"What are you two doing here?" Hermione Granger asked her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, as they entered the dark, abandoned office. Though it was mid-afternoon, the single window beside the bare desk was charmed to show nothing but a black abyss. If Hermione squinted hard enough, she could vaguely make out stars.

"Official Auror business," Ron said, tilting his chin up, and prompting Hermione to roll her eyes.

"Well, I received a memo," she went on as if Ron hadn't spoken, "informing me a very important meeting was to take place in this room and that my presence was needed."

"I got the same—" Harry began but stopped when Hermione shushed him. Outside footsteps were approaching, and Ron and Harry placed their hands on their wands. "Stay behind us," Harry whispered. Hermione crossed her arms across her chest.

"Unbelievable." After all this time, they still thought of her as a helpless . . . girl.

A shadow of a tall, stout man appeared on the floor outside the office, growing larger as the footsteps grew louder. The outline of a wand was faintly visible in his right hand.

"Lower your wands, men," a deep voice said, and Hermione's face broke into a grin.

"Kingsley!" she said as the man walked into the office, shut the door, and cast a silencing spell on the room. Harry and Ron released their wands and stood up straight.

"Something's happened," Harry stated, and Kingsley nodded.

"It concerns," he sighed, ". . . Voldemort."

"That's not possible!" Ron blurted out. "He's dead! We killed him!"

Choosing to ignore the outburst, Kingsley turned toward Harry and Hermione.

"A prophecy has been stolen," he said. "A very important prophecy."

"About Voldemort?" Harry asked, but Kingsley shook his head.

"The prophecy was told to Voldemort by a Seer many years ago."

"What did it say?" Hermione asked.

"Its contents are unknown," Kingsley answered. He gazed at the three of them. "The order has elected the three of you to recover it."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why us?"

"You three have the most experience with Voldemort."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "But you said the prophecy had nothing to do with Voldemort," she said. "So how can we be of any use to you?"

"You're hiding something," Harry said, taking a cue from Hermione. "What is it?"

"The person who stole the prophecy . . . he is the one the prophecy was written about," Kingsley said, sighing. "I was hoping you'd figure it out on your own."

"So who took the damn thing?" Ron barked, and the three of them turned their eyes to Kingsley.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Ron and Harry asked simultaneously.

"Isn't he supposed to be in Azkaban?" Hermione asked. "His trial is still ongoing."

Kingsley nodded. "He escaped yesterday morning."

"Maybe we shouldn't have gotten rid of the dementors..." Ron muttered, and Hermione glared at him before glancing at Harry.

"So what are our orders?" Harry asked.

"Find Lucius," Kingsley said, "and you find the prophecy. Do what you have to, but do so quietly. If word gets around to Malfoy, we may never find out what the prophecy says."

"So where do we start?" Ron asked.

"Where else?" Harry asked, turning toward Hermione who looked down at her arm and her perpetual scar.

"Malfoy Manor."

Sorry for the lack of Draco, I promise he'll be in all the other chapters. Every story needs a beginning.

Review please, if only because it gives me the incentive to write more :)