Author's Note - Many readers are complaining about the confusion. This is an entirely reasonable complaint.

First, some of the confusion is author's intent. I may have overdone it, but honestly pulling one over an Harry requires complexity. My choices are to show things as they happen, and risk the reader saying "But Harry could have done X" or to show the confusion and then walk through the explanation (which will take a while, but starts now. There will be a few new confusing things, but I think that the total confusion will start dropping within a two chapters).

Second, I struggled with how to reveal things. Since (as stated in an earlier note) this is not meant to be a puzzle to be solved, I have ordered some chapters for dramatic effect. I worry about the balance between long gaps of exposition, which is boring, and confusion. I can easily believe I have the balance wrong.

Third, A recurring theme of DMPOR is the unreasonable effectiveness of ambushes (either physical, or being caught unawares by missing a key insight/critical piece of data) and I wanted the reader to feel ambushed. Again, a choice that may have been wrong.

Fourth, I have a few other goals I'm saving for the final author's note.

Finally, I appreciate my readers and if I have made decisions that are off-putting, part of that can be explained by the fact that I'm new to this (and making mistakes) but I do have some specific goals and hopefully there will be several "Cool! Aha! Clever!" moments as recompense for earlier confusion, even if I didn't play fair and explicitly foreshadow every one.

There are still some questions unanswered, but I think the overall confusion should decline by the end of the chapter.

Regards, Tao.

March 6th, early afternoon.

You can sleep in a room with a man wearing Armageddon Robes, but it's practically impossible unless you were already asleep. Once you noticed the horrific presence it was hopeless. Your mind instinctively wanted to look away - to look anywhere else - but at the same time you couldn't help but know that he was there. It wasn't a primal fear. A simple act of willpower could force your gaze on the Robe, but you could never quite focus on them. You could never forget their presence. A man would have to be nearing the limits of exhaustion to fall asleep.

Igor Karkaroff felt peeved that Selwyn had refused to take his Robes off during the afternoon. Karkaroff could have used the nap, tonight would be a long night.

Karkaroff heard the rough, gravelly voice say "The picture!" and with a grunt he rolled over. His mind screamed Danger! and his pulse quickened at the glimpse of Selwyn robed in terror and darkness. He ignored that instinct as he sat up and examined the wall.

On the wall, a picture of a tunnel. All day they'd watched it – well, Selwyn watched it while Igor tried to sleep – but it wasn't a portrait, and they'd seen nothing. Now a small shape, that of a child approached. He held a slim black torch that flickered and cast orange shadows around the painting while he walked slowly towards them. The boy tugged on a string and what looked like a grossly misshapen balloon trailed behind him, lagging, then catching up when he tugged.

Another minute and the figures were almost life size. "What is he pulling? Why is he not alone?" his companion asked. For most people, Armageddon Robes made your voice more ominous and raspy, but Igor swore they softened Selwyn's voice from a hideous rasping grate to something more like fingernails on a chalkboard.

"I have been down here with you all day. How should I know?" Igor hissed the words quietly. Nobody should be able to hear them - the wards would see to that - but the habit of secrecy died slowly and there was no harm in it. Igor ran his fingers through his goatee, once fiercely black but now speckled grey, a nervous habit he'd thought gone after Voldemort's death but reacquired over the months of planning and waiting. Once we start, my nerves will settle.

The picture swung open, revealing the tunnel behind it and a small boy stepped out. He wore robes that Igor recognized as representing the House Slytherin. One hand held the torch and the other pulled on a silky white rope. The balloon floated into the room and with a start Igor saw that the grossly lumpen mass contained an unconscious body wrapped in webbing. Igor looked between the two boys: one standing, one floating.

"Well?" asked Karkaroff. "What is this?"

"You have to hide him," said the standing boy. "He can not be on campus. They must not find him. He'll sleep until this is done." The boys voice had a flat aspect, but a lilting cadence. A sleep walker reciting poetry. He showed no interest in his surroundings, just stood there. Waiting.

"This is foolish," rasped the horror beside him. Selwyn raised his wand at the standing boy, who made no movement.

Karkaroff barked "The wards, you fool," as he grabbed Selwyn's hand.

"We're off campus," Selwyn said. "I could flay those two alive and there would be no alarm. We have time. And he's seen your face." The last words carried an accusatory tone, but the implication held.

