Apologies, apologies... Hopefully we didn't bore any of you away with the long wait. Here's unlucky chapter thirteen; it hasn't been betaed so feel free if you'd like to point out all the inconsistencies. :)

Into Thin Air – "Invisible shackles, strong as the heaviest of iron chains." – Mimus, Mimus, Lilli Thal

"Harry, are you coming?"

Harry jerked awake at the sound of Ron's voice. He had been sitting in an armchair in the common room, reading over his Transfiguration notes, and had apparently dozed off. Ron had already packed up his things and was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.

"Er, I think I'll stay down here a bit longer," Harry said, indicating his books.

Ron shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Harry made a show of scanning the sheets of parchment on his lap until Ron's footsteps fade away. He wasn't really staying up to study, of course. Remus had told him to meet him in the common room at eleven o'clock, which was in five minutes.

He stared into the blazing fire before him, wondering if Remus was going to physically appear in the common room. Harry felt that he would prefer not talking to him face-to-face, especially if what Remus wanted to discuss was the Dursleys.

He hadn't seen Remus, Mad-Eye, or Professor McGonagall since the Occlumency lesson nearly a week ago, and hadn't decided whether to consider this a good thing or not. He was sure he would've heard if anything had happened to the Dursleys, and he was certain that no one in the Order would be senseless enough to actually do anything to them. If Ginny could accept it, then why couldn't everyone else?

And it would be better not to face Remus now, right before he went to find Ravenclaw's wand. Remus wasn't a Legilimens as far as Harry knew, but he didn't want to risk Remus finding out about the Horcrux. There hadn't been any updates to the Horcrux notes Professor McGonagall had given him, so he supposed it was safe to assume that the Order didn't know where Ravenclaw's wand was.

Harry glanced at his wrist before remembering that he had gotten rid of his broken watch long ago; when he looked back up at the fire, he was startled to see Remus' face outlined amidst the embers.

"Glad you could make it," he said with a smile.

"Hey," Harry said, shifting his notes onto the table and moving to a chair that was closer to the fireplace. "Er, are you sure this is safe?"

"Kingsley and Tonks assured me that it was," Remus said, nodding. "How are you? I hope this isn't too late."

"It's fine," Harry shrugged. "I'm good. How are you?"

Remus smiled. "Better, now that I've finally seen you. I'm sorry for leaving that day without any word; Mad-Eye and Professor McGonagall say the same."

"That's all right," Harry said. "Where did you go?"

"Impromptu Order meeting," Remus said. "How's your head? Madam Pomfrey told me you had bandages?"

"I got them off two days ago," Harry said, trying not to sound impatient. It sounded to him as if Remus was hiding something. "I feel fine. What was the meeting about?"

Remus hesitated for a moment before sighing, "You. Your relatives."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Why?" he asked irritably. "Why does everyone have to go discuss it? It's not that big of a deal. I'm here, I'm perfectly fine, and I have no thoughts of turning them into pigs even though I hate them and they deserve it."

Remus smiled faintly. "Glad to hear that," he said, shaking his head. "But I have to disagree with you, as will the rest of the Order. What you suffered is actually of great consequence. Have you talked about it with anyone?"

"Ginny, I guess," Harry mumbled. He didn't like the way the conversation was going; why couldn't everyone just admit that the past was the past and realize that he wasn't having psychological repercussions? "Well, we didn't really talk about it. She just said that Dumbledore had been right, and that I wasn't like Voldemort at all. Even though we both grew up as orphans and were abused, Voldemort chose to embrace the darker side of things."

"Yes, but see, Ginny was wrong," Remus said matter-of-factly. "Although there are paramount differences between you and Voldemort, there are also similarities that you cannot afford to dismiss out of hand."

"But I thought this whole thing was about me not being like him," Harry said crossly.

Remus sighed. "Harry, this isn't a one-sided ordeal. To defeat Voldemort you need to understand him and the causes of his actions, as well as the similarities between the two of you. You know what the prophecy says. '…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal.' Even Voldemort thought that you were so like him that you might find a way to vanquish him."

"But I don't want to be like him," Harry growled. "I'm not."

"It's not your choice," Remus said quietly. "No one chooses their character or their personality. What happens happens and everyone inherently reacts to it in a specific way. You can't change that."

"But I did choose not to be like him," Harry said stubbornly. "I chose to be in Gryffindor. I chose not to go on a killing spree and hate Muggles because of what they did to me."

