All was still in the Rider household. Alex and Harry stared down at the nearly empty chessboard, occupied only by the fallen forms of two kings. Someone had bumped the table, and neither could bear trying to figure out who did it or where the kings had been. Alex slowly raised his head and met Harry's waiting gaze.

"Tie?"

"Tie."

"Rematch in the morning?"

"Agreed."

The boys shook hands with an air of formality before cracking weary grins at each other. Alex and Harry trudged up the stairs to their respective rooms, too tired for anything more than a slow nod good night.

A few short hours later, Alex's eyes snapped open. He thought he heard something downstairs…there it was again! Maybe Harry got up for a midnight snack…or maybe not. Groaning, Alex forced himself up and out of bed. Even though it was probably nothing, he'd never get to sleep again unless he checked it out. After grabbing the can of Stingo that he somehow still had, Alex crept out the door and into the hall.

Meanwhile, Harry as well was awakened by the mysterious noise. He almost rolled over to go back to sleep, but then heard movement from Alex's room. Instantly suspicious, he grabbed his wand and stepped out into the hallway.

"Oof!"

"Ah!"

There was a thud as the two boys collided and fell to the ground.

"Alex?"

"Yeah. Harry?"

"Yup. What are you doing up?"

"I thought I heard something."

"Me too. I thought it was you."

"Same here. You should go back to bed; I'll check it out."

"No way. I want to know what it was too."

By now their eyes had adjusted to the lack of light in the hall and they were able to fully see each other.

"Is that a stick? What are you planning on doing, shoving it up the intruder's nose?"

Harry felt a little defensive. After all, that strategy had proven itself useful before during a certain unnamed incident with a troll.

"Maybe I am. What are you planning on doing? Is that bug repellant?"

"…It might be."

Another odd noise from below prompted the boys into silence. Alex rolled his eyes before helping Harry up and together they headed for the stairs. Leaning closer, Alex whispered to Harry.

"Split up when we reach the bottom. I'll take the front door, you check the back. Understood?"

Harry briefly considered arguing, but decided against it. It was Alex's house, after all. He nodded, and they headed down the stairs.

Alex slowly approached the window by the front door. He peered out, but couldn't see anyone. He turned around to go see if Harry had found anyone, but stopped as he heard a soft noise. Frowning, Alex looked out a second time. Nothing. Alex made up his mind, and in one smooth motion, unlocked the door and yanked it open, holding the can of Stingo aloft before himself in a threatening manner. Still nothing. Alex sighed at his paranoia and turned to leave again. As soon as he was facing the other way, a beam of red light appeared out of nowhere and hit him in the back. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

The Death Eaters smiled to themselves as they pulled off their invisibility cloaks. It seemed their master had overestimated the stupid muggle child. He appeared to believe that a small metal can was a match for the servants of the greatest dark lord in history. Still, orders were orders, and they were told to retrieve him. One of them climbed onto the porch and placed a small portkey on the boy's chest. He then watched in satisfaction as it whisked the muggle off. The Death Eaters soon followed.

Harry stalked toward the back door with caution. His wand was raised and his breath came in short gasps. Nothing seemed to be there, but it was often hard to tell with Death Eaters. Still, they weren't usually this quiet. He decided he'd just make sure the door was locked before joining Alex. Harry reached out and tugged on the door handle, and frowned as the door swung open easily in his hand. Come to think of it, the lock looked sort of funny. A little scratched up on the outside. But why would a Death Eater bother picking the lock? Harry's eyes widened as the full implications of the unlocked door sank in. He stood and spun around, but wasn't fast enough to stop the approaching blow. Harry's world faded into darkness.

The SCORPIA agent allowed no emotion to cross his face as he picked up the boy. It seemed that his theory of the strange boy being connected to Rider held some weight. Of course, that was the most logical explanation for the boy attacking to team sent to deal with the spy. The agent stooped to retrieve the boy's so called 'ray gun' as well before leaving. His orders were to get the boy and his weapons. Nothing else. He didn't dare risk jeopardizing his mission by remaining close to the Rider household for long. The spy brat always seemed to turn up at the worst possible time. With the boy slung over his shoulder, he headed for his car.

Hello! It's been a while, sorry. I hope it won't be so long before I finish the next chapter, but I don't know. May, and with it the AP tests, is approaching far too quickly. Thanks for all the reviews, they make me very happy. :)