In an instant the sudden falling sensation took its toll on him and Harry fell straight to his knees with a painful thud. He rubbed then gingerly as he cursed to himself. He had failed, again.

"You okay?" Remus asked from across the classroom as he walked over to Harry and brushed him down. "You might want to wash your robes. The floor in here is pretty filthy." Remus said as he wiped his hand on the table

"My classroom isn't filthy! I clean it every month." Snape protested angrily as he turned his back on Harry and Remus.

"I failed…" Harry said once Remus had stopped fussing. He hated failing, it left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth that made him feel inadequate at his attempts. Snape didn't help

"Of course you failed, if you had succeeded then you wouldn't be snivelling and I wouldn't be having to teach you."

Remus glared angrily at Snape.

"Stop being so damn critical. I'm sure Harry is doing a good job and just because you think he should be doing better that is no reason to be so rude. I think you owe Harry an apology." He demanded as he waited patiently for Snape to say some sort of apology. Truth be told Harry thought Remus was wasting his time, but that is because he couldn't imagine Snape ever saying sorry to anyone.

"I will only apologise when I wrongfully insult someone, and I have not done that at all. Potter shouldn't be failing. And therefore he is doing badly."

There was a moment of silence as Harry turned to see if Remus was going to say anything. He had found t best to leave other people to argue and then choose the winning side at the end.

"How far did you get Harry?" asked Remus curiously as he started to consider that Snape was being over critical. Harry thought for a moment. It sounded strange to talk about it. Was the mental maze you fought your way through always the same for everyone? Was it even a maze that other people saw?

"Um, well there was a maze." Harry began unsurely. However, Remus gave a big nod and a smile which reassured him.

"Well in the maze lots of things happened. Walls moved and things. But I managed to avoid them for a while. Then I managed to get to the end of the maze and get to a door. I couldn't open it but I tried… I haven't figured out how yet, but I think I would have been able to if I had more time. I got distracted though and I didn't notice that Snape formed walls around me and that's when I lost." Harry finished lamely, unaware of the wide eyed look Remus was giving him.

Several moments of silence passes as Remus continued to stare at Harry, who shifted uneasily. Had he said something wrong? That is what happened so why should Remus be acting all weird over it? Snape decided to busy himself by cleaning his nails. A long and tedious task which would require a weeks work from several determined manicurists.

"What?" Harry finally asked when it became apparent that no one was going to say anything. "Just because I only got that far its no need to treat me like I'm a freak. I might be a bit slow but I'm not dumb you know." He complained indignantly.

"It's not that Harry." Remus said weakly. "It's just that…. Just… That is really good." He said eventually. Harry stopped looking at the ground in embarrassment and looked Remus in the eye. A slow grin was spreading across his face.

"It is?" Harry asked as his lip curled in bewilderment. "But Snape was moaning and…"

"He was lying Harry. To get as far as you did. Its impressive. Exceedingly. I'm astonished you got that far. Severus is renowned for his good mental defences." Remus said as he patted Harry on the back in a congratulatory manner.

"I really did well?" Harry asked as he dared believe he was doing well at something he was constantly being told he was awful at. Remus considered how best to explain the situation.

"Well put it this way Harry." Remus said as he lowered his voice several decibels in a conspiring manner. "The only other person to ever get as far as you have in Snape's mind is Lord Voldemort. Not even his highest Death Eaters got where you did. You couldn't get much further to tell the truth. The door is the last step. Once you have opened that you have access to it all. To all the thoughts and everything. If you were to try it on most people I think you could do it Harry. I think you could crack their mind." Remus said in awe as he tried to imagine what it would be like to possess talent like Harry's.

"Oh stop praising him already." Snape spat angrily. "You don't want him getting big ideas. Besides he doesn't deserve praise. He still falls short of expectations. No matter how well you think he is doing, I know better, and I say he should be doing better than he is. He has fallen short of expectations." He finished of simply. Remus shook his head in disbelief.

"But he has done better than just about anyone else who has ever tried to get into your mind. How can you say he falls short of expectations?" he asked incredulously.

"Because." Snape said coldly. "I have great expectations."