"You know the plan, we need students to move freely, and this one is already Imperiused, by the looks of it. And look at his torch."

The hood turned away from Igor towards the boy and the torch. The wood didn't burn, nothing unusual about that. The shaft looked thin, smooth and particularly black, but not extraordinary. Igor imagined Selwyn's eyes looking down the length of the torch until he saw the gleam of silver sticking out beneath the fist clenching the shaft. He heard the sharp intake of breath.

Karkaroff walked up to the boy and pulled back his hood. The motion mussed up the boy's blond hair, and empty grey eyes stared blankly ahead.

"Lucius' son," Karkaroff said, snorting.

"All the more reason," came Selwyn's reply, as his wand rose up again slowly, considering. "Lucius maneuvered while we bled, the arrogant bastard. We can use other students. Plenty of other valuable hostages. Probably more valuable, since they have parents."

The boy started speaking again. "You have to hide him. He can't be on campus. They must not find him. He'll sleep until this is done."

Selwyn's wand lowered and Karkaroff took the boy-balloon and moved it over to the cot he'd been not-sleeping on. The room's wards were fine, but Karkaroff added a few more restraints on the prisoner. couldn't make out who it was, there was just a nose and mouth visible, and one eyelid. The body looked to roughly the same size as Draco Malfoy, a younger student. Probably the boy had stumbled into the preparations and had to be moved away. Karkaroff briefly wondered why their mole hadn't simply Imperiused both children but ignored the thought. Maybe he didn't want to waste the power.

It didn't matter, after all, and he had spells to cast. After a few minutes, he nodded over to Selwyn. He went over to the door and knocked three times. The door opened, another figure in an Armageddon robe stood on the other side. Igor ignored the small gasp in his mind and said, "It starts. Come down in five minute intervals, small groups. Like we discussed."

The other figure grunted her assent, and Igor closed the door.

"Don't worry, my friend," Igor said to Selwyn as he pulled on his own Armageddon robes, "Everyone bleeds in the end." Igor made a motion with his hand, and Draco Malfoy turned around and started back down the tunnel.

Two horrors followed him into Hogwarts.

They walked in silence for several minutes, illuminated only by the soft orange glow from the boy's torch. The torch, more than the other hooded figure, unnerved Karkaroff. Unlike regular torches (even wizarding torches that burned forever, or at least until turned off) this one made no sound, a fact he hadn't registered until the only sounds he'd heard were the quiet footfalls the two men made as they padded wordlessly behind Draco. The torch still flickered, a jumping flame that caused the shadows to jump and careen as they walked. Flickering felt natural, but not when coupled with silence.

They walked until the tunnel narrowed, gradually tapering to a small whole. The boy barely had to duck; he just crouched slightly and disappeared. Igor had to bend over and draw his arms in to squeeze through the entrance. When he stood back up, he was in an elegant ballroom, with chairs and small tables scattered around the room. He turned back around to see Selwyn walking through the front of a fireplace, the hidden front for the tunnel. The blond boy had flipped the cane back over, flame extinguished, and walked over to a large, leather backed chair containing a menacing shadow. The boy stopped beside the chair, respectfully waiting.

"Welcome!" said the shadow, idly toying with his wand. It also wore an Armageddon robes, which made Karkaroff scowl. He didn't like not knowing who the inside man was and he'd expressed his concern in numerous letters. The rest of his team had worked together before. An unknown presence made everyone edgy and felt risky.

The figure stood up and dramatically threw back the hood of the robe. His scarred face showed youth while teeth like a row of pearls flashed behind a smile.

"Lockhart," Karkaroff said. "I should have guessed."

There was a brief pause, the smile flickered for a second before growing and showing off even more teeth. "Should you have? I don't see why. I've done a fine job hiding in plain sight. Make yourself comfortable, while we wait for the others. We have some time to kill before we start."

"Yes, I should have. You need a Professor, to Imperius a student."

Gilderoy Lockhart waved to Karkaroff to take a seat, then turned towards the boy. "Draco, go about your day, act normal around other students. Come back at the appointed time."

Karkaroff watched as the blond boy walked quietly out of the room. "Why him? Surely other students do not draw as much attention."

