The note landed on her desk the second Fleur Delacour walked into her cubicle.

“Strange…” she muttered, putting down the stack of folders in her hands and carefully opening the quivering paper airplane – and unlike most of the memos she had received, this one was not purple, but the rather drab colour of ordinary parchment.

But the words scrawled on the parchment were far from ordinary – and nor was the sender.

Her eyes widened with shock as she reread the note. He’s playing a dangerous game, and now he’s drawing me into it… no, it is too dangerous, too costly; he can’t be asking this…

She set the parchment down with a trembling hand and drew her wand. After incinerating it with a wave, Fleur carefully reached for the drawer of her filing cabinet. It rolled open silently on magically greased hinges, and she pulled the official-looking paper out of her desk.

She had an idea about what he was planning – a horrible idea, but one almost ingenious in its simplicity – and it would only take a few documents to trigger it. And like a boulder shoved off the back of a dragon, there would be no way of stopping it.

She swallowed hard as she quickly filled out the form with the easy efficiency that had won her place in the Department of Magical Finance. She knew this was the easy part of the job he had asked her to do – the hard part would be ensuring there was probable cause.

She stared at the tax audit form and clenched her small hand into a fist. Carefully sliding the form into a new silver folder, she rose to her feet and, with a cautious look around, left her cubicle.

It was still early in the morning, and it was unlikely that she would be interrupted, but she could not afford to take chances with something like this. It was too dangerous – a single misstep could destroy her career and land her in a Ministry holding cell.

She drew her wand, and hesitated. Could she really do this? Did she dare try something like this, all for a young man who she barely knew?

He wouldn’t have approached me if he had any other choice, she thought, even as the chill surged down her spine at the thought. But if he’s risking this, he’s desperate indeed…

She felt the Disillusionment Charm take hold as she grasped the doorknob of the record vault of the Department of Magical Finance – filled with the tax reports and returns of every wizarding business in England.

Including the one she had to alter, and then for which an audit would be surreptitiously ‘requested.’

Harry, I hope you know what you’re doing… otherwise you’re damning us both. But despite herself, she felt a thin grin cross her face. Castellan Zabini, however, will be getting a very rude surprise no matter how this goes.

* * *

“So you’re suggesting that there are three Death Eaters in Hogwarts?” Tonks asked sharply, pacing around the room, her short, staccato steps resounding on the stone. “Three of them, here?”

“That’s what Peeves told me,” Harry replied darkly, “and although that damned poltergeist could be lying, I somehow doubt it. It’s not Peeves’ style to lie –”

“It’s not the style of a poltergeist to act like this!” Tonks said with frustration. “I remember Peeves, and he never gave cryptic warnings like this – hell, he didn’t even act like a rational entity, much less one with hidden intelligence –”

“Not to mention one that’s completely insane,” Harry finished, shaking his head with frustration. “Any idea who he could be referring to?”

“Not a damned clue,” Tonks murmured, sitting down next to Harry. “Snape’s the obvious number one, and even though he’s technically on our side, he is still a Death Eater.”

“And he’s still scum,” Harry added with a grimace. “But what about the other two? Malfoy, or a few of the other older Slytherins?”

“Somehow, I doubt that,” Tonks said with a frown. “Voldemort’s smarter than that – they’d be obvious suspects, particularly if he’s responsible in any way for Peeves acting so strangely.”

“But maybe that’s the point,” Harry said, rising to his feet and looking out the window. “Voldemort leaks the information to Peeves, knowing that we’ll suspect the Slytherins as Death Eaters, while slipping another spy in somewhere else.”

“Like where?”

“God, I dunno… maybe through Ravenclaw?”

“The obvious second choice,” Tonks mused, “but of the other houses, it’s the most likely.”

“Unless they slipped someone in through H.A.I.T.,” Harry said, narrowing his eyes.

“Impossible,” Tonks said adamantly, shaking her head. “Umbridge insisted on full background checks before she admitted anybody on the team, and last time I checked, there weren’t any former Death Eaters on that team.”

“And they let Kemester on the team even with the full background check?” Harry asked with rising disgust.

“Well, not exactly,” Tonks said with a grimace as her hair shifted to an angry coppery shade. “Remember the inquiry? Bones effectively gave him the position free and clear after that debacle. I mean, he was proved innocent, in a matter of speaking –”

Harry snorted. “I’m sure. Well, wouldn’t it make sense that he’s the Death Eater, then? I mean, that bastard certainly doesn’t pull any punches.”

“And your face is pulsating proof of that,” Tonks muttered. “But it’s the obvious move for Voldemort. I mean, considering how much Kemester hates you –”

“Not nearly as much as I hate him,” Harry growled.

“– He would be the obvious choice for Voldemort to recruit,” Tonks finished, clenching her own fist. “The problem is, it’s too obvious. Voldemort’s probably hoping that you focus on him rather than spot the true Death Eater.”

“I’m going to focus on him just because I want him to pay,” Harry said furiously. “I’m going to make him wish he was with his brother six feet under!”

“And part of that plan includes getting out of this interrogation free and clear,” Tonks finished grimly, pulling her list of school governors (which was rapidly growing very tattered) out of her bag and spreading it on the table. “You’re sure you trust this Fleur girl?”

“If anybody can do this, it’s Fleur,” Harry said coolly. “I still mostly trust her, and with Sirius… with Sirius out of the picture, I need someone outside I can rely on.”

Tonks cleared her throat.

“Well, besides you.”

“Thank you,” Tonks said with a devious grin. “I’m still surprised we managed to get this cooked up so fast.”

“We only stayed up past two to do it,” Harry muttered, rubbing his eyes. “And I thought blackmail would get easier with more practice…”

“You do know we might not even need the ‘details’ your friend is planting if my suspicions are correct,” Tonks said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Aphrodite Zabini has been reportedly funneling money to the Death Eaters for years, and considering her connections to Lucius Malfoy, I’m actually surprised she hasn’t been apprehended for anything yet.” She snorted. “Then again, all of her husbands have tended to die just before she becomes indicted.”

“Which draws away attention,” Harry added with a grimace. “And that makes Castellan Zabini a target, if we go by any sort of trend. As soon as she sees that he’s in trouble, she’ll think that he’s a security risk – and one to be silenced.”

“This time it’s not her being indicted, though, it’s her husband,” Tonks pointed out. “She might hang around for a bit before trying to knock him off – at least long enough to cover her assets and tracks –”

“Please, she’s not that sentimental,” Harry said with a shake of his head. “We’re going to have to interfere if we want Castellan Zabini still alive by the end of this – and I think it’s about time that we put an end to Aphrodite Zabini’s financial endeavors – for good.”