Harry's lesson had finished after that. Harry didn't know what to think. On one hand he was dead chuffed to hear that he was doing well, but on the other hand if he was below expectations then that was a bad thing. He had almost reached his goal tonight. That was one more thing that ran through his mind. Harry was anxious to know what was behind the door. Would it be a vast swirling pool of knowledge like a giant pensieve? Or would it be like a thousand TV screens each displaying a chapter of his life?

As he and Remus had strolled through the corridors Remus had told him that he thought the only reason Snape had insisted they stopped after that particular try was because Harry had gotten too close to beating Snape at his mind games, and that the greasy scum bucket needed some time to think of ways to make it harder for Harry to succeed. That way Snape could maximise the amount of time that he was able to laugh at Harry. He thought the whole idea of what Remus said quite funny and more than just a little bit probable.

When he thought about it he had almost done it that time. Or at least that is what seemed to be the case. Unless the door was literally impassable then there was no reason why Harry would have taken to much longer. What it all boiled down to inside the mind was simple logic, or lack of it. At times it was hard to be sure. He did however agree that Snape wanted to try and make it harder for him next time, and was probably stewing (literally) in his dungeon right now, trying to think up various unpleasant obstacles for Harry to bypass.

After a few minutes discussing the techniques Harry had used in the maze, and several approvals and congratulations on being so inventive from Remus, he told Harry he had some marking to do for one of his third year classes and made his leave back to his office where a large pile of papers, an overactive Tonks and a big mug of milkshake awaited him. Now the only problem left to confront was how to tell Sarah Simpleton she had got no marks again without making her cry, and how to get Tonks to stop drawing on the back of peoples homework.

Left alone in the corridors he wondered what to do. He didn't have any homework or Quidditch training. He had made very sure he didn't have homework these days. He had perfected the art of doing it during the easier lessons, and during lunch, and even though he looked like Hermione at times with a book in one hand and a fork half way to his mouth in the other, it beat getting back after a long wet night of Quidditch and having to write up a potions essay on the importance of the importance potion.

Harry considered going to watch some of the rest of the team training to get a feel of how they would be playing from now on. After all it wasn't like he had played on a tem with most of them before, and he needed to know their style in order to be able to know where they would be and when, so that he wouldn't end up flying into them in his search for the golden snitch.  Also he expected their styles would have altered a but as they learned new tactics and better ways of performing old ones from the professionals. Hopefully they wouldn't try that special move Victor had warned him about that involved throwing a kettle at Harry. It sounded painful. In the end after looking outside and seeing it raining Harry decided against it, and instead stayed inside in the warm.

There was something else that had been niggling at him for a while now, something he had to know. Harry set off to the hospital wing to visit Cho. Despite the fact he had seen her before several times, and each time she was just the same… just as lifeless, he had been thinking, and his subconscious had been thinking whilst he slept, and he finally decided that enough was enough. Unless she was any better this visit then Harry would have to offer Dumbledore a gentle reminder that Cho was still in the hospital wing. After all he was rather busy, and it could have slipped his mind.

Harry silently walked the corridors. Thank you Prefect privileges. He thought as he walked loudly, not worrying about bumping into Filch. When he reached the hospital wing he stood in the doorway and carefully poked his head round the corner. He was ready to pull it back hastily if he needed to. You never knew when a knife wielding maniac was going to hidden around the corner, or worse, madam Pomfrey. His eyes quickly darted round as he scanned for any sign of danger. Eventually it appeared safe, and Harry took a few steps into the room.

Looking down there was a row of beds on either side. Time was getting on and he wasn't sure what hour visitors were generally encouraged to leave. Since Harry was a regular member to the wing as both a visitor and a patient, he felt that perhaps he should be allowed some sort of members discount. He looked at his watch and sighed. Yes. If students weren't allowed out of the common room this late at night then there was a very slim chance that they were allowed into the hospital wing.

He decided to make a bit of noise. He really didn't want to get on the wrong side of Madam Pomfrey, and if it looked like he was trying to sneak in then he felt she would be less inclined to be helpful, and Harry expected she could be very unhelpful when she wanted. Unhelpful in the most painful way possible. She was be a fiery person, when angry. So much so that she could rival Norbert the dragon for striking fear into a person and being able to singe your hair with a blast of her breath.

Snape could also singe your hair with his breath, and make your face contort like a deflated football, but this was for a slightly different reason.

