Draco wisely kept his mouth shut and followed Harry into the Aurors department. The Gryffindor threw his cloak off, put his index finger and thumb in a horizontal circle to his lips and whistled deafeningly. Immediately several people rose from chairs or came running from around corners. Draco watched as his friend communicated through short signals and a total of five Aurors, amongst them Ron Weasley, put on their battle gear, consisting of padded vests and sturdy trousers, boots and gloves. For a second Ron and Draco looked at one another, until the red-haired man nodded curtly. Feeling a bit agitated, the blonde returned the gesture, but said nothing.

It took the group about five minutes to get ready and despite the urgency of the situation, Draco felt a rush of desire well up inside him. It got worse, when Harry stood in front of him and held out a set of battle gear for Draco.

"Put this on and let's go."

"You are going to ignore a direct order from the Minister?" Draco asked incredulously.

Harry shrugged non-apologetically. "Rules are meant to be broken. Sometimes."

"Good thing you added that last word," the blonde said, while putting the battle gear on. "I would have used it against you otherwise."

"I'm pretty sure you'll still find ways to do so, regardless of that last word. Now let's go get your sister."

***

Three brooms hovered invisibly above Wool's Orphanage, staring down at the red brick buildings. Harry and Ron were keeping an eye out for the other Aurors' return. Draco sat tense on his broom and although he knew Harry was right to be careful, he wanted to go in, kill the little Lestrange chit and get Kowaku back to safety. He also vowed to do the second item on that list if he got the chance. One of Harry's men returned.

"No sign of magical presence in the left wing."

Within seconds the second and third followed with alike messages about the middle and right wing.

"She is underneath the buildings," said the fourth Auror upon his return. "It's a maze down there and she is not alone. I spotted at least three wizards guarding the entrance to her lair."

"Did anyone see another entrance than the main one," Ron asked. The three shook their heads. Harry nodded grimly.

"We cannot afford to lose much more time. If the daughter is as fickle as the mother, she might kill Kowaku, regardless if her brother is there to see it," Harry said. "We move in, groups of two. You know the drill: aim to knock out and immobilise as silently as possible until we are spotted, grab the victim and get out. Draco, stay close."

"Yes, sir," the Slytherin said in a mock military tone, his eyes belying the playful attitude.

The group of Aurors immediately fell apart into duos and they all swooped down. Speed was of utmost importance if they were to succeed. The world turned into a blur around them, as they went head first for the entrance to the basement below Wool's Orphanage. Draco heard whispered spells and two guards fell to the ground, immobilised. The third found the time to dodge the oncoming spell and managed to touch the doorknob before sinking through his knees as well. Harry raised a fist and everyone pulled up to stop. The Head Auror signalled one of his team members and the man raised a gloved hand, eyes closed and lips moving.

"Dark Magic protection spells and charms," he said. "It will take a lot of time to open them unnoticed."

"Time we do not have," Draco growled, raising his wand and blasting the gate to pieces.

"Drake!" Harry shouted, as his blonde friend sped off into the dark halls. "Everyone to their tasks. Ron, keep Draco safe, while I try to find Kowaku."

"Roger," the redhead grunted, his face betraying annoyance at the Slytherin's impulsiveness as he flew after the escapee. Harry understood his best friend all too well, but also knew Ron was a professional, who knew what to do in situations as these.

For a few meters, they all flew in the same directions until the halls split up as did the group. Not too far from him, Harry saw Ron's red hair and just in front of him Draco. A familiar light seemed to lead the blonde and the Gryffindor knew Dervla was leading the way. Wherever his teammates went, Harry, Ron and Draco would be the first to find Kowaku and Bellatrix's daughter. Leaning lower on his broom, Harry caught up with Ron, exchanging glances.

"Impulsive bugger, isn't he," Ron grunted.

"Apparently," Harry said. "Always did want things to go his way."

"Since when is he 'Drake'?"

Harry sighed and resisted the urge to fly on, ignoring Ron's question. "Ask me another time, Ron. I swear I'll answer."

"You better, you git. Herm's not cooperating one bit."

Barely resisting a smile, Harry shrugged apologetically and thanked Hermione silently. He wasn't sure he could deal with a fully informed Ron at this point. Both Gryffindors sped up to fly inches from Draco's right and left, who did not even look back, but kept his eyes firmly on Dervla, mumbling incantation after incantation. The little dragon seemed to flicker now and then, as if tired, but every time Draco pushed her further, taking turn after turn in the maze. Harry realised the basement went far beyond the grounds of Wool's Orphanage and wondered if it had always been like this.

The narrow halls suddenly stopped and the three men barely had time to register their surroundings, before spells started flashing around them. Green and red sparks banged into the stone walls, exploding into thousands little specks of light. Cursing, Harry let himself drop to the side, twirling in a downward spiral, avoiding the spells and casting his own, all the while trying not to lose sight of one particular platinum head. Draco seemed to have some sort of death wish, not relinquishing Dervla from her task and heading straight for the wall, opposite of the one they had emerged from, Ron in his tow. Harry caught eye of a hooded figure to his right, extended his wand and slammed the man into a stalactite with the force of his spell. His body went tumbling down and the Head Auror would have cast a cushioning spell on him, had he not been forced to protect himself. A green flash missed him by inches. He dove for a second, luring his opponent with him, before turning in mid-drop, his broom now facing up instead of down and stunning the surprised dark wizard. Finally Harry got a few second to take in his surroundings and noticed several of his Aurors had joined in the fight. Regardless how young the Lestrange daughter was, she had managed to gather quite a few followers and his team had its hands full holding them off. Surviving.

His jaw set tightly, the Gryffindor sought for Draco and saw him – meters away - head for a cave in the opposing wall, where weak light flickered, throwing shadows against all walls. Instantly, Harry was on his tail, hoping he would be in time to prevent the Slytherin from doing something stupid. Kingsley would have his hide otherwise. On his way there, he was thwarted several times, each time losing precious seconds, minutes even. Flashes of spells emerged from the cave and he knew he was too late. Speeding up, Harry practically catapulted himself over the rim and nearly collided with a stalactite on his way in. Looping around the obstacle, he watched four still figures, caught in a deadly impasse and turned the broom, coming to a sudden halt. Panting slightly, he watched the scene.

Bellatrix's daughter had her mother's good looks from before her pre-Azkaban days and the same mad glint in her eyes. Her clawlike fingers were clamped tightly over Kowaku's pale neck and her wand almost pierced the skin. Draco stood opposite of her, legs spread out, wand in his left hand. Blood trickled down his wand arm onto the ground, making cold noises as it touched stone. Ron stood to the blonde's right, wand raised as well. Unlike her features, the girl's voice was nothing like her mother's. It was low and soft, like velvet.

"So many friends all of a sudden, Draco Malfoy? And one of them the famous Harry Potter no less."