"That's true," Remus agreed. "It's your choices that distinguish you from him. But both of you have instinctive reactions to certain things that are more than mere coincidences."

"No, I – "

"Think about it, Harry," Remus said firmly. "Pretend this is Occlumency. Clear your mind. Start from the beginning. There's just you and a man named Tom Riddle. What do you have in common?"

Harry clamped his mouth shut, glaring defiantly at Remus. Remus looked back at him, his gaze open and honest. Harry blew out his cheeks.

"We're both orphans," he began grudgingly. "We're half-bloods and we both had less than enjoyable childhoods."

Remus nodded. "Good. And?"

"We're both fighting for what we believe in. No matter how damned stupid those beliefs are. We'll do anything to get what we want."

"And what are those things that you're doing?"

Harry frowned. "We…well, Tom has his Death Eaters fighting for him, but he doesn't trust them. Ultimately, he's working by himself."

"And you?" Remus prompted.

"Well, there's the Order," Harry said. "I've got Ginny, Ron, and Hermione…"

"But you still hold back," Remus said quietly. "You don't want help. You think you don't need help. Like Tom."

"I told you about the Horcruxes!" Harry said heatedly. "I told you everything – "

"Have you?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Have you really told us everything, so that we can help you as much as we can? We know you don't trust us – at least, not as much as you should. Your reluctance to let others in on your plans is quite like Tom. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione are to you as Tom's closest followers are to him. People you can tell things to, but only certain things. You might be holding back for different reasons, but you're still doing it."

Harry folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm not saying you have to tell us all your secrets," Remus said gently. "I won't lie; we keep secrets from you, too. We don't expect you to spill your deepest, darkest fears to us. But we need to understand what you're planning to do, so that we can act accordingly."

Harry averted his gaze and stared down at the ground. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be. You're doing what you think is best," Remus said simply. "Now, you said that both of you are fighting for what you believe in, and that you'd do anything to win. Why?"

Harry snorted. "Because Voldemort's a bloody murdering bastard?"

Remus gave him a look. "Is he?"

"Of course he is!" Harry said incredulously, wondering how Remus – or anyone else – could think otherwise. "He murdered my mum and dad, not to mention loads of other people! Even if he didn't directly kill all of them, he ordered his Death Eaters to kill them, like Sirius and Cedric and Dumbledore – "

"So," Remus interrupted, "what does that boil down to? Why are you fighting Voldemort?"

"So he doesn't kill me," Harry said, starting to get annoyed. Wasn't that obvious?

Remus raised an eyebrow. "So it's for revenge. You fight to avenge the deaths of the people that came before you."

"Well, yeah!"

Remus sighed. "Okay. Then why is Voldemort fighting?"

"So he can get rid of Muggles and half-bloods and rule the world for eternity," Harry scowled. "He thinks half-bloods are impure, even though he's one himself, because they're part Muggle and Muggles are abhorrent for what they did to him."

Remus nodded somberly. "And what's your greatest desire?"

Harry opened his mouth, and then closed it again. What was his greatest desire? To get rid of Voldemort? Would that truly make him happy? "I want…Voldemort to be gone."

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Why?" Harry repeated. "Because I don't want him to kill any more people, that's why!"

"Exactly," Remus said approvingly. "That's it. That's why you should be fighting. Not because you want revenge, but because you want to protect the people you love. Didn't Dumbledore always say that? Love is the most powerful magic. Fighting because you love your friends and you want to protect them will give you more strength and motivation than fighting because you want revenge. Revenge can be part of it, but it can't be the main reason. Then you'd be no better than Voldemort."

Harry hugged his knees to his chest, mulling this over. Love. Revenge. He wanted revenge, that was for sure. He wanted Voldemort to pay for taking away his family, for getting him stuck with the Dursleys, for killing Dumbledore and Sirius and Cedric… But making him pay wouldn't be enough. He had to be dead and gone forever so that he couldn't do more damage. So that he couldn't kill more people, like Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Remus. So that, basically, Harry could protect everyone that he loved…

Harry looked up and suddenly wished that Remus could step out of the fire and into the common room. It would have felt good to have Remus' reassuring presence beside him.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"You know how you said Voldemort doesn't trust anyone?"

Remus nodded slowly. "Yes."

Harry took a deep breath. "Not even Snape?"

Remus was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "Not even Snape."

"But why not? He killed Dumbledore for him," Harry said roughly.

"That may be so," Remus sighed, "but the only thing that proves is that Snape was strong enough to take Dumbledore."