"Can I help you?" asked a voice. Harry jumped as the sharp question took him by surprise. He looked to the side to see madam Pomfrey looking at him with suspicious curiosity. He placed a hand on his chest as he waited for his heart to get out of his throat and settle back in his chest. When he realised where and from whom the question had originated he quickly regained his composure, and turned to answer her.

"Well I was hoping that I could see Cho if that uh... all right with your madam…ness." He asked as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He looked at her hopefully. There was a certain technique he had learned to employ to some effect. If he tried to make himself small and make his eyes seem big then he generally got what he wanted. Also if he could make little wounded dog sounds that worked like a treat, but not with the more intelligent of teachers. They told him off when he did that. Snape even sent him outside last week for trying. Although Harry actually enjoyed standing out in the corridor. It meant you could breath without having to risk a lung infection.

He knew that she didn't feel that it was proper for people to come traipsing into her nice clean wing to talk to other people that couldn't even hear them, let alone reply. Heck, his shoes might have dirt on… and he might start breathing on people. It was practically begging for a bacterial outbreak. She stared at him with piercing eyes weighing up the pros and cons of giving him permission. If she let him he might start taking liberties and feel that he could come in here at any time of the day. But on the other hand if she said no he would probably kick up a fuss and end up being around for even longer. It really was quite the conundrum.

"Well I don't really have a choice do I?" She asked angrily. She had learned only to well how stubborn he could be, and the answer was as stubborn as a big stubborn idiot dressed in stubborn clothes after having an all you can eat stubborn buffet lunch.

"Nope." Harry said as he flashed her a smile. She muttered under her breath for a moment in which Harry impatiently bounced on the spot.

"Fine. But only for five minutes…and you have to take your shoes off…and don't breathe to much!" She said as she tried to think of all the things he might do wrong.

Harry quickly kicked off his shoes and silently walked up to Cho's bed, slowly looking around him. He had to be careful not to accidentally break something, because he knew she was looking for a reason to chuck him out of the hospital wing for life. There seemed to be only one other person in tonight and they were far down on the opposite side. Harry sighed to himself. The fourth years never seemed to learn the dangers of inflating each others heads to the size of a beach ball. Harry quietly pulled the curtains around her bed and settled into a chair by her side.

He made sure to do some talking to start with. He would hate Madam Pomfrey to possibly think he was doing something else.

"Hello Cho. How are you? Not so good. Don't worry. Couple of aspirin will have you good as new in no time. Me? I'm fine. Dandy. Never Better. Pity about the weather." He said to himself as he talked to the lifeless form of Cho. He looked down at her small pale form and cursed. Why hadn't he taught her better? If Only Harry had been able to summon a stronger Patronus he would have been able to protect her. She wouldn't be going through pain. He wouldn't…

His soul stung to see her like this, A mere shadow of the girl she was meant to be. A limp form of the lively girl he knew. A shell of the bubbly spontaneous person he had liked. But he wasn't sure whether it was because he really liked her, or just because she was a friend. Harry thought he had loved her, and in a way he thought he still did, but it was tough to love someone you haven't spoken to in the last month. Someone who you know is practically dead. What was love? Harry found himself wondering. He knew that there had been feelings he knew. A tingling electric buzz when they kissed…

He knew he was sad that she was in the hospital wing and not out around school with all her friends. But then wouldn't he have the same feeling if it were just a friend lying there instead of her. Would he not feel the same if it was Ron who lay dying on the bed, at the weakness of Harry. He took hold of her hand again and squeezed it, then frowned. He had hoped to find comfort in it, to feel the faint pulse on her wrist, but what he felt instead caused fear to wash over him. Her hand felt even colder than before. e frowned. Cold wasn't be a good sign, but even colder must be much worse. She was worsening. She was dying. He squeezed her hand again and whispered

"Come on Cho. Come back. Come back to me."

He sighed. He knew that him sitting here wasn't going to make a damn bit of difference, but he also felt that there must be something he could do, there had to be. It certainly didn't feel right to just sit around. No Harry could think of one thing he could do. If he couldn't heal her himself then he was just going to have to make sure those that could would. He let go of her hand and came to a decision. He would do something. She was defiantly worse than she had been, and he couldn't risk her getting much worse. It wasn't actually possible to get much worse…

He would go confront Dumbledore. That was the only thing Harry could think of to do. Harry knew that Dumbeldore couldn't help her himself. If he could have he would, there was no doubt in Harry's mind over that. But Dumbledore must know something or someone which could help. The headmaster always knew exactly what to do. Harry nodded to himself surely.

