The day finally arrived when Harry wanted to undercover at the Ministry. Cassie had managed to escape wedding plans for a day, which she considered an extraordinary blessing. She was having second thoughts. Major second thoughts. It wasn't that she didn't love George, because she did, but not quite with all her heart. She felt guilty.

Elysha ran her hand through her curly hair and rubbed her eyes. She didn't like being up so early, but she refused to complain about it. She was ready to go, just like everyone else. They sat in the kitchen of the Burrow, waiting for a signal from Hermione to tell them where they had to go.

The door quietly opened, but not quietly enough not to attract any attention. Both girls turned around to see who was entering the room. George smiled weakly and walked inside. The kettle instantly started boiling as he threw a glance in its direction and sat down next to Cassie.

'Everything sorted for today then?' He asked them.

Elysha shrugged but didn't verbally reply. She'd already expressed how annoyed she was with George because he kept hanging around while she was trying to work.

'We're waiting for something from Hermione, and then we'll go.' Cassie explained, trying not to let annoyance creep into her voice. George heard it even though she masked it very well. He looked back over at the kettle and it began making drinks in cups, and they glided over to the table, placing themselves in front of the girls and George. Elysha gave him a curt nod of thanks before taking a sip from hers.

'Thanks George,' Cassie smiled, and took a drink. Coffee.

'Thought you might wanna be alert.' He told her with a smirk. 'Reckon you'll still be relatively awake when you come back tonight?'

'Oh please,' Elysha interrupted. 'I doubt that, George. Busy day. All she'll want to do is sleep when she comes back.' George rolled his eyes.

'I didn't mean anything by it, Elysha. Just wondering.'

Their conversation was interrupted by a blue light filling the room. Cassie couldn't really make out what image the Patronus was, but she heard Hermione's voice soon afterwards.

'Stamp's Warehouse, Hardwick Street, London. Be quick,' Her voice told them. 'You've got ten minutes, if not we'll assume you're not coming or… or we'll assume the worst.' The Patronus disappeared into nothingness.

'Right then, you heard that, Cas, let's go.' Elysha told her, jumping up from her chair. Cassie followed suit.

'Be careful, Cas.' George told her quickly, panic suddenly evident across his face. She ignored his comment and glanced at Elysha. She grinned at her and they disapparated simultaneously. George sighed. He hated it when she was like this, Elysha was right, Cassie was becoming more like her with every passing day.

The girls appeared in the warehouse in London, exactly where they'd been told. They were instantly confronted with the unconscious bodies of three ministry officials.

'Holy shit…' Elysha muttered, turning around quickly to see Harry, Ron and Hermione looking exactly like the unconscious figures.

'Good, eh?' Ron's voice came from the tallest of the three, from a scrawny and tall looking man.

'Yeah…' Cassie replied slowly. 'It's… different.'

'Yes,' Hermione spoke this time. From an aging woman much shorter than Hermione's true form. 'I'm not sure how long we have. So, we'll need to go over the plan now.' She threw two Ministry uniforms at Cassie and Elysha. They were fairly in descript uniforms, and they just looked like business suits but with a small Ministry logo on the chest. Quickly, Elysha and Cassie put them on over their clothes and joined the other three on the street.

'We go in through the Ministry entrance,' Hermione explained as they began walking. 'and after that… just copy everyone else.'

'One of you track Ron and the other on Hermione,' Harry finally spoke. He was far taller than usual-Harry, and much more muscular.

'No, Harry,' Hermione interrupted him. 'If there's anyone that we can't have getting caught, it's you!'

Elysha cleared her throat. 'Or we could just go to the gossip centres of the Ministry and see if we hear anything useful.' The silence that followed proved that no one had a problem with this. 'And then we'll meet you back the foyer and leave as normal. Yes?'

'Alright.' Hermione said finally.

Their plan began solidly. Everything was working. They found the entrance to the Ministry, and flushed themselves in through some public toilets like all the other employees. Cassie had never been inside the Ministry before, but apparently Elysha had.