“And we’ll likely be facing Death Eaters along that way,” Tonks said, blowing out a quick breath and clapping her hands together as she rose to her feet. “Likely Lucius Malfoy – and he’s good at what he does.”

“Ruining peoples’ lives?”

“Well, I was going to say killing people, but he’s good at that too,” Tonks said with a shrug. “Did you get a chance to read through that list of spells that I drew up for you?”

“Yeah, in my spare time,” Harry muttered. “I looked through it while everyone was asleep in History of Magic – and I noticed that there were an awful lot of killing spells on that list.”

Tonks rolled her eyes. “Harry…”

“Honestly, what’s the problem with Avada Kedavra?”

“That assumes you’ll be able to cast it,” Tonks pointed out, cocking an eyebrow, her hair turning bright green as she did – the same green of the Killing Curse. “Moody told you that you need a powerful bit of magic behind the curse, right?”

“Well, Crouch said that, but I can only assume that it was roughly true.”

“You need serious force of will to cast that monster, Harry,” Tonks warned. “This is no Stunning Spell that you can shoot without a thought. The Killing Curse requires you to sincerely want your target dead. And I doubt… well, okay, I know you want Snape and Kemester dead, but how much do you genuinely want to kill Aphrodite Zabini?”

“I can do it,” Harry said through gritted teeth.

“The other curses on that list are just as lethal, but they deal damage to the body, and that’s what we want to try and avoid if we want to use her corpse for simulamancy,” Tonks said briskly. “We want to avoid having to do restorations, and that means taking her as intact as possible.”

“Intact, but dead.”

“Pretty much. The Killing Curse just renders her body non-living without damage. The others here… forced heart attacks, explosive aneurysms, lethal puncturing of lungs and heart via rapidly expanding ribs, all those require a hell of a lot more work to fix.”

Harry frowned. “And you’re sure that she’d take over the school governorship if her husband somehow died?”

“I’m not sure, Harry, but we can’t afford to take the risk in this case,” Tonks replied testily. “And we don’t have enough time to do this twice. And besides, we need the body for the simulamancy. Better that we remove an ally to Malfoy and save Castellan Zabini’s life than risk the man’s death and Aphrodite’s seizure of the position. And if we don’t get the body –”

“I know, I know, we need if we want to be able to have our hands completely clean when we talk to Cassane,” Harry said exasperatedly, running a hand through his hair. “You know, there’s got to be another advantage to this magic! I mean, there’s got to be more from this magic for all the damn effort that we’re putting into it!”

“Other than the ability to possess a body without any hint of detection or chance of identification?” Tonks asked incredulously. “Harry, that’s a huge advantage for any sort of operation like this! Complete, unbreakable anonymity is an incredible weapon – why do you think people feared Metamorphmagi so much?”

“But that’s different!” Harry argued. “You could take any form you want – I’m just stuck possessing the body of Aphrodite Zabini! I mean, it’s not like she’s a nonentity in our world!”

Tonks frowned and picked up one of the books tossed on the table. “Hang on a second, Harry, I could have sworn I had spotted something in Metamagical Extrabiology…”

“Good luck finding it,” Harry said with a groan. “Frankly, I can’t believe you’ve gotten that far in that book as it is…”

“Found it!” Tonks said with a smile, pointing down at the tiny layer of text. “I knew there was an annotation here somewhere regarding this… basically, it’s a discussion of human transfiguration, with regards to live versus dead tissue, with the hypothesis presented that with the proper spells, a Metamorphmagus can more easily cast human transfiguration spells given one’s experience – which is true, really – but when applied to ritualized magic such as this –”

“Short form, Tonks?”

“Basically, during the ritual, I can magically shape the body into the desired shape, using my skills as a Metamorphmagus, a connection created and reinforced by the blood – my blood – required in the ritual. It’ll take longer for me to finish the ritual, and it’ll be exhausting as hell, but I can do it.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding? So you can change Aphrodite Zabini’s body into anything you want?”

“Within reason, Harry,” Tonks replied. “I can’t add or take away any large bodily mass, but I can shape the figure into pretty much whatever we want – providing the exertion doesn’t render me unconscious midway through the ritual.”

“And that’s likely?” Harry asked apprehensively.

“Damned if I know. I’ve never done this before.”

“So, in other words, you can shape the body into whatever we need, providing the mass doesn’t change all too much,” Harry concluded. “Anything else?”

Tonks rolled her eyes. “Harry, if there is, the wizards who created this sure as hell didn’t have time to find it. I mean, there could be unknown benefits, but they were caught before they actually discovered anything conclusive. You’re not going to get immunity to the Killing Curse or something just because you possess somebody’s body.”

Harry frowned. “I wasn’t expecting that. I was just curious…” His voice trailed off as a sudden, unexpected thought burst into his mind. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Oh Merlin, not this again.”

“Just hear me out, okay? Do you think that if my simulamancy body gets hit with a Killing Curse, I will die or my ‘consciousness’ will just snap back to my original body?”

Tonks frowned before raising her eyebrows. “Honestly, Harry,” she said finally, “I don’t have a damn clue. You can bet that none of our wizards investigated that possibility when they created simulamancy –”

“I’m just thinking that it could be a huge advantage – the advantage I could need – if I run into Death Eaters in that body,” Harry said, his voice quickening with excitement. “Think about it – they could kill that body, but I’d snap back to my original body! It’s the perfect last-ditch plan!”

“Hold on a second, Harry, we can’t jump to conclusions here,” Tonks warned. “Too much is on the line for us to actually test this – namely the fact that if you’re wrong, you’re dead. And would you really want to test that theory on the wrong end of Lucius Malfoy’s wand?”

“You think it’s likely that he’ll interfere if we try and take out Aphrodite Zabini?” Harry asked, a note of nervousness creeping into his voice.

“Count on it,” Tonks said grimly. “And he’s not in Voldemort’s Inner Circle just because he’s rich. He knows a lot of Dark magic – and none of it you want to be on the receiving end of. He’s knows spells that’ll rip your intestines out before you can even raise your wand.”

Harry winced. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“And you wonder why Auror training emphasizes mobility and altering the environment to your advantage?” Tonks said with a heavy sigh. “Sure, we have our share of offensive magic, but you’ve got to realize that often times all it takes is one curse to bring you down – particularly if it’s Dark magic. Why do you think I love using Glisseo so much?”

“Because you like to see people fall on their arses?”