"Don't you worry Cho. I'm going to speak to Dumbledore. We will get everything sorted out. You will be up and about as quick as you can say Quidditch." He said to her. There was a long silence which followed before Harry added. "Actually…quicker than that." With that he stood up and left, walking with a purpose.

As Harry was about to leave the Hospital wing madam Pomfrey scurried over to him with very small and very fast steps. They were probably more hygienic. Without a word she thrust his battered trainers towards him, before disappearing off down into the shadowy end. Harry looked at them briefly for a moment… She seemed to have cleaned them? And what was that smell? A fragrant combination of pine and jasmine? He shook his head in disbelief before slipping them on. At least misses Weasley would be happy about the shoes… Even if the Quidditch team would laugh and call him a big ladies boy.

Harry walked quickly, and relatively quietly considering the way that the corridors had a habit of picking up the tiniest noise and making it into a roar. They could make a mouse sneeze sound like the horn of a freight train in a tunnel, if they were that way inclined, though this evening it seemed that they were erring towards quieting things down a little. Also his shoes, now lacking the cushioning dirt seemed to squeak with every step. There was always some sod with squeaky shoes that walked when everyone else had stopped walking. Harry sighed. For the next few weeks it would be him by the looks of it.

After walking for a surprisingly short amount of time he reached the gargoyle that both marked and concealed the entrance to the professors office. Must be because my feet are clean… he thought as he looked at the gargoyle expectantly. Up until now it hadn't asked for a password from him. It had just moved. However today it looked a little slow off the mark.

"Move!" Harry commanded as he pointed to his left, commanding it like a dog.

The gargoyle grinned as it bowed to him then leapt aside in its customary manner.

"Don't take so long in future." Harry sad to it as he starter up the stairs. Normally the Gargoyle moved when it saw that Harry was coming, but having to wait… what was the world coming to? When he reached the top he took a breath and rapped on the door. Dumbledore wasn't expecting him and Harry hoped he wasn't knocking at an inconvenient hour. Of course Dumbledore did always seem to know when Harry was about to arrive, and so he was probably ready sitting behind his desk looking thoughtful.

He stood for a minute and waited. There was no reply, which was strange. Dumbledore was rarely out. In fact all the time Harry had been at Hogwarts Dumbledore had always been in his office when Harry had arrived. He extended his hand and knocked again, this time slightly louder this time. He looked at the floor whilst waiting. He didn't want to be like the sort of rude person that keeps knocking. Maybe Dumbledore was asleep. Harry had to admit that he was getting on a bit and old people did often seem to be in the habit of going to sleep after dinner at three in the afternoon, and then sleeping in a chair until two in the morning, at which point they would fumble around complaining about how they couldn't sleep.

He tapped his foot impatiently. He wished he had his marauders map on him. That way if Dumbledore wasn't in he would know about it. Harry was about to knock for a third time, but as his hand was about to come down upon the door he hesitated, if he listened very carefully, and didn't breath, then he could hear something coming from inside. It sounded a bit like music, although Harry couldn't imagine why music would be playing. He strained his ears as he moved his head so it was pressed up against the door. Yes… there was definetly music coming from inside the office. Was it possible Dumbledore was having some sort of important dinner party? Probably not, because if that were the case then Would Remus not have been invited… Maybe Remus had been invited and he had lied to Harry, although that probably wasn't the case.

He very carefully decided to push open the door. You had to be careful with an expensive door. A clumsy person would have p[pushed it to hard causing it to come of the hinges and break various valuable and fragile items in a sad yet humorous fashion. With a loud creak that was lost in the song that met his ears it had swung open and he was presented with something rather horrifying. Horrifying in the sense that he thought it would never happen. It was the kind of thing that you had long ago dismissed as a wild dream, much like Father Christmas. But this… if something like this could happen maybe these truly were the darkest hours of man. Here there be demons!