"He was not!" Harry said, struggling to keep his voice down. "Dumbledore was sick, he was – "

"I'm not saying it's true," Remus said in a placating tone. "It proves to Voldemort that Snape was strong enough to kill him. And remember, a tyrant's worst enemies are his followers. Knowing that Snape was able to do something he himself has been trying to do for years isn't going to make him happy."

Harry set his chin on his knees. "How could Dumbledore have been so stupid?" he whispered. "No one else even entertained the notion that Snape could be trustworthy. But he did."

Remus sighed; it was clear that he didn't know what to say, and although Harry desperately wanted answers, he wasn't going to lash out at Remus. The only person that could have explained this was Dumbledore, or maybe Snape…and Harry was definitely going to make him reveal everything when Harry was through with him.

"I tried the mirror," he said suddenly, remembering.

A momentary look of confusion passed over Remus' face; then, recognition seemed to dawn because he said, "The mirror? James' mirror?"

Harry nodded into his knees. "Sirius gave it to me two years ago. He said I could call him if I needed to talk to him, and he'd appear in the mirror." He closed his eyes. "So I tried calling his name like he told me to, and he didn't answer. And then I thought that maybe – since he used it with my dad – they wouldn't have called each other Sirius and James. It would have been Padfoot and Prongs, right?"

He opened his eyes to see Remus nodding sadly.

"So I called Padfoot," he whispered.

Remus didn't say anything.

"But I don't want him to be gone," Harry said fiercely, releasing his knees. He glared down at his shoes. "It's not bloody fair. I only had – it wasn't even two years. He told me – he told me I could come live with him," he choked out.

He turned away, not wanting Remus to see his blurry eyes.

"Harry," Remus said gently. "It's okay to grieve."

"No, it's not," Harry muttered, angrily wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "It's not okay. I can't. People look to me for support, and if I fall they have no one to lean on."

"And who do you lean on?" Remus asked softly. "Are you an unfeeling pillar of stone?"

Harry slowly shook his head. "I don't know."

"You can't keep all of your emotions bottled up," Remus admonished lightly. "One day, you'll just explode."

Harry shrugged uncomfortably.

Remus let out a long sigh and smiled slightly at him. "Well, it's getting late. You should go to sleep."

Harry yawned despite himself. "Yeah. You too."

"Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Remus," Harry said, standing up. Just before Remus' face melded into the embers, he added, "Thanks."

As he and Ron waited for Hermione and Ginny just outside the portrait hole, Harry couldn't help but think, fleetingly, that his father would never have imagined his Invisibility Cloak being used for this sort of thing. Dumbledore, maybe. But not his father.

And certainly not Remus. Harry felt a slight twinge of guilt as he stood beside the snoring Fat Lady. He felt closer to Remus than he ever had before after he'd talked to him last night, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was deceiving Remus. Of course he hadn't lied or anything; he'd just refrained from revealing the truth.

"Stop fidgeting," he whispered to Ron.

"What's keeping them?" Ron growled.

Harry shifted from under the cloak. "I dunno, but keep still!"

"Why don't we just use the Disillusionment Charm?"

"I told you," Harry said irritably, "there're magic detection charms on the school now. We aren't even supposed to be awake at two in the morning, never mind using magic."

The portrait hole silently swung open before Ron could reply, and two shadowy figures emerged into the corridor.

"Harry?" one of them whispered.

"Here," Harry said, slipping the cloak off of his head. He pulled the Marauder's Map out of his pocket as Hermione and Ginny hurried toward him. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The blank parchment immediately changed to reveal a map of the school and the grounds. Everyone was where they should have been - except them, of course.

"Coast is clear," he said. "Let's go."

The four of them swiftly set off, taking all the shortcuts they knew of and keeping to the shadows. Harry glanced down at the Marauder's Map every five steps to make sure they didn't run into anyone while Ron carried the Invisibility Cloak; it was obviously impractical for all four of them to huddle under it.

They had decided that morning to leave by way of the secret passage that led to Hogsmeade. It was the fastest way to get out of the school grounds, and there was less chance of detection. Ginny led the way down to the statue of the hump-backed witch on the third floor.

"Password's dissendium," Harry told her as they approached the statue. He took one last look at the Marauder's Map before whispering "Mischief managed," and waving his wand over it. Ginny repeated the password to the statue and it sprang aside. She scrambled into the hidden passageway it revealed, followed by Hermione and Ron. Harry took one last look at the empty corridor before hurrying in after them.