“Well, besides that, it’s a spell that’s got a manageable area of effect, and is ridiculously easy to cast to boot – the perfect spell to handle Dark wizards. Not to mention that it’s a blast at parties.” Tonks winked provocatively. “And during sex.”

Harry went red.

* * *

“You were out late again, weren’t you?” a voice asked quietly as Harry pulled off his Invisibility Cloak and closed the portrait behind him.

Harry nearly stumbled as he scrambled for his wand, but a second later, he recognized the voice, and blew out a shaky breath. “Ron, you nearly scared me half to death! Don’t do that!”

“Sorry,” Ron muttered, coming into the flickering light of the fireplace.

“And why aren’t you in bed, anyways?” Harry asked, irritated. “It’s late, mate. You should be sleeping.”

“I can’t sleep,” Ron said quietly, turning towards the fireplace. “Nobody can, anymore. Sure, everyone goes up to their dormitories, but it’s not like anybody’s getting any actual rest. And besides, after what I saw two days ago… when they took Charlie away…” Ron took a shuddering breath. “I’m not going to sleep with that in my mind.”

Harry swallowed hard. “We’ll get him out of there, Ron, don’t worry. Dumbledore will get him out –”

“I wish I could believe that, but Dumbledore… well, he’s only human, Harry, and with the Ministry the way it is...” Ron slumped in the plush chair by the fire and closed his eyes. “I wish we could do something – anything.”

“Ron, I’d do whatever I could to get Charlie out, but I’ve got too much on my plate as it is,” Harry said uneasily. “Hell, you saw my face when I got back to Hogwarts – I was a bloody mess!”

“Kemester, I know,” Ron said darkly. “But it’s not just him – Umbridge is cracking down all over the school, and the teachers can only stand up against her for so long. You wouldn’t have seen much of her rants, considering the number of classes you’ve missed of hers –”

“She can’t do a damned thing to the other teachers,” Harry said with a snort. “I’d like to see her try taking McGonagall or Flitwick on – and if she tried fighting Snape, the two would likely kill each other!” And the world would be a better place, he thought to himself with a cold smile.

“Well, she’s going to try – and she’s got H.A.I.T. to do her dirty work. And her detentions, Harry… I’ve heard some rumors, and most of them don’t sound good. Harry, she’s going to start coming after the people who are skipping her classes, and you’re on the top of her list.”

“There are other people skipping her class?” Harry asked, a bit surprised.

“Fred and George, mostly,” Ron said with a shrug. “Most of the others are getting a bit scared of her, and they think that H.A.I.T’s spying on them too.”

“More true than you’d realize,” Harry muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Harry said hurriedly. “Look, Ron, I don’t know what you want from me here. It’s not like I can get Umbridge thrown out of the school –”

“You’re already doing something by standing up to her,” Ron said, an earnest edge creeping into his voice, “but Harry, even despite everything you’ve been through this summer, there are people who want to be on your side.”

“If this is about Hermione –”

“It’s not, Harry, it’s about me,” Ron said, grim determination filling his voice. “I’m not going to let that she-devil take away my brother and get away with it, and even though I did learn some things when I was helping you prepare for the Triwizard Tournament, it’s not enough. And I really can’t argue with the facts – particularly that you’re one of the strongest wizards in Defense Against the Dark Arts in our year.”

“Ron –”

“And if you gave me the go-ahead, Harry, I fucking swear I’d throw everything I have against Umbridge, and so would a bunch of other people –”

“Ron, listen to me,” Harry said, swallowing hard as he heard the desperation in Ron’s voice. “I need to clear my own name before I can help you here. Believe me, the last thing I want is to see Charlie in prison. In fact…” His voice trailed off as he wildly searched his mind for ideas. “Hell, you don’t need me for any plans here. Try something on your own – it would probably work better than anything I would run. Hell, you took up the fight for Buckbeak two years ago when Hermione couldn’t – surely you can find something for Charlie! And as for Umbridge…”

Ron took a deep breath. “I’ve got a few ideas –”

“Good, then use them,” Harry said quickly. “Don’t get yourself or anyone else expelled, and if you can actually get rid of Umbridge, all the better. Don’t kill her, though – the last thing we need is blood on your hands as well as mine.”

Ron nodded, a small grin spreading across his face. “Thanks, Harry, I appreciate that. And frankly, it’s not like I’ve got much else to do, particularly on nights like this when I can’t sleep…”

Harry grimaced. “You’re not the only one,” he muttered, knowing that the thoughts of the woman he had to kill would prevent him from sleeping that night.

* * *

Castellan Zabini was not typically one to panic.

After all, his job had him shipping large quantities of expensive goods back and forth over the English Channel – a Channel infested with merpeople and Grindylows dying from the pollution and smugglers hungry for an easy profit. Such shipments had to protected – particularly any under commission from Gringotts, as the goblin bankers were seldom merciful. His job was stressful, but profitable, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

But things had changed only a few months earlier, when his wife had come home from a dinner meeting with Lucius Malfoy, stating that she wanted to move some funds into a private ‘account’ – still tied to his business, but off all the books.

He had been cautious considering that option. It wasn’t like he hadn’t embezzled money before, but it had always been on the side, carefully shielded in overseas accounts. Not like this – not actually in England. It was perilous, particularly with the turmoil in the Ministry at the moment and Fudge’s growing paranoia.

But Aphrodite had reassured him that his yearly audit had already happened, and the account would only be short-term, and that she would more than make up for the ‘inconvenience’.

And she had been right… until that morning.

He was sweating as he reread the very official-looking statement on his wide, oaken desk. He could hardly believe what he was reading – it was impossible. He had covered his tracks meticulously, utilizing every bit of financial and legal protection he could buy.

How could they have found out? How could they know? I already HAD my full business and tax audit a few months ago – where the hell did this come from?

“Is there a problem, my dear?” a voice said from the door behind his desk. He turned to see Aphrodite Zabini, his beautiful wife of two years. She really was a gorgeous woman, and she looked far younger than her thirty-nine years. Beautiful, striking, with a devious and quick mind to boot, she was a prize he could hardly afford to lose. Even though a few of his friends had advised him against marrying her – after all, she was fifteen years his junior – he had refused to listen, even to the rumors of dead husbands she had left behind her.

“This,” he said, working to keep the edge of fear out of his voice. “It’s a letter, informing me that the business is going to be audited!”

“It’s probably a mistake,” Aphrodite said soothingly, but Castellan knew from the slight brittleness of her voice that she was as suspicious as he was. “You should contact the Department of Magical Finance –”

“And do what? Contact my lawyers? Any sort of action will immediately tip them off that we have something to hide – which we do! I told you this was a bad idea!”

