Light's End

Chapter 5: Incarceration

- 1 -

Friday

7:45 AM

"I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go

Walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder

Waiting for an invitation to arrive

Goin' to a party where no one's still alive,"

Lisa sang to herself in the shower. Showering was always one of the best parts of the day - alone with only her voice to keep her company. Like most beings under the sun, she loved showering in the morning to help wake her up, but it meant more to her than that. Just her and the water dripping off her body, it was perfect. Here, all her problems seem to just fade away like yesterdays news clippings. Draco Malfoy, Terry Boot - distant memories and not something giving her any sort of pause. Sure, they were still there, and they would return to the forefront of her mind once she stepped out of the shower, but as long as the hot, steamy water struck her body, it was just her and her voice.

And sure enough, it was too good to be true. Once the shower went off, she quieted down and the towel was wrapped around her body, the memories came back. Draco was dead - not that she'd shed any tears for him of course, but his death had touched all their lives in some way. In some ways, Draco was closer to her than Cedric had been. Draco was in the same year as her and they had shared classes before - even if her experience with him was always negative, he had had a great impact on her life. Had it not been for his first year bullying, she might have never cured her stutter. Her magic would be sub-par, even if she had managed to stay at Hogwarts somehow. Draco had an overall very positive effect on her life, even if she wasn't about to thank him for it.

She stepped out of the shower, to find Luna Lovegood, looking at herself in the mirror and giving her eyebrows a good pluck. She glanced over at Lisa and resumed her grooming. Lisa, with her towel tied tightly to her chest in waist, moved next to Luna and, without asking, borrowed her brush. They had long ago learned never to ask about borrowing each other's cosmetic accessories.

"I heard about Terry's move on you last night," said Luna, in a stone-dead tone. The very note in her voice shocked Lisa, and she froze in mid-comb.

"You heard about that?" asked Lisa, shocked.

Luna glanced sidelong at her. "Well, yeah - only half our house saw it, you know."

Lisa frowned and continued brushing her hair. She didn't like this confrontational tone in Luna's voice - not one bit. What exactly was going on here?

"Yeah, he kissed me. He took me completely by surprise. I had always thought we were just - y'know, friends?"

Luna scowled, and began to powder her nose. "He's had it on for you for months," she said. "Come on, even I saw that..."

"I guess I wasn't looking for it," replied Lisa, warning lights going off in her head like sirens. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," snapped Luna, bundling up her supplies. "Nothing at all, thank you very much!"

Lisa still held her brush when she stuffed her bag under her arm and stomped out of the bathroom, leaving her stunned and confused. What was going on here, she repeated in her head, her mind swimming. She couldn't have been jealous - Terry was her friend too. Was it something closer to her - maybe something had just happened in her life that served as a catalyst for this unexplained hostility. Nonetheless, her mood had been shot - Lisa wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.

She wasn't as invigorated anymore.

* * * * * *

- 2 -

Right around the same time that Lisa had finished her shower, Zacharias Smith had donned his school robe in the mirror. He adjusted the collar, proudly revealing the small patch of hair he was growing at the bottom of his neck - strange and isolated, just like him. Zacharias chuckled, deciding it made him look more 'macho' and kept the top button of his robe undone. He spun his wand into his hand, took a duelists pose, and imagined him, Zacharias Smith, the great Auror of all time, doing battle with the amazing fury of the Hundred Year Legion, a cult of Dark Wizards he had read about in a Wizarding Comic - yeah, he looked good in that duelists pose. One day, maybe a big, bad dark wizard would...

"Posing for your induction picture into the git hall of fame there, Z?" asked Justin, who had just entered the bathroom; naked save for the towel around his waist.

Zacharias snickered bashfully and lowered his wand. "If you'd pose with me, we'd get in for sure."

"Ha!" said Justin, undermining the whole point of a laugh by actually saying 'Ha', "Nah, I only do magazines and pornography, I'm afraid."

Zacharias laughed. Justin entered the shower stall, the curtain shut, and after the towel was thrown over the bar up top, Zacharias heard the shower going - and then Justin's loud and obnoxious singing. He shuddered as his voice, like the chorus of ten tormented animals, echoed off the bathroom.

Zacharias began to brush his teeth, when Justin stopped singing abruptly. "Oh, hey Z, what's that rumor about you and some Ravenclaw sleeping together in Greenhouse 4?"

The toothbrush fell from his mouth with a loud clatter. "What?" he asked, as disbelieving at an atheist in a confessional. "How did you know?"

"Whoa," said Justin, his turn to be shocked. "You had it off with a Ravenclaw in the Greenhouse? Damn... Z... you've just become the pimp of the class of 98."

Zacharias flinched and shook his head. "No - it wasn't like that at all."

"Well, Jesus Z, don't admit that!" exclaimed Justin, "If I had a rumor like that working for me, I'd milk it like a fat cow in the springtime."

"No, seriously, Justin," continued Zacharias, "It's a story worth telling."

"Well, tell it."

And Zacharias did, repeating as best as he could recall, the events of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, wondering how that rumor had even gotten out in the first place. As Justin would probably say, Zacharias had been officially 'Hogwartified' - the amazing school-wide phenomena that exploited all secrets and made them public knowledge to everyone. Seems that everyone know Zacharias and Lisa had spent the night in the Greenhouse together - what everyone refused to believe was that nothing had happened.

After hearing Zacharias's story, Justin stepped out of the shower, tied his towel around his waist, and just looked pensive, as if considering something.

"Wonder if it had something to do with the paparazzi," he thought, as he spent all of five seconds combing his very short blonde hair, and applying a Sticky Hex to give the front a bit of a spike. "Would explain the coffee smell."

Zacharias sighed and shook his head. "Look, I thought she was off her rocker too, but - I don't know. She seemed too rational to be insane."

Justin shrugged. "So, you got the knight in shining armor thing going for you, you going to capitalize or what?"

Again, Zacharias was given pause. Indeed, he had to admit a small amount of natural attraction for Lisa. To him, she seemed like one of those really attainable girls, but in a good way. She wasn't the prettiest, but nor was she unattractive. She was striking, taking homely features like dull brown eyes, a small amount of excess body weight, a great deal of freckles, and large, dimpled cheeks and making them work for her. A simple girl for a simple world, Zacharias couldn't help but notice her. In fact, her face was engrained in his memory, like he had memorized it for a test.

"I don't know," replied Zacharias, in earnest. "I mean, you've seen her - she isn't exactly a spring rose."

Justin nodded. "Point. Plus, if I recall, she has a pretty big stuttering problem."

"Not so bad," Zacharias sighed and looked into the mirror. "And there was something else - she has a great smile, y'know?"

"You've been 'Crushified'," stated Justin, grave finality in his tone. "Capitalize."

Zacharias sighed. "Well, what would I use for my pick-up line? - Hey, Lisa, ever since you fainted on the ground of the Greenhouse and I looked after you like a spineless duffer all night, I've had this thing for you. Want to go out?"

Justin laughed. "How about we stricken everything but the 'Want to go out' part, and just leave it at that?"

"All right," said Zacharias, biting back a laugh of his own, trying to keep this conversation semi-serious, though any conversation with Justin always wound up funny. "I'll ask her. Think she'll say yes?"

Justin closed his eyes, humming and entering a psychic trance.

"Using the Sense?" asked Zacharias. "I already read my horoscope today - my lucky number is nine and my favorite color is yellow, if it helps."

Justin opened his eyes, fixing Zacharias with a very distant, enlightened look. "Outlook hazy because you are a skeptic git, ask again later."

"A magic eight ball is more useful than you, J," chuckled Zacharias, slapping Justin on the shoulder. As much as he liked to rag on Justin for his 'Sense' gift, he couldn't imagine anyone as a closer friend. "I'll ask her after Potions today, okay?"

Justin smirked. "No, you need a signed note from your parents first."

Zacharias nodded - he had left himself wide open for that one. "Good. Anyway, see you at breakfast."

With that, Zacharias left the sixth-year bathrooms passing by Ernie Macmillan and British Quinn, his other two dorm mates. British always got hell for his name as a youth, especially because he was Irish. Zacharias had always wondered how that happened, but he was a good guy, if not a bit shy and quiet. British was the Seeker for the Hufflepuff team, and very committed - in fact, Zacharias reckoned he would be if he kept up his obsession. Zacharias had no problems with either of them, but he just couldn't click with anyone else as he had done with Justin and Hannah.