They lit their wands as the statue resumed its place. Silently, they made their way through the tunnel, the sounds of their breathing echoing in the enclosed space.

"Hold on," Harry said suddenly.

The others stopped and turned to look at him.

"We only have to be outside Hogwarts' boundaries to Apparate, right?" he asked, directing the question at Hermione.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, because that's as far as the wards extend. Why?"

"We're off the map," Harry said, taking out the Marauder's Map again to show them. Indeed, they were no longer indicated as being within the school grounds. "We can go from here."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Well," Ron said in a calm voice that Harry could tell was forced. "Let's go then, shall we?"

Hermione sighed. "Okay."

Harry, who after some practice felt confident enough to Apparate on his own, watched Ron and Ginny take hold of Hermione's hands. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

"Ready?" Harry asked. "Little Hangleton."

He had showed them an image of the cemetery several nights ago. As Hermione closed her eyes he wondered whether she'd really memorized what it looked like; she had made him promise that if they didn't show up within three minutes, he would Apparate directly back to Hogwarts.

"One," Hermione said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Two…" Harry said, closing his own eyes. Three D's. Destination, determination, deliberation. Little Hangleton.

"Three," they said in unison.

––––––

Ginny gasped as her feet slammed into the ground, sending waves of shock up her legs. Hermione squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Did we make it?" Ron asked faintly, getting back to his feet.

"Apparently," Harry said grimly. He already had his wand in hand and was looking around warily.

Ginny pulled her own wand out of her pocket and glanced at her surroundings. The moon shone oddly bright upon them, illuminating the area with a whitish glow. A ghostly fog misted around them, its wispy tendrils brushing against her legs. The outline of a small church was barely visible beyond a large yew tree to her right, and the black shadow of a hill loomed above to the left. Headstones dotted the plot of land behind them, most of the engraved names obscured by the fog, but a particularly large marble headstone towered above them. Ginny could just make out the name: TOM RIDDLE.

"That wasn't here before," Harry said suddenly, pointing out to their left.

She turned, following his outstretched arm to see a little shack wilting in the shade of a copse of trees.

"It certainly doesn't look new," Hermione said, eyeing the run-down hut suspiciously. She and Ron also had their wands out.

"The Horcrux might be in there," Ginny murmured, taking a step forward. It was undoubtedly a bad hiding spot for something so important – the door seemed too small for its frame and was rotting at the edges; the thatched roof sagged downward and was mottled with holes; the single pane of glass beside the door was filthy and had a jagged crack in the center. She couldn't quite bring herself to believe that the Dark Dork would hide his precious bit of soul in a debilitated shack on the outskirts of a cemetery. All it would take was a wild animal to sneak in and take it, or a strong wind to knock the place down.

Harry held out his arm, barring her way. "Wait. I'll go first."

She frowned but didn't protest as he cautiously advanced toward the shack, wand at the ready. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione followed several steps behind him.

Harry surveyed the rotting wooden door for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he stared at a small hole in the door at about eye-level; if Ginny hadn't known better, she could've sworn that he was looking through it.

Suddenly, he lowered his wand and called out, "Whoever's in there, come out now."

Ginny and Hermione looked at him in disbelief. How could there be someone inside that thing? Were they wrong? Was the Horcrux a person?

"Come out now," Harry repeated, "or I'll blow this shack apart."

Ginny didn't doubt for a moment that he would.

They waited in tense silence for nearly a minute; finally, the door creaked open.

Hermione stumbled back in shock, her hand clamped over her mouth. Ginny could only stare.

A short, wizened old man stood in the doorway. He remained standing behind the threshold, so that the moonlight barely lit up his weathered face. Large black shackles were chained to his arms and legs.

Ginny could tell that even Harry was stunned. He stood in a defensive stance, his wand up and pointing at the old man's heart.

"Who are you?" he asked slowly, his disbelief evident in his voice.

The old man held out his hands; the chains clanked together. "You know who I am, I think," he rasped in a low voice, "as I know who you are."

"How do I know you're not an imposter?" Harry returned. "A Death Eater in disguise?"

"Harry," Hermione whispered shrilly, stepping forward, "it's Mr. Ollivander!"

"Don't move!" Harry said sharply.

Ginny swallowed hard. That man couldn't really be Mr. Ollivander, the wand maker. No way. He was too thin, too gaunt, too skeletal. He hadn't really been kidnapped. He'd gone into hiding. The newspapers had said that there had been no sign of struggle within his shop – because he hadn't been there. He'd hid before the Death Eaters had come calling. That was why.

