Harry and Hermione looked around as they stepped onto the island. "Well," said Harry. "This is welcoming." A mist covered the entire island except for the massive structure in the center.

"Get down," whispered Megan as she dragged them both to the ground. Harry looked up to see what caused the panic, only for Megan to force his head down. "Stay silent. Don't look up." Harry heard a sort of clicking as a cold feeling filled the air. Megan kept their heads down and Harry prayed whatever was near them, his gut told him it was one of the Dementors, didn't notice them and moved on. The clicking was joined by raspy breaths as the Dementor hovered above them. After a few moments, the Dementor started moving on. Harry chanced a glance up and spotted a deformed humanoid with char-black skin. Harry turned his face away as the Dementor started turning around and avoided looking at it as it finally drifted out of sight. "Merlin. I thought it was cold already but when it was over us…"

"Let's just get inside," said Hermione, slightly shaken by their experience.

"Are you ok," asked Harry.

"Just a bit unnerved." Harry pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead lightly in an attempt to calm her down.

"We should move now, you two," said Megan. "Time to break into Azkaban. First we slip in and take knowledge of the layout and patrols, find Crouch, 'question' him, report to Lady Monarch then it's back home to get some sleep." They made their way to the structure and moved to the wall, only to find that it was completely solid as they tried moving through it. "What the hell?"

"That shouldn't be possible." Megan felt around the wall but found she couldn't move through.

"Duh," said Hermione as she hit her own head. "It's a magical prison. Someone was bound to make sure Umbramancers couldn't just come and go through the walls at some point! Bella must've been using the normal means of exiting to go to the meetings."

"Then I guess we do the same to get in," said Harry.

"Not even inside and already skipping to Rule Four," replied Megan. "That's never a good sign."

"You never did tell us those rules."

"Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails then throw away the plan."

"That's it?"

"I'm sorry, which of us is an experienced Thief? And which one is the boy who never plans for anything? By the way… HOW'S THE BASILISK BITE?!" Harry winced and massaged his right arm.

"Point taken."

"Let's go." They moved along the wall and to the front gate of the prison. A couple of wizards were standing at the gate wearing Dementor controlling medallions and just talking about a random subject. Megan led them to the front gate, and they managed to get through it after Megan gleamed information on the guard and Dementor patrols from the two guards' shadows. Harry shuddered as he looked around and heard all of the angry whispers of the nearby shadows.

"This place is horrible."

"You're preaching to the choir, Harry. How are you holding up, Hermione?"

"What," muttered Hermione as she turned from a cell, her shadow seeming to take notes on something.

"What are you doing?"

"Distracting myself. Learning what I can about the inmates here. Better than worrying myself over the Dementors and this whole situation."

"Whatever works for you then. This way."

"Wait," said Harry as he managed to pull a map of the prison into the Realm of Shadows and turned to the girls beside him. "Do either of you know the Homonculous Charm?"

"Why," asked Hermione.

"Something Dahlia learned from Remus' shadows when she went to him to tell him and Sirius what she was doing. When used on a map, you can track people as they walk in the halls on the map."

"That's the Marauder's Map!"

"Exactly."

"I don't know it, unfortunately. Megan?"

"Nope, sorry," said Megan.

"Damn. At least we have a map, then. Hopefully Bella knows the spell."

"Hermione," said Harry. "Language."

"Oh, stuff it." She smacked his arm lightly with a small grin on her face.

"Next patrol is in three minutes down this hall. Crouch's cell is a floor up and fifth on the right. Bella's is on the opposite side of the prison."

"Then let's move," said Harry as he took Hermione's hand. The three teens began maneuvering through the prison. Once they were forced to slip into the cell of an exceptionally violent and deranged man who seemed to be a Seer and ranted about imps in his cell as a Dementor glided past. Harry shook his head before they left. "I couldn't tell if he had a few screws loose or too many in place."

"With Seers, it's either way." They walked past a couple of guards and Harry blinked as he heard the shadow of one of them.

"The one on the right is a Death Eater."

"I heard that too," said Hermione.

"Nothing we can do about it," said Megan. "We need to get the information and report it to the Monarch as fast as possible all while avoiding…" She gasped before dragging them into another cell. Dementors drifted by the cell and Harry managed to get a glimpse of the face of one. Where the body seemed humanoid, the face was anything but. A long vertical mouth with jagged teeth split the face in half and small dead eyes mirrored where normal eyes would be. The lips twitched slightly as the Dementor 'sniffed' around.

"I think I have a new sense of fear for those things," he muttered. "Thank god their cloaked in the Mortal Realm."

"Don't stare too long." Harry hid along the side of the door into the cell and waited for the cold atmosphere to get bearable for them. "Dementors weren't supposed to be here for another ten minutes."

"What caused the change?"

"Maybe they can smell extra souls," said Hermione.

"If that's the case," said Megan. "Then we need to speed things up. Shadow Speed runs the risk of encountering more Dementors faster than we need to so that's out. Dammit."