Zacharias gathered his books and changed, gave himself a good look in the mirror - went a bit more liberal with the deodorant and cologne, seeing as how he had a girl to ask out - and left, not expecting the total chaos that would ensue.

* * * * * *

- 3 -

8:05 AM

For the first time in as long as Ron Weasley could remember, (well, okay, one month, but it felt like that long) Ron sat down to eat breakfast with Harry, next to him. And, strangely enough, he had not felt more comfortable since they had been friends. The very proximity to his former best friend put him at ease in the very same way a massage or a hot, long bath would. It was a total dissolving of the tension that had personified within Ron, turning him into a completely different young man. Now, he could breath easy - the closeness to Harry, and Harry's own indifference to that proximity, really helped him come to grips with the potential for a second chance on their friendship.

"Potions with the Slytherins ought to be fun," said Harry. While it appeared he was speaking to Dean and Seamus, who were across, Ron knew he was addressing everyone, including him. It made him feel... included.

Dean opened his mouth to speak when a blur of mousy gray hair and school robes leaped into the empty seat next to Harry and put his arm around him.

"Ok, Harry, buddy olde' pal... best person in the free world..." began Colin, speaking a mile a minute - Ron idly mused if he was excited or retarded. "It's crunch time - the interview is due in exactly four hours. What's your favorite color, what's your favorite food, type of girl, Quidditch score, sexual position, do you have a favorite hobby, are you interes... mmmpphh..."

Harry had grabbed Colin's lips, pinching them shut, not even spending the effort to look at him. "So, how 'bout them girls?" He nodded to a group of Ravenclaw fifth years, including Luna Lovegood.

"Hah-wee..." mumbled Colin, looking resigned.

Dean and Seamus both broke out laughing, while Ron was well on his way to a coronary. That was Harry for ya, well, post-Sirius Harry anyway. Sirius's death had brought out the worst in him for quite some time, but now, it seemed like the worst and best were meshing into a being Ron thought of as 'just Harry' - he wasn't too good to be true, touched by the Gods, incapable of despair and impatience with people. Now, he was sarcastic to the point of rudeness and as blunt as a drunk hitting on a woman. In a way, he liked Harry's new brutal honest self - he wondered what it would like to be best friends with that.

"Very attractive," offered Dean, who then looked at Seamus. "Though I think Hermione will tie Seamus's lad into a knot if he agreed."

Seamus gave Dean one of those looks.

"Seriously, mate - seems like you two are rocky at best," continued Dean. "Everything okay?"

Seamus gave an injured shrug, the kind of shrug a person might give if he were admitting weakness on a sensitive topic. "I don't know - she's been giving me the cold shoulder lately."

Ron decided that this would be a very bad time to tell him about Hermione and Euan's little experiment in the bathroom, although he secretly suspected Hermione would want Seamus to know - there was a reason she had so brazenly accepted the challenge in front of Ron, and it wasn't because she was unintelligent. Any sentence that included the words 'unintelligent' and 'Hermione' was most likely doomed for failure.

"Hah-wee."

Harry shrugged, glancing at Seamus. "I wouldn't worry about it - she's been preoccupied lately with stuff, I guess."

"Right. Don't worry about it," agreed Ron, deciding to plagiarize straight from Hagrid. "She's just going through a phase - all girls do it."

"Hah-wee..."

Harry shot an irritated glance at Colin, by now cross-eyed, staring at Harry's hand, lips firmly pinched together. "If I let you go, you promise you'd go away - far away - and never ask me about an interview again?"

"Mmmppph..." whined Colin, looking at him with long, puppy-dog eyes.

"Nod..."

"MMMPPH!" exclaimed Colin, eyes beginning to water.

"Nod..."

"MMMMMMPPPPHH!"

Seamus and Dean chuckled. Ron, however, was laughing without much restraint and managed to rasp out, "That kid would have your baby if you asked, mate."

Harry, however, was undaunted. "Nod... or by God, I'll rip them off."

Colin shook his head furiously.

At last, Harry dropped Colin's lips, shaking his head. "My God, Colin." He rubbed his saliva-covered fingers together and then wiped them on Colin's robe. "You are absolutely out of your mind Creevey, you know that?"

"Please?" begged Colin.

Ron laughed uproariously.

"All right, Colin, I give up," said Harry. "Ask..."

Harry never got to finish that sentence. Before Ron had recovered from his fit of laughter, the Great Hall doors flew opened and Professor Snape bounded into the room, for the second time in two days only this time, Ron saw something he'd never seen on the hook-nosed professor's face before.

Professor Snape was afraid. There was no mistaking the emotion on his face. His eyes were wide, his face no longer a sallow yellow but a sickly cream colored, like the color of cheese. He mopped his forehead, sighing several times, as if trying to unclog his throat.

"Wonder what's up with him," stated Seamus. Even Colin was staring, slackjaw, in no hurry to ask Harry any questions.

Snape, once again, stood at the front of the Great Hall, but this time, he didn't seem in any rush to say what he had to say. In a way, it was disconcerting to say the least, and no student seemed to miss this. About two dozen whispered conversations broke out, students trying to find out the answers before Snape had a chance to say them.

"Settle down," said Snape, in a voice very un-Snapelike, with un-Snapelike sensitivity, and then he waited for a moment with very un-Snapelike patience. In all - it was very un-Snape like. "Students..." he began, his voice sounding hoarse, as if he had just been screaming in a fuss closet for hours. "Hogwarts has a problem."

You could have heard a pin drop land on a pillowcase - every student held his or her breath.

"Everyone is to return to their Common Rooms immediately after this meeting," continued Snape. "Right now, we are to discuss the emergency evacuation procedures of Hogwarts."

Everyone held their breath, expecting Brian or Erin to speak out against this - everyone waited for the Head Boy and Head Girl to get to the bottom of this, however, neither of them were to be found. The first person to speak out was Seamus, rising from across the table.

"Evacuation procedures?" asked Seamus, "What has happened - where is Headmistress McGonagall?"

Snape fixed him with a long look. "Last night, Headmistress McGonagall, Professor Dorinthal, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey have gone missing," he answered. "In addition, the Head Boy and Head Girl did not return from their patrol last night. Speaking for the remaining faculty and as acting Headmaster, Hogwarts is to be closed at once."

The hall fell silent - no one ever dared to whisper. This had to be some kind of joke, thought Ron. No one moved a muscle, they just sat there, lost in a disbelieving stupor.

Snape continued, his voice calm and even. "Prefects, you are to gather the students of your houses and follow myself and the remaining faculty straight to Hogsmeade in an orderly fashion. I will personally send a notification to each of your parents telling them to pick you up at King's Cross." Snape hesitated for a moment, not speaking - just wearing a concerned look. The tension in the room thickened to a breath-constricting point, "

And with that, Snape descended from the teacher's table. When he had approached the rear of the school, not a single student had stirred. Casting a baleful look over his shoulders, Snape scowled, "Now, I said!"

Staggering to catch up, the seven prefects of Hogwarts (Draco had never been formally replaced), Seamus and Hermione included, began to called out, trying to bring their houses to some semblance of order. The Slytherins, having only one prefect to guide them, seemed the most restless - the first years were frozen like sheep while Pansy tried her hardest to bring order to the house. Strangely enough, most Gryffindors looked not to Seamus and Hermione for guidance, but to Harry, who had stood up along side Hermione and was whispering something in her ear.

The Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws had a similarly hard time - many of the older students, mostly D.A. members, were looking to Harry, the one face that they all could trust. Ron, seeing what was going on, made it a point to nudge Harry, who hadn't strayed far from his side. Harry glanced to Ron questioningly.

"Seems like you are the Head Boy by popular opinion," said Ron. "Maybe you better say something."

Harry blinked, only now becoming aware of all the eyes on him. He paled slightly, looking a bit peevish at all the attention, but he recovered - after all, Harry had had extensive experience being the first one to draw the eyes of many in most circumstances.

"Members of Dumbledore's Army are to listen to the Prefects and help them as needed," Harry said, speaking over the panicked whispers of the three houses. Had the situation been any different, Ron might have chuckled - every Prefect who wasn't in Slytherin was a member of the D.A. "Everyone come to order, please."