The man shook his head. "I am nothing more and nothing less than what you see," he said calmly and surely.

"What I see is not always what it seems to be," Harry responded, just as evenly.

Ginny could feel the tension and impatience building in her body. How could they be conversing so lightly at a time like this?

"I see that times have changed," the man said, apparently amused by Harry's reply.

"Times are always changing," Harry countered. "It's just that we don't always notice."

A smile ghosted across the man's face. "You are not the boy who entered my shop seven years ago," he mused. "The wand has chosen well. And yet…"

The words hung in the air between them; Harry seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for the man to finish.

The man let out a long sigh. "I have what you seek," he murmured, beckoning to Harry.

"You still haven't told me who you are," Harry said stubbornly.

Another smile flitted across the man's face. "Of course," he said. "My name is Ollivander, owner of Ollivander's, Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC. I swear this on Merlin's grave. I sold you that wand, holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, in the afternoon of the thirty-first of July, 1991."

Ginny frowned. How did he remember that? And if this was Mr. Ollivander, what was he doing here? How did he get to be in this cemetery, chained to a shack? How had he survived until now?

Harry hesitated for a moment, his hand wavering; then he relented and shifted to a neutral position. "I believe you," he said simply. "You have what we're looking for?"

Mr. Ollivander's large, pale eyes glinted. "Rowan and unicorn tail hair, ten inches," he recited.

"Ravenclaw's wand," Harry breathed.

Ginny wanted to grab his arm, to tell him to be careful, to ask him to make sure this old wizard was really Mr. Ollivander. He had an eerie quality about him that Ginny had never liked. And for him to be here with the Horcrux, so conveniently… Even if he really was Mr. Ollivander, he could be following the Dark Dork's orders, he could be bait to lure Harry in, bait for a trap the Dark Dork had set because he knew Harry would come looking…

But before she could utter a word, Harry followed Mr. Ollivander into the shack.

Hermione let out a strangled sound; she dashed in after him, Ginny and Ron at her heels.

Their view of the shack had belied nothing about the interior. It was, if possible, even grimier and more dismal than the outside. Cobwebs hung from every available nook and a layer of grime coated every exposed surface. There was no furniture except for a rickety chair and a small, three-legged table in one corner. Slivers of moonlight were splayed across the rotting floorboards.

"H-how long have you been here?" Hermione asked, looking around in horror.

"Since August of last year," Mr. Ollivander answered. He led Harry to the small table and pulled out a worn cardboard box from beneath it. His movements were stiff and slow, hampered greatly by his shackles.

Harry took hold of one of them. "Who put these on?" he asked quietly.

"If I could have taken them off, I would have done so long ago," Mr. Ollivander replied heavily. "They're cursed. They won't come off with a simple spell."

Harry started tapping the links with his wand. "Then I won't use a simple spell."

Mr. Ollivander gently – but firmly, for such a small, weak man – tugged the chains out of Harry's hands. "The chains aren't important. This is." He reached into the box and pulled out a short, canvas-wrapped bundle. Harry's eyes narrowed again. "He knew I knew what he did with it," he said grimly. "A Horcrux. Terrible, terrible magic. When his Death Eaters returned to retrieve it, they said I was to come with them. Threatened to burn down the shop if I didn't. I made them promise they wouldn't touch a single wand if I went quietly. I've been here ever since, guardian of this wand."

Ginny shuddered.

"Why's it wrapped up?" Ron asked, frowning.

There was a strange look on Mr. Ollivander's face. "I cannot touch it," he said, shaking his head.

Can't touch a mutilated wand, Ginny thought, wholeheartedly agreeing. It would be worse for a wand maker to behold his own wand, tainted with the soul of a Dark wizard…

"But how do you live here?" Hermione whispered.

"Oh, I manage," Mr. Ollivander said lightly. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named doesn't want me dead, after all. They keep the place warm and send food every once in a while." He indicated the empty tray beside the door.

"Why didn't you contact anyone?" Harry asked, knitting his brows. "Hogwarts, the Ministry, anyone."

Mr. Ollivander gave him a sardonic smile. "Now, Mr. Potter, I'm sure we both know that he's not that stupid. There are wards that prevent the use of magic within this area. They also prevent me from stepping foot from here."

"What if they come back?" Ginny said suddenly. "The Death Eaters. Don't they check on you?"