"Hm, oh yes, to be sure. But meeker students tend to get bullied and they aren't as reliable. And they disappear at inappropriate times. You need someone young enough to not appear threatening who can take care of themselves during chaotic situations. So while a Hufflepuff appears to be the obvious choice, Malfoy works out much better."

Lockhart paused, then shouted a quick greeting as another robed horror squeezed out of the fireplace.

"And he happens to be the lynchpin of the getting away with this." Karkaroff cast an eye at Selwyn, who was lounging in a nearby chair, pouring a glass of water from a nearby pitcher. Lockhart's eye followed him, and the Professor asked "Would you like something stronger?" before pulling a flask out of his coat and taking a swig.

Karkaroff ignored the offer. "We've spent months planning, and thanks to your information Peverell's security won't be a problem. How could that boy possibly be of value?"

"Hogwarts has its own security and – more importantly - students clever and powerful enough to be a serious problem. You see we've already neutralized one. In a few hours I'll need one of your men to accompany Draco to deal with another."

Early evening.

Hermione Granger slipped through the Halls of Hogwarts like a ghost, unseen. Actually, now that Hermione thought about it, wizarding ghosts were all too frequently visible and most would talk to you for as long as you'd listen, happy to have some new victim to complain at. So.

Hermione Granger slipped through the Halls of Hogwarts like a muggle ghost, unseen.

She patrolled for bullies earlier in the afternoon, after spending the morning poring over the complicated books Harry had suggested. She'd needed to clear her mind. Hermione hadn't actually run across many bullies in the last month or two, but she still patrolled on occasion. At this point it provided a convenient excuse to take a walk and think.

Hermione glanced down at her watch, which she couldn't see, of course. Hermione suppressed a sigh and then willed the Cloak of Invisibility to let her see herself, and her arm appeared, like a faint outline hovering in front of her. Just a bit before 7pm. Draco's message had said 7.30. She got on the up escalator - the one the rest of the students just called the Elbonain Ridgeback and as she got off in the main hallway she noticed Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood, who were whispering conspiratorially as they ascended up the stairs.

Hermione followed them, but they joined up with a pack of first year girls, so she just shook her head and headed towards Harry's office. It would take her a while to get there, in any case. She went up further flights of stairs, pausing only to cast a jinx at Peeves, who'd annoyed her last Wedsnesday by following her around singing "Granger Loves Elveses! Granger Loves Elveses!" in a high sing-song voice, which was not only embarrassing - although there was no reason she should feel ashamed of supporting rights for non-human creatures - but dubious from a grammatical point of view. So she'd fired off a Perisistent Whirlwind jinx at Peeves from underneath her cloak and spent several minutes watching him run around, as a small localized dust devil swooped him inside then flung him against a far wall repeatedly, which wasn't really nice.

But it was Peeves, after all. She glanced at her watch again and quietly dismissed the whirlwind and then glided up several more flights of stairs. She could hear Draco waiting for her, just standing around waiting, and with a start she realized that she could hear someone else ... just breathing. Hermione slipped around the corner and saw Draco standing next to Lesath, just outside of Harry's office. Lesath seemed to be intent, quietly casting ward detection spells at the doorway to Harry's office. She backed around the corner. Draco wasn't doing much, just watching. Now what? She hadn't talked to Draco much in the last week or two, they'd both been practically studying the entire time, him for his O.W.L.S., and she ... because.

With a sigh, she took of the Invisibility Cloak, stuffed it into her pouch, and then made a point of walking like a normal girl, not like the silent avenging alicorn she'd been turned into, so that she didn't surprise them.

"Draco," she said as she rounded the corner and then, with what she hoped sounded like surprise, "Lesath? What's going on."

"What does it look like, Hermione?" Draco said, breaking into a smile. Lesath just scowled and kept casting, and Hermione noted that she didn't recognize all of the spells he was using. Harry had mentioned that he'd tutored Lesath and been 'generally offering advice to him,' but still. She paused for a second and then folded her hands across her chest.

"It looks like you are breaking into Harry's study."

"See, Lesath? That's why she's the smartest witch around," Draco turned to Lesath, but the older boy didn't smile or even break stride, just kept casting spell after spell.

"Why are you breaking into Harry's office, Draco?"