“It’s a favour to Lucius, my dear,” Aphrodite said coolly, crossing her arms over her ample breasts. “And you shouldn’t be worried – the bookkeeping was faultless.”

“Obviously, it wasn’t, Aphrodite, otherwise my company wouldn’t be getting audited right now!” Castellan said furiously, panic and anger warring in his voice. “We’ll have to move quickly if we want to empty that account and redirect the funds –”

“There’s no need to do that,” Aphrodite interrupted impatiently. “We’ve covered the trail –”

“Not well enough, and if I don’t act now, the Hit Wizards will be arresting me for fraud!” Castellan said, his heart pounding as he pulled a scrap of paper from his desk and began scribbling frantically.

“What are you doing?” Aphrodite asked sharply. “You don’t think moving that kind of money will not draw attention?”

“Not if it’s in an overseas account,” Castellan muttered, his pen skating across the paper, “and if I’m lucky, the money will be moved before the audit finds any evidence –”

“The terms of the agreement with Lucius was that the money was to remain here, Castellan,” Aphrodite said coolly. “And you don’t want to break an agreement with Lucius Malfoy, if I’m correct?”

“He’s not the one who’s risking prison by keeping that money!” Castellan replied hurriedly, signing the paper with a shaking hand. “I should never have made this deal, my dear, and I should never have let you convince me to do this. It was too risky, too dangerous!”

Aphrodite’s eyes narrowed for a second before becoming sympathetic, but Castellan had been addressing the envelope, and he did not see the strange look that his wife had given him, as if she reevaluating his usefulness – and was finding him lacking.

* * *

“I swear, Harry, Umbridge is going to kill somebody if you don’t show up to her class soon,” Ron said worriedly as he and Harry sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table. “She was not pleased to see you not there.”

“And when I care about what that ugly bitch thinks, I’ll show up to class, but until then, it would only be a waste of my time,” Harry muttered, his eyes scanning through the list of spells on the page. Tonks had sent him a note warning him that he had to be ready for action. He hadn’t actually had a chance to practice any of the curses or shields on the list – just was well, as he expected many of them to be rather explosive – but he was confident in his own abilities. And besides, Tonks will be there with me…

He heard a fluttering of wings, and he expectantly looked up to catch the rolled up copy of the Evening Prophet before it landed on his plate. Pulling it open, his eyes landed on the title…

And he froze. Fear, shock, and rage surged through his gut. No, this isn’t happening… not now, I thought Dumbledore fixed this, I thought he took care of this…

“What’s the problem?” Ron asked, peering at the title page. A second later, he went pale at the title on the page – and the deadly expression on Harry’s face.

HOGWARTS IN TURMOIL:

HARRY POTTER, THE PROTECTED CRIMINAL

(PART ONE OF THREE)

By Editor-In-Chief Barnabus Cuffe

The actions of Harry Potter in recent weeks, beginning with his disastrous flight from justice in early August, have created a great disturbance in the wizarding world. Now, shocking new evidence has been collected and released, raising suspicions that the Boy-Who-Lived may have been involved in other, darker crimes against the wizarding community: namely, collaboration with notorious murderer Sirius Black and involvement in the bombing of Ollivander’s just a few weeks ago.

“We attempted to apprehend him on the Hogwarts Express, but then Black himself showed up to whisk Potter to safety!” a Hit Wizard (who wished to remain unnamed) told Prophet interviewers last night. “And then Potter somehow got past the cordon at Hogsmeade, where he can take shelter under Dumbledore’s security blanket!”

According to ancient rules set down at Hogwarts, a student can only be removed for criminal investigation with the approval of the school governors, and it seems that Potter is taking shelter under this to avoid facing an interrogation under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. These ‘ancient rules’, reportedly cited by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore during a meeting with the Hogwarts Analysis & Investigation Team leader Dolores Umbridge, have come under increased scrutiny and criticism by members of the Wizengamot and the school governors.

“Potter is not being held accountable for his actions, and it is disgraceful that Dumbledore continues to play power games such as this,” Felix Nott, a Hogwarts school governor and successful businessman, commented last night from his manor outside of Bristol. “Fortunately, concerned parents now have H.A.I.T. to protect their interests at Hogwarts.”

This team, formed on the suggestion of Dolores Umbridge and Amelia Bones not two weeks before school began, was designed to investigate internal issues within Hogwarts, and for the first time, will be responsible for interrogating Potter once terms are decided upon by the school governors in an upcoming vote. The bilateral interrogation team, consisting of Kingsley Shacklebolt (Auror), Dmitri Kemester (Hit Wizard), and Dolores Umbridge will operate under the observation of Hogwarts’ representative during Potter’s interrogation, Potions Master Severus Snape.

Harry could hardly believe the words on the page in front of him. Dumbledore couldn’t be allowing this. “He’s letting Snape monitor the interview? And he let them put Kemester on the team? Is he bloody insane?”

“Harry, you might want to keep reading,” Ron said hesitantly. “There’s more.”

Despite his upcoming interrogation, Potter has been given by Dumbledore an unprecedented amount of freedom within Hogwarts – a freedom that has been widely criticized by both H.A.I.T. members and fellow students, many of which who are concerned about Potter’s reckless and questionably dark actions.

“I told the Daily Prophet last year that Potter can speak Parseltongue, and that he’s been friends with werewolves and giants,” fifth year student Draco Malfoy revealed exclusively in a private interview. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was working with Black, and now it looks like it’s finally hitting him where it hurts.”

Malfoy is referring to a debacle which only happened two days earlier, in which returning from Hogsmeade under H.A.I.T. escort after interviewing legal counsel, Black attacked Potter before escaping. Even as Black continues to evade pursuit, many are wondering if Potter’s connection to the infamous criminal may be used to finally bring him to justice.

“If anything, it seems that Albus Dumbledore, by defending Potter and forcing these extra procedures, is only making matters worse,” Nott commented. “And one can only wonder whose side Dumbledore is really on – or whether he’s even still fit to run Hogwarts.”

Recently demoted from Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore has proven to be a difficult figure to reach for commentary, and we all eagerly await his opinion on recent events, particularly the implications made by one Sturgis Podmore on his involvement in the murder of Laertes Rawling. Thus far, Dumbledore has refrained from commenting, as has Potter, despite several inquiries. The H.A.I.T. interrogation team has also refrained from commenting, citing confidentiality regarding their investigation.