The office was brightly lit in its usual manner, with a vast array of magical objects in glass cabinets decorating the walls. As Harry looked up the pictures of the previous headmasters however this is where the first irregularity struck. Rather than dozing in their frames, or pretending to doze and actually listening into what was being said, they were all looking down excitedly, and several of them were bouncing around, often bumping into the wizard besides themselves.

Harry slowly and unsurely followed their gaze, and at last found what was perhaps the strangest of things he had seen in his life, since of course an enormous hairy bloke knocked down his door and a flying car awoke him in the night. Dumbledore's desk had been pushed back, along with the chairs so that there was a large space in the centre of the room. Dumbledore was standing in this space, although standing was a rather strained use of this word. In timing he was moving his hand from his hip, to diagonally above him, whilst making smooth stepping motions.

"Well, You can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man: No time to talk!" He sung extravagantly as Harry just stood and looked on.

A few more moments past in which Harry considered his option. Number one was to simply try and sneak away. That was good. If he got caught trying to sneak away he could go straight into plan B, and run away. Both seemed good, although neither of them got answers to the questions he had come to ask. Cho couldn't just be ignored. The third option, was to simply make his presence known, and possibly embarrass Dumbledore, although some compliments about how well the dancing was going would probably smooth the whole situation over a bit.

Of course he could always try and sneak back down the stairs and then stomp up them very loudly. So loudly that there was absolutely no way he could not be heard. "Yawn. I can't wait to speak to Dumbledore." Harry would say to himself on his way up. "I hope he can answer the questions that I will ask him when I am in his office, which will be in a moment after I knock on his door… Hopefully he will be in and not out, or dancing!"

Dumbledore was to clever for that though. He would probably notice Harry, and then Things would go down hill form there. Yep, the only option was just to go for a well placed and traditional cough. Harry quickly took one step back to the door so that hopefully it wouldn't look like he ha just witnessed the hole chorus and second verse. He raised his hand to his mouth and gave and cleared his throat, whilst looking on the opposite direction, that way He could actually pretend he had just been fascinated  by the fat headmaster painting who was laughing his head off at Dumbledore.

"Hem Hem."

The music seemed to jump for a minute, before slowing down and decreasing in pitch like a tape player running out of batteries, before finally ending up on a low continuous "Wooooomaaaaan'sssssss Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"  Dumbledore froze in mid step so he had his hand extended, pointed up towards the sky whilst one leg remained raised. The music finally faded into nothing and Dumbledore's eye slowly swivelled sideways in their socket until they focused on Harry who was still looking determinedly away. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead, before he quickly spun to face Harry and shoved his arms behind his back inconspicuously."

All the paintings instantly resumed their usual positions of pretending to be asleep, most of them doing it with great success, except for the fat wizard who was quit obviously just laughing with his eyes closed. Harry didn't dare close his eyes in case he started thinking about dancing. It could prove rather fatal if he started laughing at this moment. Dumbledore gave several long and chesty coughs that he hoped would possibly disguise the song. Although it had already finished he had found that when he lied, children became quite accepting of his ideas. It was practically magic.

In a flash much faster than most people could see, Dumbledore had dashed across the other side of the room and was pulling his desk back to where it had originally been.

"Hello." He said as he strained at moving the desks weight without getting his wand. "How are you… this fine…fine evening?" He panted as he tried to get his breath back. "I was just doing some exercise. Not dancing. Stretching! I find that after several hours of sitting down its good to have a stretch. It gets the blood flowing and helps improve your ability to think." He said as he tried to deny the blatant act of seventies disco dancing he had been caught doing.

"But I saw…" Happy began to say as he pointed to where Dumbledore had been sitting.

"What did you see?" Dumbledore asked as his eyes flashed up from his desk which he was trying to position on the dented carpet spots where it always sat. His voice suggested that Harry had seen nothing at all.

"I saw nothing at all." Harry said after several moments of intense thinking.

"Oh… well that's a pity. Anyway what was it you came to see me about?" He asked as he slid a chair over to where it normally was, and gestured for Harry to sit down. He quickly dashed back round the other side whilst sinking down into his own chair and pushing the shoes with the four inch heels out of sight.

Dumbledore looked at Harry expectantly, as he gave his wand a quick flick and the disco ball above them disappeared. Harry met his gaze directly and gave him the answer, which hopefully would me met with lots of answers.