"Because I'm tired of studying, and Harry set me up with the stupid task of examining Peverell's security, and I think he knew I couldn't solve it. So I've decided to use what I've learned to break into his office instead."

Hermione considered this preposterous explanation. On the one hand, this was clearly stupid. On the other, she was dealing with two boys whose rivalry had moved past infamy into near legend a year ago. Perhaps there was testosterone involved. If Draco knew that Harry had spied on him, just from time to time, well, he had motive. And he'd been hanging out with the Weasley twins. Perhaps they'd rubbed off on him.

As presposterous explanations went, it had a certain logic. Hermione couldn't dismiss it out of hand.

"And you're helping him, Lesath?" Her voice wavered when she asked the question, because as soon as the words left her lips some confusion crept into her voice. The phrase Harry used to describe Lesath came unbidden into her mind: Too obedient for his own good.

"I am helping, Draco. Will be funny." Lesath said.

His intonation was weird, and Hermione hadn't heard Lesath answer more than a simple yes or no in the last year. Too obedient for his own good. Harry had meant too obedient to Harry, not Draco. Something was off. Hermione gripped her wand tightly.

"She knows," Draco said with a flat tone as he pulled out his wand. Lesath spun quickly and fired off a rain of purple transparent cubes that buffeted Hermione, knocking her into the wall. She'd never heard of such a spell and as they pummeled against her she noticed the remaining cubes arranging themselves behind her. Forming a solid wall to block her exit. As if physical barriers - even mystical ones - could stop me. Hermione shoved herself away from the wall and Draco hit her squarely with Impedementa but tripping and other balance-attacking jinxes had no affect against Hermione Jean Granger. She shot Lesath with Baba Yaga's Debasement and a screaming red streak blasted through several cubes, disintegrating them with loud splintering sounds.

Lesath smiled as the spell hit his wards. "Girl plays rough?" then fired off a steady stream of snakes at Hermione. She ducked under them, but the smile convinced Hermione that she was out of her league. She reached out with her mind and summoned Xare, but instead of appearing Hermione heard her Phoenix cry a scream of rage and frustration. She felt the sensation of being trapped inside a cage made of Cursed Fire. Fire equal but opposite to Xare's. The angles of the cage looked odd, like a Necker Cube, it stood motionless but the cage receded or protruded depending on how she thought about it, like it had an extra dimension she couldn't quite grasp. Xare screamed again.

Hermione broke out of her reverie to charge Lesath, who probably couldn't stand with her in a fist fight, but Draco had already cast Petrificus Totalus and she tumbled to the ground.

She stared up at the face of Psuedo-Lesath, who bent over her and smiled broadly. "Another time, girl?" and then went back to the doorway and started casting spells. He didn't even look at Draco when he spoke again. "Hide her away."

Draco - once again acting like a zombie, like she'd seen him when she was invisible - reached down and lifted her by the shoulders, not the feet, and then dragged her up the hallway. They were already well outside of the normal flow of traffic. Draco dragged her around a corner and behind a stairwell that went up to the roof. Hermione noticed that there was already a pillow there. He planned this. Whether I discovered Lesath or not, he was always going to ambush me. But Draco's tone - at least, when not talking to her - had been flat. She could hear it exactly, and she recalled his blank look before she'd appeared.

Hermione took a few breathes and calmed down. He's Imperiused. She'd read about it, and it explained everything. Now that she was steady, she reached out again to Xare, but again she felt rather than saw the cage. Draco slid the pillow under her head and then carefully felt down the back of her neck. He found a chain and pulled on it and took the Time Turner from around her neck and pocketed. For a brief moment, Draco had a pained look on his face and Hermione willed him to fight the curse. But to no avail. Draco carefully took the wand still gripped in her hand, then quickly stood up. By the time he was standing all emotion had disappeared from his face. Draco walked away, disappearing like a ghost.

Hermione screamed in frustration, but no sound came out of her mouth, and only Xare heard.

Harry paused, making sure his audience followed. Really he should have let Hermione tell the story, but this way was just easier.