One thing is certain, though – with the tragic accidental death of Gertrude Marchbanks, Dumbledore will not be able to interfere on Potter’s behalf, as there is an odd number of school governors and thus no requirement for a tie breaker as called for under the rules.

“Like or not, Dumbledore will not be permitted to interfere in school governor affairs,” Nott concluded, “and if he does… well, he will have overstepped his boundaries one too many times, and his tenure at Hogwarts will be… limited.”

More on page 9 with a discussion of Dumbledore’s questionable actions, both at Hogwarts and in the political sphere…

Harry couldn’t read anymore. An entire article full of lies and deception – that couldn’t have been what Dumbledore had wanted…

“I guess Cuffe’s not on our side, after all,” Harry growled, his hands shaking as he tossed the paper aside, unable to deny the nervous feeling roiling in his gut. “I’ve got no choice now…”

“No choice for what?” Ron asked.

“It’s not important, Ron,” Harry whispered, very aware of the stares landing on him as he picked up his fork. Stares of revulsion, anger, fear…

He froze, his eyes narrowing as they focused on one stare that wasn’t negatively inclined. It was interested, intrigued, almost hungry…

“Uh, Harry,” Ron began slowly, “why is Hannah Abbott staring at you? She looks… okay, that’s definitely different…”

Harry’s eyes only widened as Hannah slowly rose to her feet and smiled, her typically shy nature betraying something very different about her…

She raised a hand, and with a small, private smile that only Harry seemed to really notice, she beckoned.

Harry rose to his feet and shouldered his bag. Something was up with the Hufflepuff girl, and despite his anger, he was genuinely intrigued. Ignoring Ron’s shout, he followed her to the door, his eyes narrowed with the nagging suspicion that something wasn’t quite right about her.

* * *

Dumbledore watched Harry and Hannah leave the Great Hall very carefully.

“And it begins,” he whispered, more to himself than anybody.

“Albus, you can’t let this stand,” Professor McGonagall said urgently, her copy of the paper of the paper. “He double-crossed you.”

“I’ve read the article, Minerva,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Roast chicken?”

“And you aren’t concerned?” McGonagall exclaimed. “Dumbledore, he lied to you, took your money, and then printed this… this libel!”

“Don’t worry, Minerva, Barnabus has already gotten what he deserved. I paid him this afternoon,” Dumbledore replied simply. “Beans, Minerva?”

A flush crept in McGonagall’s face, and her hands began trembling. “You paid him?”

“Certainly,” Dumbledore replied with a hint of a grin as he helped himself to pork chops. “After all, I had to get rid of that leprechaun gold eventually.”

* * *

She had tried all day to convince him otherwise, but he had been adamant about coming clean, his panic taking advantage of his reason.

So she had no choice. She had to act, and fast, if she wanted to save everything.

And it’s a damn shame, too, Aphrodite Zabini thought as she knelt carefully by the fireplace, that Blaise is going to lose another step-father.

She tossed the Floo powder into the grate, called out “Malfoy Manor”, and stuck her head into the fire. A few seconds later, she was looking at the relatively gloomy office in the manor, paneled in dark colours and with high-arched windows.

“Lucius, we have to talk.”

* * *

“Look, Hannah, I don’t know why you want me to follow you, but I don’t have unlimited time here,” Harry began as he finally caught up to the Hufflepuff girl and drew his wand. “So what exactly do you want here?”

Hannah didn’t answer, only opening a door that Harry quickly recognized as a broom cupboard. Harry frowned with confusion as he moved closer and looked inside.

“There’s nothing strange in there –”

But before another word could emerge from his mouth, Hannah placed her hand on Harry’s shoulder and smiled.

“Not yet,” she whispered shyly, and before Harry could respond, she leaned up and kissed Harry.

Rational thought evaporated from Harry’s mind as her lips met his, and he could hardly believe himself as he allowed himself to be guided back into the cupboard, slowly returning Hannah’s kiss…

Her hand sidled up his neck, and Harry felt a chill surge down his spine at her warm touch. His anger was draining away as her other hand was sliding around his waist.

They broke apart, and Harry could hardly believe himself as he gasped for air and looked at Hannah in the dim light peeking through the grimy window. He had never expected this out of the shy, reclusive Hufflepuff girl…something must have happened to her…

His eyes dropped to her breasts, tightly constrained by the blouse she was wearing under her robes, and suddenly he realized that he didn’t really care.

He moved to kiss her again –

Only to encounter the sharp tip of a wand jabbing into his chin.

“Now, Harry, come on,” Hannah said with a wry smile as her blond brightened to shade of bubblegum pink. “Honestly, you’ve got to be more careful. Constant vigilance, remember?”

“Tonks!”

“Sweet, shy little Hannah Abbott, nefarious Death Eater, could have easily neutralized you in this position,” Tonks said with a wink, finishing her transformation with a wink. “And the funny thing was, you would have loved the entire thing.”

“Tonks, what the hell are you – what did you do with – you kissed me!”

“What I’m doing is getting you inconspicuously out of the Great Hall, and we’ll have to hurry too,” Tonks said primly, pulling a set of dark robes out of her bag. “The audit report was filed a few hours ago – there was a small notice about it in the Evening Prophet – and we’ve got to get to Castellan Zabini before his wife does, and that means moving tonight. I left Hannah tied up in a remote corner of the Library – don’t worry about it, she’ll work herself free eventually and I disguised myself as my dear cousin Draco while I did it.”

“But you kissed me!”

“Yeah, I do that,” Tonks replied with a smirk. “What was more entertaining was that you were looking for more. You wouldn’t be happening to harbor a secret, private crush on Hannah Abbott, would you?”

“What? I –”

“Nah, that doesn’t seem quite right,” Tonks continued contemplatively. “You seemed rather enraptured by her breasts, though…”

Harry went scarlet, and he could hardly bring words to his mouth. “Tonks, I swear, you’re –”

“Insufferable? Flirtatious? Drop-dead gorgeous?” Tonks volunteered with a lascivious smile.

“I was going to say downright infuriating sometimes,” Harry muttered, rubbing his lips, his mind still trying to process the fact that he had actually kissed the Auror – and that she had initiated it!

“Anyways, you’re not a bad kisser, but you do need work,” Tonks finished with another wink. “Maybe I should find – or impersonate – some more girls for you to practice with –”

“Tonks!”

“Yeah, you’re right, we should get going. We’re using the secret passage you showed me to slip out,” Tonks said with a sigh. “Talk about a serious mood-breaker.”

All the dark feelings driven away by the kiss returned with a rush, and Harry scowled. “Yeah, murder’s like that.”