"Well I wanted to speak to you about Cho, Sir. If that's alright with you." He said as he tried to avoid sounding pushy. Harry saw something in Dumbledore's eyes when he heard this, he wasn't sure what, but it may have been close to dismay, or perhaps it was a level of thought so intense Harry had yet to comprehend the physics of it. Dismay wasn't an emotion he imagined Dumbledore to be familiar with, and so the

answer was probably the latter. Harry decided to plunge on.

"She's getting worse, much worse. I know that and I know you know it too." He stopped to gauge the headmasters reaction. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for but as he saw a flicker in Dumbledore's eyes his heart gave a jump. A flicker of hope was all that was needed. But then again maybe it was merely a flash of worry mixed with a shifty blink. You couldn't be sure these days, so he took a breath and plunged on.

"I just went to see her. It wasn't good sir. She's slipping further isn't she? She's slipping further away from where she is meant to be. I need to know how long we have sir. Is it just a matter of days or will she be too far gone to save in a few weeks. Or do we have longer? Months maybe." He asked desperately as the corners of his eyes began to sting in anger at the thought of Cho dying and not doing anything about it.

"We need to save her. I know it. She won't get better on her own. If she was going to do that then she would have done it by now. She can't come back by herself can she? At least not anymore. I don't know as much as you do sir, but her soul needs our help. It's just that she looks paler, and she is definitely colder than she was. If there is anything we can do… anything I can do, then we must. Theirs is something we can do isn't there? I can't believe there is nothing." Harry stopped for a moment as he considered if there was anything else to add. He looked at Dumbledore as he got his breath back.

Dumbledore looked at him gravely, and gave a sigh of defeat. He wouldn't lie to Harry. At least not unless his self respect was on the line.

"Yes Harry I am afraid that her soul is slipping further away from us. It is passing into the beyond world, and it may be too late to save her, should we not act in time. And that time is short, I fear to say." Dumbledore said frankly as he didn't take his eyes off Harry. You had to have respect for a boy his age who was dealing with problems like him. Having your life threatened was one thing. At the end of the day if your dead you probably won't care. If however its your loved ones on the line, then it's a much worse situation.

Harry who was growing impatient, cut in.

"But there is a way to help her isn't there? You said something about saving her before didn't you, why haven't we tried it yet? We can do it can't we?" he demanded as he thumped his fist down on the desk in an act demanding speed rather than stating anger. Dumbledore looked at Harry as if he was debating whether or not her should tell him something. Harry picked up on this. "Tell me." He said as he stared at Dumbledore, unblinkingly. He wasn't weak, and if there was no way to help then he would like to know, and if there was, then he could try and do it.

Dumbledore nodded and gave a small sign as he recognised Harry's strength. "Very well. I know that the truth will be the best option, and I know that even if it is bad, which it is, that you will be able to manage with it." Harry eyes widened as he jumped to an assumption over what had been said.

"You mean we can't help her?" He asked weakly.

"No Harry. That is not what I meant. It is possible for her to be returned to her body, should she get the right help. The only problem is that the help in question is very dangerous, and I would only care to use it as a last resort. There are a few other ways I have in mind, although I cant say they are likely to work. I would like to say they probably would but it is unfair to give you false hope."

"What are the ways that you can help her?" Harry demanded as he stood up for a second, as if ready to march off and get started this very second. After Dumbledore said nothing Harry sat back down.

"Well Harry I have three methods in mind. Two of them are simple potions. I say simple but they are far more advanced than most people can make or even know of. The reason I call them simple is because in comparison to the third method they are but child's play. I will come back to that in a minute. Now what the potions do is they are both an incentive as such, to draw any loose spirits towards it. By getting Cho to drink it her spirit will with any luck return and then it will seal itself inside the vessel."

Harry nodded and smiled a little. It all sounded simple enough. A quick bit of potion brewing… glug glug down the hatch and then wait a few minutes for lots of lovely souls to come along. Find the right one and shove it in Cho. Bung a cork in the top and hey presto. Couldn't be easier. Right? Dumbledore seemed to disagree as he displayed a rather glum look. Harry had to ask, although he knew he would be wrong.

"It's not that simple is it?"

"No!"