"Anyway, after neutralizing Hermione they raided my office for some supplies and burned the rest with Fiendfyre. I thought I knew what they were after, but it turns out Draco really wanted the Map that the Weasley's use to sneak around Hogwarts. As far as the attackers were concerned, this let them sneak around. They could avoid wandering Professors while sneaking into place. Draco's real goal was to slip it to Professor Slughorn, to expose me later on. He probably used Hermione's Time Turner at some point, Karkaroff saw him with it with Draco it slightly before midnight..."

"Time Turner!?" Professor Asimov's voice sounded incredulous.

Harry nodded and then shot a glance to McGonnagal. "You see, that is the correct scientific reaction to discovering the existence of Time Travel."

"Duly noted, Mr. Potter," the Headmistress said.

"Anyway, the rest of the infiltrators were also Polyjuiced as students. Draco paired them in groupings that would appear natural, which made everything work smoothly and also subtly demonstrated his value. For instance, if Hermione had seen Ginny Weasley with Hestia Carrow walking together she'd have followed them, and quickly realized what was happening."

"Those were infiltrators?"

Harry nodded, ignoring Hermione's dramatic sigh, "... but she walked right past them. There were a few close calls, where students inquired a bit too carefully, but the attackers were careful. Percy Weasley got knocked out and stashed, like Hermione. Closer to midnight, you retired to your quarters, Headmistress. The attackers knew your office was empty, thanks to the map. They broke in and ransacked the place. Apparently this Selwyn guy was a master at breaking and entering, and honestly those wards are meant to stop students and maybe a professor. They didn't care if they were discovered after the fact. All in all things went smoothly."

"Until the attack itself," said Madam Bones.

"Yes. But note carefully. As far as Draco's plot went, he'd already done everything he wanted. He burned my supplies and lots of valuable notes in two offices, getting past wards that he had no hope of bypassing himself. He'd dropped the Weasley Map with Slughorn. All he had to do was convince the attackers to abort and escape in the confusion."

"But he got greedy," Hermione said, morosely.

Igor Karkaroff, disguised as a ridiculous looking tall red-headed boy, stared at the small doorway of the infirmary. "It is through there?" Madam Pomfrey snored quietly on one of the spare beds.

"That's the back entrance," Gilderoy Lockhart agreed. Karkaroff turned to Selwyn, who looked identical to him. "You are sure there is no mistake?"

"The Weasley twins, Fred and George. Don't bother picking who is who, and if you contradict yourself, no problem. They often try to confuse people, which is why we stole their hair. If anybody saw one of you, then the real one a few minutes later, they'd think nothing of it. And they often do security test, so when you walk through the door, the Auror won't just shoot you. Just say you are testing, and ambush. Watch Draco."

Professor Lockhart took out his wand and pointed it at the small blond boy and cast Finite Incantatem.

"What are you doing?" Selwyn hissed in a much more pleasant Weasley voice, aiming his wand at the boy. Lockhart just laughed.

"I go inside first, as part of the plan? Remember?" Draco said, shaking his head and stretching out a bit.

"Yes, and ..." Karkaroff started and then shut up. "The Thief's Downfall cancels an Imperius curse."

"We felt that if you knew a student was voluntarily helping, you'd have never agreed. Draco and I are partners, but we felt it was ... convenient."

"Diplomatic?" Draco suggested.

"Yes, more diplomatic to make me the figurehead."

"I never agree, if you'd said," Selwyn said in his thick accent as he moved his wand towards Lockhart, but Draco smoothly intervened between the two of them.

"Calm down, Selwyn. I've spent a lot of money on this. And I think you have, too. You didn't know who you were dealing with, but you are no worse off than you were this afternoon. The plan has gone smoothly so far. I heard what you said earlier. Don't you want to have a Malfoy plotting for you, instead of against you? But ... " Draco paused for a second, "If you want to back out we'll turn around and go our separate ways.

"Now, Gentlemen," said Professor Lockhart, "let's not be hasty. You can all disappear without a trace, but I work here..."

"No. We continue," Selwyn answered after a pause, lowering his wand. They looked to Lockhart, but Draco spoke up.

"OK, just listen in, I'll mention all the information you need, but don't get too chatty with Sanchez. He likes me a lot more than either Weasley. They swapped out his cologne for merman pheromes before Christmas. Just listen as I go through the routine, give me exactly fifteen minutes inside, then one of you follow in and say you've got some ideas you want to test. He'll be suspicious about the timing and give you some gruff, but it will be fine. If you don't come through within thirty minutes I'll have to abort, but if he announces you through then I'll clear the path on the other side, and we follow the plan. Just be casual. Knock him out when the diversion starts and come through. I'll clear the way. And we'll be gone in two minutes."