* * *

Most of the lights were dead on the streets around Grimmauld Place, but Severus Snape didn’t care. Better that this was done in darkness, in any case.

He drew his wand, but he didn’t need to cast a spell to feel the magic surround the street. The spells had masterfully been woven together, and Snape knew that it would only take a single move to trigger the failsafe and turn the entire street into dust – including Order Headquarters, where Sirius Black was likely holed up

So what are you waiting for?

He clenched his uneven teeth as he raised his wand. Thankfully, there were no Muggles even close to the grimy street – none to witness his action to destroy the man he loathed…

He paused for a second. Potter would be furious when he found out that his ‘godfather’ was likely dead, and Snape knew he was taking a huge risk by acting. The rest of the Order wouldn’t likely be happy either, but he had an excuse for them. An accident, easily explained, as I worked to break the shields…

But he knew he didn’t need an explanation for them – or to the Dark Lord. They wouldn’t find him once he did it. Nobody could find Severus Snape if he didn’t want to be found – not even Albus Dumbledore.

All it would take would be a single spell – and Sirius Black would be wiped from existence. The one man who I have no qualms in killing. One of the last links to this bondage tying me down…

“A bondage of your own making, Professor.”

Snape spun on his feet and his wand snapped towards the speaker. His dark eyes widened as he saw the figure hovering in the air – a twisted smile on his insane face.

“You shouldn’t be here!”

“And yet I am,” Peeves whispered, sliding closer to the man. “And doesn’t that tell you something?”

Snape narrowed his eyes. “It was expected.”

“But not something you wanted to see, was it?” Peeves said, sliding around a streetlight with impossible dexterity to meet Snape’s eyes again. “You’re right, I really shouldn’t be here… but I am, so let’s talk, shall we?”

“I have no words for a poltergeist,” Snape spat. “So get back to Hogwarts where you belong!”

“You’ll never sever all the chains, Snape,” Peeves said with a knowing grin, “all while you hold your love sacrosanct –”

Fury rushed through Snape, and his hands began to tremble. “You dare –”

“You know, for such an intelligent man, Snape, you’re ridiculously easy to manipulate,” Peeves said conversationally. “I know it, the Dark Lord knows it… and so does Dumbledore. He’s been using you all along.”

“And you don’t think I know that?” Snape hissed through clenched teeth. “Why do you think I want nothing more than to get out of this hell?”

Peeves grinned. “But there’s all those little things holding you back… like professional obligations, and your crumbling loyalty, and that love for Lily Evans that just won’t go away –”

“Shut… up,” Snape muttered, his frustration and rage sending another wave of chills down his spine. “I’m working on it… I just want my fucking life back –”

Peeves cackled, his eyes dancing with sadistic glee as he sidled next to Snape.

“But Severus, when did you ever think you had a life of your own to begin with? Trading one master for another… your father, to the Dark Lord, to Dumbledore, and always to Lily –”

He could feel something inside him break, and his wand slashed violently through the air, but Peeves only laughed louder as the streak of light shot straight through the poltergeist into the window behind him.

“Such a pathetic little man!” Peeves howled with a wild laugh. “You can’t hurt me, Snape! I’m inside of you, the monster you created, instigated, and want to kill! But you can’t, you know! You can’t kill your own soul, no matter how hard some men tried –”

His breaths were coming quickly now, and he turned back to the shield before him. It would only take one spell –

“Yes, go ahead, Snape,” Peeves said gleefully, with another mad laugh. “Blow it to hell and back and Potter will do the same to you! Another step on that road to hell – and this time, there’ll be no going back! That monster you’re trying to kill isn’t there – it’s right here!” With another insane laugh, Peeves soared at the shield – and passed straight through.

The poltergeist turned back and gave the Potions Master an insufferable smirk. “Oh wait, it’s right here now. But you won’t attack me – coward.”

Uncontrollable rage surged through Snape, and his wand snapped up again.

“SECTUMSEMPRA!”

The bolt of light streaked from his wand –

And then everything went white-hot.

* * *

“Right, so I couldn’t really do much reconnaissance, but I know the basic layout of the manor,” Tonks whispered, pulling on a set of brown leather gloves as she crouched behind a massive boulder, Harry right beside her. Both of them had ditched their robes for black jeans and dark, fitter sweaters. “It shouldn’t be hard for us to find Castellan Zabini and keep him out of the line of fire if we’re careful.

“That assumes his wife and Malfoy Senior don’t attack him first,” Harry muttered, shifting uncomfortably. “Can you explain why you made me where this thing? It chafes like hell!”

“And it’s also good shielding against Malfoy’s Castration Curses,” Tonks returned, carefully peering over to the manor about seventy yards away. “Well, at least against one. Plus it conceals the bulge.”

“What bulge?”

Tonks smirked. “Oh, you know.”

“Whatever,” Harry replied tensely, even as his face went red again. “And what else does Malfoy like to use?”

“According to Moody, a lot of nasty transfigurations and a couple very lethal curses. And apparently, he’s better defensively than offensively – no Malfoy wants his own skin in any kind of danger. He’s a competent duelist, that’s for damned sure.”

“And what about Aphrodite?” Harry asked, pulling his dark green hood down over his head.

Tonks shrugged helplessly as her hair went matte black and brutally short. “Assume she’s competent until we’re proven otherwise, and don’t let her out of her sight. Remember, she’s our target. And make sure to use the Killing Curse if at all possible –”

“I know, I know,” Harry said quickly, drawing his wand. “And what about Castellan?”

“If he’s not reasonable, Stun him and get him out of the way,” Tonks replied warily, drawing her own wand. Muttering a few words, she rapped Harry hard on the head, and a few seconds later, he saw the Disillusionment Charm take hold. “It looks like the coast is relatively clear – doesn’t look like the Zabinis have any guards around their house.”

“Just a rock garden,” Harry murmured, frowning. “Odd enough, but at least there aren’t any crazy plants or something. Any sort of magical traps that you can see?”

“Nothing obvious, if that’s what you’re talking about,” Tonks replied after a few seconds of intent staring at the house and Disillusioning herself. “But be prepared for surprises.”

“And how are we getting in?”

“The door will be locked and likely enchanted, so it’s out, but windows are easy enough to fix. Use one of the rocks – a spell might set off an alarm.”

Suddenly, there was a faint popping sound – as if somebody had Apparated a distance away. Harry turned towards the sound to see a cloaked figure striding up the path to the massive porch and front doors.

“That’s likely Malfoy, let’s move!”