Ron had to look in Snape's direction to see his response to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, commanding much more respect and obedience than the sour Potions Master. Snape was staring fixedly at Harry, his black eyes narrowed and his pale lips bitten with anger. However, seeing the end result of Harry's order, and the overall calm that came over Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, even Snape had little to say and instead, had to deal with the mounting panic and dysfunction of his own house - Pansy couldn't seem to inspire their confidence at all, and they were already running for the door in a terrible panic.

While the three noble houses proceeded toward the exit, over two dozen students calming the younger children and serving as fearless leaders, Slytherin had broken into a frenzied mob, trying to push at each other, in an attempt to get out of the Great Hall first. And the three houses waited - as calm as they were, Ron could feel the mounting tension as Slytherin's fear began to infect some of the younger members of their houses. At last, Snape and Pansy were able to bring order, but not before about six first, second and third year students suffered minor bruises and bloody noses.

And, with fear and concern riding high, the student body of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry clambered down the stairs, leading to the main hall. Once they cleared the stairs, they noticed the remaining Professors of Hogwarts, including Firenze, the centaur assistant Divination teacher next to Trelawney. In a smaller group, Professor Vector conversed in whispered tones with Professor Sinistra and Professor Grubbly-Plank - Ron didn't see Hagrid among the total group.

"Professors with me," ordered Headmaster Snape, "Students, follow our lead. Once we arrive in Hogsmeade, we will give you further instructions."

Ron fell in step next to Harry, who was at the head of Gryffindor along with Hermione and Seamus and said, "What do you suppose happened to - "

"Not now, Ron," interjected Harry, "We'll discuss it when we are out of here."

The Professors opened the main doors and, without delay, strode out into the sunlight. Harry, Seamus, Hermione and Ron, who happened to be right behind them, moved to follow. Just as Ron stepped down on the final stone tile before the steps outside, he felt a sudden jolt of energy rush through his body. Apparently, he was not the only one for Harry, Seamus and Hermione all cried out in confusion. It didn't hurt - it felt vaguely like a firm, vibrating brace had been applied to his leg. The hiss and the crack of magic filled the air and before Ron knew it, he was thrown backwards into the group of Gryffindors behind him.

Ron staggered up, helped to his feet by Colin Creevey and Euan Abercrombie, the two boys he happened to land on. A long white beard had grown from his chin, running down his chest.

The last he saw of the faculty was their confused expressions before the doors slammed shut on their own accord, cutting all the students off. Cascades of shimmering purple chains fell from the ceiling and began to bind themselves across the frame of the door. Three large padlocks rushed from the sides of the room, clicking themselves on the shimmering purple chains, binding them tightly.

Once the doors were secure, the Head Girl's body fell from the ceiling, suspended by a long noose. Her eyes were wide open and her face was calm - had she not been quite dead, she might have been gazing over the students, searching for troublemakers. A line of blood ran from the corner of her mouth and dripped off her chin. Ron's petrified eyes fell on the large, white sign that hung from her neck and dominated her entire chest. Upon the sign were the following words, written in blood with a sloppy, running hand.

ATTENTION HOGWARTS STUDENTS: A NEW TERM BEGINS TONIGHT

The main hall erupted with screams.

* * * * * *

- 4 -

8:25 AM

When Harry saw the body of Erin Slovise, at first he felt nothing. He had seen death up close just yesterday and it sat with him like a sack of potatoes, little more than a bulky sight that bore a strong amount of responsibility.

Pulled to his feet by Ginny and Dennis Creevey, Harry scratched the long, white beard that had grown on his chin. What was this all about, he wondered, glancing down at his beard and trying to remember when he had seen a similar effect. One thing at a time, Harry, one thing at a time...

For now, he had to focus on the body - on the Head Girl, whose disappearance was now explained. But, to do that, he had to overcome the sudden terror in all the students of Hogwarts, all three hundred panicked individuals.

There was a basic breakdown of order - some were standing there, white as sheets and stiff as boards while others were running back to the Great Hall, for what reason, Harry could only guess. Others still were cowering at various points, but one thing they all shared in common was anarchy. Without Professors or a head boy or girl to look at, there was nothing to serve as a bastion of leadership and hope.

Harry sighed - someone had to step up now, lest chaos reign supreme.

Thankfully, Hermione was up for the task. A quick Volume Increasing Charm ('Sonorus!') and she was speaking over the entire crowd, commanding attention.

"Everyone stay calm!" she cried out. "And listen to me!"

As a beacon of reason in a sea of confusion, students stopped their crazed running and eventually, the students gravitated closer to the body despite their fears.

"Everyone is to return to the Great Hall at once!" she called out, her magically enhanced voice shaking the walls of the school. "Prefects, help them."

And it was done. Many younger children cried, older kids whimpered, and even one seventh year boy was looking like he were about to loose it. The Gryffindors seemed the most collected to Harry, the proud badge of the lion being more than just a symbol, but a truth.

Everyone returned to the Great Hall and Hermione ordered them all to sit. Pansy Parkinson had raised her voice magically and seemed on the verge of speaking, but Hermione didn't let her.

"It's important that we all work together," she continued. "Something has come to this school and has separated us from our Professors. We need to stay here until help - "

Pansy scoffed, her loud voice also shaking the Great Hall. "Stay here?" she echoed. "Whatever killed Erin is on the loose - shall we stay in the Great Hall and wait for it to kill us too?"

Hermione looked undaunted, but Harry and half of the school flashed her a very nasty look. For such a chaotic situation, no one seemed to be speaking except for these two prefects.

"What would you propose, Pansy?" asked Hermione, in a calm tone.

"Our Common Rooms are safe," the other girl said. "We stay in them, since no one can enter without a password - "

"Hold on," interrupted Ernie Macmillan, the Hufflepuff prefect. "What makes you think we are any safer there?"

Padma Patil spoke next, also standing from the Ravenclaw table. "If whoever did this got Erin, it could have easily gotten the passwords for our Common Rooms," she observed, looking nervous.

The disagreement between the prefects seemed to be the catalyst of a panicked whisper among all of the students, pale faces were abound and Harry knew that they were hanging onto the confidence of the student body by a hair.

Hermione tried to keep order, "Settle down, settle - "

Harry had had enough. He stood on top of his bench, putting him heads above the rest of the school. With a quick spell, he was speaking in a voice that carried above the commotion.

"Everyone, quiet!" he barked, his voice snapping through the air like a whip crack and commanding nearly perfect obedience.

"You aren't even a prefect! You have no - "

"Shut up, Pansy," Harry stated.

She did so.

"I propose that we send twelve of the best students out of here to scout the condition of the secret entrances and escapes from Hogwarts," Harry said. "Dumbledore's Army members, in particular."

Pansy scoffed, but said nothing.

"The rest of the students shall remain here under the protection of the prefects. When we get back, we'll know our options," finished Harry.

"Stupid idea," said Pansy.

"Harry's idea is the best I've heard," said Seamus, joining in. "Prefects, take a vote."

The vote passed six to one.

"All right," said Harry, pausing for a moment to think. How he wished Hermione and Seamus could come, but they were prefects, and had to protect the larger of the student body. After thinking of a few names, Harry resumed.

"I'll take myself, Colin Creevey, Ginny Weasley, Dennis Creevey," He then looked to the Hufflepuff table, "Zacharias Smith, Justin Finch-Fletchley," he then looked to the Ravenclaws, "Lisa Turpin, Terry Boot, Luna Lovegood..." Harry trailed off for a moment. That was only nine.

He then glanced sidelong to Ron, and nodded. "Fine, Ron..."

He looked back over the remaining D.A. members. He really didn't want Parvati and Lavender with him, they just lacked the seriousness to be counted upon - and Dean looked a bit too scared.

"Oh, I see," hissed Pansy, staring at Harry. "No Slytherins, huh?"

"Of course not," said Hannah Abbot, glaring at Pansy. "Your house is probably behind this whole thing!"

That comment very nearly brought any semblance of order down. About thirty angry voices erupted from Slytherin, followed by at least ninety from each other house, yelling back at them. Harry groaned and rolled his eyes - this was all he needed. He waved his wand and launched a series of crackling sparks into the air, which boomed out over the commotion, silencing everyone for a split second.