Draco paused, and then turned to Professor Lockhart. "There were a lot more teachers patrolling than we expected. Something is happening. I think you should probably get out there and coordinate with them." Draco reached into his pockets and pulled out a Time Turner.

Karkaroff's wand was out in a flash. "Planning to betray us? Or maybe just sneak out if things turn south?"

Draco slowly let the Time Turner dangle from it's chain. "He can go back later. He has to be seen before the attack."

Karkaroff considered. "Why do you have the Time Turner, and not your professor."

Draco started to answer, but Lockhart just laughed, "I loaned it to him because he has to dodge the professors, whereas I can walk around freely. Now, if we can just get on with it. Besides, Peverell is time locked and the plan has me guarding the rear. I'm the only one who could use a Time Turner..."

Karkaroff grabbed the Time Turner, then shoved it in his pocket. "You go back after the job, Lockhart."

Gilderoy's smile faded, "Very well, then."

Draco looked like he wanted to say something, but left without another word. Igor Karkaroff watched as Draco Malfoy opened the door. As it closed, he slipped behind it, listening. After the door swung shut he turned to Selwyn and whispered "Prepare." Gilderoy Lockhart watched as Selwyn stepped to the other side of the room, well away from the doorway into Peverrel, and started tracing a rune into the air.

March 7th, 1am.

"Good evening, Auror Sanchez. How is Annabel?"

"Just started walking, running really. Chasing her all over. Odd time for a test, Draco?" Auror Sanchez had an easy smile, and why not? Guard duty at Peverrel wasn't difficult, not recently anyway, and working the overnight shift earned bonus pay.

"Insomnia again," Draco said with a shrug, "might as well do something useful."

William Sanchez shook his head. The Malfoy boy was an odd duck. To hear Mike tell it, he was actually a pretty good kid, and everyone agreed he was nice enough. But eccentric. He'd show up for security tests and spend hours doing who-knows-what, then disappear to the library and not be seen for weeks. And the stories the Aurors stationed at the Ministry told when they rotated through...

"You need a girlfriend. When I went to Hogwarts, that's what we did at night."

Draco blushed. "She doesn't know I exist, in all honesty. Maybe next year." Draco Malfoy knew the routine and had already handed over his wand and mokeskin pouch, which William took and put in a bag marked "Malfoy, D." He was about to stow the bag when he looked at Draco's cane.

"You know the rules, Draco."

"Oh, I'm allowed this for my next test. I already cleared it."

William frowned, his black mustache curling down slightly, but he grabbed the duty roster notebook and flipped through several pages. "Ah, OK. Let me call it in, so you don't get dropped right away."

("How ... in Merlin's Name ... did Draco Malfoy tamper with that list?" demanded the Chief Mugwump with an intensity that caused Professor Asimov to back up. Harry Potter stopped where he was explaining and looked abashed.

"I actually approved that test. A few weeks ago. Oh, don't give me that look, for all we know he could have summoned his cane inside anyway. The Ministry has anti-Apparition jinxes, too, and that didn't stop it. So yes, I authorized his request. Do you know how difficult it's been to study truly powerful artifacts? The Sorting Hat refuses to leave Hogwarts, and its the only other thing I know that..."

Harry stopped. "Anyway, as I was saying...")

Auror Sanchez finished the scan and confirmed that the only magical item Draco had was his cane, which admittedly registered as a powerful item, but it was on the approved list. Draco nodded to Auror Sanchez and stepped through the Thief's Downfall with his hands raised, cane clearly in sight. He stopped momentarily as the spray washed over him, then nodded at the assembled Aurors. "This may take a while." There was a small crowd gathered, news of Draco's exploits at the Ministry had spread and Draco's tests were sometimes perplexing and occasionally amusing. And, while they'd never admit it, he'd revealed a few areas for improvement even if he'd never noticed the flaws himself, and figuring out how to shore up the defenses could lead to a promotion. Sure, he'd done hours and hours of boring tests, too.

But what else did they have to do on a boring night shift?