"However, if her soul is to far gone into the after world, then the potions will not overpower the natural force that is pulling her spirit away. Therefore what we need is to force it, and to do this we will need a very special kind of person. We will need an Exorcist." Harry gave a highly appropriate gasp in this very well placed pause. He didn't mention that he didn't know what an Exorcist was, but he gave a look which said "pardon me old chap but I'm a bit miffed as to just what your on about!" Dumbledore managed to pick up this like an expert, but then he was a teacher, and they got this look dozens of times a day.

"An Exorcist Harry, is someone who deals in an old kind of magic rarely used today. It is magic of the spirits and souls. Usually they only remove unpleasant ghosts these days, but there is a kind of magic they can use to draw spirits from anywhere but the netherworld itself. It is with an Exorcist that I hope we will be able to save the life of miss Chang. After all, she has somewhat become a beacon of hope to the students. If she can battle death so valiantly then it gives them the will to not hide in fear from Voldemort, but to live life as normal and train to the best of their ability." Dumbledore said as he looked a few feet above Harry, as though recalling something wonderful

"So why can't we get one of these now?" Harry asked as he ran it through his head. Again simple. Abracadabra, loads of souls come along… pretty similar to the potions, except super powered.

"Well…" Dumbledore began as he peered over the top of his half moon spectacles. "If I said that there isn't a single Exorcist in all of the United Kingdom would that mean anything to you?"

"Business isn't good?" Harry ventured. Dumbledore shook his head. "They don't make ghosts like they used to?" he tried again. Dumbledore shook his head.

"No Harry. It means that over the time people have forgotten about them or managed without them, and now there are only a few left in the entire world, none of which are very capable."

"So we can't get one of them to help?" Harry asked sulkily. What was the point in telling you about a way to rescue Cho, and then saying it wasn't possible? That was just the kind of meanness that had been perfected by scratch card you get in the post, which claim you have won a brand new card, and after spending twenty pounds on a phone bill you find yourself as the proud owner of a packet of seeds or some new sunglasses.

"No Harry… That's not entirely true." Dumbledore said with the faintest of smiles. "But as I said it is very dangerous. I think it's time to explain why its so dangerous, and why I would rather avoid it unless absolutely necessary."

"Is it dangerous to Cho then? To have an Exorcist try and return her soul? They wouldn't hurt her would they? They wouldn't make her break?" Harry asked as he shifted in his seat and sat excitedly with his elbows on the desk.

Harry knew what had to be done now, and that was a great help. Or at least it seemed like it.

"No Harry. The magic that an Exorcist performs, whilst being difficult is not at all dangerous actually. Unless you're an unwanted ghost of course. No, this is dangerous because in order to contact the Exorcist I have in mind, you will undoubtedly go through many highly dangerous situations." (the kind of danger that involves big men with pointy sticks and small rooms and hot pokers)

"Can't you do it. It would be safe for you wouldn't it?" Harry asked as he looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"No Harry, I'm afraid I can't. Although I will not bore you with detail at this moment. I shall simply tell you the facts. Cho is worsening, and we are working on the potions which I hope will help her recover and return to healthy status. If however they don't work, then I shall tell you more about it at the time. This time should be shortly, since the potions are almost nearing completion." Dumbledore said as he pulled over to himself a bit of paper and wrote something down, before quickly looking back up at Harry.

"I can say also that if we need to resort to the recruitment of an Exorcist, that we will not be able to act straight away. We will need to wait until a certain time, and I'm afraid it is cutting it very closely indeed. You see Harry, the Exorcist that I have in mind we will not be able to contact until December the twenty sixth. Cho however, I estimate will pass away into the netherworld at some point around January the first." he spoke solemnly. Harry stayed quite for a few moments. There was a lot of information to process, and to be truthful it wasn't what he had been hoping to hear.

"Sir. I understand that the potions may work. And I also understand that these days Exorcists aren't very reliable. The thing that I can't figure out though, is what is different about the Exorcist you have in mind, and why can't we speak to him before Boxing Day?" he asked as he racked his brains for a possibility. Dumbledore raised his hands together so the tips of his fingers were touching his chin. A small smile passed over his face, although it didn't seem at all happy.

"Harry, I think it is time I tell you about the Veil of Darkness."