Harry groaned. "Fine, to appease Miss Parkinson, she and..." The only Slytherin that remained that he'd recognize was Goyle. He shuddered at the thought, but sighed. He did have to include Slytherin in this, to keep the trust of a fourth the school, if he could even count them as trusting to begin with. "... Goyle can tag along."

"Goyle?" asked Ron, looking at Harry skeptically. "Wouldn't his smell give us away?"

Harry sighed. "Maybe."

Goyle rose and didn't speak any objection. He walked over toward the group of gathering students - most pushed away from him as he arrived. Pansy however, shook her head looking most aggrieved. "Oh, no no no, Potter," she said angrily. "I'm a prefect - I can't go. However, Millicent Bulstrode will go in my stead."

The large, pug-faced girl stood up, wide-eyed. "I will?"

"Yes," she answered snappishly. "Get over there!"

Millicent scowled and crossed her arms. "You have no power, Pansy. Not now!"

Just as the two began to fight, Blaise Zabini stood up, fixed the two with a disgusted look, and moved to join the group. When she arrived next to Harry, she bowed her redhead slightly. Harry had to admit; she was an attractive girl - for a Slytherin anyway. Her hair sort of rolled down her face like a weave of some kind, made in the finest textile plants in England. Her one facial imperfection was a bit of a crook in her nose, probably broken and never set right at a young age. She gave Harry a thin smile. "I'll come with you."

Harry nodded, but managed to stay aloof to her mild charm. "Okay, you and Goyle - just get in back and stay out of our way."

Goyle scowled and Blaise looked offended.

"I can carry my own weight, Potter - just because I'm not one of your precious soldiers doesn't mean I didn't get an 'O' on my Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L," she said darkly.

Seeing the strength in her eyes, Harry had no choice but to shrug and nod. "Very well," he said, "Situate yourself wherever you wish."

And that settled it. The group of twelve - five Gryffindors, three Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs and two Slytherins - followed Harry's lead.

* * * * * *

8:45 AM

- 5 -

Draco... Vincent... what have you done, thought Goyle as he somberly walked behind Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin.

Part of him wanted to tell Harry, Draco's most hated enemy, exactly what was going on. Never had Goyle been more afraid in his life - when balls came to bone, Goyle was hardly brave. Draco and Vincent, his best friends in the world, had become the undead, as cold as they were soulless and as thirsty as they were evil. Pure. Simple. Evil.

But, if he told Harry, they'd come after him for sure. Draco had told him 'The Master Plan' and had bound him as a familiar turning him into the eyes and ears of the undead during the day. When light's end came, Draco would visit him and expect more, lest Goyle would know death and eternal torment.

Draco, whatever was now... a vampire, a wraith, or something worse, would never give him an end should he fail to perform for him.

That kept Goyle's lips shut as they left the Great Hall and stalked down a few corridors, descending down to the Slytherin dungeons. Harry was in the lead, his beard having been shaved off by Hermione Granger just before he had left the Great Hall, along with Weasley (also shaved) and the git with the camera - behind them, the two duffers Smith and the guy with three names, behind them was Weasley's sister, the camera-git's brother, and Loony Lovegood. Finally, in front of him were Blaise, Stuttering Lisa and Boot.

Goyle suspected the only one who didn't get an "O" on their DADA O.W.Ls was him, or maybe the kids too young to take them. He had gotten a "P" on it - poor, but not Dreadful. He had scored the highest in his family. That was something to be proud of.

"Quiet, everyone," came the order, sweeping from front to back as the group descended down the stairs leading to the cold, dark dungeons. They were near the Slytherin Common Room, but heading in the opposite direction from the underground landing, down a slimy and cold corridor filled with shadows and murk.

Where was Potter taking them?

* * * * * *

- 6 -

9:00 AM

Cappy allowed his vision to shift from normal light to infrared, the iris glowing a faint gold in the dark. Thankfully, his invisibility cloak hid this light, lest his position be given away rather quick. Nothing had pleased the red cap more than his show in the Great Hall - it had been perfect. Dorinthal had laid the Age Line last night (no one under twenty could pass) by the entrance, may his pathetic soul roast in hell, and it was Cappy who took the time and care to hang the body.

Now, the students of Hogwarts were alone - it would be a cold day in hell before any wizard from the outside would be able to break the very defenses that were meant to protect the students within. How easy it had been to turn Hogwarts from the most secure and safe building into a prison from which no one could get in or get out.

Following behind the twelve monkeys, he knew he'd be foolish to try his luck against these odds. By sheer circumstance, one would be likely to catch him with a stray spell, invisible or not. No, there was a better way ambush these disgusting primates. His Master (not Dorinthal, mind you - that pitiful man could barely even master himself) had given him a few tricks.

Cappy, using a bit of the power given to him by his Master, took to the wall, his claws digging in and scraping in softly. His cloak, bound tightly to him, didn't fall - even as he ran along the ceiling, directly over twelve heads.

"You hear that, Harry?" asked the red-haired primate, glancing up and around. Freezing in place, suspended by six feet above his head, Cappy waited.

"Yeah," the monkey named Harry said, glancing up at looking directly at Cappy. For the faintest of moments, he suspected those emerald green eyes, so visible in even this much gloom, might have had some ability to see through his cloak. A second later, he looked back at his red-haired companion. "Must be rats."

"I dunno," came a voice from the middle of the group, a tall, blond-haired baboon with a badger on his chest, "Sounded bigger than rats."

Cappy gripped the ceiling tightly, and continued to wait - he had to get ahead of this group, lest they escape without filling his belly.

"Keep moving," Harry ordered after a few seconds (must be the alpha male) and the group continued clambering down the corridor, making more noise than a constipated ogre.

Once the group started moving again, Cappy raced as fast as he could and was well out of their pitiful visual range before they stopped again, crying out warnings and assuming defensive positions. Several of the chimps began babbling a few spells to protect themselves, and the corridor momentarily lit up with lights and flashes.

Right, like I'm going to wade into their midst... thought the red cap, snickering and resuming a slow walk, putting more distance between them. That didn't stop him from musing how many he could kill before they got him. He'd leap at the alpha male, clawing his face off with a single swipe of his claws - he'd die before they even knew what hit them. Perhaps then, he'd run to the back of the line, run along the walls, leap to the ceiling, taking his time and being careful. The red cap held no doubts that he could kill at least half of them before a stray spell took him.

But, for now, he'd have to settle for his Master's orders - make certain all escape routes were sealed. Cappy grinned to himself as he continued moving, the orders and voices of the monkeys fading to mere echoes. His master had allowed him to kill one a day, no more. He already had his target in mind and licked his lips with hunger. One would not make it out of this dungeon, and would find his way into Cappy's stomach.

* * * * * *

- 7 -

9:10 AM

"There's something up there," Blaise Zabini said, her eyes combing the shadows above. She had advanced from the rear and had taken up position next to Harry and Ron - right where someone as skilled as her in the Defense Against the Dark Arts belonged.

Ron glared at her with obvious distaste. "Duh!" he then looked to Harry. "What do ya suppose we should do?"

Harry glanced from Ron to Blaise, locking her with those eyes of his - she had never been the object of his stare before, and wow, was it a rush; those drowning, sparkling green eyes on such an otherwise homely boy. With his frail physique, messy hair, glasses, and hairless body, Harry Potter certainly held no endearment to Zabini, though she had to admit, he was more handsome than the average Slytherin. A semi-deep sniff when you were walking in front of Goyle was more than enough to help appreciate Harry's small, dormant charm - he didn't stink like week old garbage, for one.

"Lumos Solem!" said Harry, a blast of daylight shooting from his wand and striking the ceiling with the same spell Hermione had shown him in their first year. The entire corridor illuminated for a brief moment revealing nothing.

"Whatever made that sound is long gone," Blaise heard Terry Boot say from a bit further back.

"R-right," said Lisa, over the crowd.

Harry nodded. "Let's move on."

And so they did. The corridor was ten feet wide and Harry, Ron and Blaise took point, followed by the rest of the group. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could sense Ron shooting her distrusting glances. Never one to think about a person without letting them know, Blaise spoke up, "You know Weasley, if I wanted to attack you, I'd have done it years ago."