"Occasionally," Mr. Ollivander said. He placed the bundle on the table, in front of Harry. "Not often."

"Then we'll destroy it and leave," Harry said, picking the bundle up. He unwrapped part of it and peered inside. Apparently satisfied that it was the real thing, he wrapped it back up. Looking at Mr. Ollivander again, he said, "You too."

"You would do better to take it back to Hogwarts and take care of it there," Mr. Ollivander said, glancing at the door.

Ginny felt uneasy. The Death Eaters were probably coming; it would be just their luck.

"He's right, Harry," Hermione said anxiously. "Let's take it back to Hogwarts. We don't need to do it here."

"Yes, we do," Harry said quietly. He was still looking at Mr. Ollivander. "You can't leave, can you? Not until the Horcrux is gone."

Mr. Ollivander didn't say anything.

"If he's going to go with us, we need to destroy this here, now," Harry said to Hermione and Ron. He glanced at Ginny but his eyes revealed nothing.

She cursed inwardly. Damn that Dark Dork. He was using Mr. Ollivander as bait – he knew Harry wouldn't leave without the wand maker. He was probably hoping to catch Harry here, inside the shack where he couldn't use magic – or he might sacrifice a piece of his soul and let Harry use his energy on destroying it, after which he would be vulnerable…

"My well-being is nothing compared to yours," Mr. Ollivander said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me. I know what happens when a Horcrux is destroyed, and you can't afford to do it here. None of us will be able to help you, and the magic will alert the Death Eaters, if not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself."

"Hermione can do side-along Apparition," Harry said, nodding at her. She pressed her lips together tightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "You can Apparate too, can't you? Once the Horcrux is gone?"

"I imagine so," Mr. Ollivander said cautiously. "But – "

"Good. Once it's destroyed, we can leave."

Without waiting for any protests, Harry turned on his heel and strode out of the shack. Hermione groaned as she hurried out after him. Ginny and Ron glanced at each other before following.

Harry was standing about ten paces from the big marble headstone of Tom Riddle. He had unwrapped the bundle and set Ravenclaw's wand – or what Mr. Ollivander claimed to be Ravenclaw's wand; Ginny still wasn't sure if she trusted him completely – on the ground before him.

"Harry!" Hermione blurted, wringing her hands. "Harry, I don't know if I – "

Harry turned to her and smiled. "You can, Hermione. I know you can."

Ginny went to stand on his other side so that she, Ron, and Hermione formed a rough circle around him. Mr. Ollivander was watching them from the doorway.

Harry gave Ginny a fleeting grin before facing the wand again, whispering, "Wish me luck."

Ginny gripped her wand and forced a smile. "Good luck."

Taking a deep breath, Harry raised his wand. Ginny could already feel the air churning around him. Just before he uttered the spell, she heard him whisper, "Cedric, this is for you."

Then, his eyes blazing, he bellowed, "Exudirum!" (1)

A blast of fire erupted from Harry's wand; fire so bright and searing that Ginny thought the sun had fallen on them. The heat singed her face and she dove to the ground, eyes screwed shut. She scrambled away blindly, away from the fire and the screaming.

Burning blasts of air buffeted her body as her hands felt the cool marble of a headstone; she crawled behind it and crouched there, too afraid to even open her eyes. Someone was shouting, but she couldn't make out the words over the howling wind. She held her wand in an iron grip and curled up, wishing only for it to end, to be over…

And just like that, it was.

Ginny's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring out into the moonlit cemetery. No fire, no screaming, no wind. There was a groan from behind her. Cautiously, she craned her neck around the headstone, scared of what she would see.

Her eyes widened. There was a huge crater before her; it had to be at least ten feet in diameter. The dirt around it was still smoking. Harry lay at its center, face down, his wand several feet away.

"Harry!" Ginny cried, leaping up to retrieve his wand. Hermione and Ron jumped up from where they'd been hiding and joined her as she bent down over Harry's motionless body. Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn.

"Hermione, we've got to – "

There was a thud behind them; Ginny spun around to see that Mr. Ollivander had fainted.

Before she could do anything else, she heard swishing noises fill the air. Out the corner of her eye, she could see black shadows materializing around them.

"Bloody, bloody Merlin," Ron whispered slowly.

The shadows crept closer, and Ginny could make out the white skull masks and the black cloaks.

Damn.

Up Next: Everything comes at a price.

(1) Exudirum is another made-up incantation for our made-up spell. Derived from the Latin diruo, to demolish and exuro, to burn down.

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