"I've got my wand ready," said Harry.

"What are you three doing here," demanded a voice nearby. Harry turned around and spotted Bella in the hall.

"Bella!"

"You three need to get out of here!" She looked up and pushed past Harry back into the cell.

"What's going on," asked Hermione.

"Crouch disappeared. The guards and Dementors are trying to find him. I saw multiple Dementors starting to go frantic at the scent of new souls on the island. Souls not protected by their controllers. Fair game."

"Crouch is gone," asked Harry.

"I told you things were never that simple," said Shade.

"Yes," said Bella. "So that means the job needs to be abandoned."

"Do you know where his cell is?"

"Yes, why?"

"Take us there."

"Knight Potter, there's nothing there."

"Lady Monarch. Call it a hunch. If we go there, we may find out something crucial."

"Knight Potter… You better know what you're doing." Bella started leading them to the cell, avoiding Dementors as they drifted past. Once inside the cell, Harry looked around. "We have about two minutes before a patrol comes by on schedule." Harry looked around before he noticed a bucket of water on the floor. He looked in and noticed something odd about it.

"What's wrong, Harry," asked Hermione. Harry glanced out into the hall before coming back in and shifting into the Mortal Realm.

"Harry," he heard Hermione's shadow whisper shouting at him from the floor. Harry looked at the bucket again and blinked. Something about his reflection in the water was different. He scratched his head before he realized what it was he was looking at. His reflection was reversed.

"Holy hell…"

"Who's in there," shouted a voice from the hall. Harry slipped back into the Realm of Shadows before the door opened and the Umbramancers moved off to the sides, hiding in the shadows cast into the room by the torch light in the hall.

"Hey," came another shout from further down the hall. "Lestrange is gone! That's two prisoners gone! Warden is calling for a full lockdown!"

"Dammit," said Bella. "They checked my cell."

"But why though," asked Megan. "Your cell is on the opposite side of the prison."

"Questions for later," said Harry. "We need to go now. Lady Monarch, please come with us. You're already considered a runner, what would actually running do now?"

"Dammit," said Bella. "Fine. Come on!" They followed their Monarch towards the entrance of the prison. Harry spotted a few Dementors down the hall and casted his Patronus into the Mortal Realm. The Dementors shrieked in pain as the light of the spell hit them and the Patronus tackled them away from the Umbramancers. It vanished before the guards could spot what kind of Patronus it was as the Umbramancers ran past. After making a quick stop to obtain Bella's wand, they managed to get out of the prison and Bella turned to them. "We need to head to the Fortress. Move, now you three."

"Yes, ma'am," they said before the four Umbramancers took off at full speed towards the Fortress of Shadows.

Within a few minutes, they were standing in the antechamber with Bella pacing in front of them. "How could our luck get as bad as it did tonight?"

"I blame myself," said Harry. "I just checked the time. It's 1 in the morning. Officially, it's All Hallows Eve. I don't have the best of luck on this day. But with the good comes the bad."

"What could be good about any of this," asked Megan.

"I think I know how he got out."

"What do you mean," asked Dahlia.

"The bucket in his room. It was filled with water and when I looked in it, something seemed off. Then I scratched an itch on my head and that's when I noticed it. It wasn't a proper reflection. It was flipped."

"Flipped," asked Hermione.

"Right side was on the left. When I lifted my right hand, it was on the reflections right not mine. Like I was looking at a colored in negative."

"What does that mean," asked Bella.

"I don't know… Bella. Is it normal to not see your reflection in the Realm of Shadows."

"That is something I haven't paid attention to. Why?"

"A theory. But one that requires more investigation."

"Do what you need to. But first, would you mind telling me what that theory is?"

"Lumomancy. If we have a Realm of our own, what's to say the Lumomancers don't have one? One they can escape into if they know how."

"So they're idea thieves," said Megan. "That's the worst kind."

"I'd say perhaps you're right, Harry," said Bella. "I should have figured it would be something like that. Lumomancers are typically illusionists, relying on bending light and playing tricks on your vision. We didn't have any reason to think they might have a Realm of their own. But how would you reach it?"

"Reflections," said Hermione as she turned to Harry. "That's what you're implying, right?"

"That's right," said Harry.

"Making it difficult to enter unlike the Realm of Shadows," said Bella. "Polar opposites with similarities and differences. Harry, you are brilliant!" Harry smiled with pride as Dahlia walked into the antechamber and rushed over.

"I heard you four rushed here at full speed," said the vampire. "What happened?"

"My bad luck," said Harry. They explained what had happened while at Azkaban.

"So this whole operation was botched from the get go?"

"Not entirely," said Bella with a grin. "Knight Potter was able to deduce how Crouch escaped, at least."

"How?" Harry dug into his aunt's bag and pulled out a compact before showing her her reflection.