Ron's face swelled up in the light of his wand. "Ya well, you Slytherins always wait for the ideal time."

"Right," snapped Blaise, "There's no better time than in the presence of nine non-Slytherins, surrounded by monsters in the middle of a dungeon. Do you buy your brain in the same bargain bin as your robes?"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Harry interrupted him, "You two, stop. The last thing we need is a Gryffindor/Slytherin bout of infighting."

Blaise fell silent as did Ron - she had to admit, Harry was a good leader, or at least had the making to be. Wonder how he wound up in Gryffindor with such a good brain on his shoulder.

They were now exploring the true dungeons of Hogwarts, well away from the Slytherin Dorms and any classrooms. According to Hogwarts: A History, this part of the school had once been used as a prison, similar to Azkaban, to hold prisoners of war. Long before the founders, this region had been little more than a Wizard's prison. Naturally, when the school was built, the original prison was demolished - all with exception to the dungeons, which Hogwarts just used as its own.

For as long as Blaise could read, she had always been a student of History. She was just about the only carbon-based life form that learned anything in History of Magic; no credit bit Professor Binns teaching, of course. Her own fascination with the complex webs, woven long ago by her ancestors had always served a particular interest to her. And now, deep down in the dungeon she had read about, her schooling in History came to a good, practical use.

"If I recall, there are two ways to leave this dungeon," said Blaise calmly. "One is a tunnel that leads out under the lake, and the other..."

"Harry," interjected Ron, cutting off Blaise. "Just use the Marauder's Map."

Harry slapped his head, groaning. "I... don't have it with me - it's up in our dorm."

"... leads out into the Forbidden Forest," resumed Blaise, smirking at Ron. "The water route is very dangerous without the Bubble-Head Charm - it's a long, airless swim."

"But wait," said Harry, shaking his head. "There was only one secret entrance on the map, and that one opened up in Hogsmeade."

Ron, however, was shaking his head. "No good - that one was blown shut by Filch two years back."

Blaise shrugged and flashed Harry a bright smile. "Well, get yourself a new map."

"Uh, hun, I'm afraid that the map... isn't wrong," Ron said condescendingly, giving her a very fake smile.

Blaise giggled, and smiled back just as venomously, "How would you know, love, can you even read?"

"C'mon you two," said Colin Creevey, who was walking a step or two behind Ron, "Stop fighting."

Harry was looking at Blaise, however, and ignored Colin, "Do you know where these exits are?"

"No," she replied, "I've only read about them."

"That's convenient," replied Ron.

"But, I know what we're looking for," she continued. "When we get to a corridor filled with jail cells, there should be some kind of clue - most prisoners used the water way to escape, according to Hogwarts: A History, hence, the way out to the Lake must have been close."

And sure enough, Blaise was correct. Another two hundred feet of following the twisting, dark corridor brought them to an area with about twelve jail cells. Blaise glanced from side to side, noticing that the bars were rusted and the appointments within were tarnished from hundreds of years of disuse. Each cell had a metal frame for a bunk, and a large hole dug in floors.

"This was an amazing dungeon," continued Blaise, her eyes glazing over with fascination. "Those holes teleported all waste to the lake - it never smelled down here."

Ron muttered something under his breath about Slytherins and dungeons, Blaise missed most of it, but she suspected it was rather negative. Being the mature one, however, she ignored him and instead looked to Harry. "At the end of this corridor should be the exit."

"Wait a minute," said Ginny, who had been walking next to Colin, "How are we going to get the first years through? I can't cast a bubble-charm, and I'm sure they can't either."

There was a murmur of agreement, and Blaise could only shrug. "Well, if it's the only way out we can find - they are just going to have to hold their breaths."

"How long of a swim is it?" asked Zacharias grimly.

Blaise shrugged - distance had never been mentioned.

"And the exit to the Forbidden Forest?" asked Terry, from behind the group.

Blaise shook her head. "I don't know where it is... or if its even around anymore."

"Well," said Justin Finch-Fletchley, "There's no point on talking about anything unless we find an exit. Lead on, H."

Just as Blaise was about to reach the other side, there was a loud click. Everyone started, the sound as blatant as a thunder crack. Everyone save Ron jumped slightly - Ron suddenly gasped, and held steady, stiffening like a board.

"Guys. Help."

Ron's left foot remained firmly planted ahead of him, as if he had stepped down in mid-step and not dared move another muscle.

"Ron?" asked Harry, looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"I stepped down and heard a click... something's beneath my foot, pushing back up," murmured Ron, wiping his forehead with a trembling hand. "I don't wanna move."

Blaise frowned deeply, and scratched her slick, red hair. "Not good."

The voices whispered and called out from behind them, "What's going on? What happened?"

Colin, Dennis and Ginny took the liberty of filling everyone else in.

"What would cause that?" asked Zacharias.

"A trigger grenade, maybe?" asked Terry from behind, drawing a confused expression from those who weren't Muggleborn.

A few moments later, four of the jail cells creaked open loudly, rusted metal grinding on rusted metal and echoing all up and down the corridor.

"Lift your foot, Ron," said Harry firmly.

Ron shook his head vigorously. "What if something..."

"It probably just opened the cells," replied Blaise. "Do it."

Ron lifted his foot, a slow whimper escaped his mouth.

There was a cry from behind and Blaise whipped around. From the middle of the group, Justin Finch-Fletchley went stumbling from the group and into one of the cells, as if shoved by an ogre. He thudded into the opposite wall and fell to his knees.

"Justin!" cried out Zacharias, rushing after him.

With a click and a whir, the cell slammed shut, cutting off Zacharias from helping his friend.

There was a general bit of confusion, as Justin rose, regained his barring and rushed to the bars, pushing furiously at the doors - he was locked in, however. Blaise's mind whirled as fast as it could, there had been nothing in Hogwarts: A History about a trap like this.

Ron had stepped off a small, concealed button on the ground, and the other three cells shut, clanging with finality into closed position. At once, Harry stepped back on, hoping that doing so would undo the trap they had set off.

"What happened?" Colin was inquiring of Justin. The confused boy could only say that some invisible force had shoved him in.

A faint rumbling was heard, echoing, vibrating and shaking Blaise to her very core. The immanent sense of dread filled her, the dark premonition of something dark and fast was moving her way.

"What's going on?" demanded Ginny, who had her wand out and against the lock of Justin's cell. "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

And then, Blaise heard it, the faint gargle of water echoed through the dungeon like a softly bubbling brook in the springtime. She saw it clearly; a small wave of water was filtering in from the end of the corridor and drifting in.

"By Merlin," cried Luna, her lip shaking with tension, "The room's going to flood!"

Justin screamed as water flooded into his cell, the small wave followed by a surge, like a fast moving undertow. The water was already inches deep on the ground, soaking their shoes thoroughly.

"Get him out of there!" cried Harry, rushing at the bars, kicking up water as he ran. He threw himself against the door, trying to pull it loose. Spurred by Harry's words, Ron, Zacharias, Terry, Colin, Dennis and even Goyle threw their weight against the bars, gritting their teeth and forcing the bars. They did not budge, however.

"Harry..." wheezed Ron, his face going red from exertion. "... use your pocket knife... the one Sirius..."

"IT GOT DESTROYED LAST YEAR!" screamed Harry.

"It's g-getting deeper," cried Lisa, forcing Blaise to shudder with annoyance.

"No really, you think? Stand aside," demanded Blaise, picking Dennis Creevey up by the back of his shirt and tossing him back - he was a small kid. "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

"Will you forget it?" cried Ginny, "I already tried it!"

By now, the water was up to their shins, and showed no signs of stopping. Justin furiously grabbed at the bars, his eyes wide with horror. "Help me! Please, God, help me! I don't want to die!" he cried, seeming so pitiful to Blaise.

"You aren't going to die, Justin!" cried Zacharias. His face ballooned with fear. "Do something, Potter!"

Harry sloshed away from the bars and stomped in the area of the button, trying to find it with his foot. "Where is it?" he demanded - it was hidden by the dark, cold water.

Blaise rushed to his side, trying to find the button as well, while the rest of the boys and as many girls as could fit continued to try and force the bars manually. Ginny and Luna began to help as well - a minute later, Ginny cried, "Here, here, I pushed it."