'It's changed,' She told Cassie in a whisper as they made their way through the entrance foyer. 'It used to have at least a familiar charm to it, like it meant something. Now… it's cold.' Elysha sighed. 'Fudge wanted the familiarity and trust, Scrimgeour wanted a military commitment to justice, and Thicknesse… God knows what he wants.' Elysha's eyes met with the new statue of the atrium. 'Apparently he wants to squash Muggles under a huge piece of concrete and make all the wizards stand on it.'

Cassie stared at the statue. 'I think it's metaphorical.'

'No shit, Sherlock.'

'Who's Sherlock?'

'Forget it.' Elysha turned around in time to watch Harry, Ron and Hermione, in their other forms, get into a lift and zoom away from them. 'Come on, we're going somewhere else.'

'What? I thought we were supposed to stay in the foyer? You know, the "gossip central"?' Cassie spoke but it didn't seem like Elysha heard her, or opted not to listen. Cassie glanced around to check if anyone was watching before she jogged to keep up with Elysha.

'Where are we going?' She hissed. Elysha looked at her, didn't reply, and dragged her into the nearest lift. Only once they were alone in the lift did she reply.

'We're going to the Department of Mysteries.'

'What?'

'You heard.' Elysha smiled. 'We're going to find some Prophecies.'

'Whose? And why?'

Elysha sighed angrily. 'Stop asking questions! Cassie I want to find my Prophecy. I have to know something, alright? I'm pretty certain, but I have to check. It's important.'

Cassie changed her tone. She heard something else in Elysha's voice. Regret? Despair?... Hope?

'Okay.' Cassie agreed, just as the lift doors opened.

'Department of Mysteries.' An automated female voice informed them. Elysha strode out of the lift and onto the dark corridor, Cassie cautiously following behind her. She seemed to know where she was going as she marched ahead, taking a few corners until she came to a door. It was a large black door with a gold handle. She took a deep breath and tried to open the door. It wouldn't move.

'What the hell…' Elysha muttered.

'It's probably locked,' Cassie suggested. Elysha smirked and looked at her.

'You think?' Elysha pulled out her wand and pointed at the door. 'Keep watch.' She told Cassie, who hastily turned around to face the currently empty corridor. 'Alohomora.' Elysha whispered. The lock clicked. She turned the handle once more and yet again nothing happened.

'What? I just unlocked it!'

'Please enter the password.' The female voice from the lift spoke above the door.

'Shhh!' Elysha told it, as if it would be quiet. She turned to Cassie worriedly. 'What's the password?' She asked Cassie, if she might know.

'I don't know! I thought you knew what you were doing!'

'I did! I just… have a bit of a fault in my logic.' Elysha focussed her attention on the door again. There was a small sign to its left, a gold plate engraved with lettering. One should always know their intention. One cannot possibly find anything when one does not know what they are searching for.

Elysha smiled to herself. She'd got it. She knew it was something like this, but she couldn't quite remember. She closed her eyes and thought about why she wanted to enter the room. All her many reasons, she played them through in her mind, allowing the door to see into it as well. She gently pushed open the door and it finally allowed her entry.

'How did…' Cassie began. But Elysha shook her head and pulled Cassie inside the room, the door slamming shut behind them.

They were faced with rows up on rows of glittering spheres containing the Prophecies of thousands of witches and wizards.

'How are you going to find it?' Cassie whispered, as everything echoed inside this room. Elysha smiled.

'I know where it is.' She told Cassie, as she began pacing through the rows. Cassie was at a light jog to keep up with her.

Draco heard a noise. It was coming from the far end of the Room of Prophecies. He'd been here three days and he'd managed to get to the back of it today. He wasn't really interested in his own Prophecy at the start, but when he couldn't find it, it became more of an obsession and his desire to find it became more desperate. The days had been quiet, and he'd heard absolutely nothing apart from his own footsteps – until now. He could barely hear the noise, but he knew what silence sounded like, and that was not silence. He drew his wand from his pocket and began making his way towards the sound.

