/N looked out at the crowd, at the many stunned faces looking back at him. At the many faces that were enamoured as he spoke:

"I am known by many names. Y/N L/N. The Grindelwald. The Punisher..." Audible gasps were heard. Someone yelled out from the audience:

"But you can't be. You're a child"

"A child am I?" Y/N chuckled. "A child who survived a week of torture in Azkaban. A child who has killed Dementors. A child who slaughtered the Pureblood Brotherhood with my own hands."

Y/N was about to pull some Gooferdust from his pouch when a voice yelled out in support of him. The youth that had been there that day in Knockturn. That had later sold Y/N many books. That had loyally kept Y/N's secret:

"It's true. He is the Punisher. I saw it with my own eyes!"

The crowd gasped in unison, Y/N smiled at the youth:

"And it's good to see you here my friend. Garth isn't it? Garth Fitzgerald the fourth. Forced to take a shitty job in a dirty and dangerous alley simply for the crime of being born a werewolf."

Y/N looked directly at Chiara and smiled. Chiara gasped. She didn't know he was aware of her condition. Even her friends had taken some time to adjust to the idea of her being a werewolf. Y/N had at no point even acted like he knew.

Whispers broke out throughout the large auditorium. Garth grew a look of concern.

Y/N spoke directly to him: "No Garth. You misunderstand. I have no ill will towards werewolves. Nor vampires"

Y/N quickly made eye contact with Benny, who was standing in the front row, and whose eyes held the same ferocity from the Christmas party, before continuing:

"And when you join me you will face no discrimination. Quite the contrary. You will be welcomed into a brotherhood and sisterhood with open arms and given all you need to manage your condition. We do not and will not accept bigotry on the manner of someone's birth, nor for something such as vampirism or lycanthropy that was thrust upon them. If you have not harmed the innocent, you will be welcomed."

Y/N smiled looking round at the astonished faces in the crowd.

"I must say to the surprise of no one that the Daily Prophet's reports on the Punisher were very wrong. Ms Skeeter claimed that the Punisher is a violent psychopath. That the Punisher Murdered indiscriminately... THAT IS A LIE!!!"

Many in the crowd jumped at the sudden fury in his voice.

"I chose my victims very carefully. The maggots I killed- rapists, child killers, Death Eaters. Each and every one of them had hurt the innocent. They would have done so again. I stopped that in the only language those maggot pieces of shit understand- violence!"

Y/N was pleasantly surprised to hear a loud applause break out from the crowd as he continued:

"You are all here because you have not hurt the innocent, and you wish to fight for a better society. In that I ask you to join me..."

Tonks was struggling to remain standing her head was spinning so hard-

"...before you do though I must disclose another name of mine. You are all aware, of course, that I recently claimed the Lordship of the Ancient and Sacred House of L/N. But there is another final name that belongs to me. One that was appointed me on the day of my birth. One known to very few until now!"

Y/N paused momentarily, letting the suspense hang in the air, knowing he had the audience on the edge of their seats (had they been sitting). He held his hand out to the lone Centaur that stood in the front row. The outcast. The loner. The one who finally accepted Y/N's offer of fraternity.

"Torvus, my brother. My identity is well known to your people through prophecy and visions. Could you please share my identity with our audience. The one that has been hidden from public knowledge since I was born?"

"Certainly, my Lord" The centaur spoke up. "You are the Prophesied One!"

A flurry of whispers broke out among the crowd. Y/N smiled.

"I am the Prophesied One. I am the one foretold to kill Voldemort when he returns. He is returning. Many of you would have fallen into his service, as you have into the service of the Knights of Merlin. Not out of desire. I understand this. I'm not judging you. It was out of fear. Out of self preservation. Today my children I offer you the chance of something different. A different path and a different life. For you. For your families. For your children".

He paused letting his words sink in before continuing.

"I was imprisoned by the Ministry. Tortured extensively in Azkaban and for what crime? For the crime of standing up for so many of you here tonight to live free. Free from persecution and free from threats of violence meted against you simply for the crime of being born. The Ministry and the Blood Purists must learn that their time is over. But also we must learn. Too many families have been torn apart by their persecution. Your families. My family. I am a blood traitor and they hate me just as much as you".

Y/N smiled, thinking back to his Grandfather's wisdom.

"How many more of us must fall before we learn? How many of our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters do we have to bury before we realise that the only way to get out of this predicament is to fight. They will not give up their position willingly. If we want change we have to fight for it. No one will give us anything. We HAVE TO TAKE IT!"

Y/N bellowed to thunderous applause and he smiled before raising his hands to speak again.

"I warn you now. This is not a war against Purebloods. I myself am a Pureblood. This is a war against those corrupt Purebloods who have used their position to turn the Ministry for Magic into a house of lies and corruption."

More applause.

"It is a broken flawed abortion. We will tear it down and replace it with a Ministry in our own image!"

Again deafening applause that took a while to subside.

"The Ministry have been searching for me- the Punisher, the architect of this meeting, hard. They haven't found even a single scrap of evidence of my plans. I know everything they are up to. They have a spy here. Right now. I knew they were coming before they did!"

"How?" Someone called out from the crowd.

Y/N smirked and spoke "Come on out"

A small middle aged balding man came and stood next to the much larger teenager.

Tonks gasped in shock and panicked immensely.