To their horror, three of the four cells opened - not the cell containing Justin, however. Something was stopping it from opening, a part of the trap, which they had just triggered, maybe?

The surge of water was up to their knees and Justin was crying in terror now, grabbing futility at the bars. "PLEASE, HARRY DO SOMETHING!"

Harry, teeth grit with determination, threw himself at the door again. "Everyone, on three!"

"Forget it!" cried Blaise, scowling, "You could have a mountain troll trying to open that cell... try to use magic and blow the bars down."

Harry glanced back at Blaise, and then at the cell door. "All right, everyone... Disarming Charm on the middle bar at the same time... we should blow it right off!" he yelled. "We'll knock this sucker down!"

Hearing Harry, the rest of the group backed off five steps, withdrew their wands, and took aim at the center bar, standing out from the group. Justin continued pulling, lost in a flutter of panic. Blaise spun her wand in her fingers and took careful aim.

"On three... one... two... three..."

"EXPELLIARMUS!" cried ten voices in unison - Goyle said something like "Unga Bunga," which didn't help.

Sparks whizzed and clipped, spun and hissed, force deflected from the bars, flying pell-mell all over the place. One deflected right back at Terry Boot, causing him to grunt and fly backward, hitting the bars of the jail behind him, his wand splashing into the water next to him, and floating away. After the bombardment, there was not even a dent.

"They are warded!" cried out Blaise, sighing hopelessly.

"By Merlin, give us a chance!" cried out Lisa, who was rushing over to Terry. She plucked his wand out of the water before it drifted too far away.

Chest-level and still nothing.

"We have to get out of here!" cried Blaise, "If we wait any longer, we won't have time to get out of these dungeons!"

Harry scowled and threw himself back at the bars. "WE AREN'T LEAVING HIM!" Each of the boys attacked the bars again, the steadily increasing water driving them all to panic.

"It's either HIM OR ALL OF US!" cried Blaise.

Justin clawed at the bars, his fingers beginning to bleed. "Please, don't leave me!" he wailed. "I'm going to die... I'm going to die!"

Harry turned around. "All of you, get out of here!" he cried, keeping at the bars. "I'll save him..."

"To hell you will, alone," cried Ron, making no move to leave. "C'mon Harry, think!"

Zacharias also showed no sign of leaving, "If he dies, we all do! No one better leave like a coward!"

Just about everyone else, however, was showing their fear on their faces like an advertisement and Justin was now ramming into the bars, screaming and crying. Colin, Dennis and Goyle were the first ones to whimper in terror and rush the other way, out of the cells.

"COWARDS!" screamed Zacharias, "I'll kill 'em! I'll kill each and every one of 'em!"

By now, everyone felt a bit lighter as the water began to lift him or her. It had risen to upper chest level.

"We have to get out of here!" screamed Blaise, grabbing Harry by the collar. Harry, however, would have none of it, the stupid lug, and shoved her away, hard.

And then, Blaise did the most unexpected thing - not even she saw this one coming. It's always an amazing discovery when you find you have the ability to surprise yourself. She raised her wand at Harry's back. "Stupefy!"

Harry stiffened at once and fell underwater for a moment before bobbing to the surface. Ron whirled around just in time to catch a second Stunning Charm in his chest, and Zacharias was able to draw his wand, but couldn't do anything to protect himself before he was stunned by a third spell.

Luna, Lisa and Ginny, shocked beyond words, had their wands out and were prepared to curse her, however she spoke quickly, "Levitate them out of here!" she screamed, "They would have stayed here and drowned with him!"

"GOD PLEASE!" screamed Justin, but Blaise grit her teeth and ignored him.

The other three girls did as they were told, levitating Harry, Ron and Terry (who had been knocked unconscious by the deflected spell) with a flick of their wands.

"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" cried Justin.

Blaise looked at him, and scowled. "If I were in your position, I'd be telling you to get out of here and not to die with me!"

Justin, however, didn't seem to be buying that rationale. "I'M SORRY, I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE... I'm so... scared..."

Blaise, with a disgusted scowl, levitated Zacharias's body and with as much speed as she could muster - little more than a slow walk in the deep water - pushed her way out. Justin's screams echoed through the hallway as the water continued to grow deeper and deeper. As it rose to neck level, Blaise kicked off the ground, in a one armed swim. One arm was held over her head, supporting Zacharias's body over her head.

"Don't... go..." cried Justin, his powerful voice fading into a sob of despair. Blaise felt tears running down her face, but kept going... there was nothing she could do for the unfortunate boy. She forced herself to understand the solid truth, she had saved the lives of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Zacharias Smith, who'd have stayed down until it was too late and drowned along side of Justin. Instead of four, only one had drowned - only one had drowned.

To Justin, it wouldn't make much difference.

The most painful thing she ever heard was a last cry, cut short by a gargle, then silence. The cells were only eight feet high while outside, the ceiling topped at fifteen feet - Justin was drowning now. She thought hard of anything else, whatever memories could pop into her head as she swam after the three other girls. She thought about Draco Malfoy, and how Justin would be slapping him five in heaven - even Draco would have to be happy in heaven. He certainly wasn't bad enough to go to hell - he had his sweet moments. Draco had always given her the best birthday gifts. I wonder what Justin's birthday gifts were like.

Her vision became blurred with sobs - the small bit of light given off by her wand was barely enough to guide her now.

The progress was slow, and for a moment, Blaise had the sinking despair that maybe, just maybe, none of them would get out of here alive. The ceiling rose dangerously closer as they pushed through, swimming up the corridor they had patrolled down, passing the spot where they had feared an ambush. Finally, however, the water seemed to stop moving, and the ceiling stopped advancing on her.

They arrived by the stairs leading to the first floor, where Colin, Dennis and Goyle were all but huddled together - Goyle at least twice as big as both the little Creevey boys together. How pathetic they all looked, with their long eyes and their shaking bodies. At least Blaise had helped the situation. Had one more person run, or one less person in their whole party, someone would have had to be left to drown. Those panicking little shits!

Miserable cowards, snorted Blaise, her eyes falling on Dennis Creevey.

* * * * * *

- 8 -

9:35 AM

Lisa had never been a good swimmer. Yet, swimming alongside of Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood and defending Terry, she had dug deep into a reservoir of strength she didn't even knew she had. Not only had she kept up, but she had also managed to get ahead of the other girls, holding her wand above her head, and Terry above her wand.

She was first the climb up the steps, assisted by Goyle. Exhausted, she set Terry down, five steps above the water line and cradled his head. It was bleeding, but not bad - probably a concussion from being thrown so hard.

Summoning a piece of cloth to her side - probably stolen from the Great Hall - she wrapped Terry's head gently. A strange calm had overcome her, a sort of focused pragmatism. Justin had been blocked from her mind by this focus, it was so much easier this way. She knew, later, there would be plenty of time for angry, helpless tears.

Luna sat down on the steps behind her, Ron in toe. She didn't seem in any rush to wake him and instead, was hugging him close. His head was on her lap and she was crying loudly into his chest.

Ginny was quick to start working on Harry, but she lost focus of him when suddenly Colin yelped, staggered backwards and grabbed his nose. Blaise lowered her closed fist and grabbed the small Dennis by the scarf of his neck and threw him down the stairs into the water.

"Leave us to die, huh?" screamed Blaise, leaping on the last stair and grabbing Dennis by his hair when he surfaced, spluttering with surprise. "Just run the other way? A Gryffindor - YOU COWARD!" She shoved his head back under and locked both her arms.

Lisa froze while Colin, seeing what she was doing, tried to grab her - but Blaise was amazingly swift and instead smashed the back of her head into Colin's face, sending him down again. She then pulled Dennis above water - the third year was coughing and gagging.

"How do you like it, you creep?" she screamed. "Have a taste of it!"

She shoved him back under. His hands flailed above the surface, grabbing pitifully at Blaise's wrists. Ginny had better luck than the weak Colin, tackling Blaise and throwing her back, bringing Dennis to the surface, his eyes dazed. He was vomiting water and gasping for air.

"Everyone stop it!" cried Lisa, biting her lip. "Th-th-this is not going to m-m-make anything better!"