Slowly, the two began moving towards the manor house, stepping cautiously across the massive rock garden, which Castellan seemed to have put around his domicile instead of grass.

Suddenly, Tonks froze. “Oh, shit.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Some of these rocks are enchanted.”

“How did you know?”

“A few Auror detection spells, and basic intuition.”

“Bad enchantments?”

“They always are, Harry – but there are more of them closer to the house.”

“Can you get rid of the enchantments?”

“Not with our timeframe, Malfoy’s already at the door! We’ve got to hurry.”

Swearing under his breath, Harry carefully stepped across the rocks behind Tonks, stepping only where she stepped. Her lack of good balance wasn’t making things easier, and Harry had to grab her twice to prevent her from falling.

There were within eight feet of the house when Tonks stopped short, and Harry could see why. Torches had been lit inside, and they could both see figures moving within…

“We’re out of time, Harry,” she whispered urgently, pointing her wand at one of the rocks. “Wingardium Leviosa.” The rock quickly rose, and to Harry’s shock, began to glow.

“Fuck,” Tonks swore. “Well, here goes nothing. Sepono!”

The rock streaked towards the window…

Suddenly, there was smoke, and bright light, and Harry felt himself stagger as all around him, dozens of boulders exploded into shards of flying rock –

“Now!”

Harry knew what he had to do, and he closed his eyes and charged, bracing his shoulders for the impact as he leapt towards the shattering window...

CRASH.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy’s wand was already drawn when the window exploded in, showering the office with glass and broken bits of metal.

“What the –”

But then a figure slammed through the remaining shards, tumbling across the floor behind the desk, a wand already drawn, the blood breaking the obvious Disillusionment Charm.

“You betrayed us!” Aphrodite screamed, pointing her wand at Castellan, who had been forced against the bookcase only moments before and who was already moving behind a nearby table. “Confringo!”

The blast erupted from her wand, but Castellan managed to avoid the worst of the blast. The table exploded, hurling shards of broken wood across the room, but even as Lucius threw up a quick Shield Charm, he saw another figure dive through the now destroyed window, moving far more smoothly than the first behind the desk –

“I didn’t betray you – you betrayed me!” Castellan shouted. “Stupe-”

“NO!”

But it was too late for the impotent Zabini, for Malfoy had already swung his wand around, and Castellan Zabini had made himself visible – a grave mistake.

“Somes effrego!”

“PARIETIS!”

Malfoy only had a second to dive for cover as the orange bolt bounced off the conjured invisible wall, striking the bookcase on the side of the room and shattering it into pieces. It quivered on the wall before toppling with a brutal crash, sending papers flying everywhere –

Malfoy did not recognize the new intruders, but he did recognize the spell. It was a force shield, a cheap, brutally efficient shielding spell – and it was Auror level.

And this can only mean one thing - the Order’s here!

* * *

Harry shielded his eyes as papers flew through the room, but he didn’t dare move from out of the desk’s cover. Tonks’ last minute shield might have saved Castellan for now, but the man didn’t seem to have the sense to take cover –

“We need to get away from the desk!” Tonks shouted above the din. “Get Castellan, I’ll take Malfoy!”

Harry clenched his fist, and dove towards Castellan. The man’s eyes widened with surprise as Harry grabbed him and threw him hard against the wall – even as Aphrodite fired another Blasting Curse, blowing Castellan’s credenza to shivering shards and dust.

“Who are you?” the older man stammered as Harry shoved him down away from the flash of another curse.

“Harry Potter, and I’m saving your life!” Harry shouted, pulling both of them behind one of the few stone pillars in the room, and narrowly avoiding a flicker of blue light that burned the air and blew out another window from behind them. He could feel hot glass peppering the back of his sweater –

“Lucius, we have to leave before more show up!” Aphrodite screamed, just barely dodging another falling bookcase knocked off the wall by one of Tonks’ deflected curses.

BANG.

“ATRUM CHAIN –”

“CLARUS LEVITAS!”

Harry could only watch as blue-white bolts of lightning erupted from Lucius’ wand – only to meet purplish bolts erupting from Tonks’...

“Incendio!”

Harry’s eyes widened as the red-hot spell streaked form Aphrodite’s wand – and hit the heavy oaken desk from where Tonks was hiding. Her eyes widened as she tried to scramble away from the fire, but the bolts from her wand flickered –

BOOM.

The thunderclap shook the room, and Harry could only shield his eyes and Castellan behind the pillar as blue bolts slammed into the flaming desk – and blew it clean through the massive windows behind it. For a second, all Harry could hear was glass breaking and thunder ringing in his ears….

“Harry, they’re getting away! GO!”

Harry didn’t know how Tonks could scream, let alone scramble to her feet, in the scalding air – superheated by all the papers catching fire across the room – but he knew he didn’t have a choice. Raising his wand, he concentrated with all his might.

“FLAMMA LACERO!”

A red-hot streak of flame erupted out of Harry’s wand and streaked towards Lucius, but just like with Sirius, it winked out with a single deft wave of the Death Eater’s wand.

But Lucius’ eyes widened with recognition, for he had heard the name – and in the hot light of the room, he could see the scar.

* * *

It was impossible. How could Potter – Harry fucking Potter – be there? It was unbelievable, impossible…

And a golden opportunity…

He knew he had little time before the Trace on Harry Potter alerted the Hit Wizards – hell, he only had minutes – but he could call more Death Eaters. Reinforcements…

“We have to go!” Aphrodite screamed, grabbing Malfoy’s arm. “NOW! Just kill him and let’s go!”

But Lucius Malfoy had other orders regarding Harry Potter – orders from the Dark Lord himself…. And as much as he loathed them, he didn’t dare cross the Dark Lord.

He grabbed Aphrodite by the shoulder and wrenched her through the door. Like it or not, she had to stay alive. He turned back, and slashed his wand at the floor.

“OBEX EFFREGO!”

He heard a deep, shuddering crack, and he felt the house tremble beneath his feet. Despite himself, a grim smile crossed his face. Perfect.

* * *

Harry felt the increasing shudder from Malfoy’s spell, and he swore. He didn’t know what Malfoy had cast, but whatever it was, it seemed to be causing the floor of the room to shake itself apart!

“He’s trying to bring down the house!” Tonks screamed, even as a fissure began opening of the tile floor between them and the door. “I’ll get Castellan out of here, get Aphrodite before she Disapparates!”

The pillar Harry was standing behind cracked ominously and Harry knew he was out of time. Taking a deep breath, he began to run towards the widening fissure ripping the office apart –

His leap carried him over the crack, but he landed badly, scrambling up as fast as he could – only to throw himself aside from a bolt of red-hot light erupting from Lucius’ wand.