"What is your name?" Y/N asked the man.

"Janus Dawson"

"And what is your job, Janus?"

"I am the Personal Assistant of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge"

Gasps were heard throughout the crowd.

"And how long have you been reporting to me, Janus?"

"Three months"

"Why?"

"You placed me under the Imperious curse"

Y/N chuckled. More gasps were heard.

"Thank you, Janus. You may go. Spend the evening with your family."

The small man nodded and left. Y/N turned to address the crowd again.

"Do not be surprised by my use of so called Unforgivables on our enemies. Close your hearts to their suffering. Close your hearts to their desperation. Do not allow yourself to care for them. They will not care for you!"

Y/N looked around as his words were being absorbed:

"Make no mistake we are already at war, my friends, I have eyes and ears everywhere. I see much that is unseen and hear much that is unheard. Why this very week our dear Minister for Magic ordered my arrest and expressed a desire to have me executed for simply criticising the Ministry. With no evidence of this meeting, or my so called crimes, he simply wanted to murder me for opposing him."

Anger could be heard rising from the crowd.

"When did those who are supposed to protect us become our masters? The Minister believes you are nobodies. We are nobodies. Nothing but numbers on a parchments, useless eaters."

The crowd started to murmur in anger at the words and actions of the Minister.

"I believe something different. I believe we can write our own story. I believe we can be an army!"

More murmurs, more agreement with the young Lord's words.

"We are the warriors, those who learned to love the pain. We are the forgotten, the dredges, the outcasts of society. We come from different places. They call us different names."

Y/N started pointing at different witches and wizards as he spoke- "muggleborn, blood traitor, halfblood, halfbreed, vampire, werewolf, criminal. A lot of labels. I don't see of that. I say we are Legion, for we are many! I say we can join together under one name, one banner!"

Loud cheers could now be heard through the mausoleum.

"We will stand shoulder to shoulder. We are the ones who will never again be broken. We are not sheep to be herded and pushed around. WE ARE LIONS!"

Y/N bellowed. The crowd roared. Goosebumps were raised on every man and woman. Even Tonks found herself motivated. She desperately tried to remember that Y/N was committing treasonous crimes that carried a death sentence. Y/N had all the fabled charisma of his Grandfather, there was no denying it.

"Join me and become my Phoenix Bearers. We are the broken, the displaced, the homeless, the stateless. We who were cast aside will be forged together, stronger, and create a new world. This is our destiny... WE WERE BORN FOR THIS!!!"

More cheers and loud swearing of fealty. They turned to gasps as Y/N fired a circle of Protego Diabolica around the centre of the mausoleum amphitheater.

"This is my Grindelwald Memetic Legacy. Only I, as the one true heir of the House of Grindelwald, can control it, can control my Diabolica! Swear fealty to me, pass through it and you will be safe. You will be part of a new family. From this day forward you will be a Phoenix Bearer, Stewards of the future, of freedom for all. Join me my brothers and sisters."

Without hesitation five stepped through. Tonks watched them. Three men, a woman and a Centaur. She watched as Y/N smiled.

Three of them were amazed as a Phoenix Bearer sigil appeared on Torvus's chest. Torvus looked down and smiled. He was part of a herd again.

"Jackson, Clayton, Benny, Torvus. I thank you. You my dear I haven't met before"

He smiled at the beautiful woman who answered with a thick French accent.

"My name is Vinda, Vinda Rosier, my Lord"

She curtsied as he smiled and took her hand to place a kiss on it.

"Thank you for your loyalty Vinda. As you four were the first to join the Phoenix Bearers you will be my acolytes. My most loyal and trusted lieutenants. Jackson is already my second in command and you will answer to him. Go now, to your new home."

Y/N stunned all who watched as he opened a portal to the L/N manor. No one in attendance had ever seen such a spell. All except for Jackson, who had witnessed it first hand during his breakout, were speechless at the young Lord's Power.

The five Acolytes entered the portal as Y/N's attention was drawn to the others who remained.

"Come brothers, come sisters. Come children. Be welcomed into your new family. Your names will be written in glory when the old regimes are swept aside forever!"

He held his hands out and smiled as he spoke. More people stepped forward- many passed though unharmed and smiled before walking into the portal- one man stopped and screamed as he was entering before being turned to ash.

"There are spies everywhere my children, do not be afraid. No one can fool the Diabolica."

Chiara stood staring down at the young boy she cared for so deeply, grown into the man now stood in front of her. She had never felt this before. Even from her friends, even from her family. So warm, so welcome. So loved. Someone strong and powerful who wanted to fight for her. To make her life better. She started to walk forward before Tonks grabbed her arm.

"Chiara what are you doing? This is treason!"

"Y/N's doing this for me. For everyone like me. Walk with me"

Tonks looked at her horrified and shook her head.

"WALK WITH ME!" Chiara screamed as Tonks shook her head again and muttered:

"You're crazy"

Chiara started to cry at her friends words as she walked through the blue flames in tears but unharmed.

Y/N smiled and hugged her as she emerged from the Diabolica.

"I am so pleased you are here my dear sweet friend. I've got a special job for you. I will see you at our new home."

More passed until only a handful remained. Y/N sealed the portal and smiled.

"One spy from the Ministry and seven from the Knights"

He looked directly at Tonks and she froze.

"Now you die"