Harry was stirring, having been properly enervated by Ginny. Colin, whose nose was still bleeding, rushed over to Dennis to pull him out of the water. Both boys looked like twin, drowned rats. Blaise shivered with rage, sobbing against the wall and Luna had recovered enough to give Ron a half-hearted enervation, though it wasn't powerful enough to overcome Blaise's stunning charm.

Everything just seemed to be moving in slow motion to Lisa - she tried her best to focus only on Terry. His glasses had been knocked off by the force of the blast, and he looked as naked as ever without them, his head lulled awkwardly to the side and a small bit of blood trickling from his mouth. He didn't look good at all. Lisa, who knew a bit of Muggle first-aid, could bandage him, but could do little in the way of magic.

She felt a strong, clumsy tap on her shoulder. Looking up (her eyes were remarkably dry) she saw Goyle, crouching over her, looking as ugly as usual.

"He gonna be okay?" he asked, in his stupid, trollish voice.

"Y-yes," stammered Lisa, "F-f-fine, fine, he'll be ju-juh-just fine."

Goyle sat down on the stairs behind her and said something Lisa wouldn't soon forget, "Sorry about ragging on about your stutter."

Lisa shook her head - this was not the time for this! She had to admit, it had a strange effect on her, but after what had happened, no, this wasn't the right time.

"It's okay," she replied, shifting awkwardly.

It took but a few minutes to revive Harry, Ron and Zacharias - but little did Lisa know that a few simple Enervate Spells were the forerunner of Pandora's box. Harry was the first to awaken - at first, he was confused as to what happened.

"Where's Justin?" he asked, clearing the butterflies from his head, "He got out okay, right?"

Blaise shook her head, still sobbing. "He's dead."

That obviously didn't get through, however, for Harry immediately replied, "That's not possible - we had to have saved him."

Luna wiped her eyes and said, "The prison was designed to keep anyone in - the water trap was designed to kill everyone within quickly and painlessly."

Harry scowled deeply, his short-term memory beginning to return. "Me, Ron and Zack were going to stay and make sure he got out all right. Why are we out all right and he is... why was I unconscious?"

"I stunned you," replied Blaise, plainly.

Harry's scowl deepened, "You what?"

Blaise glared at him forcefully, "If I didn't stun you three, each of you would have drowned trying to save Justin - it was a lost cause, that's what you dense Gryffindors can't see when it flashes you right in the bleeding face. That dungeon was designed to keep the worst of the worst in, ten sixteen year olds aren't going to bust someone out given five minutes!"

"Yeah?" growled Harry, his eyes flaring up like emerald hell, "That wasn't your choice to make, Zabini! I led Justin down there - I was going to save him!"

"Oh really?" shouted Blaise, wiping her eyes furiously, "By doing what? Using your mystical, magical scar to break open the bars, or maybe using your divine providence to force air into his lungs?"

"I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WOULD HAVE!" he roared, burying his face in his hands, "Please tell me he isn't dead... please tell me."

Blaise just snorted and rose. "You know that answer for yourself, Potter..." She sighed, and bit her lip. "Sorry."

"How sorry, I wonder," muttered Harry, his eyes fixing on her in a way that even gave Lisa a nervous jump. "Once a Slytherin always a Slytherin, right?"

Blaise narrowed her eyes coolly, "Oh, get off your high horse, Gryffindor." She glanced dangerously at Colin and Dennis, "These two were the first to abandon you."

Colin shook his head, while pinching his bleeding nose, "It wasn't like that, Harry - I... I got scared."

No, Lisa knew, it was exactly like that. Truth be told, she had a hard time faulting them with cowardice under pressure - had Terry not fallen, she'd probably have run after them. Terry had needed her then, however, and she wasn't about to leave her best friend floating in dark water. She looked down at his face adoringly and stroked his cheek softly. He mumbled something incoherently - the bleeding from the side of his mouth had stopped, and he was already getting better.

Zacharias was the next to stir, having been revived by Ginny. He was much less confused seeing as how he was the last one to be stunned, he knew exactly what Blaise had been doing. That, and, of course, Justin and him were best friends for years. So, Lisa didn't fault Zack when he regained his bearing, leapt to his feet and grabbed two fistfuls of Blaise's robes.

"You better tell me he's alive," he scowled, slamming her into the wall. Unlike Colin, Zacharias was twice her size and was build rather well. Blaise had no chance to fight him off. "... you better tell me he made it out safe and is in the Hospital Wing now, reviving... you better tell me that, or I'll drown you here and now, you snake."

Blaise accepted this mild abuse, keeping her own Irish green eyes locked on him, her lips not stuttering at all. "He drowned."

Zack slammed her into the wall again - Blaise gasped as the air blasted out of her. "No, that's the wrong answer. You stunned me, you made sure I couldn't... YOU MURDERED HIM!"

"You're irrational right now," said Blaise calmly, as though she were commenting on the weather outside, "I saved your life."

He dropped Blaise in a surprise move and pointed his finger right at Harry, who was two steps above him, "Don't think you have no blame in this either, Potter! You led us down there to die!"

Harry turned his back on Zacharias, and began walking up the stairs. Lisa's heart constricted when she saw the murderous look in Zacharias's eyes as he drew his wand. "Face me, Potter!"

"No," came the simple reply, "Go ahead and curse me."

Lisa had had enough, however. She stood up, gently resting Terry's head on the steps and stood between Zacharias and Harry's back.

"It's no ones fault!" cried Lisa, her voice free of stuttering, "Someone has turned Hogwarts into an inescapable prison. Someone pushed Justin into the cell, and someone triggered that water trap, and it wasn't Ron!"

Harry turned, Colin and Dennis peered at her questioningly, and Zacharias's wand dipped slightly. Even Blaise was looking at Lisa, a bewildered expression in her squinty eyes.

"Huh?" mumbled Goyle, confused.

"That button opened and closed the cells," explained Lisa, "But think about it: why would the jailers of old risk putting a water trap trigger right in the center of the room, where anyone could step on it?"

There was nothing but silence - which gave Lisa the confidence to continue on this idea.

"Someone - something was down there with us, we all know it, and whatever that something was shoved Justin inside, triggered the water trap and then made sure we couldn't open the cell again, somehow."

Zacharias's eyes were brimming up. Hands tight with tension gripped his wand, his muscles were taut and angry. "We should have never been down there," he muttered, in a tone barely audible over the lapping water behind them, "He was my best friend, Potter - he died because you led us down there." Zacharias pushed passed Lisa and locked eyes with Harry. "Just thought you should know that."

Without another word, Zacharias walked passed Harry, leaving The Boy Who Lived looking small indeed.

Lisa glanced down at Blaise, who was still looking at her with a mixture of suspicion and wonderment. "Can you take Terry to Audrey Spanning and Cho Chang?" she asked softly, "They are medimancy students and will know how to help him."

Blaise cocked her head while a cough echoed off the wall near them - Ron was coming to at last - Ginny and Luna had been working on him most of the time.

"Why? Where are you going?" she asked Lisa.

She was already moving up the stairs before she had asked the last word of her question. He glanced back briefly and said, "I'm going after Zack."

She passed by Harry, who was looking ill, resting against the rough, dungeon wall. She hadn't even noticed a large gash above his left eye and the cuts all over his hands, earned by throwing himself against the bars with all his strength and trying to force the rough, rusted metal.

"It wasn't your fault," is all Lisa could impart on him before she took to chasing after Zacharias. She wasn't even sure if Harry had heard her.

* * * * * *

- 9 -

9:50 AM

Zacharias hadn't gotten very far at all before his emotions became too heavy to drag. They had become heavy, iron chains around his body, restricting his moment and dropping him to the ground, against one of the walls. It was dank, and dark smelling faintly of mold and dirt, the smell of the grave.

He couldn't be dead, Zacharias kept telling himself, Justin was too cool to die.

He buried his eyes into the hilt of his palm, tears flowing freely. It was all Potter's fault, he thought, his mind racing for some sort of justice. If he hadn't tried playing hero, Justin would still be alive! Why hadn't HE DIED? Another branch intersected that thought. It was that Slytherin's fault - we were so close to saving Justin. I thought I felt the bars move. They were moving... they were so close. Another few seconds, and they would have had it. The Slytherin murdered him!

It was your fault, Zack. You weren't strong enough.

