'Here,' said Lupin quietly, and pointing his wang at Neville's leg he said, 'Finite.'

Harry had not even opened his mouth to resist; his mind was blank, his wang pointing uselessly at the floor.

Voldemort raised his wang and another jet of green light streaked at Dumbledore, who turned and was gone in a whirling of his cloak. Next second, he had reappeared behind Voldemort and waved his wang towards the remnants of the fountain.

Dumbledore flicked his own wang: the force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Harry, though shielded by his golden guard, felt his hair stand on end as it passed and this time Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it.

Dumbledore had drawn back his wang and waved it as though brandishing a whip.

At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his wang in one long, fluid movement - the snake, which had been an instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke; and the water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass.

'If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius,' said Dumbledore - apparently satisfied that Harry was alright, and walking forwards so that the newcomers realised he was there for the first time (a few of them raised their wangs…)

He pointed his wang at it and muttered 'Portus!

Dumbledore walked back to the desk, placed the Pensieve upon it, and raised his wang to his own temple. From it, he withdrew silvery, gossamer-fine strands of thought clinging to the wang and deposited them into the basin.

Then, with a sigh, he raised his wang and prodded the silvery substance with its tip.

Malfoy's hand flew towards his wang, but Harry was too quick for him; he had drawn his own wang before Malfoy's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes.

'Put that wang away at once,' he said curtly.

Harry did not need telling twice; he thrust his wang back inside his robes and headed straight for the front door's without another glance at Snape and Malfoy.

THE END.