“Potter himself,” Malfoy spat, shoving Aphrodite behind him as he raised his wand. “The Dark Lord may have forbidden me from killing you, but there are worse things than death after all. Venter extorqueo!”

Harry dove away from the massive bolt of sickly grayish light and pointed his wand at Malfoy. “Glisseo!”

A downward slash of the Death Eater’s wand sent the curse careening into the floor between them, and Harry swore under his breath. In one move, Malfoy had blocked Harry’s passage down the corridor while protecting his escape route –

“Mens fragor!”

Harry could only watch with shock as a massive blue globe erupted out of Lucius’ wand and sped down the hallway, growing larger and larger, blocking any maneuver Harry might make to dodge…

So he did the only thing he could think of. Falling flat on his stomach, he threw himself forward, and slid.

He felt the curse scream over his head and collide with the door, but Harry wasn’t paying attention, as he struggled to get himself to a position to curse Malfoy –

CRUNCH.

He bit his tongue as the pain surged through his left wrist and elbow, shattered as he had thrown his arm to block the tapestry torn from the wall that had suddenly gained the stopping power of a brick wall. Swearing again, Harry struggled to pull himself around the tapestry…

Only to see Lucius standing on the other side, an icy smile on his face.

“Crucio!”

CRACK.

“Glisseo!”

Malfoy’s curse went wide as his feet slid out from underneath him. Aphrodite screamed as she stumbled and seized a hold of a doorknob to keep herself steady, but Tonks’ Apparition into the fight had taken them all by surprise. Suddenly, Harry felt traction, and he struggled to his feet –

“Aphrodite, Disapparate!” Malfoy roared, shoving himself away on the frictionless floor in a remarkably undignified way as he wrenched his wand towards Tonks. “Cruor vomica!”

The Auror threw herself to the side, but the curse only nearly missed the side of her face. But Aphrodite was already spinning on her heel –

BANG.

The Zabini woman staggered as if she had been hit with a saucepan, and Lucius howled with fury. From the looks on their faces, and the grim smirk on Tonks’, Harry guessed the Anti-Apparition jinxes, somehow dropped by Tonks, had been restored.

But Aphrodite was already moving. Wrenching open the door, she hurled herself inside, only barely missing the curse erupting from Tonks’ wand that nearly reduced the door to kindling.

But Tonks had taken her attention off of Malfoy for too long, and he was already raising his wand –

“Avada –”

“FLAMMA LACERO!” Harry roared, wildly slashing his wand.

This time, the wave of fire struck true, and the Death Eater could only howl and convulse with pain as the flame tore between his legs and up towards his heart –

“Don’t worry about him, get her!” Tonks yelled, her next curse blowing the door clean off the hinges. Swearing under his breath, Harry finally scrambled to his feet and charged into the room.

This room, however, was no office – it was a bedroom, and Harry could only duck at the last second as something extremely hot and fast sliced across his cheek…

He heard a muffled curse from behind him, and he chanced a look. Tonks was swearing, and trying to rip the flaming bolt out of her thigh – the same bolt that barely missed Harry.

“Quaero telum!”

Harry dove as another white hot bolt shot from Aphrodite’s wand, but he rose to his feet almost immediately. Rage and hatred as hot as the bullet surged through him, and he raised his wand, mustering every ounce of concentration he could bring…

His eyes met Aphrodite’s hateful, horrified, remorseless gaze, and he felt the last vestige of his remorse die without a scream.

“AVADA KEDAVRA!”

Time seemed to stop as green light exploded form his wand.

He heard not the rushing sound, but the long, drawn-out scream of a soul torn away…

The sound stopped, the light faded, and Aphrodite Zabini collapsed, dead, to the floor.

* * *

Castellan was sweating as he looked at the two grim faces in front of him. His night had been a living hell, and his home was a mess, but neither truth gave him quite so much terror as what he was seeing now.

“She… she’s dead?”

“Yes,” Harry Potter said coldly. “She’s dead.”

“We saved your life from your wife and Lucius Malfoy,” the other figure said, one Castellan couldn’t recognize, with very short black hair and thin features. “And now you owe us.”

“Can you protect me?” Castellan asked frantically. “Malfoy escaped!”

“Not with everything he came here with,” Harry said with a hint of a dark smile, “but that’s not the point. He won’t be back here again. What is important is that your support. You owe me, Castellan Zabini.”

“But… but the Aurors and the Hit Wizards will be coming to investigate this!” Castellan exclaimed. “What am I supposed to say!”

“A magical experiment gone awry,” the short-haired girl said curtly. “Nobody will know the difference – and Malfoy doesn’t dare talk or he risks identifying his own role in this mess. You’ll come out of this intact, don’t worry.”

“Not if this audit ruins me!” Castellan blurted, his eyes wide with fear. He suddenly froze – he should not have said that.

“So you were embezzling money,” the short-haired girl said, cocking an eyebrow.

“We didn’t even need the planted evidence,” Harry muttered. “She’ll have to get rid of that –”

“Get rid of what? What’s going on? Did you –”

Harry’s hand clamped onto Castellan’s shoulder, and he looked the older man dead in the eye. “Listen to me, Zabini, you’ve got one choice, one very profitable for you if you choose rightly. Support the counter-measure with the school governors, and that tax audit will disappear. You’ll have time to cover your tracks, and nobody will breathe a word about what happened here tonight.”

Castellan swallowed hard. “T-that shouldn’t be much of a problem –”

“I’m not finished,” Harry cut him off sharply. “You’re to keep your finances clean – Voldemort’s not getting any more money from the Zabinis, and you make sure that your wife’s life insurance policy doesn’t donate her fortune to anyone besides you.”

“I… I can handle that, I guess, but what –”

“And we’re talking your wife’s body.”

Castellan could hardly form words. “W-what? Why?”

“We’re just cleaning up,” the short-haired figure said curtly. “But that condition is non-negotiable. Do we have a deal?”

“I can’t even bury her? I mean, she only made a horrible mistake –”

“Do we have a deal?” Harry growled, his grip getting tighter.

“Yes! Okay, I’ll do it! J-just don’t hurt me, please!” Castellan pleaded.

The short-haired girl raised her wand, and with a muttered word, levitated Aphrodite Zabini’s body into the air like a grotesque puppet on invisible strings.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Harry said calmly, rising to his feet, and without another word, he stepped through the broken window into the darkness, where Castellan could already hear the dim sounds of approaching thunder.