Passing through the immense amount of Prophecies Draco caught a glimpse of what he'd been searching for. He saw his own name written underneath a crystal ball filled with a swirling silver liquid. He reached out to touch it. He stopped himself. No. He'd found it, he knew where it was. He didn't need to know what it said. He lifted his wand. There were more pressing matters to deal with at present.

'Harmenum Revelio.'

Elysha stopped abruptly and regained her bearings. She'd done this at least twice already, but this was another reason.

'Shit,' Elysha mumbled. 'there's someone else here. They know we're here.'

'Let's go then!'

'No,' Elysha told her sternly. 'I'll find it first. I'm here now, I have to know. It'll take them ages to find us anyway.'

A purple light streaked past them in the isle between the rows. Cassie jumped and whipped around when she saw it. When she turned back, Elysha had gone. Cassie didn't know where to start to try and find her, without running into whoever else was here as well. She didn't have to wait long to find something else to distract her. She saw a glowing crystal with her name underneath. Surely there was no harm in picking it up… just to see what the world had in store for her… after all, no one knows whether the Prophecies are accurate or not… they're kept away and archived… her finger touched the glass.

She was the one will unite the sides. In the middle of a war filled with hate she will bring love; the truest form of love. But she will have a choice. Which sides she unites is her choice. Destroy the segregation of Gryffindor and Slytherin, or unite the sides of Good and Evil.

Cassie stared at the glass. Was that it? How on Earth was that helpful to anyone? That told her nothing! She already knew she had a choice! She thought she'd already made it, but that made Gryffindor and Slytherin sound like such a trivial issue when put next to Good and Evil. She took the Prophecy from its shelf.

'Come on, tell me something useful!' She shook the Prophecy in her hands. All of a sudden the swirls inside it vanished and revealed a vision-like film. Cassie saw herself in what seemed like a long way off, but she knew it was the near future. She had a house, she didn't recognise it, with a small, homely kitchen and a garden with a picket fence. She was with George, he had a job now. They were married by then… and they had a child… a boy. His name was Fred… why had they called him Fred?

'Stop it,' Cassie hissed at the Prophecy. She didn't want to see this anymore! She didn't want this! A boring, normal life with George? It sounded so good before, but now she'd seen it, she couldn't have wanted anything less than she wanted that. The images didn't stop.

'I don't want this! I don't want my life to be like that!' She exclaimed, unaware of how loud or not she was speaking. Before she had a chance to think about anything, she hurled the Prophecy to the ground in a fit of rage. It smashed on the floor, it's silvery contents spilling out and turning to a smoke, gliding upwards and away from Cassie. She breathed deeply to try and calm herself down. Prophecies didn't have to come true. It wasn't going to come true!

Draco heard a smash from somewhere deep inside the room. He swallowed hard. Who was here? They were causing trouble now, and it certainly wasn't anyone from the Ministry, why would they be smashing things? But then again, if the Order had got into the Department, why would they be doing it either? Surely they would have wanted the Prophecies intact?

He glanced back at the shelf in front of him, at the Prophecy with his name underneath. Whoever was in here could wait. He wanted to know what was in his Prophecy. He picked it up.

He will have the opportunity to change everything. He will not take it. He is scared, nervous… he is not ready, but his family believe his is. His superiors will trust him, and he wants to be with the one he cannot be with. I cannot have both. He will let one down, while the one he chooses brings him deeper into trouble.

'No…' he gasped. He will let one down, while the one he chooses brings him deeper into trouble… He didn't want to choose the Dark side. That was the only thing that would bring him deeper into trouble, he was already in deep enough! But the one he cannot be with? That was Cassie, he knew it must be. Since hearing those words, every ounce of hatred for her disappeared from him, he exhaled it in a one go. For some reason, he knew that it wasn't her fault. He knew he shouldn't blame her. Janey brought this all on herself when she decided to join the Death Eaters, she knew the risks when she went undercover and she did it despite them. Cassie was simply doing her bit for her team, and no one could blame her for that. It must have been partly Draco's fault for not seeing what was happening to her. He mustn't have read the signs properly, people don't just kill themselves for no apparent reason, she'd have let something out before she did it, even without realising… but he never noticed. Cassie was not to blame.