He became vaguely aware of someone moving his way, but he didn't care. Let them see him this weak, he thought. He deserved it - even needed it. That was the only way they'd forgive him - the only way Justin would forgive him. They had to know he was too weak and the task was too hard. It wasn't that he hadn't tried everything he could fucking think of - he had! - it was too hard for him, too hard for them all. Harry had let them all down, some leader he turned out to be.

Whoever it was sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Even still, he didn't look up - he didn't care who it was, he was only glad they were there. If anything, the tears flowed more freely because someone else sympathized with him. They knew as well as he did that the task was too big. They knew Harry should have died, or Blaise Zabini should have died - not Justin. He even should have died before Justin - if he could choose, the option would be clear. But, the task was too big. He couldn't choose and fighting had been futile. Justin died because the world sucks.

"I know it does," she said, whoever she was, Zacharias couldn't tell. He realized he must have said the last part of his thought aloud.

Unable to restrain himself, he through her arms around her - whoever she was - and buried his face into her shoulder. For all he cared, it could have been Professor Snape.

Lisa hugged him close and they remained that way for longer than both could know.

* * * * * *

- 10 -

10:30 AM

"Hermione," said Seamus, staring at the girl he loved with deep concern, "You've not sat still for more than three seconds since they've been gone." They were both standing near the entrance to the Great Hall with the rest of the prefects. If anything was going to attack them, it would come from the front doors, for there was no other way into the Great Hall.

"It's taking too long," Hermione said, her hands shaking in an unconscious rhythm, "They should have been back by now."

Seamus moved to her side and took one of her hands in his. "C'mon, Hermione. Harry's leading them - even if You-Kno... ugh... V-voldemort is doing this, Harry has quite a good field record against him."

Hermione nodded, but shook her head, "I doubt it's Voldemort - what interest would Voldemort have in slaughtering the Head Girl?"

Seamus winced twice as Hermione spoke his name. He understood Harry had been trying to teach the D.A. to speak his name without the dark foreboding it brought with it. To even utter his name, however, was to allow part of the dark person You-Know-Who was to chill you spine. The shutter wasn't from fear - the shutter was mandatory.

"I don't pretend to know what You... V-voldemort thinks," continued Seamus, "But, you're right, I think. If what Harry says is true, Voldemort has always used subtle schemes." He gesticulated broadly, "Turning Hogwarts into a prison is hardly subtle - as we speak, I'm sure every Auror in the country and Dumbledore himself is outside, working on a way to get in." Seamus twitched nervously, "The professors that got away no doubt contacted everyone."

"Which is precisely why I'm worried," said Hermione, "Whatever is doing this is not only standing up to Dumbledore, but the entire Wizarding World - and winning."

Seamus licked the salt of his lips and ran his thumb over the back of Hermione's soft hand.

"It's not really that," Seamus protested, "It's sort of using the very security of Hogwarts against us. But, I think once the Ministry comes up with contingency plans for breaking into Hogwarts, we'll be out of here quickly."

Hermione eyed Seamus skeptically, "The Ministry is a mess right now - Fudge resigned and there isn't even a Minister of Magic. They couldn't even find their way into an abandoned farmhouse right now. Whatever is doing this picked an ideal time - Dumbledore is out of Hogwarts, and the Ministry is in shambles."

"And You-Know-Who is waging war with half of Europe," said a voice from behind. Hermione and Seamus both turned to Ernie Macmillan, who had been standing close to them. Upon seeing their looks, he held up his hands, "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"So, you think that Voldemort isn't behind this either?" asked Hermione, "And stop wincing."

Ernie shook his head, "As much as the modern Wizarding World doesn't like to think it, there have been much greater evils in the world before You-Know-Who. Just saying his name sends a shiver down most anyone's spine, but there were evils in past times that, to speak their name, would bring a day of misfortune and ruin to anyone who heard you."

"Superstitious nonsense," replied both Hermione and Seamus.

"Be that as it may," continued Ernie, "I have no problem accepting that whatever is doing this has been waiting for decades - maybe even centuries - for the perfect chance. Think about it: The Second War is fetching the attention of all eyes from the school, the Ministry is in discord, and, most importantly, no great wizard remains at Hogwarts to keep us safe."

"But to do what?" asked Seamus, "If it could do all this - why hasn't it just come in and killed us?"

Hermione bit her lip. "That's obviously not its plan - remember the note on Erin's body?"

Ernie nodded. "Attention Hogwarts Students: The New Term Starts Tonight."

"You don't honestly think that schedules will be handed out?" asked Seamus skeptically.

Hermione shook her head. "No... I suspect that was its way of saying that, tonight, it'll teach us a lesson."

Ernie and Seamus both fell silent, unable to refute Hermione's simple logic. Just then, the Great Hall doors opened and in walked the raggediest group of students Seamus had ever slapped eyes on. After first, Seamus had to wonder if these were the same students that had left - perhaps a group had not made it to the Great Hall this morning. But, no, it was definitely them. In the lead was Blaise Zabini, looking like she had a wrestling match with a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Her ginger hair was tarnished, wet and dirty, her robes soiled and her make-up had run down her face completely, giving her the look of an ancient mannequin. Behind her followed the rest of them, all looking worse for their wear, like they had just come from the fight of their lives. One was unconscious and floated in by Goyle - he recognized him as Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw in his year.

"I only count eleven," Hermione said, in a rushed tone. She didn't wait for her answer, however, and flung herself into the group, embracing both Harry and Ron, who had filtered in at the end. Seamus noted that neither boy returned her hug; they just accepted it with resigned duty.

Seamus counted as well - only eleven. Who was missing?

"Where's Justin?" asked Hannah Abbot, after hugging Zacharias, who looked as lively as the dead.

Two Ravenclaws - Cho Chang and another he didn't know - rushed over to Goyle, relieving him of Terry. They dragged him to the Ravenclaw table, pushed aside some empty plates, and laid him down. Once they began to cast spells, Seamus lost interest and moved closer to the group, where Lisa Turpin was explaining to Padma Patil what had happened.

The Creeveys and Ginny slumped at the Gryffindor table, exhausted and dazed, while Harry, Ron and Hermione held a whispered conversation in the back of the group.

Lisa explained all about the water trap and Justin's untimely demise. It spread around the Great Hall like wild fire and everyone was struck hard, especially the Hufflepuffs. Hannah Abbot had begun bawling hysterically - Ernie went to comfort her, but any words he said to her would not likely help.

Someone joined Seamus, who was leaning against the end of the Slytherin table, digesting all that he had heard. He glanced over to see Dean, shaking his head and holding his forehead.

"We're all going to die here, aren't we?" asked Dean, sounding graver than Seamus ever recalled. Normally, nothing could get Dean down, but apparently he was cracking under the situation.

Seamus shook his head, "No, we'll be fine, Dean. Just don't loose it - the younger kids need us."

Both boys glanced down the table. The Slytherin first and second years all sat stunned, frowns etched on their faces. Some of them were hugging each other while others were crying in their hands. Seems like Slytherin cunning had moved out and fear had moved in.

"Seems like Potter and company managed to loose one AND seal off our only escape route as well," Pansy was shrieking, as she stormed back to the Slytherin table, passing by Dean and Seamus. Bulstrode and Goyle followed behind her, muttering something under their breaths.

"Hey," Seamus felt compelled to say, "Whatever is imprisoning us was smart enough to seal off ALL exits - it wasn't Harry's fault."

Pansy stopped by Seamus, scowling, "No, of course it wasn't. Potter just led everyone dumb enough to follow him into a trap. At least it was only a stupid duffer that bought it though. I'd have been upset if it were someone import - "

Little did Pansy know, she had made the same mistake Draco had, two years past, slandering someone without watching her tone. Apparently, Hannah Abbot had been close enough to hear her, and decided Pansy's words isolated her as a great target for venting frustration, for she pushed passed Dean and slapped Pansy with a thundering crack and began pulling her hair.

"TAKE IT BACK!" screamed Hannah, reigning down slaps on Pansy. Not to be outdone, Pansy yanked out quite a bit of Hannah's golden locks and shoved her away.

Older Slytherins and Hufflepuffs broke up the fight, each restraining their own member. Seamus looked down at his feet, resignedly, a single thought filling his head. It was going to get much worse before it got better, he realized. He glanced at his watch... 10:41 AM... it was going to be a tense, long day.