"Lumomancy," said Harry. "I think Crouch may have learned it after his parents sprung him and he was able to use it to escape tonight. It's the only thing that makes sense. There's no way Crouch would've been able to be smuggled out this time, not with his father in holding at the Ministry and his mother dead. He has no one to visit him and allow him to get out at all. And I doubt the prison is as anti-Lumomancy as it is anti-Umbramancy."

"Well," said Bella. "I doubt even the shadows were aware of that little secret, otherwise we'd have thought of that."

"It may be the only secret we weren't allowed to learn to keep the balance," said Dahlia.

"In any event." She turned to the three teens and smiled. "Despite the unfortunate events of tonight, you managed to uncover a secret unknown to even the shadows. Well done."

"But it wasn't what we needed," said Harry.

"No, but you're getting paid regardless."

"We get paid," exclaimed Harry and Hermione.

"Didn't I explain that," asked Dahlia with a grin.

"No," said Harry. "You didn't"

"Well you do. 10 Galleons and 50 Sickles for a completed job, 12 Galleons for a recovered artefact and 20 Galleons for uncovering a major secret."

"That's a lot of money," said Hermione.

"How do you think I could afford my flat?"

"Ill-gotten gains," said Harry.

"Nothing so obvious," said Megan. "We prefer… legitimate proceeds."

"Of course you do." Harry turned to Dahlia. "What do we do now?"

"Try and find Crouch, that's what," said the vampire. "He's a threat, not only to the Court, but to you as well. If he manages to find his master and Voldemort learns of Lumomancy, we could be at a major disadvantage."

"Then I guess it's good I'm on the run," said Bella. "I can't spend a minute more away from the Court if Crouch helps Riddle. With my new fugitive status, might as well play it smart until we catch the bastard." She turned to Harry and Hermione. "While you two are here, why don't you explore more of the fortress?"

"We would," said Hermione. "But we need to get back to the school, Lady Monarch. We have classes."

"Well," said Harry. "You do. I don't. Dumbledore is allowing me to visit Sirius in St. Mungo's all day tomorrow."

"Lucky asshole," muttered Megan. Harry simply grinned before turning to the two adults.

"But while we're here, we might as well get some practice in for our magic before heading back."

"I think Tannis is here," said Dahlia.

"Oh god. She gets a chance to kill me."

"Hermione. Scholar Irons is in the library. He'd be willing to go over more of your duties with you before you need to leave."

"Thank you, Lady Monarch," said Hermione. Harry turned around.

"Armory is off limits."

"Dammit," said Harry.

"Those weapons are too dangerous to wield, Knight Potter. Especially for one untrained in them."

"Then can someone train me?"

"No."

"Dammit."

"Calm down," said Hermione. "What do you need a weapon for? Shade can turn into any weapon you'd like."

"It's more I want to feel like a proper knight. A knight is nothing without his shield and sword."

"A knight isn't a knight because of weapons," said Dahlia. "Knights are chivalrous, honorable, courageous and selfless. All aspects you've shown in the past, Nephew." Harry blinked as something moved in the corner of his eye and he turned to address it only to see nothing there. He grit his teeth in frustration. "What's wrong?"

"Is it normal to see something out of the corner of my eyes here?"

"What?"

"I swear I keep seeing something out of the corner of my eye! Each time I look at it, it moves. Or stays still! Whichever makes it harder for me to see anything." Dahlia and Bella exchanged a look.

"Lumomancy," asked Dahlia.

"Not enough light here for that," replied Bella. "This is something else."

"Spirit," asked Hermione. "The Realm is the bridge between the Void and the Mortal Realm."

"Not a bad theory, Spy Granger. I'll have Scholar Irons learn more and see if a few people have experienced the same. For now, you three should return to Hogwarts. Someone may discover you're not in your beds if you're gone."

"Especially someone trying to sneak out to place their name in the Goblet of Fire." Harry sighed.

"Ron," he muttered.

"Right then," said Megan. "As the leader…"

"Temporary leader."

"I say we head back. Knight Potter, lead on!"

"Don't let this get to your head."

"Too late! I've gone mad with power!" Harry groaned as she hopped on his back. Hermione giggled before taking his hand. Harry turned to Dahlia and Bella before leaving.

"Oh, by the way. Is there a reason that Tracey Davis can show up in the Realm without a Shadow Mark?"

"She can do what," asked Bella.

"When we met Megan in the Great Hall the first day back, I happened to look up and spotted Tracey looking down at us from the ceiling before disappearing." Bella stared at Harry before shaking her head.

"Um… I'll look into that." Harry nodded and the three teens ran back to Hogwarts. Dahlia turned to Bella.

"What is it," asked the vampire.

"If Tracey has a natural affinity with the shadows without even making a contract, I think we should check Scathach's tomb."

"Why?"

"When she died, Gae Bolg was buried with her rather than kept by Cú Chulain. Whether the spear is there or not will give me my answer."

"Should we be worried?"

"Only if I die before she is recruited by the shadows. Then you will have to teach her."

"Teach her what?"

"I think the shadows have chosen the next Monarch."