Selwyn paused and examined the newly summoned Fiendfyre. The infirmary glowed a sickly neon red and the walls reflected the light in every direction, like a cauldron of blood had been poured across a movie projection. The others had arrived over the last few minutes, singly and in pairs, and Selwyn looked around the room at the small, childish faces. Set hard for the task at hand. For once, he was pleased to note, the smile had left Gilderoy Lockhart's stupid face.

Selwyn concentrated, took a deep breath, and the Fiendfyre coalesced into the shape of bird, the fire turning from a diffuse crimson to a bright focused velvet, and now the wall shadows showed flickering little people. Almost time.

"I had thought Fiendfyre was only to be used to burn through the outside wall," Lockhart said, nervously.

Selwyn shook his head. "Vanishing Cabinet." He didn't like this voice, it was practically impossible to project any menace as a gangly teenaged boy. Still, he thought Lockhart looked taken aback by this development.

"That wasn't the plan," said Lockhart. "Your team re-routed the Auror troops cabinet stationed at the D.M.L.E. to deal with the reinforcements. That was our one condition, we'd only need to deal with locals."

Selwyn shrugged. A girl who'd polyjuiced into the powerful girl he'd fought hours earlier shook her head, long frizzy hair trailing, and spoke in a hard voice that belied her apparent youth. "And we thought we were dealing with two professionals, Lockhart. Honestly, you don't even have Malfoy's stones. Did you seriously believe we'd be able to disable it? You should have known that only a brute-force solution would work. Since this place," she nodded to the doorway, "is time locked, I doubt more than half a dozen Aurors will make it through the cabinet before we smash it."

"And they'll be burned alive." said Lockhart, calmly. He'd paced as he listened to the explanation. He paused, exactly between the crowd and the doorway, and leaned against it. He'd started sweating. "I can't allow that, Hermione."

The girl just rolled her eyes.

Lockhart laughed nervously. "You know what I mean! I forgot who is disguised as which student."

"No time for this," Selwyn growled, and urged his dread phoenix forward. Lockhart quailed but stood his ground, trying to shrink back into the doorway.

"No," Lockhart said. "It's an abort. We'll regroup. There's another way."

"You've already got your man inside," said the girl disguised as Hermione, leveling her wand at Gilderoy Lockhart. "Look, sorry about the stones crack. Standing there in front of Fiendfyre? That takes courage, but we don't have time for this."

Selwyn said Avada Kadavra and a green streak struck the surprised Professor, who slumped backwards then tumbled over to the side. Selwyn walked over and, not being used to being so tiny, grunted as he shoved the body out of the door way.

Halfway across Hogwarts, Minerva McGonnagal sat bolt upright in her bed, sweat pouring from her skin despite the night breeze that kept the Headmistresses bed chamber cool. She was confused, momentarily uncertain about where she was, the time, the date, everything. If you'd asked her to state her name, she would have stumbled and paused, because right now her mind contained only one thought, echoing in a voice that was not her own.

A Student Has Died

Minerva grabbed her wand and time turner.

"Useless," Selwyn said, as a small red-headed girl whirled on him. She started to protest, he ignored her. "If I burned him, he'd scream." There were scattered nods around the room. A blinding bolt flew at Selwyn and crackled against his ward and suddenly there were twice as many shadows in the room flickering on the walls.

"Go!" screamed the girl before firing an electric blue blast towards a small robed figure. Selwyn jumped over the lifeless corpse and ran into the Heart of Peverell, right behind his personal inferno. As the rest of the group made a fighting withdrawl into Peverell over the next several minutes, the distraction of battling Professors (joined by an increasing number of Aurors) kept them from noticing that the body of Gilderoy Lockhart had bubbled and shrank down to that of a small boy.

Draco Malfoy had been moving slowly throughout the room, muttering quietly to himself, ignoring the watching Aurors. Suddenly Aurors in full combat gear started pouring through a vanishing cabinet. Then a twisted mass of molten fire flew through the entrance, flying through several of the arriving Aurors before smashing into the cabinet, which erupted into flames and immediately sagged and started melting.

Draco fell back, instinctively raising his hands to shield himself from the heat as he yelped and let out an abrupt "What the..." before he collapsed onto the ground.

In all the confusion, he never heard the spell that hit him.