Draco took a deep breath and stared at the Prophecy. He was not going to choose that side! His life was going in a new direction as of today. His life was going in one direction, whether it was seriously incriminating for him or not. He didn't even care if it landed him in Azkaban. He dropped the Prophecy, letting shards of glass shatter all around him. He smiled at it. Good riddance. Now – the intruder.

Cassie heard footsteps behind her.

'Elysha?' She called out before she thought about it.

'No…' Came back a coolly recognisable voice. Cassie thought about running. He said he'd hurt her if he saw her again. But she didn't run, she turned around to look him in the eyes. She drew her wand and held it up to him. He didn't draw his.

'Come on, I know you wouldn't try that.' He smirked at her. There was softness in his voice. Cassie ignored it.

'Try me.'

Draco held his hand out and pushed her hand down.

'I don't want to fight with you.' Draco told her gently. She was shocked at his voice and the soft look in his eyes. She hadn't seen that in such a long time. She missed it so, so deeply.

'Why? I thought you wanted to hurt me if you ever saw me again?' She asking, still unable to believe what she was hearing.

He sighed and shook his head. 'What happened wasn't your fault. I couldn't see it… but then… it's just not your fault.' He suddenly remembered something. 'Is there anyone else with you?'

'Erm…' Cassie didn't know whether or not she should tell him. She couldn't base trust on a sudden change of heart he may not have had.

'How many?'

'Just the one. It's Elysha.'

'Elysha? That crazy Ravenclaw girl from school?'

'Yeah. You know her?'

'Kind of. She threatened me a couple of times in fifth year. She was hanging around with the Potter bunch in their club.'

Cassie smiled at him. 'Not surprising really, Draco.'

'Suppose not.' He smiled back at her. 'Why is she smashing Prophecies?'

'Oh,' Cassie stared at the floor where broken pieces of glass lay staring up at her. 'no… that was me.'

'Whose is it?'

'Mine.'

'Why did you smash it?'

Cassie shook her head, as suddenly tears began welling up in her eyes. 'I didn't… I didn't want it to come true.' She sobbed, roughly wiping her tears away with her hand. Draco pulled her into a hug. He didn't even think before he did it. All his previous feelings for her came flooding back all of a sudden, like opening the floodgates to all the things he'd stopped himself feeling.

'I smashed mine, too.' He whispered in her ear.

'Why?' She whimpered.

'It said I'd choose being a Death Eater… over you.' He told her quietly. 'And I won't.'

Cassie was really crying now. Just hearing that had made her so happy, but at the same time it was so much change all at once, it was overwhelming.

'Cassie,' He whispered to her. 'don't cry, Cas.' He lifted her head off his shoulder and cupped her face in his hands. He looked into her eyes.

'I love you.'

She tried to reply, but couldn't quite bring words to her mouth. She hoped a watery smile would suffice. She'd missed him so much, and she hadn't even realised it. While they were there, alone, it felt like they'd never be disturbed. This was it. But when they heard the sound of jogging footsteps, they knew it wouldn't last forever.

Elysha stared at them, an expression caught between stunned and sarcasm. She didn't quite know how to react to the situation that stood in a freeze-frame in front of her.

'What the…?' Was about all she could manage. Draco limply let go of Cassie's hand, as he'd forgotten he'd been subconsciously holding it. 'Malfoy what the hell are you doing here?' Elysha held her wand by her side in case she needed to use it.

'It's alright, I'm not going to turn you in.'

'Why?' Elysha questioned, suspiciously, her eyes searching him for signs of lies.

He glanced at Cassie before answering. 'I'm just not.' His eyes conveyed a momentary apology to Cassie. 'Now get out of my sight before I change my mind… And for God's sake don't get caught.'

The girls quickly left the room. The door slammed shut, leaving a hollow echo of emptiness inside him. He wanted Cassie back as soon as he'd let her leave. He'd run out of things to say to her, but he was just desperate to be with her. Sit there with her, just know she was there.